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Dear Bill,
As you may know, when the National Park Service (NPS) acquired Rancho Corral de Tierra (Rancho) in 2011, NPS national regulations took effect, including the regulation for dog walking which requires that where dogs are permitted, they must be on leash. Through discussions with stakeholder groups and staff site visits, areas of Rancho that were determined to have potential resource sensitivity or visitor use conflicts were restricted for dog walking.
NPS is currently developing a Dog Management Plan for Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), which will address where and how dog walking can occur throughout GGNRA, including at Rancho. The current dog walking restrictions at Rancho were intended to be temporary until the Dog Management Plan is complete. We have recently heard from many neighbors and stakeholders that this restriction represents an unexpected and significant change in dog walking use, particularly compared to dog walking use prior to NPS management. We understand that you, the community surrounding Rancho, are concerned that you have not had the opportunity to provide input on dog walking regulations at Rancho.
Therefore, in view of these concerns, effective today, the Superintendent of GGNRA has designated all of Rancho as open to on-leash dog walking. Our maps on the website and signage in the field will be updated to reflect this change. This regulation will remain in effect until a new special regulation for dog walking in GGNRA, developed out of the Dog Management Plan (which has two more opportunities for public comment) is put into place.
We look forward to working with you and hope that you will participate in the dog management planning process to provide your input on the future of dog walking at Rancho. For more information, please visit our website.
Have a safe and fun holiday weekend!
The GGNRA San Mateo Team
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