Panhandle Park Stewards

Pictures from January workday

2012-01-14T18:12:00.000-08:00

Today's Panhandle workday involved repeat volunteers and the families of the second grade class at San Francisco Day School. Here are a few photos from our day and one of our special guest.

Sweeping in the memorial circle

Clearing the Shrader cross-path of mud and debris

Dale Danley (L) with Megan Bierman by the sign that honors her mother, Sue Bierman

Someone gets a ride in a wheelbarrow pretty much every month

Besides what you see in the pictures, there was also a lot of leaf-raking, soil spreading, and shrub clipping. We were a large group and I think we all felt amazed by the amount of work we got done. Megan Bierman joined us in the work and expressed her appreciation for making the Sue Bierman Glade, installed in 2001, a more welcoming spot. To help us understand some of her mother's work in the struggle to keep the Panhandle park from being turned into an elevated freeway, she led us in singing The Cement Octopus, written by San Francisco song-writer Malvina Reynolds about the freeway revolt.

Starting our 2012 at the Panhandle's West End

2012-01-10T22:23:00.000-08:00

2012's first community workday in the Panhandle is coming up this Saturday, and the forecast is for clear weather.

Saturday, January 14

9 am - 11:30 am

Meet in the park at the bulletin board near Ashbury

Tools & gloves provided, wear sturdy shoes and dress in layers

Park staff tell me that our projects will be centered in the area between Shrader and Stanyan, where the Sue Bierman Glade is located. It's rare that our workday takes place all the way up at the west end of the park, so Saturday's program is a rare opportunity to care for an area that, despite some recent tree pruning and path upkeep, isn't reaching its potential as a transition area between the Panhandle and the rest of Golden Gate Park (or as a tribute to a neighborhood hero).

Let's take time Saturday during our snack break to learn more about Sue Bierman, for whom the grove of redwoods, cypress, and pines was dedicated more than ten years ago. All are welcome to join us, and our break typically starts around 10:30 a.m.

Santa brought us Masonic traffic safety measures

2011-12-24T12:30:00.000-08:00

Park users crossing Masonic on the Oak Street side now benefit from a ladder crosswalk. High-visibility crosswalks are part of the SF MTA's pedestrian safety program, and alert pedestrians and motorists to watch out for conflicts.

We also got a red-light camera facing the westbound traffic on Fell Street at Masonic. San Francisco's city government began implementing photo enforcement for red-light running 15 years ago.

Thanks to San Francisco and to the outspoken community leaders who have been demanding safer Masonic crossings.

December Workday wrap-up

2011-12-10T23:30:00.000-08:00

Not just leaves, but also branches and twigs have been falling in the Panhandle this month, and so we began yesterday's workday raking and filling dozens of wheelbarrows full in the garden around the playground. The small plants were glad to be uncovered.

A bigger project also awaited the sixth grade class from the Day School and other volunteers: moving the soil from a long-neglected pile that had been left unused on the paved area east of the playground.

The soil had become heavy and compacted over time, so it took extra work to shovel and wheelbarrow over to some nearby trees.

We spread the soil around the grove of elms and pittosporums near Oak/west of Masonic Ave.

We took our break by the massive eucalyptus that stands nearby.

Emmett and his dad investigated a drain that we had uncovered. It's full of silt, so will take some further maintenance and further before it can do its job. Maybe when it works again it'll reduce the boggy conditions at the northeast end of the pavement.

Charlie and his crew were on hand and helped us finish the job.

Some volunteers asked me, "what is this space?" The simple answer is that it's a very useful paved space: birthday parties, Tai Chi groups, and bicycle ballet rehearsal all make frequent use of it. Historically, it's a reminder of the roadway that used to wind down the center of the park. Here's the area between Ashbury and Masonic in a 1938 aerial photo (and visit the image at the David Rumsey Map Collection to zoom in and see the surrounding area).

December panhandle workday is tomorrow!

2011-12-09T16:34:00.000-08:00

Please join us in the Panhandle, tomorrow, Dec 10 for our monthly workday. We'll gather at 9am.

Red-light cameras for Fell/Masonic

2011-12-03T15:40:00.000-08:00

The work that's been going on this week in the Panhandle near Fell/Masonic is for the placement of cameras to provide some automated enforcement of red-light runners. This project makes good on the city's promises for a number of adjustments to improve traffic safety on Masonic Avenue.

Do pines drop their leaves?

