behavior abnormalities and dogs are due to underlying anxiety and exercise is the foundation to curbing most of these anxieties. for example, the amount of exercise the dog receives can affect his or her behavior, tradability, and his aggression levels. these are of course, important considerations to maintain public safety in crowded urban environments. off leash exercise benefits all of san francisco not just dog guardians and their pets. a supervisor winner has suggested, the gg nra closures will likely result in very serious overcrowding of san francisco in the dog parks. the city parks are already quite limited and off leash areas are particularly scarce. the san francisco spca we frequently hear from our community popular off leash areas such as the auto park mission dolores park and mclaren park are already very crowded. as guardians dog

walkers and their pets are [inaudible] gg nra and forced to relocate to see dog parks, the problems associated with this type of overcrowding that

>> that's why that information is needed. as the other speakers have indicated, one of the core functions of the

national recreation area is in fact recreation. obviously, it has to be balanced with preservation of resources and most importantly, taking into account the human environment. the human environment is the bind defined under national environmental policy act as to be interpreted comprehensive to include the natural and physical environment and the relationship of people with that environments. that's not what happened here. we complained to the park service that there original plan basically said emma "the quality of urban areas is not, not a significant factor in determining a dog management policy for the gg nra." we made comments on that and it

reappears without any change in the current plan. i think you have it absolutely right supervisor winner, that they did not makes for significant changes and did not listen. why is that important? why is it important that they did not listen to the people of san francisco and elected officials? 1st of all, if you take as an example chrissy feels. when it was created, it started with 38 acres that were devoted to off leash recreation. as part of that environmental assessment at that time it was determined to increase that to 70 acres. there was a consideration of all of the users and the impact and there was also talk into account that it was quite likely that the use was going to increase dramatically. one of the reasons that they did that was to increase the area of recreation. what has happened in 2011? that 70 acres is being dramatically reduced without an analysis of the impact on the human environment, the people who use the park and their dogs. that's unacceptable. there is

important to have an balanced environmental analysis and one of the suggestions that was made to be an adaptive management plan. a plan that would involve outlook import to monitor the impact on resources. the response by the national park service to that suggestion was that well, will create one quote unquote. quote, resource impact will be monitored without anything else. the effect of that is that the management strategy leads agency with the even more discretion and a vague undefined standard to allow it scaled-back recreation even further. we need an aggressive adaptive management plan with public inputs. with respect to the time to respond, we did say a few moments ago the size of

the current environmental impact statement. that has to be compared to the original and all of the comments. there just simply isn't enough time to do it, and i urge you, in addition and support of the resolution there needs to be more time. the public needs. thank you very much >> thank you very much. okay, so at this point we are going to open it up for public comments. public comment would be 2 min. you will hear a soft bell when you have 30 seconds remaining in and allowed about when your time is up. either by the timer that you can see from the lectern. so i will, if there's anyone because of a physical limitation or a childcare issue that needs to go earlier, please just let us know and were happy to accommodate you. when i called back your name you don't have to go in that exact order you can line up on that side of the

room to your right if you're facing the committee. so i will call the 1st series of names. i apologize for this prancing people's names. susan adams, [inaudible], felicia aran, douglas morgan, vicki tiernan, beverly albrecht, thomas group, lindsay [inaudible] and margaret writer. go ahead >> thank you very much for having this meeting. i come here representing myself, a senior citizen. 68 years old going to be 69 next week.

basically, the way i'm being fit and healthy is important to make his will expand my life and quality of my life. one of those things is walking up the hill the 600 foot hill about 6 or 700 feet. i do it with my dog. my dog is my child. my partner and i have a dog named sally. i rest my case. she's like my child. walking with her on a leash doesn't do it for me. i cannot get the kind of exercise i need to get. so, i read this thing from the recreation federal government, and 4 years ago it's the same thing. just rehashed over and over. we have some very disingenuous statistics at him. they continue to say 11% of the infinite incidents are dog related. when you actually look at them almost 50% of those incidents are giving tickets to people for not having their

leash which is kind of like a circular reasoning if you will. if you take all those out it's about 3 or 4% of the incidents. again we have the government trying to solve a problem that does not exist. i'm really very violently opposed to this actually change my life and the life of many of my friends. i really need to have crissy field to keep my health up. that's my comments for today. thank you. >> thank you very much. next speaker. >> mystic is there been a resident in san francisco for 35 years. a couple years ago we got up dog and a change our lives. i participated in the last hearings and demonstrated out at fort mason. because for us, having for constant and the other areas of the gg nra to take our dogs who is part child

