November, 16 2009, 12:35pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Jeff Miller, Center for Biological Diversity, (510) 499-9185
San Francisco Park Department Ignores Science, Promotes All-Golf Alternative for Sharp Park Although No-Golf Option Shown to Be Best for Environment, Budget, and Outdoor Recreation
Surreal Report Actually Suggests Picnicking, Not Golf Course, Greatest Threat to Endangered Species at Sharp Park
SAN FRANCISCO
The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department this
month released a deeply flawed and incomplete alternatives report for
restoring Sharp Park
in Pacifica, after a directive from the San Francisco Board of
Supervisors to explore a range of alternatives for the future of the
park to protect and restore endangered species habitat at the site.
Despite deliberate attempts to constrain the scope of the report,
omission of any credible discussion of the impacts on habitat due to
sea level rise with climate change, an apparent lack of any expertise
on coastal lagoon ecosystems, and the unprofessional mixing of the Park
Department's personal preferences with supposed "science" on the
restoration options, the report still confirms that management
activities at the controversial Sharp Park golf course are harming
endangered species and will continue to drain city coffers.
"This
report, while disappointing, is not surprising, since the Park
Department seems incapable of any objective analysis of the true costs
of the golf course, the benefits of restoration, or uses other than
golf," said Jeff Miller, a conservation advocate with the Center for
Biological Diversity. "The report is extremely unprofessional and
frankly, should be embarrassing to the city. The Park Department
falsely inflated and fabricated the costs of wetlands restoration and
with no factual basis tried to make impacts from the golf course appear
benign."
"The ecological illiteracy in
portions of this report is appalling," said Miller. "It shows a
complete and willful misunderstanding of how the coastal lagoon
ecosystem will respond to changes with sea level rise and misstates
their own consultant's conclusions on salinity intrusion. Not
surprising, since the department refused input from anyone with coastal
geomorphology or hydrology expertise. It also shows an inexcusable
misunderstanding of and unfamiliarity with coastal wetland restoration.
It is an unprofessional mix of the Park Department's personal biases
with cherry-picked and misconstrued fragments of the consultants'
reports. Send it back with an 'F'."
In
the report, the City's so-called "expert" on endangered species
actually claims that picnicking is one of the most significant threats
to the red-legged frog and San Francisco garter snake
at the site while downplaying the extensive golf course impacts. There
are no reports of crazed picnickers ever killing an endangered species
at the site. In contrast, it has been documented that golf-course
activities have serious impacts to endangered species and illegally
kill them. An endangered snake was run over recently by a lawn mower,
hundreds of frogs have been killed due to pumping the pond, gophers and
their burrows that both endangered species depend on are routinely
destroyed, and the golf course pollutes the wetlands with harmful
fertilizers and pesticides.
"The best
economic, environmental and recreational option for the future of Sharp
Park is clearly to add it to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area,"
said Miller. "Then the park can provide free recreational opportunities
for everyone to enjoy, save San Francisco tens of millions of dollars,
and allow restoration of the Laguna Salada wetlands and surrounding
habitat for the long-term survival of the San Francisco garter snake
and red-legged frog.
"The Park
Department claims that experts on the species endorse the 18-hole
alternative but they have done no such thing," said Miller. "The Park
Department also promised peer review of this report. Now they are
refusing to allow hydrology and coastal lagoon experts to peer review a
report that was clearly constrained and doctored by the Park Department
- what are they trying to hide?"
The
report states the obvious: the less restoration work put into Sharp
Park, the cheaper it will be to get done. But the minimal habitat
enhancement proposed by the Park Department in the 18-hole alternative
is inadequate to allow the recovery of the garter snake and frog at the
site, and is set up to fail with climate change and sea level rise. It
will cost tens of millions of dollars in infrastructure to protect the
golf course - and armoring the coast to do so will destroy the beach in
the process. Continued pumping of the wetlands will ensure that the
small areas left behind for endangered species will become more saline
and uninhabitable. For far less money, a restoration project can allow
the coastal habitat to adapt to climate change, while focusing
engineering solutions closer to houses and infrastructure rather than
fighting the ocean.
