From Post to Park - Revision history

Lisaruth: added source to byline from base of article

2021-10-25T03:18:35Z

added source to byline from base of article

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	'''<font face = Papyrus> <font color = maroon> <font size = 4>Historical Essay</font></font> </font>'''		'''<font face = Papyrus> <font color = maroon> <font size = 4>Historical Essay</font></font> </font>'''

	''by Pete Holloran''		''by Pete Holloran, adapted from "The Greening of the Golden Gate: Community-based Restoration at the Presidio of San Francisco," ''Restoration & Management Notes'' 14, No. 2, 1996''

	[[Image:Presidio-Loop-with-D-Line-Streetcar-and-Golden-Gate-Bridge-Visible-in-Background -September-11-1935 A4609.jpg]]		[[Image:Presidio-Loop-with-D-Line-Streetcar-and-Golden-Gate-Bridge-Visible-in-Background -September-11-1935 A4609.jpg]]
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	The Presidio's small and extremely isolated serpentine plant communities will never again provide habitat for several extinct species, including the Franciscan manzanita (''Arctostaphylos hookeri'' ssp. ''franciscana''), a close relative of the nearly-extinct Presidio or Raven's manzanita (''Arctostaphylos hookeri'' ssp. ''ravenii''). Several have become quite limited in range and population size, including the San Francisco owl's clover (''Triphysaria floribunda''), an annual hemiparasite that was not seen for several years before nine individuals were located in 1995--right next to the last wild Raven's manzanita.		The Presidio's small and extremely isolated serpentine plant communities will never again provide habitat for several extinct species, including the Franciscan manzanita (''Arctostaphylos hookeri'' ssp. ''franciscana''), a close relative of the nearly-extinct Presidio or Raven's manzanita (''Arctostaphylos hookeri'' ssp. ''ravenii''). Several have become quite limited in range and population size, including the San Francisco owl's clover (''Triphysaria floribunda''), an annual hemiparasite that was not seen for several years before nine individuals were located in 1995--right next to the last wild Raven's manzanita.

	~~''--Pete Holloran ''~~

	~~[adapted from Pete Holloran, "The Greening of the Golden Gate: Community-based Restoration at the Presidio of San Francisco," ''Restoration & Management Notes'' 14, no. 2 (1996)]~~

Ccarlsson: added link

2020-06-04T21:31:52Z

added link

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:31, 4 June 2020
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	[[Image:El-Polin-Spring-sept-08 4087.jpg]]		[[Image:El-Polin-Spring-sept-08 4087.jpg]]

	'''El Polin Spring, Sept. 2008, Presidio'''		'''[[Water in the Presidio\|El Polin Spring]], Sept. 2008, Presidio'''

	''Photo: Chris Carlsson''		''Photo: Chris Carlsson''

Ccarlsson at 00:05, 4 October 2016

2016-10-04T00:05:21Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:05, 3 October 2016
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	[[Tennessee Hollow \|Prev. Document]] [[Native Plant Restoration \|Next Document]]		[[Tennessee Hollow \|Prev. Document]] [[Native Plant Restoration \|Next Document]]

	[[category:Presidio]] [[category:1990s]] [[category:Ecology]] [[category:Habitat]] [[category:species]]		[[category:Presidio]] [[category:1990s]] [[category:Ecology]] [[category:Habitat]] [[category:species]] [[category:transit]]

Ccarlsson: added SFMTA photo

2016-10-04T00:04:53Z

added SFMTA photo

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:04, 3 October 2016
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	''by Pete Holloran''		''by Pete Holloran''

	[[Image:~~34soldier presidio megaphone~~.jpg~~\|360px\|right\|thumb\|'''Soldier plays reveille into early amplification system, c. 1934;''' ''Photo: Shaping San Francisco''~~]]		[[Image:Presidio-Loop-with-D-Line-Streetcar-and-Golden-Gate-Bridge-Visible-in-Background -September-11-1935 A4609.jpg]]

			'''The D-Streetcar at the Presidio terminus, Golden Gate Bridge in background, Sept. 11, 1935.'''

			''Photo: [http://www.sfmta.com/photo SFMTA Photo Archive]''

	In October 1994, the U.S. Army vacated the Presidio of San Francisco, bringing to an end nearly 150 years of continuous military occupation--the longest tenure of any Army garrison in the American west. After two centuries of military service (it was established by Spanish soldiers in 1776), the Presidio may become a model for military base conversion. It could just as easily become yet another victory, however, for monied interests and unsustainable development.		In October 1994, the U.S. Army vacated the Presidio of San Francisco, bringing to an end nearly 150 years of continuous military occupation--the longest tenure of any Army garrison in the American west. After two centuries of military service (it was established by Spanish soldiers in 1776), the Presidio may become a model for military base conversion. It could just as easily become yet another victory, however, for monied interests and unsustainable development.

