Sloat Restoration through Managed Retreat

Sloat Restoration through Managed Retreat
This is our original vision for Sloat Restoration - graphic courtesy of PSA and Associates and the Ocean Beach Task Force

Our Vision of Beach Restoration and Preservation

The shorelines of Ocean Beach south of Sloat Blvd and Sharp Park in Pacifica are threatened by rip-rap seawallls and long-term erosion. This blog chronicles our campaign efforts to restore these beaches. Check out the web view of this site to see our proposed solutions and how to help- in the right hand column below. For all the latest about our efforts, see our monthly posts.

We advocate a managed retreat strategy to restore both Ocean Beach south of Sloat and Sharp Park.

At Sloat, our vision involves:

A long-term plan to relocate threatened infrastructure
(including the south of Sloat Great Highway, the two oceanside parking lots and the sewer lines underneath them).

The cleanup of all the rock and rubble littering the beach.

The use of sand dunes as the primary tool to slow erosion.

For Sharp Park, we advocate the decommissioning of the golf course, the removal of the rip-rap berm, and a full restoration of the wetland.

Saturday, August 19, 2017

SF Zoo's Science / Interpretive Center

SF Zoo's Science Interpretive Center "pop-up"


Greetings Surfriders,

If you haven't signed our new petition yet, please do. Also, you can help the campaign by sharing this with your network.
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By now you may have noticed a new structure built on top of the berm across from the north parking lot.  We placed some calls and found out the buildings are a temporary science/learning center for children's programs at the San Francisco Zoo.  

During the Ocean Beach Master Plan process, both the San Francisco Zoo and San Francisco Recreation and Park had representation on the Steering Committee (Executive Level).  These two agencies also were represented on the Planning Advisory Committee level (which comprised of community / non-profit representatives).  At no time did we hear of the Zoo's intention to run their own science interpretive center on that area of the berm.

The Ocean Beach Master Plan instead recommended the conversion of the Fleishhaker pool house into a free public warming hut / interpretive science center.  We fully supported this concept. However, the pool house burned down not long after the release of the OMBP. 

Surfrider still fully supports the Master Plan idea of a public warming hut / interpretive center in the area occupied by the pool house. The Zoo's private new structures conflict with this goal.

The good news is that there is time to fix this issue. The buildings appear to be pre-fab. and easily removed. 

We urge SF Zoo, Rec. and Park, SPUR and all other entities involved in the Ocean Beach Master Plan to come together, have an open discussion and let the public weigh in on this issue.