SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- At the request of House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, the National Park Service has extended the public comment period for a controversial proposed dog rule at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
The comment period for the proposed rule has been extended 30 days to May 25 for the recreation area that extends from Marin County to San Mateo County.
The comment period, which started earlier this week, will last 90 days, which is 60 days longer than the typical 30-day period.
National Park Service superintendent Christine Lehnertz wrote in response to the letter sent by Pelosi, D-San Francisco, that the agency recognizes that dog management at the recreation area "has been a lengthy, complex, and important issue."
"It is our goal to assure that the public has a variety of opportunities to understand and discuss the proposed rule," Lehnertz wrote.
Opponents have said the latest proposal is the third iteration of the plan in recent years and that the park service has not made substantial changes that take into account the opposition.
But park service spokesman Howard Levitt clarified that this is the first time the public will comment on the proposed rule, which will become a law. Residents have previously commented on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement and a supplement to the DEIS in 2013 and 2014.
The agency will combine the comments from this period with the previous ones and hopes to develop a final rule by the end of the year, Levitt said.
The proposal designates 22 places for dog walking in the recreation area, with seven areas for off-leash dog walking.
"It's a very dog-friendly plan," Levitt said.
The proposal has been written to take into account other laws, such as ones on endangered species, the Clean Water Act and species habitat, while also taking into account residents who want other experiences, he said.
Sally Stephens, chair of SF Dog, a San Francisco dog owners group, said it's great to give more time to people to voice their opinions if the park service listens, which she said the agency doesn't seem to be doing.
Stephens said if the rule becomes law, then the loss of off-leash dog walking in the GGNRA will force dog walkers into city parks.
The amount of GGNRA off-leash space that dog walkers would lose under the proposed rule is more than all that currently exists in San Francisco city parks, she said.
"We are losing a huge resource," Stephens said.
Stephens also said the park service has not presented any hard science that shows dogs are having a negative impact on park resources.
Many local politicians have criticized the proposal, including Rep. Jackie Speier, D-San Francisco/San Mateo, who said in a statement earlier this week that the park service "has tried but not hard enough."
Speier said she was "disappointed" that the proposal would leave no off-leash areas in the entire San Mateo County portion of the GGNRA.
Comments can be made online through the Federal Register website at www.regulations.gov with the search term RIN 1024-AE16 or mailed to Superintendent, GGNRA, Dog Management Proposed Rule, Building 201, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA 94123.
The park service is also holding public meetings on the proposal during the comment period, with dates and locations yet to be announced.
Comment Period Extended For Proposed Dog Rule At GGNRA
/ CBS San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- At the request of House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, the National Park Service has extended the public comment period for a controversial proposed dog rule at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
The comment period for the proposed rule has been extended 30 days to May 25 for the recreation area that extends from Marin County to San Mateo County.
The comment period, which started earlier this week, will last 90 days, which is 60 days longer than the typical 30-day period.
National Park Service superintendent Christine Lehnertz wrote in response to the letter sent by Pelosi, D-San Francisco, that the agency recognizes that dog management at the recreation area "has been a lengthy, complex, and important issue."
"It is our goal to assure that the public has a variety of opportunities to understand and discuss the proposed rule," Lehnertz wrote.
Opponents have said the latest proposal is the third iteration of the plan in recent years and that the park service has not made substantial changes that take into account the opposition.
But park service spokesman Howard Levitt clarified that this is the first time the public will comment on the proposed rule, which will become a law. Residents have previously commented on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement and a supplement to the DEIS in 2013 and 2014.
The agency will combine the comments from this period with the previous ones and hopes to develop a final rule by the end of the year, Levitt said.
The proposal designates 22 places for dog walking in the recreation area, with seven areas for off-leash dog walking.
"It's a very dog-friendly plan," Levitt said.
The proposal has been written to take into account other laws, such as ones on endangered species, the Clean Water Act and species habitat, while also taking into account residents who want other experiences, he said.
Sally Stephens, chair of SF Dog, a San Francisco dog owners group, said it's great to give more time to people to voice their opinions if the park service listens, which she said the agency doesn't seem to be doing.
Stephens said if the rule becomes law, then the loss of off-leash dog walking in the GGNRA will force dog walkers into city parks.
The amount of GGNRA off-leash space that dog walkers would lose under the proposed rule is more than all that currently exists in San Francisco city parks, she said.
"We are losing a huge resource," Stephens said.
Stephens also said the park service has not presented any hard science that shows dogs are having a negative impact on park resources.
Many local politicians have criticized the proposal, including Rep. Jackie Speier, D-San Francisco/San Mateo, who said in a statement earlier this week that the park service "has tried but not hard enough."
Speier said she was "disappointed" that the proposal would leave no off-leash areas in the entire San Mateo County portion of the GGNRA.
Comments can be made online through the Federal Register website at www.regulations.gov with the search term RIN 1024-AE16 or mailed to Superintendent, GGNRA, Dog Management Proposed Rule, Building 201, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA 94123.
The park service is also holding public meetings on the proposal during the comment period, with dates and locations yet to be announced.
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