The report
deliberately inflates the costs associated with habitat restoration and
fails to include major infrastructure costs that will be required to
keep and maintain the golf course. The Park Department added the absurd
and unjustified cost of expensive off-site spoils disposal to the
no-golf alternative and outrageously proposes draining the lagoon, and
expensive and unnecessary damaging impact, to make restoration seem
infeasible. The report does not mention the $32 million armoring of the
sea wall needed to protect the golf course, the $7 million dollar
project to provide recycled water for the thirsty and wasteful
golf-course greens, nor the millions of dollars of fines and damages
the City is liable for illegally killing endangered species.
Background
Sharp
Park Golf Course is owned by the city and county of San Francisco but
is located to the south of the city on the coast, in Pacifica.
Maintenance and management of the golf course has killed and harmed
endangered San Francisco garter snakes and threatened California
red-legged frogs. In 2008 the Center for Biological Diversity filed
notice of intent to sue San Francisco for harming endangered species at
Sharp Park, in violation of the federal Endangered Species Act.
In
May the San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a Sharp
Park restoration planning ordinance directing the Park Department to
develop a plan, schedule, and budget for restoring endangered species
habitat at the park and to consider whether to transfer the property
to, or develop a joint management agreement with, the Golden Gate
National Recreation Area, Pacifica, or San Mateo County.
Nine
prominent scientists sent a letter in August to the Park Department
noting that many of the golf-course management activities are
incompatible with restoring healthy populations of the garter snake and
red-legged frog and that restoring wetlands and uplands habitats and
connecting them with protected adjacent open space is the best option
to ensure the long term survival of the species in the area. The
signatories to the letter were biologists, herpetologists, ecologists,
and hydrologists with collective expertise regarding wetlands habitats,
the endangered species at the site, and amphibians and reptiles.
Nine
different assessments of Sharp Park's financial state since 2005 have
concluded that the golf course loses from $30,000 to $300,000 each year
from the golf fund alone, and millions more are expected to be lost on
capital-improvement projects to maintain the course. Potential fines
for violations of the Endangered Species Act, or seeking environmental
compliance through a permit associated with a federal Habitat
Conservation Plan could cost many millions more.
The
ongoing environmental problems at the golf course are largely due to
its poor design and unfortunate placement. To create the course in the
early 1930s, areas around the Laguna Salada were dredged and filled for
14 months. Not surprisingly, Sharp Park has had problems with flooding
and drainage ever since.
Restoring the
wetlands at the park will complement habitat-restoration work within
the nearby Golden Gate National Recreation Area for the garter snake
and the frog at adjacent Mori Point and Sweeny Ridge, and could reduce
flooding risk for nearby neighborhoods. A broad coalition of community
and conservation groups support the restoration of the native ecology
of Sharp Park, including the Center for Biological Diversity, Nature in
the City, Neighborhood Parks Council, San Francisco Tomorrow, Golden
Gate Audubon Society, Sequoia Audubon Society, Pacifica Shorebird
Alliance, San Francisco League of Conservation Voters, Yerba Buena
Chapter of the California Native Plant Society, Action for Animals, and
Transportation for a Livable City.
At the Center for Biological Diversity, we believe that the welfare of human beings is deeply linked to nature — to the existence in our world of a vast diversity of wild animals and plants. Because diversity has intrinsic value, and because its loss impoverishes society, we work to secure a future for all species, great and small, hovering on the brink of extinction. We do so through science, law and creative media, with a focus on protecting the lands, waters and climate that species need to survive.
(520) 623-5252LATEST NEWS
US Reportedly Working to Stop ICC From Issuing Arrest Warrant for Netanyahu
"There is absolutely no reason for Biden to be involved in this," said one analyst. "But once again, Biden steps in to protect Netanyahu from the consequences of the war crimes he commits."
