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San Francisco Chronicle
16-07-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Wildly popular S.F. park is opening a major family-friendly expansion this week
When Presidio Tunnel Tops opened in San Francisco on July 17, 2022, Presidio Trust CEO Jean Fraser stood at the veterans Overlook and felt the pull of westward expansion to the flat parking lot below, which was at bay level and out of the wind. Exactly three years later, that pull will be realized when Outpost Meadow opens to the public Thursday the third anniversary of the wildly successful Tunnel Tops, a 14-acre public park built atop the Presidio Parkway. The 1.5-acre annex was made a reality thanks to a $12 million grant from the California Natural Resources Agency. 'This is the last pearl on the string,' said Fraser, after passing through a locked Cyclone fence to walk the circumference of the new addition with a reporter last week. 'It's the final connection.' Outpost Meadow is specifically a connection to the Outpost, a fantastical nature playground at Tunnel Tops that had 500,000 visits last year alone. The concept for Outpost Meadow is that birthday parties and picnics can naturally spread out and not have to climb the steps to the picnic areas at Tunnel Tops. The paved pathway extends seamlessly from the Outpost to Outpost Meadow, which has reclaimed half of the parking lot once reserved for the Sports Basement, a Presidio tenant that occupies the former post commissary. From the vantage of the Overlook, on the bluff above it, the Meadow looks like it has been there all along — and in one sense, it has. It is part of the original park design by landscape architect firm Field Operations and was intended to be built out with the original park. But Fraser took it off the plans when the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown hit in the middle of construction. With the budget for Tunnel Tops itself ballooning to $118 million, most of it privately raised by the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, that was the end of Outpost Meadow — until the state provided funds through its Outdoors for All initiative to bring parks closer to the urban masses. 'We knew we wanted to do this, but the price tag made it too ambitious,' Fraser said. 'The design was ready to go when the state grant came through.' The three-year delay allowed the Presidio Trust to talk to community groups and survey users of Tunnel Tops, which has attracted 5 million visits since it opened. At the top of their wish list: More tables, both reservable and first-come, first-served. Currently on busy days, the reservable tables at Picnic Place at the top of the tunnel are 'perpetually sold out,' Fraser said, at a fee of $130 per day on weekdays and $170 on weekends. Outpost Meadow will significantly expand those options, offering 19 sturdy tables of thick-cut Monterey Cypress and Douglas Fir in three large picnic areas with barbecue pits around a central green. Two of the three pods will be reservable starting in October, at a price to be determined. The third pod will be up for grabs. Survey responders also asked for more shade. Some of the picnic areas will be outfitted with umbrellas, though they will have to withstand the perpetual fog that blows in through the Golden Gate and can turn the strongest of umbrellas inside out. 'I'm hopeful the umbrellas will last in the wind,' Fraser said. Responders also wanted a flat space where they can kick a soccer ball around, and were obliged with a flat oval of fresh, rolled-out sod. There is also sod on Tunnel Tops, but by Fraser's measure, you can never have enough of it in an urban environment. 'I brought up my kids in the city,' she said, 'and I'll never forget the first time my daughter first put her feet on natural grass. It was like, 'What is this weird stuff?'' The grass will be irrigated by well water, thanks to Lobos Creek, the last free flowing waterway in the city, which reaches its terminus in the Presidio. The grass will also serve as flood control. On the old parking lot, rainwater pooled with no place to go. But the new lawn and surrounding tanbark, dotted with 23,000 native shrubs and trees, have drainage underneath. 'It's all permeable,' said Travis Beck, chief park officer. 'The water will go straight down.' The parking lot that remains in front of Sports Basement has been reduced by half and is open to anyone, by public meter. Outpost Meadow is also serviced by the 30-Stockton Muni bus, which has been extended to a new terminus behind the Sports Basement. There are new Muni stops in both directions on Old Mason Street, which goes by the new park, to deposit and pick up passengers as soon as the fence comes down Thursday. It will offer a new vantage point for people like Mikhiel and Samantha Tareen of North Beach, who were introducing their 10-day-old daughter, Simone, to their favorite park last week. 'It's where we bring people who are visiting,' said Mikhiel, originally from Portland, Ore. 'You get the closest and most unobstructed view of the city from here.' The Tareens, and their dog Stanley, are Tunnel Tops regulars, but when standing on the Overlook they could not tell where the Outpost ended and Outpost Meadow began. 'I didn't know that was a new thing,' Mikhiel said. 'We haven't had an issue with space here, but I like having more of it.'
