The San Francisco Citizen

What’s Tennessee Hollow? Check it out here on this map: Tennessee Hollow Watershed Self-Guided Walking Tour. It’s the home of El Polin Springs, the site of recent tours hosted by the Presidio Trust.

Take a look at the Overall Tennessee Hollow Restoration Project Timeline and then decide if you’d like to finance the restoration of this area from about 2010 to 2015. You might be able to do it. All it would take is something like low 8-figures. Seriously. Are you going to live forever? How will people remember you?

Now, on with the show.

Damien Raffa, Presidio Trust Education/Volunteer Program Manager, guides some of the 100+ people who showed up for today’s walking tours. (The future doesn’t look bright for the housing and car parking spaces seen in the background.) Click to expand:

This is it, the spring itself flowing over a notched dam (aka weir) to the delight of a thirsty Allen’s Hummingbird.  

FYI, hummingbirds don’t like to share so they are in constant battle over access to the spring. This reliable watering hole attracts all sorts of birds and bird watchers.

Stone well at El Polin Springs. The metal plaque that should be in the foreground was stolen in 2005, possibly by filthy dog-owning ”white thrash” per Francisco Da Costa.  

Here’s how you can ENJOY THE WATERSHED. See you there! 

Take a Walk – To join a monthly docent-led tour of the watershed, call the Visitor Center at (415) 561-4323.

Volunteer – Join us for new opportunities to volunteer in the watershed. Call (415) 561-5333. Be a part of planting efforts that begin on November 22, 2008 and continue through early 2009.

KIDS on Trails – Download a self-guided tour bookletthat acquaints children aged 5-9 with the Ecology Trail, which runs from Inspiration Point through the watershed. You can also get a copy at the Presidio Visitor Center, 50 Moraga Avenue.

Kids Quest Treasure Hunt – A “Quest” is a self-guided treasure hunt through a landscape. A free Quest guidebook to the watershed, appropriate for kids of all ages, is available at the Presidio Visitor Center, 50 Moraga Avenue.

Self-Guided Tour – Download a map of Tennessee Hollow and create your own day in the watershed.

Dig It- Archaeological research exploring colonial-era life at El Polin Springs continues. To learn about ways to participate or observe, or to offer input on the new interpretive gardens, contact the Presidio Archaeology Lab at (415) 561-ARCH.

Play: Enjoy one of the park’s playing fields.

Here’s the problem our Presidio Trust faces - they’re caught between two factions:

1. The where’s our fabulous museum already? crowd; and 

2. The normal assortment of obstructionists who crop up whenever anybody tries to do anything in this town.

Primarily. There’s other folks as well of course, like those who object to a lodge in a national park and those who have ownership interests in nearby movie theatres and therefore want the historic Main Post Theatre to remain closed. It’s a real furball.

Anywho all this fussing takes time, so you the public will get another shot. The long version is below. Read the short version here, courtesty of reliable Marisa Lagos at SFGate.

Is this a craps table or a model of a possible future greened-up Main Post? The Presidio Trust’s Chandler McCoy shows a tour group from the American Institute of Architects San Francisco how he’ll Save the Presidio from the obstructionists. Click to roll the bones:

As promised, here’s the latest. The big thing is yet another public comment opportunity on October 14th, 2008 at 6:30 PM. It will be at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre in the Marina, so you’ll have no fear of getting ticketed by the Park Police.

See you there!
 

“Presidio of San Francisco (September 2, 2008) — The community has another month to share their comments on proposals to revitalize the Presidio’s Main Post as a center for history, art, and culture and as a place that welcomes the public. The Presidio Trust announced today that it has extended the comment period on its Draft Main Post Update and Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) to October 20. The extra time gives the Trust, other historic preservation organizations, and the community an additional opportunity to consider how the birthplace of San Francisco can be commemorated alongside new amenities for visitors to the national park.
 
“People care passionately about the Presidio. We’ve already received approximately 1,000 comments, and 1,500 people attended our Main Post walking tours this summer,” said Craig Middleton, executive director of the PresidioTrust, the federal agency charged with preserving and protecting the military post turned national park. “We’re fortunate to haveproposals on the table that would be the envy of many communities, but there are issues we need to resolve. We are excited about what the future of the Presidio’s most historic area could be and we hope to build enthusiasm in the community as well.”
 