and part shepherd and weeks 50 pounds, has been an amazing development in our lives. i find the level of hypocrisy involved with the latest plans for the gg nra to be incredible. what i would like to suggest is that we send a copy of this hearing to the executive branch and especially to michelle obama and barack obama perhaps they can figure out their dog bo having access to the white house lawn and the way we're going to be looking at our 25 x 100' lot and thinking about where were going to walk our dog. thank you for your time and especially scott wiener for being our local supervisor. i live between pro-con part. thank you. >> thank you very much. next speaker. >> hi. good afternoon supervisors. my name is susan adams. i live in [inaudible] valley and i have a dog. i

mostly walk at fort constant although i need the paved area like sunset trail for health reasons and joint reasons so i also use mclaren park and stern grove for the same reason. one of the major concerns i have has been brought up today is the overcrowding of city parks. if gg nra dog management plan comes into fruition yesterday, because i couldn't even get to fort constant with my dog. the road was closed because of that race the great highway was closed and the skyline road was closed. so after being in a big traffic jam i want to stern grove. i couldn't believe, this is anecdotal of course i could believe the parking was although it up the hill. of the dog park part of it. there were, i would say, over 100 dogs there and tons of people. they were bicyclists trying to

navigate on the paved road and skateboarders and elderly lady with a walker and cars, there was a car coming from the pine lake end of it. i assume dropping stuff off at the picnic tables, but here they come slowly up the way. this is not safe. this is not safe for me. it's not safe for my dog running around chasing squirrels and it's definitely not safe for the elderly lady in the water. so i hope my dog up and we turned around and left. so my main concern is gg nra going to listen to any this? they did not listen to years ago. does this resolution have any bite? let's take the land back. thank you so much. >> thank you. next speaker. >> good afternoon. my name is felicia allen. i was at [inaudible] 20102. a standard before you representing 2 different constituents. 1st i wasn't not done owner mother of

2 children who like any parent i was often entertained. secondly and recently as a dog owning anti-nester. in both world have spent time at fort constant. cold soggy mornings, lovely sunny afternoons but regardless of the weather, outings. exuberant communing with nature with the dog population only enhanced the experience. for my kids was an opportunity to exercise and to see a half-hour more different dogs then they'd see at the westminster kennel show. to appreciate the diversity of species and to witness the dogs connection with both their humans and other dogs. this was an excursion, not to be missed. surely we could have gone to pump audio or gloria beaches but without the dog activity it would have been a far lesser growing up experience. never, not once, did i as a dog with human feel that the park was not as much for us as for the

others. the notion is ridiculous. with the children out of the house, and a dog entering our family, for constant seems a natural place to keep going to and i do. just yesterday, in fact, my dog and i cavorted together at the part where we also saw other families with young children enjoying just as we had years previously. in a city that prides itself on being progressive, i urge you to realize this designation is not just about politics but about quality of life as well. allowing the federal government to do [inaudible] separate cisco this free and open space to run wild would be a terrific loss for all of us. i wonder about their nonappearance. it seems incredibly disdainful of what we in the city are looking for. thank you for your time. >> thank you. next he could. >> next speaker >> my name is [inaudible] i

spit on the service go native and we used for constant to exercise our dog for my entire life. i believe that the 1973 plan was intended to maintain the traditional usage of this urban recreation area. it's meant for use by the people of san francisco. i think the way that we use it is the way that we intend to use it and i don't think that should be changed. i also note for sure the impact to the city parks will be awful and unsustainable and that impact will be felt by all park users, not just people with dogs. thank you so much for writing this resolution. i firmly support that. >> thank you. next speaker. >> good afternoon. thank you for having this meeting. my name is scott morgan. i've been a resident of the city since 1875. on a dog owner a homeowner and business owner in

the city. i'm astounded that this even [inaudible]. because the city has so many wonderful things about it that are attractive all over the world. one of them is there are dog park out at fort constant in our attitude about live and let live environments. this is coming from an outside source that has no respect for that and so besides congratulating you on your resolution and hope that you have some affect, i would urge you all to even provide a greater area for dog owners can walk their dogs off leash. as many said it's important part of the dogs socialization. it makes for nicer chesler dogs when they are on leash in confined spaces , and it's good for everybody in the city. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker. >> good afternoon supervised my name is vicki cannon and i

