Turning money-losing Sharp Park Golf Course into good habitat

Sharp Park Golf Course - owned by San Francisco but located on the coast in Pacifica - has been killing two federally protected species for years. San Francisco is currently reviewing its six city-owned golf courses to map out their future use. The time is right to restore Sharp Park Golf Course to nature. Doing this will preserve two important endangered species, improve recreational access to the coast, and make the area resilient to the anticipated changes of global climate change.

The San Francisco garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia, has been called North America's most beautiful serpent; unfortunately, it is also arguably the continent's most imperiled. This fantastically colored species is identified by its reddish-orange head with red, black, and blue racing stripes on its sides and back. This harmless and gorgeous critter isn't easily seen, in part because it's on the brink of extinction. Restricted primarily to San Mateo County, the species' preferred habitats - wet and marshy areas with access to upland basking areas - have been hit hard by agricultural, residential, commercial, and even recreational development. Even the snake's favorite food, the California red-legged frog, is in dire condition: it is also protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. There may be only one to two thousand San Francisco garter snakes remaining in the wild today.

Among the last places to see this wonderful species are Mori Point in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) and the adjacent Sharp Park Golf Course. But restoration work for the snake and the red-legged frog at Mori Point is being undermined by the golf course. In 2005 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service notified San Francisco's Recreation and Parks Department that Sharp Park Golf Course operations were "taking" red-legged frogs by draining and pumping the frog's aquatic habitats, thus desiccating frog eggs and killing tadpoles. New evidence has surfaced that the golf course has also been chopping up San Francisco garter snakes while mowing the snake's basking habitats.

The golf course's environmental problems are largely due to poor design and unfortunate placement. To create the course, land was dredged and filled around Laguna Salada - a backbarrier lagoon to the sea that was the frog's and snake's historic habitat. The park has had problems with flooding and drainage ever since: the course's ceremonial opening day was delayed twice due to wet playing conditions, and two major coastal floods have destroyed several holes. Normal winter rains flood the course nearly every year.

Environmental problems are compounded by the red ink the golf course puts on San Francisco's budget. Estimates by the Recreation and Parks Department indicate that Sharp Park will will cost between $100,000 and $4,000,000 from the city's coffers in the next four years. The lower estimates are achievable only if the city privatizes management, paying employees "lower union wages" (a euphemism for busting the gardeners' union), and convinces a private corporation to invest millions of dollars in capital improvements, presumably by granting the corporation a long-term lease.

Not surprisingly, this plan has critics. Golf rounds played at Sharp Park have declined by almost 40% since 2000. Without massive infrastructure investments, Sharp Park will continue to bring red ink to the city budget. As seen in other golf courses, if fees are raised, fewer rounds will be played. The course will depend increasingly on San Francisco's limited recreation budget.

Elimination of the golf function and restoration of the site to a more natural state is the best option. Restoration will ensure the continued existence and abundance of endangered species that San Francisco is charged with protecting; it will improve access to hiking trails, picnic spots, camping facilities, and educational opportunities along the coast; and it will make the coastline more resilient to the expected effects of sea-level rise due to global climate change.

Restoration is also the most fiscally responsible option. Existing funding sources, ranging from private foundations to government agencies that specialize in restoring wetlands, have already expressed interest in funding the effort. The ongoing operating costs of the restored area will be substantially lower than what the course currently costs.

WhatYouCanDo

The Sierra Club has asked San Francisco to consider restoration alternatives before any long-term decisions are made. Please join us by writing San Francisco's Recreation and Park Commission at:

recpark.commission@sfgov.org

Ask it to follow the Sierra Club's recommendations and consider restoration alternatives before it is too late.

The San Francisco garter snake, along with the California red-legged frog, can be seen within the GGNRA at Mori Point in Pacifica. If you are lucky, you might see it basking on a streambank or poolside, or perhaps even in the uplands. Keep in mind, however, that the more-common coast garter snake (Thamnophis elegans terrestris) can sometimes look similar. The coast garter snake has a brown head, whereas the San Francisco garter snake's head is orange or red, and it will not have any spotting on its blue/green belly.

The GGNRA Endangered Species Big Year is sponsoring an easy two-hour hike on Sun., Sep. 21, to search for snakes and frogs and discuss how to save the San Francisco garter snake and California red-legged frog! (This hike is not sponsored by the Sierra Club.) We will meet at 10 am at the Mori Point entrance gate. Dress in warm layers, wear sturdy shoes, and bring lots of friends, but RSVP is required; contact Brent Plater at (415)572-6989 or email to bplater -at- ggnrabigyear.org

For more information on endangered species in the GGNRA and the various outings and activities of the GGNRA Endangered Species Big Year, visit www.ggnrabigyear.org

Brent Plater, GGNRA Endangered Species Big Year