“In June, the Presidio Trust released its draft updated plan for the Main Post and Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, outlining ideas for sharing the Presidio’s history and establishing new ways to use and enjoy the center of the park. The Main Post encompasses 120 acres and more than 1.28 million square feet of building space. Cornerstone ideas include: establishing a Heritage and Archaeology Center in the Officers’ Club at the site of the original fort; creating the park’s first lodge; and rehabilitating and expanding the long-closed Presidio Theatre. The proposal that has received the most attention is for a contemporary art museum housing Donald and Doris Fisher’s renowned collection of works from the 20th and 21st centuries. The museum would be a new cultural anchor for the national park. A proposal to transform the Main Parade Ground, a 7-acre parking lot, into a new public open space was decided last summer.
 
“The Trust is exploring the challenging historic preservation issues with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the State Historic Preservation Office, and the National Park Service, including how new construction and additions to historic buildings could successfully be carried out on the Main Post. Issues to be considered include the design and location of the proposed museum. This process, governed by Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, was also followed when the Letterman Digital Arts Center was being considered to replace the decommissioned Letterman Hospital in 2001. The Section 106 consultation meetings began last November and will continue later this month. Other organizations participating in the consultation are:

•        National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP)
•        Presidio Historical Association (PHA)
•        Sierra Club (SC)
•        Descendents of the Portola and Anza Expedition (DAPE)
•        National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA)
•        San Francisco Architectural Heritage (SFAH)
•        People for a Golden Gate National Recreation Area (PGGNRA)
•        Neighborhood Associations for Planning at the Presidio (NAPP)
•        Cow Hollow Association (CHA)
•        Laurel Heights Improvement Association (LHIA)
 
“The proponents for the three major projects (the contemporary art museum, the lodge, and the Presidio Theater) will also participate in the consultation. 
 
“The Presidio Trust has scheduled a second public board of directors meeting to take comments on the proposals. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 14, at 6:30 pm, at the Palace of Fine Arts theatre, 3301 Lyon Street. More than 700 people attended the first public hearing held on July 14.
 
“Input received during the public comment period and the feedback from the Section 106 historic preservation process will be used by the Trust board to make its final decision, expected towards the end of the year.
 
“The Presidio Trust is also hosting three workshops to provide additional opportunities to the public to discuss the Draft Main Post Plan and Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement. The workshops will also provide a forum to discuss further the kinds of activities that the public would like to see in the Main Post in the future.
Thursday, September 25, 6:30 to 8:30 pm, Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue
Sunday, September 28, 2 to 4 pm, Presidio Officers’ Club, 50 Moraga Avenue
Thursday, October 2, 6:30 to 8:30 pm, Golden Gate Club, 135 Fisher Loop

“The draft plan, Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, and other documents are available at www.presidio.gov.

“Comments are welcomed through October 20 at mainpost@presidiotrust.gov.

___________________________

Leave out the fiction, Nimbies
The fact is, your friction
Will only be worn by persistence.
Leave out conditions,
Courageous convictions
Will drag the dream into existence.

Comes now Randy Shaw of Beyond Chron (oops, try here or here instead - you know, if a bunch of people want to get something deleted from Wikipedia, they can do it. Man, what is it with some people?) who pronounces:

“Anyone who tells you there is disunity at this [Democratic National] convention is not simply delusional—they are flat out lying.”

Mmmm. That certainly matches the Party Line. Check out this “Joint Statement from Maggie Williams, Senior Advisor to Senator Clinton and David Axelrod, Senior Strategist to Senator Obama” regarding “THE FACT” of unity states this:

“Anyone saying anything else doesn’t know what they’re talking about. Period.”

However, this is all spin. People, there is disunity at this convention. All conventions really, but this one in particular. Some are unusually outraged.

At least these folks were unified, back in the day:

The people over at PUMA (Party Unity My Ass or People United Means Action) PAC would certainly beg to differ. (Might need to update this entry if PUMA talk keeps up.)

And speaking of which, was James Carville wearing Puma shoes on the convention floor? Perhaps this was just a wardrobe malfunction?

Oh well. San Franciscans might want to come down to the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero in the Financial District on Thursday night, August 28th, to check out some genuine unity when Obama speaks.