Apr 28, 2024
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly growing increasingly concerned that the International Criminal Court is preparing to issue arrest warrants for him and other top government officials for committing war crimes in the Gaza Strip.
The Times of Israelreported Sunday that the Israeli government, in partnership with the U.S., is "making a concerted effort to head off" possible arrest warrants from the ICC, which first launched its war crimes investigation in the occupied Palestinian territories in 2021.
Israel does not recognize the ICC's jurisdiction and has refused to cooperate with the probe. The ICC says it has jurisdiction over Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem.
Citing an unnamed Israeli government source, The Times of Israel reported that "a major focus of the ICC allegations will be that Israel 'deliberately starved Palestinians in Gaza.'" Other officials who could face arrest warrants are Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi.
The Times of Israel's reporting came shortly after Israeli journalist Ben Caspit wrote that Netanyahu is "under unusual stress" over the possibility of arrest warrants and is leading a "nonstop push over the telephone" to forestall ICC action.
Like Israel, the U.S. is not a party to the Rome Statute, which established the ICC in 2002. The legal body is tasked with investigating individuals, not governments.
The U.S., Israel's leading arms supplier, has opposed the ICC's Palestine investigation from the start, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying in a 2021 statement that the court "has no jurisdiction over this matter" because "Israel is not a party to the ICC."
But the Biden administration vocally supported the ICC's decision to issue an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over war crimes committed in Ukraine, even though neither Russia nor Ukraine are parties to the Rome Statute.
Seeing commentary that ICC arrest warrants against Israeli officials would create a dangerous precedent because Israel isn’t a party to the Rome Statute.
Guess who else isn’t a party to the Rome Statute?
Russia.
ICC already crossed that bridge with warrant for Putin.
— Brian Finucane (@BCFinucane) April 28, 2024
The Israeli government has been accused of committing numerous war crimes in Gaza since the October 7 Hamas-led attack, including genocide, ethnic cleansing, and using starvation as a weapon of war. Late last year, the human rights group Democracy for the Arab World Now submitted to the ICC the names of dozens of Israeli military commanders who are believed to have been directly involved in violations of international law.
Reports of potentially imminent ICC action have sparked alarm among conservatives in the United States.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) wrote on social media Friday that the court should "should stand down on this immediately."
In an
editorial published that same day, The Wall Street Journal suggested the U.S. and United Kingdom could "risk finding Americans and Britons under the gun" next if they don't warn ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan against issuing arrest warrants for Israeli officials. Human rights organizations and legal experts have said Biden and other U.S. officials could be held liable under international law if they continue supporting Israel's war on Gaza.
"Mr. Khan's candidacy was championed by his native Britain and supported by the U.S.," continues the Journal editorial, "so both countries may have influence if they warn Mr. Khan of what will happen if he proceeds."
The Times of Israelnoted Sunday that according to reports in several Israeli media outlets, the U.S. is "part of a last-ditch diplomatic effort to prevent the International Criminal Court from issuing arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials."
Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, argued Sunday that "there is absolutely no reason for Biden to be involved in this."
"But once again," Parsi added, "Biden steps in to protect Netanyahu from the consequences of the war crimes he commits, which Biden claims he privately is frustrated about."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Leaked State Department Memo: Israeli Assurances 'Neither Credible Nor Reliable'
"Today's leak should mark a final end to this impunity. President Biden has no choice but to fully enforce the law and halt aid to Israel."
Apr 28, 2024
A newly leaked internal memo shows that officials at four U.S. State Department bureaus don't believe the Israeli government's assurances that it is using American weaponry in Gaza in compliance with international law, rejecting them as "neither credible nor reliable."
The memo, first reported by Reuters on Saturday, is a joint submission from the State Department's bureaus of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor; Population, Refugees, and Migration; Global Criminal Justice; and International Organization Affairs.
The leaked document raises "serious concern over non-compliance" with international law, specifically citing the Israeli military's repeated attacks on civilian infrastructure, refusal to investigate or punish those responsible for atrocities, and killing of "humanitarian workers and journalists at an unprecedented rate," according to Reuters.
