6. SITE-SPECIFIC CONDITIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS (continued)

6.6  BROOKS PARK AND LAKEVIEW/ASHTON MINI PARK

Brooks Park and Lakeview/Ashton Mini Park are located in southwestern San Francisco in the Merced Heights and Ingleside Heights neighborhoods (Figure ES-1). Brooks Park fronts on Shields Street between Victoria and Vernon Streets. Nearby Lakeview/Ashton Mini Park is a rocky outcrop at the dead ends of Ashton and Orizaba Avenues and Lakeview and Shields Streets.  Soils underlying both Brooks Park and Lakeview/Ashton Mini Park are Franciscan sandstone. Non-native grasslands dominate the landscape at these two areas: Italian ryegrass is the dominant species at Brooks Park and ripgut brome at Lakeview/Ashton Mini Park. No special-status species are known to occur or have been reported from either of these Natural Areas.

6.7 PINE LAKE

Pine Lake Park, located in western San Francisco is bounded in part by Wawona Way on the north and Crestlake Drive on the west and south sides (Figure ES-1).  Pine Lake itself accounts for 20 percent of the area and occupies the western portion of the valley floor. Like most of the western San Francisco Peninsula, the underlying soils at Pine Lake Park are sandy in nature. Blue gum forests wrap almost all the way around Pine Lake, dominating the landscape. Limited scrub habitats, California blackberry and willow scrub, occur within the Natural Area. Small areas of bulrush and swamp knotweed wetlands can be found around Pine Lake. Western pond turtles can be found at Pine Lake and are the only sensitive species known to occur within this Natural Area.  (Top of page)

6.8   TWIN PEAKS

Twin Peaks is situated very near the geographic center of San Francisco, north of Mt. Davidson and south of Buena Vista Park and Corona Heights (Figure ES-1).  This Natural Areas is underlain by Franciscan chert, which is exposed at locations through the Natural Area.  Vegetation series dominated by native species cover most of Twin Peaks.  Most of these are grasslands and scrub series.  The native grassland series include red fescue prairie, reed grass prairie, and purple needlegrass.  Of the scrub series at Twin Peaks, seven are dominated by native vegetation.

Four sensitive plant species occur on Twin Peaks: San Francisco gumplant, Coast rock cress, Pacific reed grass, and silver bush lupine (Lupinus albifrons). Because of the relationship between mission blue butterflies and silver bush lupine, this species is worthy of special management consideration at Twin Peaks.

Two bird species of concern nest in the denser scrub habitats of Twin Peaks: spotted towhees (Pipilo maculatus) and white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys). A population of the Federally endangered mission blue butterfly continues to persist at Twin Peaks. (Top of page)

6.9   BILLY GOAT HILL

Billy Goat Hill is located in the Diamond Heights area of San Francisco, east of Glen Canyon Park (Figure ES-1). The Natural Area at Billy Goat Hill is composed mainly of grasslands underlain by Franciscan bedrock including chert, sandstone, and greenstone. There are no records of sensitive species from this Natural Area.

6.10   BUENA VISTA PARK

Buena Vista is located in the central portion of San Francisco in the Corona Heights and Duboce Triangle neighborhoods, just north of Corona Heights (Figure ES-1).  Buena Vista is bounded in part by Haight Street on the north. Buena Vista Avenue East and Buena Vista Avenue West loop around the park to and from Haight Street. The soils at Buena Vista are comprised entirely of Sirdrak (dune) sand. The coast live oak forest within the Natural Area at Buena Vista is one of few remnant populations of this species within the City and is second in size to only the much more expansive oak woodlands within Golden Gate Park.  No sensitive wildlife species have been reported from the Natural Area.