19 - Protecting Wildlife

PANEL DESCRIPTION: Situated at the western edge of Crissy Field is a four-sided metal kiosk with 3 wayside panels.

VIEW FROM WAYSIDE: To the east of the kiosk, is a two-lane road and north of the road, Crissy Field. Along the southern edge of the road are several long, two-story buildings with matching red roofs and cream-colored exteriors. There is a crosswalk to reach the southern side of the street 40 feet to the east, anticipated by a textured surface. On the northern side of the road is a paved path for cyclists and pedestrians that runs the length of Crissy Field. North of the kiosk is a small, grassy field separating the sidewalk from the San Francisco Bay Trail further north. The trail has a bench about 60 feet due north of the kiosk. The bench overlooks a sandy beach and the San Francisco bay, with a view of Alcatraz Island and the Marin Headlands. To the west is a row of picnic tables and barbecues set along a grassy field. The first table is 50 feet from the kiosk, and the barbecue is right of the table.

PANEL #1: Protecting Wildlife

TEXT: The western end of Crissy Field embraces rich and varied wildlife habitats-rocky shoreline, sandy beach, open water and piers. Designated a wildlife protection area, this site hosts many resident and migratory birds, which rest and feed here. Offshore, pelicans and terns plunge headlong into the water for fish. Grebes and cormorants gracefully dive for small fish and invertebrates. In the tidal zone, willets, plovers and sandpipers glean and prove the sand for worms, insects, mollusks and crustaceans.

Watercraft and pets are not permitted in the wildlife protection area, but you may enjoy jogging, fishing, picnicking-and watching birds without disturbing them. Protecting wildlife, and providing you the experience of seeing them wild, is part of the mission of the National Park Service.

DESCRIPTION OF IMAGE: An illustration of three birds in flight. They have light gray feathers with a bluish hue along their backs, with black-tipped wings and heads. Their beaks are thin and pointed.
CAPTION: Least terns, Sterna antillarum .

MAP DESCRIPTION: A map of Crissy Field and marsh. On the western portion of the map is a line indicating your position on the map, just south of the waterfront. Along the sandy shore just to the east of where the "You Are Here" marker is on the map, and for a small distance further east past where the beach ends, is an area colored in with tan lines that stretch past the shore line into the shallow waters of the bay. This area is labeled "Wildlife Protection Area."

CAPTION: The National Park Service has designated the shoreline and coastal waters indicated above as a wildlife protection area. This part of Crissy Field offers a safe haven for birds and other wildlife.

TEXT: How Crissy Field Got Its Name. In 1919, the U.S. Army sent 61 airplanes racing in short hops across the continental United States to test aircraft reliability and endurance. Major Dana H. Crissy led the west-to-east contingent which left from the still-unnamed airfield at the Presidio. He died in a crash on the first day out. In 1921, Major Hap Arnold, pioneer military aviator and later a five-star general, saw to it that the air base was named in Crissy's honor.

PANEL #3: A Place of Renewal

TEXT: The land known today as Crissy Field has undergone many changes. once a rich salt marsh and homeland of Ohlone people, it was later a landing site for Spanish and Russian explorers, a venue for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition and a pioneering United States military airfield.

Along with the entire Presidio, Crissy Field was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1962. With generous community support, Crissy Field has been transformed into a spectacular 100-acre shoreline park at the center of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

Revitalizing Crissy Field

Sponsored by the National Park Service and its nonprofit support partner, the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, the revitalization of Crissy Field owes its success to community support and stewardship. The Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund provided the lead gift for site restoration, and many other individuals and organizations from throughout the Bay Area generously contributed time and funding.

As part of the site restoration effort in 1998-2000, individuals and groups from schools, corporations and civic organizations planted more than 100,000 native plants to help restore natural habitat at Crissy Field. Community volunteers continue to play an important role in sustaining long-term stewardship of this national parkland.

DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATION #1: An illustration of pink sand verbena, a plant that also grows on a vine, with a vertical structure to its blossom. The blossom is pink and round like a sphere, the petals growing in more of a three-dimensional pattern. The green triangle-shaped leaves with rounded edges grow above and below the flower.

DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATION #2: An illustration of Indian paintbrush, a plant with hairy, teardrop-shaped leaves alternating their way up its stalk to a red blossom.

DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATION #3: A vertical plant with five small, round blue blossoms at the top of its stalk: silver bush lupine. Lower down on the stalk are five crinkly looking leaves, and at the very bottom, a dense section of smaller leaves growing close together.

CAPTION: Silky hairs on the silver bush lupine's leaves reflect heat and protect them from drying out. Capable of fixing nitrogen from the air, an advantage in nutrient-poor sand, these plants can live many decades.

PANEL #3: Enjoying Crissy Field
DESCRIPTION OF PANEL: Text, illustrations and a list of regulations.

TEXT: The National Park Service invites you to enjoy all that Crissy Field, the Presidio and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area have to offer. Crissy Field has been designed to accommodate a variety of uses. For the safety and enjoyment of all visitors and the protection of national park resources, please obey park rules.

MAP DESCRIPTION: A map of the San Francisco Bay coastline, from the San Francisco side, that includes Marina Gate and Entry Grove to the east, and stretches all the way to the Golden Gate Bridge to the west. Several areas within the parkland are labeled, including the Warming Hut to the west near Fort Point, then moving east: Golden Gate Promenade, the Tidal Marsh and East Beach.

TEXT: Please:

- Obey all posted regulations.

- Adhere to special regulations for the wildlife protection area.

- Note that bicycles are subject to all motor vehicle laws.

The following are prohibited:

- Glass bottles and containers.

- Fires on beach.

- Organized sports

- Camping

- Collecting plants and other natural objects

- Removing historic artifacts

- Feeding or disturbing wildlife

- Parking in unpaved areas except as designated

DIRECTIONS TO NEXT WAYSIDE: The next wayside is just over a quarter mile to the east. To reach it, take the sidewalk next to the road all the way. The road will be on your right and Crissy Field to your left. The wayside will be on the left, or, northern side of the path.