Application for Grant Funds
November 1998
The Recreation and Park Department has been awarded $200,000 earmarked for natural area restoration at Lake Merced. This windfall is rumored to have resulted from the political largesse of our neighbor, Quentin Kopp. The question now is, How can this money be put to best use?
Lisa Wayne, Director of the Natural Areas Program for Rec & Park, put together the following Memorandum in order to meet the deadline for "application for grant funds." As you will see, there remains a fair amount of latitude in how the details of this program may be worked out. Friends of Lake Merced looks forward to working closely with Lisa in the design and implementation of this program. We hope there will be a large amount of community participation in this program, and that we can forge a community/city alliance that continues in force long after the initial $200,000 has been spent.
Send us your suggestions, or send them to Lisa Wayne. Lisa may also be reached by snail mail at McLaren Lodge, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA 94117, or call her at (415) 753-7266.
Recreation and Park Department
MEMORANDUM
To: Keith Stenhart
From: Lisa Wayne
Re: Lake Merced application for grant funds
Date: November 19, 1998
The proposed scope, schedule and budget for $197,000 of state appropriated funds for the restoration of Lake Merced is outlined below. As you will see below, I propose allocation of the funds over two years and in three development areas - field restoration, surveys and mapping and educational material development.
Task 1: Restoration
The Recreation and Park Department will contract with San Francisco League of Urban Gardeners' (SLUG) crews to perform restoration of native habitat areas around the Lake. Activities will focus around the most important native coastal scrub areas (e.g., the Mesa, Impound Lake, the north shore of South Lake). Restoratin activities will primarily entail noxious plant removal (e.g., cape ivy removal), erosion control and replanting. All restoration activities will be performed under the direction of the Natural Areas Program director. As part of this task, a part time restoration specialist will be hired to provide technical assistance and field personnel training and education.
Approximate Allocation $127,200
Task 2: Surveys and Mapping
The Lake Merced Comprehensive Management Plan calls for a comprehensive survey of the Lake and near lake natural resources. Although considerable survey work has been performed on Lake Merced, little is known about some groups of organisms, including many vertebrates, invertebrates and plants. Under this task, supplemental vegetation, invertebrate and mammal surveys need to be performed. The vegetation surveys will be mapped onto a Geographical Information System (GIS). From this inventory information, a restoration and management plan for the Lake will be prepared. It is expected that work under this task would be performed by students from and San Francisco State University and consultants currently working to develop maps and managemetn plans for RPD's natural areas.
Approximate Allocation $35,050
Task 3: Education and Community Outreach
Students from San Francisco State University would work with landscape architects to develop educational materials and community outreach for natural habitat restoration around Lake Merced. Educational materials coud include a self-guided walking tour (with corresponding brochure) of the lake and educational signs. Community outreach tasks could include conducting a series of educational workshops, distributing flyers in nearby neighborhoods and organizaing community events designed to develop a larger natural areas stewardship community for Lake Merced.
Approximate Allocation $24,750
Lisa Wayne
Director, Natural Areas Program
McLaren Lodge, Golden Gate Park
Fell and Stanyan Streets
San Francisco 94117
Phone: (415) 753-7266
Fax: (415) 668-3330
email: [email protected]
