McLaren Park Events and News
May 2013

Photowalks, Nerds for Nature, philosophy walks, a million dogs, work parties, 5k runs... the next two months are going to busy in our favorite park. Read on for the details!

Did we miss an upcoming event? Let us know!
Read our latest newsletter.

• McLaren Park photowalk this Saturday May 4
  10 am to noon.

Meet in the Mansell/Visitacion Parking Lot. Map here.

Come spend a couple of hours with us photographing nature's wonders in John McLaren Park.

Co-sponsored by Save McLaren Park and RecPark's Harvey Milk Photo Center, this is the second of a series of photowalks that will unfold all summer.

All skill levels and all ages are welcome. You don’t need a fancy camera, a cell phone will do!

After the walks, photographers are encouraged to post their best photos to a special McLaren photowalk Flickr group, or eMail them to us directly. All  images will be eligible for the followup photo shows and exhibits being planned now. 

For more info, contact Ed Brownson or sign up for our newsletter.

• Philosopher's Way walk with Nathaniel Paluga.

  Saturday May 4, noon to 3pm. Meet at the parking lot at Visitacion and Mansell. (MUNI #29 & 56) Principle Philosopher Nathaniel Paluga will be leading another "Philosopher's Walk" through San Francisco's Philosopher's Way in McLaren Park.
  
  Past walks have covered "Wisdom" and "Beauty". The topic for this walk will be "Respect." See Nathaniel's  Philosopher's Way facebook page for more information. This is a free event, but donations are gladly accepted to help pay for park maps and other tour facilitation costs.

• McLaren Park Collaborative Meeting

   Wednesday May 8, 7:00 - 9:00PM
  Crocker-Amazon Clubhouse, Moscow at Italy 
  (MUNI 8X, 43, 54)
  
  The public is invited to this monthly meeting of the McLaren Park Collaborative to discuss important issues regarding McLaren Park. This month we will go over two different proposals that hope to bring more music to Jerry Garcia Amphitheater.
  
  Representatives from SF Rec & Park will be there to answer questions and take input. Other topics include an update on September's mountain bike festival, updates on Park Patrol issues and a preliminary discussions on the $10 million in bond funds coming to McLaren.
  
  For more information, contact Tom Scott.
  

• Nerds For Nature BioBlitz in McLaren Park

  Saturday, May 11, Noon - 5:30 pm.
  Starts at Mansell/Visitacion Picnic Area (MUNI 29, 56)
  
  Save McLaren Park is thrilled to co-host a "BioBlitz" day in McLaren, organized by Bay Nature Magazine and a new citizen science group called Nerds For Nature.  There will be something for everyone, from serious birders and botanists looking for a new challenge, to youngsters wanting a cool new citizen-science app to play with, to not-so-young nature lovers whose binoculars have collected too much dust.
  
  
  Here's all you have to do:
  • Download the free iPhone or Android app (or get familiar with the on-line iNaturalist site).
  • Get your own iNaturalist account.
  • Pack up your smart phone and/or digital camera, binoculars, and magnifying glass, if you've got them.
  • Pack your water bottle and snacks.
  • Join the nerdy nature adventure!
  Team Leaders Include:
  
  • Charlotte Hill of the Kids In Parks Program
  • Native plant guru Jake Sigg
  • Butterfly experts Liam O'Brien and Amber Hasselbring
  • Moth specialist Professor Jerry Powell
  • iNaturalist iPhone app author Ken-Ichi Ueda
  • "Spider-man" Ryan Kaldari
  Here's a Nerds for Nature blog post and a recent press release about the bioblitz. We could use a few more volunteers for the lunch crew, to help get folks checked in and pointed in the right direction, and to act as park guides to the bioblitz participants. If you'd like to join the "bioblitz action team", please contact Ken McGary or Tom Scott.
  
  The BioBlitz Schedule:
  
  • Noon to 1:00 pm -- Free Picnic Lunch (bring a dish if you wish) Welcome, Introduction to the iNaturalist app
  • 1:00 - 4:00 pm -- ID Teams spread out to their assigned zone of the park and start loggingwhat they can identify. Friendly competition ensues until we...
  • 4:00 - 4:30 pm -- Meet back at the picnic area for group walks, impromptu car pools, driving directions, and other match-making so that we all make the short trip down the hill to the...
  • 4:30 - 5:30 pm -- Wrap Up Presentation and Celebration -- Join us at the Vis Valley Library Community Room for a report and presentation of the day's accomplishments, and a brief discussion of potential future events.
  Learn more and sign up now at the McLaren BioBlitz Eventbrite Page.

  News from Save McLaren Park

• SF311: A High-Tech Squeeky Wheel

  The original ParkScan on-line reporting system devised some years ago by the Neighborhood Parks Council (now SF Parks Alliance) has helped bring awareness and accountability to various infrastructure problems in our open spaces. The 311 program is an even more comprehensive effort that covers the entire City, using both an on-line system and live phone operators to transcribe voice reports from 311 callers.
  
  Now there are several apps for that, and we hope to see this new trend towards high-tech civic engagement blossom even further. Check out this list of several new apps that feed directly into the City's SF311 system. We have tried CitySourced with some success, but the others have their merit as well.
  
  The advantage of the apps is that they use your smartphone's GPS to geo-tag the report, and you can directly attach photos that you take of the problem, as well. We invite you to try them all out and let us know how it goes. And we also encourage you to use as practice data all of the illegal dumping and graffiti that has been on the rise in our park, especially along the Mansell corridor, but in other corners as well. Let see how loud we can squeek the wheel for John McLaren Park!

• Important: Coyotes and foxes in the park!

  McLaren park regulars have been seeing several coyotes and a family of foxes in the last month. Coyotes are moving into urban areas all across the country and San Francisco is no exception.
  
  City coyotes are generally not a threat to humans. Timid by nature, they have adapted to the urban environment and are able to find plenty of food. strong>However, these rules-of-thumb change during breeding time, which is now. Two coyotes seen together - like those recently sited in McLaren - are likely a breeding pair and can be more agressive, particularly when the pups arrive. (Click image for info on coexisting with coyotes. For a more detailed brochure, click here.)
  
  If you see a coyote:
  • Do not approach it. Back away calmly.
    
  • Do not offer it food.
    
  • Important: control your dog! Coyotes and dogs do not mix and your dog will lose a fight. Smaller dogs can even be killed Keep your dog on leash in areas where coyotes have been sited. 
    
  • If a coyote approaches you, make yourself large, shout, if necessary throw something (not food!) at or behind the coyote, and move away slowly towards a more human-populated area.
    

• Important! Report motorcycles in the park!

  In recent weeks a number of motorcycles have been riding at high speeds through the trails and meadows of McLaren. This threatens natural habitat and pedestrian safety.
  
  Riding a motorcycle in a city park is against the law! Police encourage anyone seeing motorcycles in the park to call 911 immediately.
  

What is Save McLaren Park?

McLaren Park contains some of the last wild spaces in the city. In 2010, a disc golf course was slated for some of the park's most sensitive areas. In response, neighbors and friends came together to create  Save McLaren Park (SMP).

Initally focused on the disc golf issue, today SMP looks for new and fun ways to engage the McLaren Park comunity. We organize nature walks, picnics, and promote other activities in our natural areas such as work parties and trail building events. With the groundswell of new enthusiasm for this well-loved but long-neglected park, McLaren's future is brighter than ever.

Why is Disc Golf in
McLaren Park a Bad Idea?

Save McLaren Park does not think Disc Golf is a good fit for McLaren Park.

Why? Read more...