Fort Funston Forum       Thursday, March 30, 2000

Links to Table of Contents ItemsALT: Subtitle beneath Fort Funston Forum mast headNews, opinions, announcements, documents and images about Fort Funston's future.

Bluff Failures on The Sunset Trail 

BEGINNING OF IMAGE DESCRIPTION. THIS IMAGE IS A SCREEN-CAPTURE VIEW OF A, G G N R A, WEBSITE ABOUT ACCESSIBILITY ISSUES. THE SECTION OF THE SITE DISPLAYED MENTIONS FORT FUNSTON'S SUNSET TRAIL AS, QUOTE, AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF AN ACCESSIBLE TRAIL..... DOT DOT DOT. END QUOTE. ALSO HAS LINK TO SUPERINTENDENT'S MESSAGE IN SUPPORT OF ACCESSIBILITY AT THE G G N R A. THIS IMAGE IS A LINK TO THE G G N R A WEBSITE . END OF IMAGE DESCRIPTION.    BEGINNING OF IMAGE DESCRIPTION. THIS IMAGE IS A SCREEN-CAPTURE VIEW OF A, G G N R A, WEBSITE ABOUT ACCESSIBILITY ISSUES. THERE IS A PHOTOGRAPH OF A RANGER AND SEVERAL PEOPLE, TWO IOF THEM IN WHEELCHAIRS, GOING DOWN A TRAIL WITH A SMOOTH SURFACE AND LOGS AS CURBS ON EITHER SIDE. THE CAPTION FROM THE G G N R A SITE READS AS FOLLOWS. QUOTE, SUNSET TRAIL ON OPENING DAY. THE WIDE, HIGHLY COMPACTED DECOMPOSED GRANITE TRAIL SURFACE PROVIDES SMOOTH ACCESS FOR EVERYONE. END QUOTE. END OF IMAGE DESCRIPTION.

"In order to carry out our mission, we must ensure that park sites are physically accessible to all. We take our mission seriously and strive to ensure that those with disabilities can enjoy the resources that make this park special..."     ........     "We approach accessibility in many different ways, and welcome input from visitors and experts in the field as well as from our park staff."      ........    "The EOC [Equal Opportunity Committee] mission statement includes the park serving as a National Park Service model when complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and ensuring that accessibility standards are met or surpassed parkwide at all facilities and in all programs."       -  G.G.N.R.A. General Superintendent Brian O'Neill

all of above in: Park News, Fall '99 G.G.N.R.A. magazine:  www.nps.gov/fopo/parknews/fall99/parknews.htm

"Accessibility: Fort Mason Center: with advance notice, arrangements can be made for people with mobility impairments and wheelchair users, (415) 441-5706. Fort Point and The bookstore: video screening room and rest rooms are accessible. Muir Woods National Monument: all paved trails are handicapped accessible. Alcatraz: rest rooms at the dock and at the top of the hill are accessible, as is the main level of the cellhouse. The Blue & Gold Fleet, the ferry ride is accessible. SEAT (Sustainable Easy Access Transport) vehicle is available on Alcatraz for accessible transport to the cellhouse. Presidio: visitor center, main post walk and Golden Gate Promenade are accessible. Crissy Field: portions are accessible. Fort Funston: wheelchair accessible, loop trail. Cliff House: limited accessibility."

- from main page of G.G.N.R.A. website at: www.nps.gov/goga (bold added)

Oh....., Wheely?

BEGINNING OF IMAGE DESCRIPTION: THIS IMAGE IS A PHOTOGRAPH OF THE BEGINNING OF THE SUNSET TRAIL DURING THE PERIOD IT WAS CLOSED EARLIER THIS YEAR. IN THE FOREGROUND THE PAVEMENT ENDS AND THE TRAIL CONTINUES IN THE SAND WHERE THE PAVEMENT HAS BEEN REMOVED. THERE IS A SIGN THAT SAYS, QUOTE, AREA CLOSED FOR YOUR SAFETY, END QUOTE. THERE ARE ALSO TWO BRIGHT RED TRAFFIC CONES IN THE PATH. THERE IS A WHITE SAWHORSE BLOCKING THE TRAIL. IT HAS VERY LARGE STENCILLED BLACK LETTERS THAT SAY, QUOTE, DO NOT ENTER, END QUOTE. THE TRAIL CONTINUES INTO THE SAND, WITH ICE PLANT ON EITHER SIDE. IN THE FAR DISTANCE IS THE OCEAN, THE ENTRANCE TO SAN FRANCISCO BAY, AND THE MARIN HEADLANDS. END OF IMAGE DESCRIPTION.