			[[Image:34soldier presidio megaphone.jpg]]

			'''Soldier plays reveille into early amplification system, c. 1934;'''

			''Photo: Shaping San Francisco''

	The Presidio is now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), which features well-known landmarks such as Alcatraz and Muir Woods among its 76,500 acres, making it one of the largest urban national parks in the world. Twenty million people visit GGNRA lands every year; 3.5 million visit the Presidio, with more than 8 million expected within fifteen years. Millions of dollars of planning and years of community meetings produced a general management plan that sought to make the Presidio "a working laboratory to create models of environmental sustainability that can be transferred to communities worldwide" (GGNRA, 1994). Finalized before the November 1994 elections, the plan has now been dramatically altered by congressional Republicans. Balking at the $25 million annual cost--more than the annual budgets of Yosemite and Yellowstone combined, but far less than the Army spent to maintain a skeletal presence--congressional Republicans seek to make the Presidio pay for itself within fifteen years or be turned over to the General Services Administration for sale.		The Presidio is now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), which features well-known landmarks such as Alcatraz and Muir Woods among its 76,500 acres, making it one of the largest urban national parks in the world. Twenty million people visit GGNRA lands every year; 3.5 million visit the Presidio, with more than 8 million expected within fifteen years. Millions of dollars of planning and years of community meetings produced a general management plan that sought to make the Presidio "a working laboratory to create models of environmental sustainability that can be transferred to communities worldwide" (GGNRA, 1994). Finalized before the November 1994 elections, the plan has now been dramatically altered by congressional Republicans. Balking at the $25 million annual cost--more than the annual budgets of Yosemite and Yellowstone combined, but far less than the Army spent to maintain a skeletal presence--congressional Republicans seek to make the Presidio pay for itself within fifteen years or be turned over to the General Services Administration for sale.

Ccarlsson at 22:22, 13 October 2014

2014-10-13T22:22:59Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:22, 13 October 2014
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	''by Pete Holloran''		''by Pete Holloran''

	[[Image:34soldier presidio megaphone.jpg\|360px\|thumb]]		[[Image:34soldier presidio megaphone.jpg\|360px\|right\|thumb\|'''Soldier plays reveille into early amplification system, c. 1934;''' ''Photo: Shaping San Francisco'']]

	'''Soldier plays reveille into early amplification system, c. 1934.'''

	''Photo: Shaping San Francisco''

Ccarlsson: added new photo

2014-10-13T22:21:16Z

added new photo

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:21, 13 October 2014
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	''by Pete Holloran''		''by Pete Holloran''

	[[Image:~~El-Polin-Spring-sept-08 4087~~.jpg]]		[[Image:34soldier presidio megaphone.jpg\|360px\|thumb]]

			'''Soldier plays reveille into early amplification system, c. 1934.'''

			''Photo: Shaping San Francisco''

	~~'''El Polin Spring, Sept. 2008, Presidio'''<br>''Photo: Chris Carlsson''~~

	In October 1994, the U.S. Army vacated the Presidio of San Francisco, bringing to an end nearly 150 years of continuous military occupation--the longest tenure of any Army garrison in the American west. After two centuries of military service (it was established by Spanish soldiers in 1776), the Presidio may become a model for military base conversion. It could just as easily become yet another victory, however, for monied interests and unsustainable development.		In October 1994, the U.S. Army vacated the Presidio of San Francisco, bringing to an end nearly 150 years of continuous military occupation--the longest tenure of any Army garrison in the American west. After two centuries of military service (it was established by Spanish soldiers in 1776), the Presidio may become a model for military base conversion. It could just as easily become yet another victory, however, for monied interests and unsustainable development.
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	The history of serpentine grasslands and serpentine maritime chaparral illustrates the forces responsible for the decline of San Francisco natural areas. Serpentine outcrops--composed of serpentinite, California's state mineral--were once fairly common in San Francisco, stretching in a discontinuous patchy band across the peninsula from the southeast corner to the Presidio in the northwest. Green-tinted serpentine outcrops appear occasionally among the city's buildings, but only at the Presidio do they still support native vegetation.		The history of serpentine grasslands and serpentine maritime chaparral illustrates the forces responsible for the decline of San Francisco natural areas. Serpentine outcrops--composed of serpentinite, California's state mineral--were once fairly common in San Francisco, stretching in a discontinuous patchy band across the peninsula from the southeast corner to the Presidio in the northwest. Green-tinted serpentine outcrops appear occasionally among the city's buildings, but only at the Presidio do they still support native vegetation.

