The Center for Biological Diversity last week filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue the City and County of San Francisco for illegally killing and harming two endangered species at Sharp Park Golf Course in Pacifica, in violation of the federal Endangered Species Act. Activities at the golf course have been killing federally protected California red-legged frogs, and recent studies show that ongoing course operations may be threatening endangered San Francisco garter snakes.

"The time is right to restore Sharp Park to its natural condition," said Jeff Miller, a conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity. "San Francisco has a golden opportunity to save taxpayers’ money, preserve our endangered species, and improve recreational access to our coast."

The Center is calling on San Francisco to cease harming endangered species, restore Sharp Park to its natural state as a coastal wetland, and provide more diverse recreational opportunities for the public at the site. The Center opposes a flawed plan released recently by San Francisco’s Recreation and Park Department that calls for privatizing the mismanaged and financially failing golf course and illegally reconstructing flooded portions of the course at the expense of endangered species.

The operation and mismanagement of the golf course is undermining habitat-restoration work within the nearby Golden Gate National Recreation Area for the garter snake and the frog at adjacent Mori Point. In 2005, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service notified the Recreation and Park Department that golf course operations were illegally "taking" threatened California red-legged frogs (Rana aurora draytonii) by draining and pumping the frog’s aquatic habitats, which strands and desiccates frog eggs and kills tadpoles. New evidence has surfaced that extremely rare San Francisco garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia) have been killed by groundskeepers mowing grass in areas that the snake uses for basking.

Sharp Park Golf Course is owned by the City and County of San Francisco but is located to the south of the city on the coast, in Pacifica. Its ongoing environmental problems are largely due to poor design and unfortunate placement. To create the course in the early 1930s, the Recreation and Park Department dredged and filled areas around a lagoon known as Laguna Salada for 14 months. Not surprisingly, Sharp Park has had problems with flooding and drainage ever since. The course’s ceremonial opening day was delayed twice due to wet playing conditions, major coastal floods have on two occasions destroyed several holes, and normal winter rains flood the course nearly every year.

Tonight (M, 9/29) Holy Family Episcopal Church will hold a special screening of "Renewal," a powerful documentary that describes the actions of people of faith as they take on the environmental challenges facing our country today. The film begins with the story of Evangelical Christians in Appalachia bearing witness to the devastating effects of mountain top removal by coal companies. It then goes on to tell of a variety of environmental actions by Muslims, Buddhists, Jews, Native Americans, and Christians of every flavor. These narratives offer an inspirational look at the grass roots efforts by people of faith to heal and protect our planet.

The show begins at 7:00 p.m. at Holy Family Episcopal Church, 1590 S. Cabrillo Highway, Half Moon Bay [about 0.2 mi South of Cameron’s Pub].

The program is free and open to the public.

Half Moon Bay botanist Toni Corelli put together a guide to some of the habitats and plants of the Half Moon Bay Railroad Right-of-Way for the Coastside Land Trust’s tour of that parcel. Every Coastsider wandering our open spaces should print out a copy to have on hand.

Click the image to download the booklet. It’s design to be printed on both sides of two sheets 8 1/2 by 11 paper and stapled in the middle as a booklet.

NOAA’s Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary is seeking to fill one seat and two alternate positions on its advisory council.

The sanctuary is accepting applications for a conservation primary seat on the advisory council, as well as conservation and community-at-large (Marin/Sonoma) alternate positions. Applications are due by Oct. 27, 2008.

Lest it not be insult enough that her mountain-majesty is being subjected to a major mountain-ectomy that alters her natural
anatomy forever—-must we be subject to off-leash violators on a daily basis. PLEASE:  leash up or bug out.  (Yes, I love dogs too.)

Kay Lindquist  

This five minute video finds Neil Merrilees up on the roof with Dennis Paull in Half Moon Bay. Dennis, one of the organizers of the Eco-Solar Tour, has installed a variety of green additions to his home.

The third annual Eco-Solar Tour takes place this Saturday from 1-4 pm. You can visit their web page here.

The overall theme is "Sustainability" and the 25 stops on the tour (which you can visit in any order, skipping as you wish) feature not only solar technologies but also low-water landscaping, hybrid cars, and other examples of sustainability.

To obtain the tour map you will need to register [link].

Reproduced with permission of Montara Fog.

Holy Family Episcopal Church will hold a special screening of Renewal, a powerful documentary that describes the actions of people of faith as they take on the environmental challenges facing our country today. The show begins at 7pm on Monday, Sept. 29, at Holy Family Episcopal Church, 1590 S. Cabrillo Highway, Half Moon Bay.  The program is free and open to the public. For more information call 726-0506. 