wholeheartedly support the resolution and thank you for the sponsors of the documents. i want to point out that there's a long history as you mentioned supervisor winner, of attempts to get rid of dog walking with the gg nra. some of it was [inaudible] get rid of the pet policy altogether. the park service has been like this speeding freight train on this issue. public input has been like pebbles tossed at this darling train. it astounds me because were talking about such a small percentage of the space for an activity that's been enjoyed by humans and animals for well over 10,000 years. it also astounds me that the park service makes no mention of the health benefits and the community building benefits of dog walking. i'm 62 years old and fighting stage iv ovarian cancer. a tough cancer to fight. there's no question in my mind that this last year

i've done as well as i have because i've been able to take frequent hikes with my off leash dog. please, take a strong as you can to ensure the healthy community building activity continues. thank you. >> thank you very much. next speaker. >> good afternoon. my name is calls [inaudible] on third-generation san francisco. i didn't taking our dog [inaudible] to fort constant for the last 3 years and at 1st she was excited. i had to say i had to keep her on a leash. she went along she got socialized. now she's a well behaved dog. when i want to point out is the gg nra, with their bringing to us is issued as much stuff out and see what sticks. there's a lot of voodoo

science. like one of them here, is that national [inaudible] this is in relationship to the [inaudible] the national archivist claims recreation of the blackouts must be restricted to prevent the casting of shadows on the [inaudible]. it's impossible for object on the left to cast a shadow on the west facing cliff face below. so, maybe through levitation in the later afternoon they could cast a shadow but the hang gliders but anyway, thank you for this and this doesn't [inaudible] i urge you to go for reversion. take the property back. if you can't take it back then look at the

bureau of land management to take it back. we have to do something. thank you. >> thank you very much. next speaker. >> hi. thank you so much for the resolutions. it's great you put those 4. smes lived in san francisco since 1985 i still running donna christie field but was a somewhat of a scary place and cheney fences weather. it was a nice place to go but i never felt unsafe because the dog people were there. dog people have always been there and they go there still. i know dog person. i'm down there all the time in the rain in the middle of winter will have our little goodies on and were always there. i think that one of the things the gg nra proposal, again, not taking into consideration the people been going there for 30, 40 years, it's just unfair and i think if organa do something locally with us they should ask the locals for more input. obviously we all agreed with that. outside one experience where i had a boot for about 4 months and could not exercise my dog i was able to drive down

there. essentially, all i could do was walk out and pick up their mess on the sand was grateful there were other dogs they could get exercise and was not [inaudible] empathy with limited mobility and that something we have to pay attention to is will. one must, and if i may. somebody earlier mentioned trying to keep it a pristine area with low visitor impact. if that is the case let's look at chrissy feels that we have rock climbing. we have a swimming pool. we have a museum with a bike shop. we export shops. if you're trying to keep it to limited impact i think we might look at some of those uses as well that are crowding some of the dog people out of the park. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker. >> hi. i'm beverly albrecht and as a dog trainer and behaviors in san francisco for over 10 years now i can say for a fact most dogs do need off leash recreation to have exercise socialization and training and

without it they will get behavior problems and also closing smaller park areas as we've been discussing does not cause them to view more agitated and aggressive and can cause more fighting. therefore, we need the more open space for them to be able to run around and feel free to socialize. i can even state cases where i've climate whose dogs are aggressive on city streets and even in the city dog barks, was a get up to chrissy field at fort constant it's almost like magic they will relax and feel free because of the open space and the ability to run around and they can socialize and [inaudible] when they do come back to smaller environs. for the safety and health and well-being of the dogs and the people of san francisco we really need to keep this recreation off leash recreation area ( >> thank you very much. next it or >> my name is danielle aboard, dog owner and a homeowner. [inaudible] i moved to pacific and fillmore because of my dog.

