San Francisco’s Favorite Outdoor Volunteer Program
PARTNER LINKS
— University of California San Francisco
— San Francisco Parks Alliance
— Nature in the City
— San Francisco Urban Riders
— One Brick
— San Francisco Rotary Club
— Bay Area Ridge Trail Council, SF
— California Native Plant Society
— Cole Valley Improvement Association
— Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council
Created by Sutro Stewards Aug 19, 2010 at 4:06pm. Last updated by Sutro Stewards Aug 31, 2010.
Created by Craig Dawson Sep 10, 2010 at 5:16pm. Last updated by Craig Dawson Sep 10, 2010.
Saturday
July 6, 2013 from 9am to 12:30pm – UCSF Mount Sutro Open Space Reserve, San Francisco
Join with us for a morning of environmental stewardship in one of San Francisco's finest open space areas. We'll be running out Trails, Habitat and Nursery programs with activities for volunteers of…
Organized by Craig Dawson | Type: environmental, stewardship, habitat, and, trails, ucsf, mount, sutro, nursery, rotary, meadow
Let me begin by posing two questions:
1) Have you ever found yourself in a dangerous situation?
2) Would you choose to live surrounded by danger?
I'd wager that 99% of you answered YES to the first question and NO to the second. In other words you are capable of recognizing danger and doing your best to avoid it. If that is the case then why do so many of our friends and neighbors choose to situate themselves and their family's adjacent to danger. Further, when, over an extended period of time this hazard is presented to them by experts, they choose to ignore the threat. In fact many have rallied against the very plans which, if implemented, would reduce this threat.
Here we are in San Francisco, a City with a history of fire, where tens of thousands of families and individuals choose to encircle a hazardous environment known as Sutro Forest. In recent years many have listened to and become confused by a campaign of rhetoric stating that the forest is safe from fire; its lush green environment is simply too wet to burn. The campaigners have further stated that the intention of proposed management plans to clear cut 60% of the forest and 90% of the understory is unnecessary and an unwarranted attempt to further develop the area. By all accounts those statements are false and great exaggerations of proposed management actions.
Sadly those statements and the claims found within have succeeded in delaying the implementation of a management plan which is designed to mitigate some of the most extreme fire conditions found within our City. Without the ability to address the existing conditions on Mount Sutro and provide some relief from the potential for fire, entire neighborhoods remain at risk. If you feel I've overstated the threat please take a look at the following article recently posted on KQED Science "Eucalyptus: California Icon, Fire Hazard and Invasive Species" and in particular the quote I've highlighted below. At the bottom of the article is another link to "Firestorm: the story of a catastrophic fire that struck the Tasmanian township of Dunalley January 4, 2013."
"At very high temperatures, eucalypt species release a flammable gas that mixes with air to send fireballs exploding out in front of the fire. With eucalyptus, you see these ember attacks, with huge bursts of sparks shooting out of the forests, Bowman says. “It’s just an extraordinary idea for a plant.”
I encourage you to explore the topic with an open mind and apply it to the conditions that can currently be found here in the heart of San Francisco. Further I encourage you to support the deliberate, measured approach that the University of California San Francisco has proposed within their Mount Sutro Open Space Management Plan. CD
More answers to your questions regarding plans for Mount Sutro directly from the source.UCSF%20Sutro%20FAQ%202013%200220.pdf
Posted by Craig Dawson on February 20, 2013 at 5:37pm
If you want a better understanding of what the 1,000+ page DEIR responds to, please take a look at the 80 page UCSF Mount Sutro Open Space Reserve Management Plan. This is the document that has guided the process of creating the trail network (SF's first multi-use trails), Rotary Meadow and numerous restoration sites, and the Sutro Stewards.
http://www.ucsf.edu/sites/default/files/documents/Mount_Sutro_Reserve_Plan.pdf
Posted by Craig Dawson on February 18, 2013 at 11:26am
© 2013 Created by Sutro Stewards.