			[[Image:El-Polin-Spring-sept-08 4087.jpg]]

			'''El Polin Spring, Sept. 2008, Presidio'''

			''Photo: Chris Carlsson''

	These native plant communities escaped development, but not unscathed. Mediterranean annual grasses have come to dominate most California grasslands, but chemical properties of serpentine soils have enabled serpentine grasslands to resist complete conversion to annual grasslands. Serpentinite weathers into a thin rocky soil containing high levels of heavy metals such as magnesium, nickel, and chromium that in high enough concentrations can be toxic to plants. Serpentine soil is also characterized by low levels of calcium, nitrogen, and other essential elements. Plants growing in such low-nutrient soils are often dwarfed in size and stature, and sparse plant cover in turn alters physical conditions--increasing surface temperatures, for example--that further restrict plant growth. Ten percent of California's endemic flora are restricted to serpentine soils, even though such soils cover only one percent of California. Other native plants that were once found on a variety of soil types are now largely restricted to remnant serpentine grasslands.		These native plant communities escaped development, but not unscathed. Mediterranean annual grasses have come to dominate most California grasslands, but chemical properties of serpentine soils have enabled serpentine grasslands to resist complete conversion to annual grasslands. Serpentinite weathers into a thin rocky soil containing high levels of heavy metals such as magnesium, nickel, and chromium that in high enough concentrations can be toxic to plants. Serpentine soil is also characterized by low levels of calcium, nitrogen, and other essential elements. Plants growing in such low-nutrient soils are often dwarfed in size and stature, and sparse plant cover in turn alters physical conditions--increasing surface temperatures, for example--that further restrict plant growth. Ten percent of California's endemic flora are restricted to serpentine soils, even though such soils cover only one percent of California. Other native plants that were once found on a variety of soil types are now largely restricted to remnant serpentine grasslands.

Ccarlsson: Unprotected "From Post to Park": excerpted essay

2009-01-18T01:09:16Z

Unprotected "From Post to Park": excerpted essay

← Older revision	Revision as of 18:09, 17 January 2009
(No difference)

Ccarlsson: PC and protected and new photo

2009-01-18T01:09:04Z

PC and protected and new photo

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:09, 17 January 2009
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			'''<font face = Papyrus> <font color = maroon> <font size = 4>Historical Essay</font></font> </font>'''

			''by Pete Holloran''

			[[Image:El-Polin-Spring-sept-08 4087.jpg]]

			'''El Polin Spring, Sept. 2008, Presidio'''<br>''Photo: Chris Carlsson''

	In October 1994, the U.S. Army vacated the Presidio of San Francisco, bringing to an end nearly 150 years of continuous military occupation--the longest tenure of any Army garrison in the American west. After two centuries of military service (it was established by Spanish soldiers in 1776), the Presidio may become a model for military base conversion. It could just as easily become yet another victory, however, for monied interests and unsustainable development.		In October 1994, the U.S. Army vacated the Presidio of San Francisco, bringing to an end nearly 150 years of continuous military occupation--the longest tenure of any Army garrison in the American west. After two centuries of military service (it was established by Spanish soldiers in 1776), the Presidio may become a model for military base conversion. It could just as easily become yet another victory, however, for monied interests and unsustainable development.

Lisaruth at 08:31, 19 December 2008

2008-12-19T08:31:53Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:31, 19 December 2008
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	~~[[Image:presidio$golden-gate-aerial-1920s.jpg]]~~

	~~'''The Presidio and Golden Gate 1920s'''~~

	~~''Photo: Greg Gaar Collection''~~

	In October 1994, the U.S. Army vacated the Presidio of San Francisco, bringing to an end nearly 150 years of continuous military occupation--the longest tenure of any Army garrison in the American west. After two centuries of military service (it was established by Spanish soldiers in 1776), the Presidio may become a model for military base conversion. It could just as easily become yet another victory, however, for monied interests and unsustainable development.		In October 1994, the U.S. Army vacated the Presidio of San Francisco, bringing to an end nearly 150 years of continuous military occupation--the longest tenure of any Army garrison in the American west. After two centuries of military service (it was established by Spanish soldiers in 1776), the Presidio may become a model for military base conversion. It could just as easily become yet another victory, however, for monied interests and unsustainable development.