Business Wire
16-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Presidio Trust Unveils Outpost Meadow
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nearly three years to the day from the opening of the hugely successful Presidio Tunnel Tops, today park managers cut the ribbon on its expansion – the Outpost Meadow picnic area. The new 1.5-acre green space was celebrated at a ceremony with community and civic leaders who championed the site, which officially opens to the public on Thursday, July 17. Outpost Meadow adds space and amenities to the Presidio Tunnel Tops, which has hosted five million visits since opening. Share Outpost Meadow adds space and amenities to Presidio Tunnel Tops, which has hosted five million visits since opening on July 17, 2022. Built as an extension of the nearby Outpost playground and Field Station discovery lab, it builds on Presidio Tunnel Tops' popularity as a family-friendly destination for nature, play, and community. Features of the new site include shaded wheelchair accessible picnic tables with overall seating for up to 240 people, a large lawn surrounded by gardens and easy access to Presidio Pop Up food trucks – all set against a Golden Gate Bridge backdrop. Picnic tables are available on a first-come, first-served basis through October. A reservation system for some tables will be rolled out in fall 2025. 'The public loves Presidio Tunnel Tops, and they've told us they want more,' said Presidio Trust CEO Jean Fraser. 'So, we're giving them more picnic tables, BBQ grills, bike parking, shade, food trucks – and especially space for parents to relax while their kids enjoy the Outpost playground. We want even more joy in the Presidio.' Outpost Meadow was designed by Field Operations, the landscape architects behind New York City's acclaimed High Line. Design was informed by the original Presidio Tunnel Tops community outreach process, which engaged thousands of people. Operation of the new picnic area was further shaped by visitor and community feedback on topics ranging from the picnic table reservation system to signage to food service, art, and site activities. Construction was funded by a grant from the California Natural Resources Agency. 'Ensuring that more Californians can experience the benefits that nature provides is critical to building a healthier California,' said Gloria Sandoval, deputy secretary for access at the California Natural Resources Agency. 'Outpost Meadow provides meaningful access for urban residents across the Bay Area – exactly the vision the 'Outdoors for All' funding was meant to support. Having the iconic Golden Gate Bridge as a backdrop is a bonus feature.' Beyond visitor amenities, the site incorporates environmental features that strengthen the park's resilience and biodiversity. It features 23,000 native plants mostly grown in the Presidio Nursery, as well as 4,000 drought-tolerant ornamentals – providing critical coastal habitat for local wildlife. The meadow's permeable surfaces also helps absorb stormwater, reducing runoff into the Bay. Outpost Meadow, located along Mason Street in the Presidio, complements existing Presidio Tunnel Top amenities, including accessible walking paths, restrooms, scenic overlooks, a campfire circle, and the Presidio Visitor Center. Muni 30 provides direct service to the site, and the Muni 43 and free Presidio GO Shuttle provide service from the nearby Presidio Transit Center. Bay Wheels Bike Share stations are also nearby. Partners and Funding The original 14-acre Presidio Tunnel Tops was built with $98 million from generous donors raised through the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. The $12 million Outpost Meadow expansion was funded through the California Natural Resources Agency and supports the 'Outdoors for All' initiative. The project is part of Presidio Forward, the Presidio Trust's multi-year initiative to renew the park's infrastructure, landscapes, and historic buildings. This expansion builds on the success of the Presidio Parkway restoration, a multi-agency, decades-long effort that transformed the Presidio's waterfront from an area dominated by a highway into world-class public parklands. Working in partnership with the National Park Service and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, the Presidio Trust has restored more than 50 acres of landscape along the waterfront at such sites like Battery Bluff and Quartermaster Reach. Download images About the Presidio and the Presidio Trust The Presidio is one of America's most visited national park sites, located within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Spanning 1,500 acres next to the Golden Gate Bridge, the Presidio is among the most biologically diverse parks in America. Historically a home to native peoples and a military post under three flags, its facilities have been reinvented as museums, restaurants, hotels, homes, and offices. The Presidio Trust is the federal agency that stewards the Presidio, in partnership with the National Park Service and with support from the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. The Trust sustains the Presidio by leasing homes and workplaces and offering visitor amenities. Learn more at and
Los Angeles Times