The memo also points to Israel's arbitrary rejection of humanitarian aid trucks, which has fueled famine in the Gaza Strip. The bureaus' conclusion matches that of officials at the United States Agency for International Development.
Human rights groups have been documenting Israel's atrocities and systematic obstruction of aid for months, but the Biden administration has continued approving weapons sales for the Netanyahu government despite U.S. laws prohibiting arms transfers to countries violating human rights and blocking American humanitarian assistance.
Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), said Saturday that "the State Department's leaked confirmation that Israel has restricted the transport and delivery of U.S. humanitarian assistance leaves no doubt: U.S. law requires the suspension of military aid to Israel."
"For too long, the Biden administration has breached or ignored U.S. laws that require the suspension of aid to an abusive regime like Israel, fueling Israeli belligerence and rewarding its atrocities," said Whitson. "It's time for real consequences."
"Suspending military aid is the bare minimum the U.S. must do to avoid further complicity in these abuses."
In March, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant penned a letter assuring the Biden administration that the Israeli military's use of American weaponry has been in line with international law. A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department subsequently indicated that the Biden administration has not found Israel "to be in violation of international humanitarian law," drawing outrage from analysts and members of Congress who say it is obvious Israel is committing war crimes. in Gaza.
The U.S. State Department is expected to deliver its final assessment of Israel's assurances to Congress in early May.
The written assurances from Israel were required under a White House policy known as National Security Memorandum 20 (NSM-20), which has the ostensible aim of preventing "arms transfers that risk facilitating or otherwise contributing to violations of human rights or international humanitarian law."
NSM-20 states that "in furtherance of supporting Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2378-1) and applicable international law," the U.S. will "obtain credible and reliable written assurances from a representative of the recipient country as the Secretary of State deems appropriate that, in any area of armed conflict where the recipient country uses such defense articles, consistent with applicable international law, the recipient country will facilitate and not arbitrarily deny, restrict, or otherwise impede, directly or indirectly, the transport or delivery of United States humanitarian assistance and United States Government-supported international efforts to provide humanitarian assistance."
Raed Jarrar, DAWN's advocacy director, said Saturday that "Section 620I has been rendered toothless by State Department inaction and special treatment for Israel."
"Today's leak should mark a final end to this impunity. President Biden has no choice but to fully enforce the law and halt aid to Israel," said Jarrar. "From bombing residential towers to blocking food and medicine, Israel's war on Gaza has been marked by utter disregard for civilian life and international law. Suspending military aid is the bare minimum the U.S. must do to avoid further complicity in these abuses. But it's an essential first step to show that even Israel is not above the law."
Details of the internal State Department memo emerged just days after Congress gave final approval to a foreign aid package that includes $17 billion in unconditional military assistance for the Israeli government.
In a joint statement on Friday, dozens of civil society groups warned that the newly approved military aid risks deepening U.S. complicity in an assault that has killed more than 34,000 people and put millions at risk of starvation.
"Not only does this supplemental aid package provide Israel with billions in lethal arms, it also provides the country with privileges above and beyond anything it has ever received, in particular for the war reserve stockpile and offshore procurement," the groups said. "The passage of the supplemental bill further risks U.S. complicity in grave international crimes committed by Israel."
"We urge the administration and Congress to uphold U.S. law and policy and international law by withholding the transfer of additional lethal military aid to Israel," they added.
Keep ReadingShow Less
Disgust Greets White House Correspondents' Dinner as Israel Kills Journalists in Gaza
"To sit and schmooze with the president while he sends billions of dollars in weapons to Israel to kill their colleagues in Gaza is unethical and immoral."
Apr 27, 2024
On Saturday night, U.S. reporters and government officials—including President Joe Biden—will gather at the Washington Hilton Hotel for the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner, a glitzy, humor-filled affair that has faced mounting boycott calls in recent weeks as Palestinian journalists in Gaza are targeted and killed by the Israeli military in appalling numbers.