The Sunset Trail is an important and very popular section of Fort Funston. For many people visiting the Fort for the first time, it's their Main Street. It heads right out from the parking lot, towards a beautiful view of the coast and the Marin headlands. It's long been used by dog walkers, tourists, whale-watchers, folks interested in its historic gun-batteries -- and especially by people with wheelchairs and strollers, because it's a paved trail. Or, rather, it was paved. Then out of the blue one day early this year, the Sunset Trail was closed, apparently for good, if not for good reason.

BEGINNING OF IMAGE DESCRIPTION. THIS IMAGE IS A PHOTOGRAPH SHOWING THE SUNSET TRAIL RECENTLY, WITH UNEVEN SAND, AND NO PAVEMENT. IN THE FOREGROUND TO THE LEFT IS AN EMBANKMENT THAT IS ERODING INTO THE TRAIL, SPANNING AN AREA PERHAPS THE LENGTH OF ONE TO AT MOST TWO CITY BUSES AND NOT WIDER THAN A BUS. THERE IS STILL A WIDE TRAIL REMAINING, AND THERE IS NO SIGN OF OTHER DAMAGE TO THE TRAIL. THE SOUTHERN BATTERY DAVIS TUNNEL IS IN THE BACKGROUND AND THERE IS A LOT OF ICE PLANT AND OTHER GREENERY IN THE DISTANCE. END OF IMAGE DESCRIPTION.

In the "Declaration of Mary Gibson Scott in Opposition to Temporary Restraining Order" starting at paragraph 12 on page 3 and continuing through the verification paragraph and signature the declaration reads: "12. A portion of the Sunset Trail was closed due to failing and eroding pavement on an emergency basis. It was reopened on March 9, 2000, following the removal of a 1,200 foot unsafe section of paved area which was undermined by bluff failures. Two benches were removed because they were unsafe and in a deteriorated condition. It is anticipated that the benches will be replaced by March 31, 2000. I declare under penalty of perjury, that the foregoing is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge. Dated this 13th of March, 2000 Mary Gibson Scott"

This photo was taken after the recent removal of the pavement on the Sunset Trail. It shows the one small area of roadway erosion on the entire trail. Do you have any photos that might help establish the true condition of the pavement and benches last fall?  Please click here to let the Fort Funston Forum know! Thanks. - Editor.

BEGINNING OF IMAGE DESCRIPTION. IMAGE IS A SCREEN CAPTURE FROM A WEBSITE NAMED QUOTE, GURU NET DOT COM, END QUOTE. THIS SITE GIVES DEFINITIONS OF WORDS FROM THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. DISPLAYED HERE IS THE DEFINITION FOR THE WORD, QUOTE, EMERGENCY, END QUOTE. THE DEFINITION IS AS FOLLOWS: EMERGENCY. NOUN,... PLURAL, E MERGENCIES. 1. A SERIOUS SITUATION OR OCCURENCE THAT HAPPENS UNEXPECTEDLY AND DEMANDS IMMEDIATE ACTION. 2. A CONDITION OF URGENT NEED FOR ACTION OR ASSISTANCE: A STATE OF EMERGENCY, A VOICE FULL OF EMERGENCY. ADJECTIVE: FOR USE DURING EMERGENCIES. EMERGENCY FOOD RATIONS. THIS IMAGE IS A LINK TO THE GURU NET DOT COM WEBSITE. END OF IMAGE DESCRIPTION.

