H.R. 6305, a bill introduced in Congress by Nancy Pelosi, will change the name of the "Golden Gate National Recreational Area" (GGNRA) to the "Golden Gate National Parks". While this may seem innocuous, the reality is that the name change will be used to justify GGNRA attempts to severely restrict access to ALL recreational users, not just dog walkers. Here's what you can do to stop this:
1) Contact Mayor Gavin Newsom and let him know you oppose the name
change and you want him to remove his support for the name change.
gavin.newsom@sfgov.org
415-554-6141 phone
415-554-6160 fax
2) Contact the Board of Supervisors, and, in particular, your own
Supervisor, and let them know that you oppose the name change and want
them to pass a resolution opposing the name change.
Contact info for all the Supervisors can be found at:
http://www.sfgov.org/site/
3) Contact Nancy Pelosi and tell her you oppose the name change and you
want her to remove Section 2 (the name change section) from H.R. 6305.
Note that if you do not live in her district, your emails and phone
calls may not be accepted.
sf.nancy@mail.house.gov
SF Office: 415-556-4862 phone, 415-861-1670 fax
DC Office: 202-225-4965 phone, 415-225-8259 fax
4) Contact the House Committee on Natural Resources and let them know
that you oppose the name change and you want to remove Section 2 (the
name change section) from H.R. 6305.
Rep. Nick J. Rahall, II (D., WV) Chairman
Rep. Don Young, (R. AK), ranking Republican member
202-225-6065 phone
202-225-1931 fax
For more information, see:
Removing “RECREATION” from the GGNRA name will, in fact, remove recreating from the area
Sample letter:
Dear
I oppose Section 2 of H.R. 6305, a bill introduced in Congress by Nancy Pelosi, that will change the name of the Golden Gate National Recreational Area (GGNRA)to the "Golden Gate National Parks." While this seems innocuous, it is not. The GGNRA was created by Congress in 1972 to: "provide for the maintenance of needed recreational open space necessary for urban environment and planning." For decades, recreation and habitat restoration co-existed without conflicts. In recent years, however, GGNRA staff have instituted policies that have closed large areas of land to recreational uses, in direct opposition to the recreation mandates contained in the legislation that created the GGNRA. If the name change passes, GGNRA staff will claim that, by that action, Congress has authorized the overturning of the enabling legislation and removed the original protections for recreational access. Without these protections, GGNRA staff will be free to severely restrict -- if not outright ban -- access throughout the GGNRA to ALL recreational users.
The GGNRA controls 61% of the open space in San Francisco, including all of the beaches. The GGNRA is San Francisco's backyard, and provides much needed recreational open space for Bay Area residents. San Francisco is the second densest city in the US, and a tremendous need for recreational open space exists. For decades, the GGNRA has helped provide that. If the name change is passed, however, that access will be lost.
Please oppose the name change for the GGNRA, and remove Section 2 from H.R. 6305.
Sincerely,
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