The anti-snowy plover crusade continued this week, as the Board of Supervisors yesterday passed a resolution opposing proposed National Park Service restrictions on dogs in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The proposed rules, intended to both protect the aforementioned endangered bird and create a space for park visitors that is dog-free, have met wide opposition from dog groups and were the focus of a press conference held earlier this month on the steps of City Hall. The resolution, reports KRON 4, was passed 10 to 1 with Supervisor Eric Mar as the lone opposition vote.
"[The] City and County of San Francisco opposes GGNRA's Proposed Rule for Dog Management and urges GGNRA to modify these regulations to allow for greater access to recreational opportunities such as dog walking," the resolution reads in part.
If finalized by the National Park Service, the rules would designate certain parts of parks like Fort Funston and Ocean Beach as totally off-limits to man/woman's best friend. This is apparently controversial enough to catch the attention of Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, who recently weighed in on the matter.
Supervisor Mar, for his part, appeared to see this resolution as mere appeasement to dog-owning constituents and likely to accomplish little.
“I don’t think this is a resolution that supports this shared balance, it’s more on the pro-dog owner side,” KRON 4 reports Mar as explaining. “My goal is working with the National Park Service.”
The resolution was put forth by Supervisor Katy Tang, and as the board actually has no say in whether or not NPS approves the rules, it is best viewed as a symbolic gesture.
"Although the Board of Supervisors does not have official say regarding the GGNRA dog management rule," Supervisor Tang explained to SFist, "our resolution was to go on official record stating our opposition for the third time to the incredibly unbalanced proposed plan that ignores the realities of our urban environment. I am supportive of a balanced approach to dog management in our city, but what we have been hit with is a proposal that has not taken into serious account the thousands of comments from residents."
You can read the specifics on the proposed rules on the NPS service website, and the public comment period lasts until May 25.
Previously: Supervisors Not Happy About Proposed Restrictions On Dogs In Parks
Nancy Pelosi Weighs In On Dogs On Beaches
Fort Funston, Ocean Beach To Partially Ban Dogs Under Proposed Rule Change