The Bureau That Cried Wolf     

A Funston Fable

Once upon a time, there was a big bureaucracy that was in the habit of doing just whatever it felt like. The big bureaucracy didn't like having to tell anybody, even the people who loved to come visit it all the time, what it was going to do. But even the big bureaucracy had to sometimes appear to follow the law, so from time to time when its actions were hard to explain, it began to yell at everyone who would listen, "Emergency!" At first, everyone was very careful to heed these warnings of the big bureaucracy, even when its actions didn't seem to make sense. Surely, they reasoned, in an Emergency! everyone ought to listen to the warning and do exactly as they were told. But, as time went on, there kept being more and more Emergencies! One time, a road with just a teensy-weensy spot that needed to be fixed, was ripped out of the ground from one end to the other! Nobody knew why this happened, and it was said that the road was going to be closed for ever and ever. The people who loved to come visit knew that road, and they could not see any kind of Emergency! about it or why it should be torn out and closed. They began to talk amongst themselves, and even began thinking for themselves based on things they saw with their own eyes! "Sometimes when the big bureaucracy shouts out, 'Emergency!', it's just saying that; it doesn't really mean it!," said one of the visitors. Another replied, "It can't be bothered to explain itself all the time, it's a big bureaucracy!" Every year in the springtime, a colony of bank swallows would fly thousands of miles north to have their babies at the place where the people loved to visit. Even though everyone knew this was going to happen in the springtime, some people whispered that the big bureaucracy was going to shout, "Emergency!" when the swallows arrived. Then it would be able to keep all the people far, far away from the swallows who came back every year to where the people also came to visit. After a while, nobody even paid any attention when they heard someone shouting, "Emergency!" That was a very bad thing, because once in a very long while, at the place where the people and the birds loved to come visit, a very real and scary emergency would indeed happen. The people should have listened to the big bureaucracy at those rare times, and been very careful to do do as they were told. But it was too late. By that time, nobody would even turn around when they heard the word, "Emergency!"

by Michael B. Goldstein

  Why was the Sunset Trail closed, whereas other erosion damage remained simply shored up --

BEGINNING OF IMAGE DESCRIPTION. IMAGE IS A PHOTOGRAPH OF THE ROAD HEADING DOWN TO THE JUNCTION OF TWO ROUTES AT FORT FUNSTON. PHOTOGRAPH SHOWS A SECTION OF ROAD APPROXIMATELY THE AREA OF A CITY BUS THAT HAS ERODED. HOWEVER, THIS HAS BEEN FILLED IN WITH DIRT AND GRAVEL SO THAT THE ROAD IS ALMOST AS WIDE AS IT IS IN THE NON ERODED SECTION. END OF IMAGE DESCRIPTION.

or ignored?

BEGINNING OF IMAGE DESCRIPTION. IMAGE IS A PHOTOGRAPH SHOWING AN AREA ON THE ROAD NEXT TO WHERE THE NEW FENCE HAS BEEN INSTALLED. THERE IS A SECTION OF THE ROAD WHERE THE ASPHALT HAS BROKEN OFF IN SLABS AND IS LYING AROUND ON THE SAND NEXT TO THE ROAD, NO EFFORT APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN MADE TO REPAIR OR REPLACE THIS EROSION DAMAGE. THERE ARE TWO DOGS AMBLING BY, NEXT TO WHAT WILL BE THE SEASONAL ACCESS GATES THROUGH THE FENCE, WHICH IN THE PHOTOGRAPH ARE NOT YET INSTALLED. END OF IMAGE DESCRIPTION.

For quite a while areas were closed without notice, explanation, opportunity for comment, or future plans given. When notices were posted, they often didn't match the current date or situation. Here, outside the northern Battery Davis entrance road, a three-day closure sign remained in place ten days after the work was to have been completed, as the camera's date stamp indicates.

BEGINNING OF IMAGE DESCRIPTION. IMAGE IS A PHOTOGRAPH OF A SMALL SAWHORSE WHICH HOLDS A HAND WRITTEN SIGN. THE SIGN READS AS FOLLOWS. QUOTE, TRAIL CLOSED FOR CONSTRUCTION, FEBRUARY S16TH TO FEBRUARY 18TH. END QUOTE. IN THE LOWER RIGHT CORNER OF THE PHOTOGRAPH IS A DATE STAMPED ON BY THE CAMERA. THE DATE READS AS FOLLOWS, QUOTE, FEBRUARY 28TH, 2000. END QUOTE. END OF IMAGE DESCRIPTION.

How much money was spent to tear out and move around this asphalt? Why was it considered OK to simply shut down a major trail, one that the GGNRA itself mentions on its own website as being noteworthy for its accessibility?

