The image on the vintage postcard above shows the lights of Alcatraz reflecting off the bay, with a lighthouse beam circling overhead on a moonlit night. Building windows are fully lit, something rarely seen these days. But it may be more common in the future, at least in one scenario in the new draft management plan issued by the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) last month.

The newest Draft General Management Plan and Environmental Review Statement addresses plans for GGNRA development over the next 20 years in Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo counties. The 1,000-plus page document explores a range of alternatives specifically for Alcatraz (Volume 1, Part 4), Muir Woods (Volume 1, Part 6), and numerous GGNRA properties in all three counties (Volume 1, Part 5). In San Francisco County, those properties include Fort Mason, China Beach, Lands End, Fort Miley, Ocean Beach, Fort Funston, and the coastal waters immediately offshore.

Within each draft plan is one “no action” alternative (unnumbered) and three additional alternatives:

· Alternative 1: Connecting People with the Parks. This is the National Park Service’s preferred alternative for park lands in Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo counties. The focus would be on ways to “attract and welcome people, connect people with the resources, and promote enjoyment, understanding, preservation, and health – all as ways to reinvigorate the human spirit.”

· Alternative 2: Preserving and Enjoying Coastal Ecosystems. The emphasis would be on preserving, enhancing, and promoting the coastal ecosystem. In this alternative, nature can take precedence over built structures or public access.

· Alternative 3: Focusing on National Treasures. This is the National Park Service’s preferred alternative for Alcatraz Island and Muir Woods. The fundamental resources of each site would be managed at the highest level of preservation to protect the historic resources in perpetuity.

Preferred Alternatives

What do the alternatives preferred by the GGNRA mean for our closest neighbors, Alcatraz Island and Fort Mason?

For Alcatraz, Preferred Alternative No. 3 could see ferry service instituted between the island and Fort Mason’s Pier 4. More prison buildings could be rehabilitated and opened for both public and administrative functions, and renovations could include overnight accommodations. While more of the perimeter areas could be opened for public access, much of that and existing trails could be closed seasonally for nesting birds, including the popular Agave Trail. At Upper Fort Mason, Preferred Alternative No. 1 would allow the existing residential use to remain “where compatible with preservation goals,” but the creation of additional overnight accommodations (while maintaining the existing youth hostel) would be considered. The batteries and landscaping would be “restored and rehabilitated,” but the community garden would be allowed to stay. The Fort Mason alternative is also based on improved access to the park via “a water shuttle at Lower Fort Mason, improved walking paths, expansion of the F-Line, and development of the bus rapid transit on Van Ness Avenue.” This would be in addition to the Alcatraz ferry service proposed from Pier 4.

Alcatraz and Fort Mason are just two of the areas addressed in the Draft General Management Plan, and these highlights are only from the plans preferred by the GGNRA. The full general plan and other alternatives can be found online at www.parkplanning.gov/goga and a hard copy should be available at the Marina Branch Library.

Public comments are being accepted on the draft management plan until Monday, Nov. 7, 2011. On the online comment page, the GGNRA asks you to respond to three questions, demonstrating that their focus is clearly on their own preferred alternatives:

1. What proposals or aspects do you like about the preferred alternative in this Draft General Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (DGMP/EIS)?

2. Do you have any suggestions for improving the preferred alternative in this DGMP/EIS? If so, what are they?

3. Do you have any other comments related to this DGMP/EIS?
You may provide comments using any one of the following methods:

· Online at www.parkplanning.nps.gov/goga
· In person at an open house
· By mail to: Superintendent, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Attn: Draft GMP/EIS, Building 201, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA 94123 The first two open houses were held on Sept. 24 in San Francisco and Sept. 27 in Pacifica, though few seem to have heard about them. The final open house is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 4 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Tamalpais High School’s Student Center, 700 Miller Avenue in Mill Valley.

Official comments will not be accepted by fax, e-mail, or in any other way than those specified above. Bulk comments in any format (hard copy or electronic) submitted on behalf of others will not be accepted.