This legislation which was sponsored by Supervisor Avalos was supported by 36 community and environmental groups and approved by the Board of Supervisors.

Read Bay Citizen coverage of this veto : Lee Sides with Golfers

Golden Gate Audubon supports legislation to restore the wetlands and Sharp Park and to transfer the long term management of the Park to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.   This is the best solution in terms of the endangered species protection while meeting the current recreational needs of San Franciscans. 

1) Today send an email or call each of the supervisors on the City Operations and Neighborhood Services Committee:

Supervisor John Avalos email John.Avalos@sfgov (415) 554-6975
Supervisor Eric Mar email Eric.L.Mar@sfgov.org (415) 554-7410
Supervisor Sean Elsbernd email Sean.Elsbernd@sfgov.org (415) 554-6516
 
2) Attend the hearing on Monday, December 5, 2011 starts at 10:00 a.m.
SF City Hall, City Operations & Neighborhood Services Committee – Legislative Chamber Room 250
 

Why restore the Sharp Park wetlands and create a new public park in San Francisco?
·    To protect, recover, and ensure the long term survival of two federally-listed endangered species, the San Francisco garter and the California red-legged frog in the area.
·     Since 2004 Sharp Park has lost an average of $162,000 each year on a park that continues to inflict harm on wildlife.
·     Closing the course will save additional millions of dollars by eliminating the obligation for costly infrastructure projects needed to protect the park against sea level rise, costs from failing to comply with federal environmental laws.
·      The money saved would allow San Francisco to improve currently underfunded neighborhood parks, community centers, education programs, local jobs, and/or social services within the community. 
·       Resources for more popular recreational activities, such as hiking and biking, would benefit more people, rather than investing additional money to improve this golf course.  Sharp Park Golf Course has received failing reviews in nearly every category the National Golf Foundation measures.
 
What will the Sharp Park legislation do?
·      The legislation directs the Recreation & Park Department to partner and create a long-term management agreement with the National Park Service including a financial roadmap, and address urgent environmental and infrastructure needs. ·        Sharp Park would be transformed from golf to a new public park emphasizing trail-based recreation and would be managed by the National Park Service.
·      Protection of the endangered wildlife would be ensured by the National Park Service.  The Recreation and Park Department does not have the expertise or the financial resources to provide the required protections.

For more information contact Mike Lynes, Conservation Director mlynes@goldengateaudubon.org

What can you do?

1) Attend the Draft Environmental Impact Report Hearing at the Planning Commission:

 Thursday, December 1, 2011 starts at 5:00pm Location: San Francisco Planning Commission, Room 400 San Francisco City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place

2) Submit comments by December 12 at 5:00pm on this project to

Mr. Bill Wycko, Environmental Review Officer

San FranciscoPlanning Department, 1650 Mission Street, Suite 400, San Francisco,CA94103

email  bill.wycko@sfgov.org

What are the concerns with this project?

• Removal of 9 acres of natural grass which provides habitat to birds, butterflies and other wildlife and there is no mitigation proposed
• Installation of 10-60’ towers with stadium lighting that will remain on until 10:00pm every night.  Artificial lighting has been shown to draw birds off course during migration.  This site is within the Pacific Flyway, inGolden GateParkand 1000 feet fromOceanBeach. 
• The lighting will negatively impact nesting birds and other species that depend on the area surrounding the soccer fields as habitat.
• There is no recycling of the artificial turf plastic and tire crumb rubber, in 8-10 years 400 tons of debris will go to the landfill.
• It is much less expensive and more environmentally sustainable for the City to restore the natural grass fields.
• This is a onetime gift to the City.  When the artificial turf fields need to be replaced in 8-10 years where will the millions of dollars come from?

Contact: Mike Lynes, Conservation Director

In the news:

San Francisco Bay Guardian article “Whose Park?” November 30, 2011

You can learn from the docents about the birds on these dates:

• Thursday, December 8th from 10:30am-12:30pm at the Hoffman Marsh in Richmond, CA.
• Saturday, December 10th from 2:00pm -4:00pm at Vincent Park in Richmond, CA

Oakland on Sunday, December 18

San Francisco on Tuesday, December 27.

Click here to register on-line!

San Francisco  Mayor Approves New Standards for Bird-Safe Buildings

(Washington,D.C.andSan Francisco,CA, October 11, 2011) American Bird Conservancy (ABC) and Golden Gate Audubon hailed the signing into law of new Standards for Bird Safe Buildings by San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee. The signing follows the unanimous approval of the bill by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors last month.

The Standards will greatly reduce bird deaths and injuries resulting from collisions with buildings in the city. They include sections on safer windows, night lighting, and the construction of wind turbines in the urban environment.

“Protecting and helping birds is not only the right thing to do, it is also good for the economy and the future of our environment. Birds are invaluable as controllers of crop insect pests, pollinators of plants, and seed distributors; they also generate tremendous economic revenues through the pastimes of bird feeding and birdwatching. We need to do what we can to protect them,” said Eric Mar, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ member who sponsored the legislation.

“Mayor Lee and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors are showing national leadership on this critical wildlife issue. Up to one billion birds die each year in building collisions nationwide.San Franciscois acting responsibly by helping to reduce those preventable deaths,” said Dr. Christine Sheppard, manager of ABC’s Bird Collisions Campaign.

“Bird deaths from building strikes, one of the main causes of bird mortality in theUnited States, can often be prevented with reasonable, affordable measures such as those described in these standards. The City ofSan Francisco’s Standards for Bird Safe Buildings constitutes a huge step forward in mitigating this problem in the bay area,” said Mark Welther, Executive Director of Golden Gate Audubon.

Reduction of bird strikes with new buildings can be achieved with simple and cost-effective means. For example, fritting – the placement of ceramic lines or dots on glass – is often already used to reduce air conditioning costs by lowering heat gain in windows. If fritting is applied in particular patterns, it increases the visibility of the window to birds and reduces the likelihood of impacts, while still permitting people to see out clearly from the inside of the building.

The guidelines also address the effects of light pollution, which can confound birds’ ability to navigate by the stars during migration. Lighted buildings and towers can draw birds off course and result in exhaustion, injury, or death for millions every year. The guidelines will reduce unnecessary interior and exterior lighting during the bird migratory seasons, reducing risks to birds.

Bird-safe measures often have other benefits for building owners and operators. For example, fritting reduces heat gain through windows and decreases cooling costs. Turning off unnecessary lights can save owners and operators thousands of dollars a year while greatly reducing risks to birds.

“There are a number of buildings inSan Francisco, such as theSan FranciscoFederalBuildingand the De Young Museum, that are, albeit unintentionally, already bird-friendly. Where new construction is concerned, the bird-friendly options need not be more expensive, since bird-safe materials and designs can be incorporated from the beginning,” Sheppard said.

While San Francisco is looking at this issue on a local level, Illinois Congressman Mike Quigley  has introduced national legislation into the federal House of Representatives (HR 4797) that calls for each public building constructed, acquired, or altered by the General Services Administration (GSA) to incorporate, to the maximum extent possible, bird-safe building materials and design features. The legislation would require GSA to take similar actions on existing buildings, where practicable. The terms “bird-safe building materials and design features” are defined through reference to several publications addressing those topics.

Copies of the San Francisco Standards are available online at: http://bit.ly/qwXeYe

Click here to learn more about bird collisions with buildings!

 October 11, 2011 press release can be found here

Golden Gate Audubon supports the Standards for Bird Safe Buildings in San Francisco.
Why Have Standards for Bird Safe Building in San Francisco?
 - Several hundred million birds die each year in North America from collsions with windows in buildings, especially with “plate” and reflective glass.
-  Risks of collisions with tall structures can occur during fog and storms- conditions often seen in San Francisco during the spring and fall migrations.
- San Francisco is part of the Pacific Flyway, where 400 species of birds have been documented.
- Structures in the City put local and migrating birds at risk from collisions.
- Observers have reported death and injury from collisions to Peregrine Falcons, White-crowned Sparrows, Green Herons, Dark-eyed Juncos, and Orange-crowned Warblers and others.

What do the Standards call for?
- Voluntary efforts to reduce risks to birds by including bird-safe measures in design and operations.
- Requirements are limited to a few areas noted as high risk for birds (adjacent to the Bay or in heavily vegetated areas), with a focus on the lower 60’ of structures.
- Use of new and old technologies, from pulling down window shades to safer forms of glass that are becoming more readily and economically available

On September 12, 2011 the San Francisco Land Use Committee Supervisors approved the Standards for Bird Safe Buildings in San Francisco.  Supervisors Malia Cohen, Eric Mar and Scott Weiner approved the Standards which will next move to be heard by the full Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, September 20, 2011.

In July the American Bird Conservancy (ABC) and Golden Gate Audubon hailed the passage by the San Francisco Planning Commission of new Bird Safe Building Standards Thursday evening. Read the full press release here.

Read an article in the NY TImes about the issue.

August 15 through November 30 is fall migration and the time to encourage businesses to participate in Lights Out for Birds by turning off unnecessary lights from dusk to

dawn. This beneficial program saves natural resources, cuts energy bills, and, most importantly, can save the lives of numerous birds. To sign up or learn more about Lights Out, go to

www.goldengateaudubon.org/conservation or e-mail mlynes@goldengateaudubon.org.