RESTORING SHARP PARK, CALIFORNIA

The time is right to restore a unique coastal lagoon habitat at Sharp Park in Pacifica, California. This public land is home to arguably the most beautiful and endangered serpent in North America, the San Francisco garter snake, as well as its preferred prey, the California red-legged frog.

Sharp Park, just south of San Francisco, is one of great restoration opportunities on California’s central coast. At adjacent Mori Point, within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the National Park Service and hundreds of volunteers have helped to restore the ecosystem and native species.

But Sharp Park is currently an underused and budget-breaking golf course with chronic flooding problems. In violation of the federal Endangered Species Act, the city and county of San Francisco have been illegally killing and harming red-legged frogs and San Francisco garter snakes at the site, and now, San Francisco's Recreation and Parks Department is considering a flawed plan that calls for privatizing the unprofitable golf course and reconstructing flooded portions of the course at the expense of endangered species habitat.

The Center is working to transform Sharp Park into a community-centered model for endangered species recovery, natural flood control, outdoor recreation, and sustainable land use. In September 2008, we filed a formal notice of intent to sue San Francisco for harm to garter snakes and red-legged frogs at Sharp Park. Along with local Bay Area conservation groups, we’re calling on the city to cease harming endangered species, restore Sharp Park to its natural state as a coastal wetland, and provide more diverse recreational opportunities for the public at the site.