Development of Dog Management Monitoring Program and Protocols for Golden Gate National Recreation Area

Project ID: P17AC01603

Federal Agency: National Park Service

Partner Institution: Oregon State University

Fiscal Year: 2017

Initial Funding: $344,078

Total Funding: $344,078

Project Type: Research

Project Disciplines: Interdisciplinary

National Park: Golden Gate National Recreation Area

Principal Investigator: Hall, Troy

Agreement Technical Representative: Merkle, Bill

Abstract: A. Background
Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GOGA) contains more than 20 land and coastal units (Attachment A) within the urban San Francisco Bay Area. Management of domesticated dogs poses many issues in the San Francisco Bay Area, and within GOGA particularly. Some of these issues are contentious and have a long history of public engagement. The history of dog walking in some areas of GOGA began prior to the establishment of the park, when dog walking, including off-leash, occurred informally at sites under various public jurisdictions in San Francisco and Marin counties. In the park’s early years, those practices continued largely uninterrupted in spite of the existence of the NPS pet regulation (36 CFR 2.15) prohibiting off-leash dog walking within NPS areas.

The coastal areas within GOGA are very popular parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region whose population is currently over 7 million and is expected to grow to 8 million by 2020. GOGA visitation itself has grown from 7 to 8 million visits in the 70’s to more than 17 million visits per year currently. Coupled with this growth is the number of private and commercial dog walkers in the park. The number of conflicts between park users with and without dogs has also risen, as has the fear of dogs and dog bites or attacks. Park resources are also impacted by the presence of dogs and varied dog management practices. These resources include several species with habitat in areas used by dog walkers that have been listed as threatened, endangered, or special-status species requiring special protection.

Underscoring the increasing conflict over off-leash dog use, dog walking groups and individuals have filed two lawsuits against the NPS when park management actions threatened the status of off-leash areas. The federal district court found that, except in an emergency, the NPS did not have the authority to either close or impose significant, long-term restrictions of public use of areas that had previously allowed off-leash dog walking without first completing an environmental and rulemaking public notice and comment process.

In 2002, the NPS issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking asking for public input as to whether the NPS should consider developing new regulations for dog walking in GOGA. Following review of public comments, the NPS initiated planning under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) in an effort to develop a proposed rule with stakeholder input. The park released a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for dog management, and a Record of Decision and Final dog walking rule are pending completion of an external review. To maintain visitor safety and to monitor whether the public is following the regulations and whether associated impacts fall within the range analyzed in the FEIS, a monitoring program for dog management is needed.

The monitoring-based management program is being created for the sustainability and long-term management of park resources, and to protect park resources, visitors, and staff. The monitoring-based management program developed under this CESU agreement would be implemented to document compliance with dog walking regulations and monitor impacts to resources and visitors, and would apply to all action alternatives. Staff would monitor and record noncompliance as well as impacts to natural and cultural resources. That data would inform park management and law enforcement when, where, and how to prioritize responses to noncompliance. Noncompliance would include dog walking within restricted areas, dog walking under voice and sight control in designated on-leash dog walking areas, and dog walking under voice and sight control outside of established voice and sight control areas. When the level of compliance is deemed unacceptable based on violations and/or impacts to resources or other visitors, primary management actions such as focused enforcement of regulations, education, and establishment of buffer zones, time and use restrictions, and special use permit (SUP) restrictions would be implemented. If noncompliance continues, secondary management actions including short-term closures, typically one year or less would be implemented through the compendium. The park would evaluate whether to propose a long-term closure or additional restrictions, which could require additional actions by the park, including public comment. As a result, the monitoring-based management program would provide for the long-term protection of park resources and a quality visitor experience for all.

NPS and OSU will collaborate in developing a robust and peer-reviewed dog management monitoring program with protocols for use at GOGA. This effort includes the generation of monitoring protocols for visitor use and biophysical impact-related indicators, and development of a field guide with protocols for the implementation of a dog management monitoring program for (21) park sites. Expected products and outcomes from this collaboration include: a visitor use and ecological matrix that identifies core visitor experience and site-related resource impact issues; a peer-reviewed protocol to monitor the impacts of current and proposed dog management on GOGA with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs); a field guide for implementation including methods for data collection, data management, data analysis, and reporting; a database for managing project data; a report on recommended technology and software for the monitoring program; minutes and notes from planned public meetings outlining the dog management monitoring program; and a technical annual monitoring report of initial dog management monitoring data that includes a public summary.