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Executive Summary1. Overview2. Management ApproachValues Strategies 3. Setting4. IPM5. General RecommendationSoils, Erosion, and Public Use 6.Site Specific Recommendations |
EXECUTIVE SUMMARYThis Executive Summary presents the highlights of Sections 1 through 6 in this management plan. 1. Overview INTRODUCTIONThe City and County of San Francisco (City) covers the northern portion of the San Francisco Peninsula and encompasses an area of 49 square miles. Small fragments of a unique ecosystem called the Franciscan landscape, part of the larger Bay/Delta region, still exist in San Francisco today. The Franciscan landscape developed in the wildlands that once extended from San Bruno Mountain to the Golden Gate Headlands. Its unusual combination of climatic, floristic, and geologic features supported the development of a biologically diverse assemblage of plants and animals, some of which were unique to the area. Most of the remnant fragments of the Franciscan landscape are included in the Significant Natural Resources Areas and are protected by the Natural Areas Program of the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department (SFRPD). There are over 30 Significant Natural Areas, scattered mostly throughout the central and southern portions of the City (Figure ES-1). They range in size from less than an acre to almost 400 acres and often support sensitive plant and animal species and habitats. The parks within the SFRPD system are diverse in their uses, management needs, and biotic resources. Natural Areas have been designated within the different parks. Within the Natural Areas, this report delineates Critical Areas (areas that will be the focus of management actions). Creation of a comprehensive resource inventory allowed the development of site-specific issues and recommendations for the different Natural Areas (Section 6.1 to 6.21). Some of these issues apply to many Natural Areas; these are called General Issues and Recommendations (Section 5). General recommendations that apply to each Natural Area are listed before the site-specific issues and recommendations. NATURAL AREAS PROGRAMThe Natural Areas Program is the branch of SFRPD responsible for managing the City's Significant Natural Resource Areas. The mission of the Natural Areas Program is to restore and enhance remnant Natural Areas and to develop and support community-based site stewardship. SFRPD's commitment was formalized in the SFRPD Commission's adoption of the Significant Natural Resource Areas Management Plan (SNRAMP) in 1995. (Top of Page) SIGNIFICANT NATURAL RESOURCE AREAS MANAGEMENT PLAN BACKGROUND AND GOALSThe purpose of this management plan is to provide a scientifically sound planning framework for the implementation of the mission of the Natural Areas Program. Several planning and policy efforts have preceded the development of this plan and form the foundation of its goals and recommendations. These include the Open Space Element of the City's General Plan (as amended in 1991), which requires the City to preserve and protect the Significant Natural Resource Areas (Policy 13). Policy 13 includes natural resource areas and naturalistic areas as potential protection and preservation areas and identifies criteria used to determine what a significant natural resource area is. In 1995, the Recreation and Parks Commission adopted the SFRPD's staff report on the SNRAMP that refined the objectives, policies, and management actions for Significant Natural Areas. This document identified 28 parks or portions of parks considered candidates for Significant Natural Areas. The objectives from the 1995 SNRAMP provide a framework for the general and park-specific recommendations in this plan. SFRPD's Strategic Plan identifies sustainability as one of its core values. Stated policy recommendations in the Strategic Plan that pertain to Natural Areas and the Natural Areas Program include ensuring acquisition and protection of sensitive plant and wildlife habitats, expanding sustainable landscaping, and becoming a leader in environmental education. (Top of Page) OBJECTIVESThe objectives of this management plan are:
DEFINITIONS OF SIGNIFICANT NATURAL AREAS AND CRITICAL AREAS
Significant Natural Areas contain remnant fragments of landscape that have been largely unchanged by human activity. A Natural Area may support several habitats, some of which are the direct result of human activity. These areas represent an opportunity to protect and restore important habitats for locally sensitive species and natural communities for future generations. In the 1995 SNRAMP document, Significant Natural Areas were initially ranked as A, B, or C based on overall size, the diversity of native habitats and species present, and the potential to restore and preserve this biodiversity in the future. Critical Areas are those areas that are key components in the conservation and restoration goals of SFRPD. Critical Areas are defined as: (1) areas where diverse populations of native plant species can be found; (2) locations of special-status plant species; (3) areas of important habitats (e.g., coastal scrub, wetlands, native grasslands, etc.); or (4) locations of special-status animal species or the habitats important to those species. Because Critical Areas typically contain the most valuable native communities, they will provide core habitats around which restoration activities can be focused. Once Critical Areas are protected and relatively stable, restoration efforts can gradually expand into Non-Critical Areas, increasing areas of native habitat Significant Natural Areas can be ranked according to the:
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