The film begins with the story of Evangelical Christians in Appalachia bearing witness to the devastating effects of mountain top removal by coal companies. It then goes on to tell of a variety of environmental actions by Muslims, Buddhists, Jews, Native Americans, and Christians of every flavor. These narratives offer an inspirational look at the grass roots efforts by people of faith to heal and protect Creation.

Coastsiders are invited to a public workshop on "Protecting Water Quality in Our Critical Coastal Area", presented by the county Resource Conservation District. This public workshop is for people to find out more about the pilot project and help develop a plan to reduce pollution into the Reserve from surrounding lands.  Refreshments will be provided.

Saturday, October 4, 2008
2:00 p.m.- 5:00 p.m.

Pillar Ridge Manufactured Home Community
164 Culebra Lane, Moss Beach, CA 94038
The first 20 people to RSVP will be invited to join a free walking tour to better understand how pollution gets into the Reserve.  The walking tour will begin at 1:00 p.m., location to be determined.

The Draft Watershed Assessment describes the area and the opportunities to improve water quality. It will soon be available online at the web site for the RCD. Hard copies may be reviewed at the RCD, the Half Moon Bay Library, and the Montara Water and Sanitary District. Additional documents, including maps, data, and historical ecology can be found at the other web sites listed below.

RSVP: (650) 712-7765 or [email protected] by September 24th

All Aboard! The tour will start at the beach end of Kelly Avenue in Half Moon Bay at 10am with a welcome from members of the board of directors of the Coastside Land Trust and Executive Director Jo Chamberlain.

 

• Toni Corelli, botanist, author, environmental consultant and Chairperson of the Rare and Endangered Plant Committee of the California Native Plant Society, Santa Clara Valley Chapter, will talk about the native plants found in the area.

 

• Gary Deghi, wildlife biologist, wetlands scientist and Sequoia Audubon board member, will describe the wildlife that inhabit that area and highlight bird species of interest.

 

• Deborah Ruddock, of the California Coastal Conservancy, will discuss the environmental significance of the RROW easement for the coast.

 

• Chris Hunter, former editor of the Pacifica Tribune and author of Ocean Shore Railroad, will talk about the railroad’s history.

Whistle Stop. We’ll walk along the Railroad Right-Of-Way to the second stop at 10:45, at the corner of Central and Railroad Avenues. where we’ll hear a little more from our speakers about the formation about the plants, wildlife and history of the area.

End of the Line. The final stop will be at Poplar and Railroad Avenues across from the original Arleta Depot, which has been a private home for many years. We’ll hear from our speakers one more time, and they’ll answer question. The event will conclude at 12:00.

The Ocean Shore Railroad operated for the first two decades of the 20th century, bringing people to the then sparsely populated San Mateo coast and giving birth to the towns we know today as Pacifica, Montara, Moss Beach, El Granada and Half Moon Bay. 

Although the Railroad is gone today,  in Half Moon Bay the Railroad Right-Of-Way (RROW) runs from Kelly Avenue south to Seymour Street between the western edge of the Arleta Park and Alsace Loraine neighborhoods, and a pristine open space bluff top overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The Coastside Land Trust (formerly Half Moon Bay Open Space Trust, or HOST) working with a group of coastside residents raised the funds for the City of Half Moon Bay to purchase the RROW from private owners in 2004. The Coastside Land Trust is the holder of the conservation easement over the RROW and is sponsoring the September 27 tour to familiarize the local community with the history of the railroad, wildlife and native plants that are abundant in the area.

There will be an opportunity for interested volunteers to sign up to help the Coastside Land Trust with a number of upcoming activities

The Coastside Land Trust is dedicated to the preservation, protection and enhancement of the open space environment including the natural, scenic, recreational, cultural, historical, and agricultural resources of Half Moon Bay and the nearby areas for present an d future generations.

Community members, scientists, and others interested in the water quality of Pillar Point Harbor, north of Half Moon Bay, are participating in an effort to identify the sources of bacteria in the harbor and develop a plan for remediation.  A critical component of this effort will be a circulation study to illuminate how pollution travels within and out of the harbor.  
 
The study will be conducted Saturday, September 27 through Monday, September 29.  Many volunteers will be needed for this effort, on shore and in boats and kayaks.
 
Click below for a description of the project. 

For more information, or if you are interested in volunteering to help complete the study:

• Visit the project web page, www.sanmateorcd.org/harbor.html. 
• Visit the Harbor District web page, http://www.smharbor.com/.
• Attend any monthly public board meeting of the RCD.
• Call the RCD directly at (650)712-8938.