it was chrissy field area. the off leash area. i really believe that we all need that area to be available for the dogs off leash. for the senate seat not only the dogs but the family. there are a large use of family with children who go to chrissy field because of their dog. as that's the only time they can spend [inaudible]. that can be used for the whole family. so we should protect those areas because the dogs in the city are part of the family. thank you. >> thank you very much. next speaker. >> good afternoon. my name is margaret writer. i've been a homeowner in west portal area for over 50 years. with dog. almost every day except for foxtail season i take my dogs out to fort constant which is made my living in the city so

possible so pleasant. dogs need exercise, of course. but i need exercise. i have mobility problems. it's really difficult to walk my 2 dogs on leash when we leave the car. they are rambunctious. but coming back the deliciously tired. i need the exercise and the space at fort constant allows me to do that. they can exercise as smaller park but it's not the same for me. also, really important to me is what i see for myself and for others, the senior citizen i'm a senior citizen, retard. i would happily live alone out and out except for errands except i so thoroughly enjoyed taking the dogs out and socializing with other people. it's just so important. it's a comfortable place to speak to strangers. you make friends you pet dog. you feel good when you come home. what i do notice is that it's a lot easier to talk to

people about the dogs were about them or about anything else. if the dogs are not on leash you don't know why a dog is on leash. unless it's a puppy. it might have issues. so just wonderful to talk to strangers and thank you for the opportunity. to talk. >> thank you very much. next speaker. >> good afternoon supervised. my name is lindsay keep over. thank you supervisor winner for bringing this resolution to your committee. this issue isn't just about restriction on dog. this about restrictions on the citizens of san francisco and where and when we can recreate on a coastal open spaces. when the gg nra was created i will reread the molding legislation because sally has read it, but it was to concentrate on serving the citizens and establishing more outdoor recreational opportunities. the national park service was [inaudible]

unique urban national park but not to dictate to the city how our city coastal lands can be used. for years now, the gg nra has been unresponsive to our citizens. they have ignored overwhelmingly our public opposition in public comments to their various dog plans. despite being required to do so, and most recently, they did not listen to the board of supervisors 2011 resolution calling for a thorough study of the impacts on the city parks. so, to me the gg nra has not lived up to the promises of the citizens of san francisco but incentives acted like a big brother, and i would like to stop them. thank you. >> thank you. before with the next figure out what to call the next batch of names. bob plant told, gave the manual, bill bechtel, michael lesser, julie christiansen, joe inder

warning, steve hooker, patricia coppa, shelby watkins, lisa watkins, michael cronbach's lisa belden susan moseley, rascon, ray knight in, winded nice, pretty rentals glenn miller, carly eagleson and [inaudible]. next speaker, please >> my name is todd garrett and am a resident of san francisco. for the last 22 years. i am not a dog owner and i hope that i can represent the knowledge on the owners of san francisco by showing my support here today. i feel that dogs have the ability to be off leash is very important not only to the health of the dogs but also to the health of the people whom

dogs and those who don't own dog. sometimes life in the city and life in general can be kind of depressing. dogs bring a great sense of joy and happiness in their play and the level of the plate with each other and with humans. it's very uplifting to watch. even if you're not participating, just observing that level of happiness can with a person spirits incredibly. so, i hope i speak for a lot of people in san francisco to say that i support the, what you're doing and thank you very much. >> thank you very much. next speaker. >> my name is tom john. i live in 1478 43rd ave. supervisor, i'm here to basically support what everybody else has said, but also mentioned 2 things i want to get on the record. so

that we have some things to support how we feel. one thing is the notion beach the dog ran around [inaudible] and it's meeting practices. the science behind that is fairly weak and most of the [inaudible] practices are believed to be held in utah. so i think we nail down the actual,, what's happening with these science behind the reasoning for banning dogs that would also help. also, i don't believe the gg nra is shown that they're able to enforce the issue that they have properly. do not trained properly unrefrigerated like the taster dog walker in san mateo county. these things need to be on record the way that the gg practices the enforcement. people should not have to be worried about being taster when they're out walking

their dog. i again will agree with everything everyone said. it's quite important and is directly attached the value of our homes in the sunset, our use of the area. so, i just want to bring those things up and thank you so much supervisors >> thank you very much. next speaker >> my name is samir goetsch, dog parents and resident of knowing god. thank you very much supervisors. i also run a [inaudible] off leash dog am i jewish of the gg and ra hold them accountable for creating aware this for dog owners. i think a lot of people don't know what's going on. the 2 main points i would like to get across, one is i think dogs are support to their owners as children are to their parents. until this is understood and accepted without disdain to be continued conflict. this issue is not just about dogs rights. it should not be dismissed. it's about dog owners. peo