Ccarlsson at 02:29, 26 September 2008

2008-09-26T02:29:22Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:29, 25 September 2008
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	'''The Presidio and Golden Gate 1920s'''		'''The Presidio and Golden Gate 1920s'''

			''Photo: Greg Gaar Collection''

	In October 1994, the U.S. Army vacated the Presidio of San Francisco, bringing to an end nearly 150 years of continuous military occupation--the longest tenure of any Army garrison in the American west. After two centuries of military service (it was established by Spanish soldiers in 1776), the Presidio may become a model for military base conversion. It could just as easily become yet another victory, however, for monied interests and unsustainable development.		In October 1994, the U.S. Army vacated the Presidio of San Francisco, bringing to an end nearly 150 years of continuous military occupation--the longest tenure of any Army garrison in the American west. After two centuries of military service (it was established by Spanish soldiers in 1776), the Presidio may become a model for military base conversion. It could just as easily become yet another victory, however, for monied interests and unsustainable development.

	The Presidio is now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), which features well-known landmarks such as Alcatraz and Muir Woods among its 76,500 acres, making it one of the largest urban national parks in the world. Twenty million people visit GGNRA lands every year; 3.5 million visit the Presidio, with more than 8 million expected within fifteen years. Millions of dollars of planning and years of community meetings produced a general management plan that sought to make the Presidio "a working laboratory to create models of environmental sustainability that can be transferred to communities worldwide" (GGNRA, 1994). Finalized before the November 1994 elections, the plan has now been dramatically altered by congressional Republicans. Balking at the $25 million annual cost -- more than the annual budgets of Yosemite and Yellowstone combined, but far less than the Army spent to maintain a skeletal presence --congressional Republicans seek to make the Presidio pay for itself within fifteen years or be turned over to the General Services Administration for sale.		The Presidio is now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), which features well-known landmarks such as Alcatraz and Muir Woods among its 76,500 acres, making it one of the largest urban national parks in the world. Twenty million people visit GGNRA lands every year; 3.5 million visit the Presidio, with more than 8 million expected within fifteen years. Millions of dollars of planning and years of community meetings produced a general management plan that sought to make the Presidio "a working laboratory to create models of environmental sustainability that can be transferred to communities worldwide" (GGNRA, 1994). Finalized before the November 1994 elections, the plan has now been dramatically altered by congressional Republicans. Balking at the $25 million annual cost--more than the annual budgets of Yosemite and Yellowstone combined, but far less than the Army spent to maintain a skeletal presence--congressional Republicans seek to make the Presidio pay for itself within fifteen years or be turned over to the General Services Administration for sale.

	The unusual history of the Presidio makes it unlike most other parks in that its 1,480 acres (ca. 600 ha) contains more than 800 buildings and other associated urban features including a bowling alley, a fast food franchise, and a golf course. Some substandard buildings will be demolished, but 510 are considered historic as a result of its designation as a National Historic Landmark. Historic structures will be rehabilitated and, according to the plan, will house "a network of national and international organizations devoted to improving human and natural environments." A federally chartered partnership institution was proposed to assist the park service in building rehabilitation and leasing. Known as the Presidio Trust, this institution would seek an estimated $600 million in loans from the U.S. Treasury over the next fifteen years to finance rehabilitation. As amended by House Republicans, however, the Presidio Trust legislation subverts the management plan's environmental vision by making profitability the primary consideration in leasing and rehabilitation. The compromise legislation is grudgingly supported by most longtime participants in the Presidio planning process, including the Sierra Club, local congressional Democrats, and the National Park Service, although the amended legislation requires NPS to transfer control of most Presidio operations to the Trust.		The unusual history of the Presidio makes it unlike most other parks in that its 1,480 acres (ca. 600 ha) contains more than 800 buildings and other associated urban features including a bowling alley, a fast food franchise, and a golf course. Some substandard buildings will be demolished, but 510 are considered historic as a result of its designation as a National Historic Landmark. Historic structures will be rehabilitated and, according to the plan, will house "a network of national and international organizations devoted to improving human and natural environments." A federally chartered partnership institution was proposed to assist the park service in building rehabilitation and leasing. Known as the Presidio Trust, this institution would seek an estimated $600 million in loans from the U.S. Treasury over the next fifteen years to finance rehabilitation. As amended by House Republicans, however, the Presidio Trust legislation subverts the management plan's environmental vision by making profitability the primary consideration in leasing and rehabilitation. The compromise legislation is grudgingly supported by most longtime participants in the Presidio planning process, including the Sierra Club, local congressional Democrats, and the National Park Service, although the amended legislation requires NPS to transfer control of most Presidio operations to the Trust.
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	These plant communities are threatened by all four of what Jared Diamond identified as the main mechanisms of human-caused extinctions: effects of introduced species, habitat destruction, overcollecting, and "secondary ripple effects" (Diamond 1989). Urban development of the San Francisco peninsula has fragmented natural communities into tiny remnants distinguished by a depauperate fauna that includes only the most adaptable species. Characterized by a high perimeter-to-core ratio (if a core can be said to exist at all), natural areas are readily colonized by legions of invasive non-native plant species, including many still popular among urban gardeners and landscapers.		These plant communities are threatened by all four of what Jared Diamond identified as the main mechanisms of human-caused extinctions: effects of introduced species, habitat destruction, overcollecting, and "secondary ripple effects" (Diamond 1989). Urban development of the San Francisco peninsula has fragmented natural communities into tiny remnants distinguished by a depauperate fauna that includes only the most adaptable species. Characterized by a high perimeter-to-core ratio (if a core can be said to exist at all), natural areas are readily colonized by legions of invasive non-native plant species, including many still popular among urban gardeners and landscapers.