Earlier this month, dozens of Palestinian journalists urged their American colleagues to spurn the invite-only event "as an act of solidarity with us—your fellow journalists—as well as with the millions of Palestinians currently being starved in Gaza due to the Biden administration's continued political, financial, and military backing of Israel."
One journalist, Mehdi Hasan of Zeteo, has heeded the call.
"I have attended the White House Correspondents' Dinner for the past two years," Hasan, a former MSNBC host, wrote on social media Saturday, hours before the event. "I decided not to attend today's dinner (which, to be clear, is hosted by D.C. journalists not the White House) in solidarity with under-fire Palestinian journalists in Gaza who have called for a boycott."
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 97 media workers—92 of them Palestinian—have been killed in Gaza, Israel, and Lebanon since October 7. The Palestinian Journalist Syndicate puts the number higher at 125.
"Israel has killed over 10% of our colleagues," said Shuruq As'ad, director of the Palestine Journalism Hub and supporter of calls to boycott the White House Correspondents' Dinner, which is hosted by the White House Correspondents' Association.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), an organization representing more than 600,000 media workers across 146 countries, endorsed the boycott push on Saturday, as did the National Writers Union (NWU).
"More than 100 journalists and media workers have been killed in the past six months of Israel's war on Gaza, backed by the United States government," NWU said in a statement. "As a union of journalists and media workers who strive for truth, we refuse to normalize genocide. Stand with journalists in Gaza and amplify the call for a boycott."
Israel's assault on Gaza, which has been fueled by U.S. weapons and diplomatic support, is the deadliest conflict for journalists in decades. Last year, roughly 75% of the journalists killed globally were killed by Israeli forces.
Al Jazeera's Gaza bureau chief, Wael Dahdouh, has lost five family members to Israeli airstrikes, including his 27-year-old son Hamza, who was also a journalist.
"To dine with him as he allows Palestinians to die of starvation by cutting off funding to critical humanitarian aid is despicable."
Press freedom groups have accused the Biden White House of failing to do enough to stop the Israeli military from targeting members of the media, who continue to risk their lives to show the world the devastation Israel is inflicting in Gaza.
"The Biden administration has been all talk when it comes to journalists killed by the Israel Defense Forces," Seth Stern, director of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, said earlier this year. "The Biden administration says it cares deeply about journalists' freedom to cover the war but has failed to demand Israel ensure journalists' safety or hold it accountable when it doesn't."
The New York Timesreported that in addition to the jokes, Biden is "expected to issue a more serious warning at a time when journalists around the world are being jailed or detained more frequently for doing their job."
But it remains to be seen whether the president will mention Gaza journalists specifically.
President Biden will address the White House Correspondents Dinner tonight. It’s expected that’ll he’ll mention threats to journalists around the world. Will he mention Israel’s murder of Shireen Abu Aqlah & the scores of Palestinian journalists murdered in Gaza? Probably not. pic.twitter.com/nA6M2t9nK9
— James J. Zogby (@jjz1600) April 27, 2024
Protests are expected outside the dinner's venue, but as NBC Newsreported, "protests inside the event itself are much less common and perhaps unprecedented, given the tight security."
"People involved in organizing the protests said they knew of no plans to try to infiltrate the exclusive invite-only dinner," the outlet added. (Kelly O'Donnell, NBC's senior White House correspondent, is presiding over this year's dinner.)
Sandra Tamari, executive director of the Adalah Justice Project, which helped organize the letter calling for a boycott of Saturday's dinner, said it's grotesque for reporters who claim to be committed to a free press to pal around with members of an administration that is aiding deadly attacks on journalists in Gaza.
"To sit and schmooze with the president while he sends billions of dollars in weapons to Israel to kill their colleagues in Gaza is unethical and immoral," said Sandra Tamari, executive director of Adalah Justice Project, which helped organize the letter calling for a boycott of Saturday's dinner. "To dine with him as he allows Palestinians to die of starvation by cutting off funding to critical humanitarian aid is despicable."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular