Golden Gate National Recreation Area Releases Final Environmental Impact Statement with Preferred Alternative for Dog Management

Under the FEIS Preferred Alternative nearly one-third of the park's mileage of beaches will be open to dog walking.

NPS

News Release Date: December 8, 2016

Contact: Nathan Hale Sargent, 415-561-4732

SAN FRANCISCO, December 8, 2016 – Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) today enters the final stages of planning for dog management with the release of a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) with Preferred Alternative.

As required by the National Environmental Policy Act, the FEIS analyzes alternative approaches to dog management at the park and recommends a preferred alternative that has been informed by public comment. The FEIS serves as a tool for decision making upon which an official Record of Decision and a Final Rule for Dog Management will be based.

The FEIS was shaped by public comments received in three successive, earlier stages: the Draft Environmental Impact Statement of 2011; the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement of 2014; and the Proposed Rule of 2016.

GGNRA received more than 4,100 comments on the proposed rule for dog management earlier this year. The FEIS Preferred Alternative incorporates a number of changes as a result of public comment. These include:

o Addition of voice and sight control (“off leash”) area at Rancho Corral de Tierra (Flat Top)
o Addition of on-leash loop trail at Muir Beach (Kaashi Way)
o Expansion of both voice and sight control and dog free areas at Crissy Field
o Realignment and expansion of on-leash area at Baker Beach
o Addition of an accessible on- and off-leash trail at Fort Funston
o Addition of on-leash trail at Mori Point (Mori Headlands Trail)
o Addition of on-leash trail to overlook at Milagra Ridge (Milagra Ridge Road)

"The Dog Management Plan seeks to balance recreation and preservation at Golden Gate National Recreation Area, increase visitor safety by providing space for all types of recreational users, and protect park resources for future generations," said Jim Milestone, Acting General Superintendent.

"We will proudly remain the most dog-friendly park in the National Park Service and the only one to offer off-leash dog recreation," he added.

The FEIS Preferred Alternative identifies 22 locations for dog walking at GGNRA, including sites at six locations that would welcome dogs under voice and sight control (off-leash). The FEIS Preferred Alternative also identifies areas that would be dog-free.

Nearly one third (31%) of the mileage on the park’s beaches and more than one third (34%) of the mileage on trails would be available for dog walking.

Specific park areas would allow walking 4-6 dogs with an NPS permit.

Following the release of the FEIS, the National Park Service will publish a Record of Decision in the Federal Register in January 2017, with a Final Rule to follow. The Final Rule will specify an effective date.

Implementation of the Final Rule will include public outreach, education, and signage.

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The FEIS, maps of on-leash, off-leash, and dog-free areas of the FEIS Preferred Alternative, and more information will be posted to https://www.nps.gov/GOGA