BEGINNING OF IMAGE DESCRIPTION. IMAGE IS A PHOTOGRAPH SHOWING A HUGE PILE OF RUBBLE CONSISTING OF BROKEN-UP ASPHALT AND DIRT. THIS PILE IS BLOCKING THE NORTHERN ENTRANCE TO BATTERY DAVIS AND THE SUNSET TRAIL. THERE IS A SIGN NEXT TO A TREE. THE SIGN READS AS FOLLOWS. QUOTE, AREA CLOSED FOR YOUR SAFETY. END QUOTE. THERE IS ALSO A LARGE ARROW BENEATH THE SIGN, DIRECTING VISITORS TO TAKE THE OTHER ROUTE TO GET BACK TO THE PARKING LOT. END OF IMAGE DESCRIPTION.

BEGINNING OF IMAGE DESCRIPTION. IMAGE IS A PHOTOGRAPH OF A MODERN BENCH WITH A SINGLE METAL LEG AT EACH END. THE BENCH FACES OUT ONTO THE SANDY GROUND OF THE SUNSET TRAIL, AND HAS A BEAUTIFUL VIEW OUT TO SEE FROM UP ON THE BLUFFS. END OF IMAGE DESCRIPTION.   BEGINNING OF IMAGE DESCRIPTION. IMAGE IS A PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN FROM INSIDE THE NORTHERN BATTERY DAVIS TUNNEL. LOOKING TOWARDS THE OCEAN AND THE SUNSET TRAIL, AT THE POINT WHERE THERE IS AN L SHAPED TURN IN THE TRAIL, A NEW, MODERN-STYLE BENCH HAS BEEN INSTALLED CLOSE TO WHERE A BENCH HAD BEEN REMOVED. HOWEVER, THIS NEW BENCH FACES OUT TO SEA THROUGH A GAP IN THE SHRUBBERY, AND THE BENCH-SITTER'S BACK IS RIGHT NEXT TO THE SUNSET TRAIL. END OF IMAGE DESCRIPTION.

Now, and only thanks to strong protests a few weeks ago, the Sunset Trail is said to be "open" -- with new benches, which weren't needed -- but it's not open to most people who use wheelchairs or strollers, because of the uneven surface and deep sand.

BEGINNING OF IMAGE DESCRIPTION. IMAGE IS A PHOTOGRAPH. THIS PHOTOGRAPH IS TAKEN FROM THE SAME SPOT AS THE EARLIER ONE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SUNSET TRAIL. THE PAVEMENT ENDS AND AN UNEVEN SANDY SURFACE BEGINS. HOWEVER, THIS MORE RECENT PHOTOGRAPH SHOWS THAT THE SIGN THAT SAID, QUOTE, DO NOT ENTER, END QUOTE, HAS BEEN REMOVED. THERE IS AN INTERPRETIVE SIGN AT THE RIGHT SIDE DESCRIBING THE HISTORY OF BATTERY DAVIS, WHICH IS REACHED BY WAY OF THE SUNSET TRAIL. THE SANDY SUNSET TRAIL EXTENDS INTO THE DISTANCE, A WIDE TRAIL THAT USED TO BE A ROAD, WITH ICE PLANT ON EITHER SIDE AND THE OCEAN AND THE MARIN HEADLANDS IN THE DISTANCE. END OF IMAGE DESCRIPTION.

Once again, we're left in the dark. Is the trail to be re-paved? Left as is? Closed again? Will that depend once more on how much of a stink people make about it?

BEGINNING OF IMAGE DESCRIPTION. IMAGE IS A PHOTOGRAPH SHOWING THE SUN JUST ABOVE THE HORIZON, A FEW MINUTES BEFORE SUNSET. THE SUN IS SETTING INTO THE OCEAN. A HUGE AREA OF OCEAN CAN BE SEEN FROM UP ON THE BLUFFS ALONG THE SUNSET TRAIL, WHERE THE PHOTOGRAPH WAS TAKEN. END OF IMAGE DESCRIPTION.

Sunset on the Sunset Trail, March 29, 2000.

see also: Comments at GGNRA Advisory Commission meeting 3/21/2000

-- especially those of John Cranshaw, Jeff Ward & Florence Sarrett.

"My Heart Is Broken" comments on Sunset Trail Closure

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