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
California moves closer to ‘30x30' conservation goals as threats to public lands loom
California officials have moved closer to their goal of conserving 30% of lands and coastal waters by the target year of 2030, a revelation that arrives as the Trump administration advances directives that could claw back areas that were set aside. Nearly five years after the inception of the so-called 30x30 initiative, California has conserved 26.1% of its lands and 21.9% of its coastal waters — or roughly 41,000 square miles and 1,150 square miles, respectively — according to a California Natural Resources Agency report released Monday. In 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order that set the 30x30 effort in motion. The initiative kicked off in earnest two years later when officials released a detailed road map for the plan. At that time, approximately 23.8% of lands and 16.2% of coastal waters were conserved. The stated goals of the 30x30 initiative extend beyond conservation. The plan also seeks to restore biodiversity, expand Californians' access to nature and help mitigate and build resilience to climate change. Now at the halfway point in the initiative, the state needs to protect less than 4 million acres of land and 283,000 acres of coastal waters to meet its goal. Wade Crowfoot, secretary of the CNRA, said the state is on track to hit its target — but could be stymied by the federal government, which owns nearly half of California's lands. Earlier this year, Trump terminated a national version of the 30x30 plan known as the America the Beautiful initiative. 'Federal attacks on public lands and environmental protections ... could impact our progress,' Crowfoot said, 'and we could actually see — if these federal attacks are successful — our acreage moving backwards.' In the past year, an additional 853,000 acres of land and 191,000 acres of water were conserved in California — representing an area the size of Glacier National Park in Montana, the report states. The majority of that land — roughly 685,000 acres — received enhanced protection through former President Biden's designation of two new national monuments early this year: Chuckwalla and Sáttítla Highlands. The monuments include vast swaths of land in the Southern California desert and Northern California forests that tribes consider sacred. The Trump administration has sent signals that it may seek to abolish both Chuckwalla and Sáttítla Highlands. In March, the Trump administration issued and then appeared to roll back an announcement implying the president had rescinded his predecessor's orders creating the monuments. Then, last month, the Justice Department released a legal opinion that concluded that Trump could undo his predecessor's creation of Chuckwalla and Sáttítla Highlands. As of today, the monuments still exist, though their subsistence seems at risk. Leaving the monuments aside, California's biggest 30x30 gains were on the sea, with the amount of coastal waters conserved jumping nearly 6% year over year. The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary, off California's rugged Central Coast, represents nearly all of the newly conserved waters. Designated by the Biden administration last November, the 4,543-square-mile sanctuary marked the first such preserve in California to be managed in cooperation with Indigenous peoples. The designation prohibits new oil drilling and offers other protections, but some conservationists believe it falls short of meeting the criteria for inclusion in the 30x30 tally. 'California's national marine sanctuaries unfortunately do not limit damaging stressors on marine biodiversity,' said Sandy Aylesworth, director of the Pacific Initiative at the Natural Resources Defense Council. The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary allows for the operation of an oil and gas pipeline as well industrial fishing, she said. 'So if this area is to count toward the goal, we'd like to see it meaningfully strengthen biodiversity protections in the sanctuary,' she said. Crowfoot, the state Natural Resources secretary, said a management plan that would do that is underway. If it doesn't materialize in a way that boosts environmental and biodiversity protections, he said, then the sanctuary could be removed from areas the state considers protected under the 30x30 plan. That would knock the figure for protected waters down. Looking ahead, Crowfoot said officials are focused on expanding California state parks by integrating private land nestled inside them as well as adjacent properties purchased by conservation groups. An estimated 30,000 acres of land could be added to the state park system for no additional cost because it's within a park or next to it, he said. Crowfoot called the 30x30 plan 'more important than ever' in light of worsening climate change, with the report stating that natural ecosystems conserved through the initiative capture and store greenhouse gases. Those areas are also expected to serve as refuges for animals as the climate shifts, as well as enhance biodiversity, which, the report states, 'supports the clean water and soil fertility essential for human survival and environmental stability.'