	The history of serpentine grasslands and serpentine maritime chaparral illustrates the forces responsible for the decline of San Francisco natural areas. Serpentine outcrops --composed of serpentinite, California's state mineral -- were once fairly common in San Francisco, stretching in a discontinuous patchy band across the peninsula from the southeast corner to the Presidio in the northwest. Green-tinted serpentine outcrops appear occasionally among the city's buildings, but only at the Presidio do they still support native vegetation.		The history of serpentine grasslands and serpentine maritime chaparral illustrates the forces responsible for the decline of San Francisco natural areas. Serpentine outcrops--composed of serpentinite, California's state mineral--were once fairly common in San Francisco, stretching in a discontinuous patchy band across the peninsula from the southeast corner to the Presidio in the northwest. Green-tinted serpentine outcrops appear occasionally among the city's buildings, but only at the Presidio do they still support native vegetation.

	These native plant communities escaped development, but not unscathed. Mediterranean annual grasses have come to dominate most California grasslands, but chemical properties of serpentine soils have enabled serpentine grasslands to resist complete conversion to annual grasslands. Serpentinite weathers into a thin rocky soil containing high levels of heavy metals such as magnesium, nickel, and chromium that in high enough concentrations can be toxic to plants. Serpentine soil is also characterized by low levels of calcium, nitrogen, and other essential elements. Plants growing in such low-nutrient soils are often dwarfed in size and stature, and sparse plant cover in turn alters physical conditions--increasing surface temperatures, for example--that further restrict plant growth. Ten percent of California's endemic flora are restricted to serpentine soils, even though such soils cover only one percent of California. Other native plants that were once found on a variety of soil types are now largely restricted to remnant serpentine grasslands.		These native plant communities escaped development, but not unscathed. Mediterranean annual grasses have come to dominate most California grasslands, but chemical properties of serpentine soils have enabled serpentine grasslands to resist complete conversion to annual grasslands. Serpentinite weathers into a thin rocky soil containing high levels of heavy metals such as magnesium, nickel, and chromium that in high enough concentrations can be toxic to plants. Serpentine soil is also characterized by low levels of calcium, nitrogen, and other essential elements. Plants growing in such low-nutrient soils are often dwarfed in size and stature, and sparse plant cover in turn alters physical conditions--increasing surface temperatures, for example--that further restrict plant growth. Ten percent of California's endemic flora are restricted to serpentine soils, even though such soils cover only one percent of California. Other native plants that were once found on a variety of soil types are now largely restricted to remnant serpentine grasslands.
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	[adapted from Pete Holloran, "The Greening of the Golden Gate: Community-based Restoration at the Presidio of San Francisco," ''Restoration & Management Notes'' 14, no. 2 (1996)]		[adapted from Pete Holloran, "The Greening of the Golden Gate: Community-based Restoration at the Presidio of San Francisco," ''Restoration & Management Notes'' 14, no. 2 (1996)]

	~~Contributors to this page include:~~

	~~''Gaar Collection,San Francisco,CA - Publisher or Photographer ''~~

	~~Holloran,Pete - Writer~~		[[Tennessee Hollow \|Prev. Document]] [[Native Plant Restoration \|Next Document]]

	[[~~Lovers Lane \|Prev. Document~~]] [[~~Native Plant Restoration \|Next Document~~]]		[[category:Presidio]] [[category:1990s]] [[category:Ecology]] [[category:Habitat]] [[category:species]]