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Revolutionary government program raises $28 billion, and millions of one state's residents are benefiting: 'A win for ordinary people'
In 2012, California set a precedent for how a state government can take action against planet-warming pollution. The result of these actions diverted billions of dollars to communities in need across the state. California created a cap-and-trade program, which set a limit on carbon emissions that was to decline every year until the end of the contract in 2030. It also required companies to purchase permits or "allowances" to cover their carbon emissions. Companies that needed to go over their allowance could trade with other companies, but overall, the program created an economic incentive for companies to move forward with cleaner policies that reduced pollution. The fees from these allowances were then distributed across multiple agencies, including the California Natural Resources Agency's Urban Greening Program. One of the most remarkable projects created with this funding was a living schoolyard in Oakland, made possible with a $1.2 million grant from the CNRA. What used to be an asphalt lot was turned into vegetable gardens, a pollinator garden, an outdoor classroom, grass fields, and 65 new trees. Since 2012, this program has brought in $28 billion, $11.6 billion of which has already been translated into community projects. California residents are also now seeing an average of $137 in savings on their utility bills through the California Climate Credit. This program is eligible to be renewed and extended until 2045. If California lawmakers choose to extend it, residents can expect to see $47 billion in revenue, $55 billion in economic growth for California, and an additional 287,000 jobs. "California's cap-and-trade program hasn't just been a win for the climate; it's been a win for ordinary people who can see in their neighborhoods and on their utility bills that it's paying off. And there's billions more to come if we get this right," said Caroline Jones, a climate policy expert at the Environmental Defense Fund. Whether it's investing in solar panels, food security, or bike lanes for crowded urban areas, it's been proven that the happiest people and countries in the world are the ones in areas of less pollution and with stronger community programs. This program was spotlighted in the Environmental Defense Fund's Vital Signs newsletter, which is a stellar source for good-news stories, climate change solutions, and advice for taking action in your own community. Do you think America has a plastic waste problem? Definitely Only in some areas Not really I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
First layers of soil to be laid on 101 Freeway wildlife crossing, the world's largest
The wildlife crossing designed to help mountain lions, deer, bobcats and other creatures safely travel over the 101 Freeway between the Simi Hills and the Santa Monica Mountains will reach a major milestone on Monday, as workers lay the first layers of soil on the overpass. The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing spans the 10-lane freeway in Agoura Hills and will become the largest such crossing in the world. It is designed to help animals avoid being killed while roaming in urban habitats. Although it is too late to help Los Angeles' beloved mountain lion P-22 expand his territory, the passage will allow mountain lions and other wildlife to range farther for food and mates. Read more: P-22, L.A. celebrity mountain lion, euthanized due to severe injuries Small puma populations have been isolated by the freeway, and their offspring were showing signs of birth defects. 'I imagine a future for all the wildlife in our area where it's possible to survive and thrive and the placement of this first soil on the bridge means another step closer to reality,' Annenberg, a philanthropist, said in a statement. 'This extraordinary structure will serve not only animals," she said, "but it will reconnect an entire ecosystem and protect this global biodiversity hotspot — this moment marks another wonderful milestone toward that goal.' The Annenberg family's foundation was a major donor to the $92-million effort to make the bridge — which stands 21 feet and 8 inches above the freeway — a reality. Initially conceived more than three decades ago, construction of the 200-foot-long,165-foot-wide bridge began in 2022 and is expected to be completed in 2026. Read more: The world's largest wildlife crossing is finally standing. Here is what's coming next 'There's been a growing awareness in California as we're working to protect our nature, our biodiversity, that we can't just restore and protect habitat; We actually have to build connectivity between habitat,' Wade Crowfoot, secretary for the California Natural Resources Agency, said earlier when the project was announced. Monday morning, workers will begin placing soil — sandy loam mixed with lightweight volcanic aggregate — on the wildlife overpass. The process is expected to take several weeks and will require 6,000 cubic yards of soil, enough to cover three-quarters of an American football field in about 2.5 feet of soil. Then, coastal sage, buckwheat, wild grape, wildflowers, milkweed and other native plants will be planted on the roughly one-acre habitat. Oaks and other trees and plants will be planted on 12 acres on both sides of the wildlife crossing. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