2011-11-29T21:32:00.001-08:00

Pine trees are generally thought of as evergreens. But there are some species that lose leaves annually, like the one pictured below, with needles that turn orange in the fall before dropping to the ground. I'm not remembering the species right now (is this a dawn redwood?), but I know we have several of these trees in the Panhandle. A pair of them stands off the south path near Central. This picture was taken on Sunday in the Golden Gate Park Rhododendron Dell, where there are several, including several that are much, much bigger, taller and older. They are a couple of weeks ahead in their annual cycle compared to the trees in the Panhandle, which are still green.

Be careful out there tomorrow when the winds start blowing.

Saturday's accomplishments

2011-11-12T15:14:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all who turned out for our Saturday volunteer work day at the Panhandle! Here's a quick look at the people who showed up and the projects that Guillermo had ready for us.

The "four corners" eucalyptus trees just east of Masonic received a blanket of compost and mulch to keep them comfortable for the coming winter rains. We had a big group, bolstered by families from the Kindergarten class of the Day School, so some played in the meadow while other folks dug into the pile of compost, which released steam into the cool morning air.

Nearby, we spread compost and removed weeds from several trees located south of the pathway.

The trees in this area make up the Panhandle's cluster of olive trees. Despite growing beneath towering eucalyptus, they have a decent southern exposure from the Oak Street side to feed them solar energy.

Along a bank of aloe plants, we raked leaf litter, amended soil, and put some small plants from the Rec & Park nursery in the ground. I'm not sure what they are, so hope that some grow large enough to help us identify them.

Did anyone else notice?

2011-11-11T18:30:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, a pet peeve just goes away and you hardly notice. In the Panhandle, many, many years ago wooden poles were lodged deep in the ground in several locations around the basketball courts, apparently to create some kind of mount for a garbage can. The Park moved on to a new design, but the poles were left behind, despite being an eyesore and tripping hazard. Well, they're finally gone, removed from the park by gardening and maintenance staff.

Having the posts removed means one less detail to tend to during the upcoming refurbishing of the area between the basketball courts and the restrooms. Thanks SF!

What the heck, one more shot for old time's sake:

Fall Panhandle work days - starting this Saturday!

2011-11-09T16:54:00.000-08:00

Young male and mature female catkins on an Italian Alder

November is a great time to visit the Panhandle, with trees finishing their growth season and leaves beginning to fall. Our next community work day is coming up this Saturday, November 12, starting at 9 a.m. We'll be continuing our work which involves mulching, weeding, pruning, and sometimes, planting.

We got a third of an inch of rain over the weekend, and more is called for tomorrow, so there's some boggy spots. Definitely wear some shoes that you won't mind getting muddy. Tools are provided. Expect to be joined by families of the kindergarten class of the San Francisco Day School.

Panhandle Pathway connections to East and West making news

2011-10-21T14:49:00.000-07:00

News this week about changes to the connections for cycling to the east and west of the Panhandle:

To the west, one-way cycle tracks for John F. Kennedy Drive received strong support from Mayor Ed Lee and General Manager Phil Ginsburg and were approved by the Rec and Park Commission on Thursday Oct 20. The Rec and Park Department has been collaborating with SFMTA and conducting public outreach on the project for about a year. This project is important for folks who want to be able to continue their bike ride from the Panhandle Path, and continue west, without having to ride on the open roadway of JFK Ave alongside cars, buses, and trucks.

To the east, a project for Fell and Oak Streets between Scott and Baker has been moving forward under the SFMTA, with Luis Montoya as Project Manager. One-way cycle tracks on these streets could be installed if we either remove a lane of car parking or a travel lane. Montoya started talking with neighbors this summer, and helped us set up public meetings, including one on July 26 held in conjunction with NOPNA that was a forum to discuss how the proposed project might impact the Panhandle Park.

Last week, an SF Examiner story reported that the Haight Ashbury Improvement Association opposes all options under study in the Fell/Oak project. You can click to download HAIA's letter to the SFMTA. NOPNA & other neighborhood groups seem to be informing the community about the issues so that people can provide input and make a better end product. I'll continue to speak out about potential impacts on the already crowded multi-use path and the need for better street-path transitions, especially at Baker Street. I'll post info about what's next for this project as information becomes available. In the meantime, it seems like an opportune moment to let your elected representatives know your thoughts about the proposals and the process.

UPDATE: Luis Montoya from SFMTA replied to an email inquiry. He said that he is working on finalizing the exact time/place of public workshop that will happen in December. He also pointed out that it is too early to identify "one-way cycle tracks" as the only option under consideration for Fell/Oak; the two-way method is also being looked at. Even though the one-way option was chosen for JFK, the two-way configuration may have advantages for this very different project.

October Workday wrap-up

2011-10-10T22:58:00.000-07:00

My pictures don't do justice to the beautiful weather or to the amazing spirits of all the volunteers who came out for our workday on Saturday in the Panhandle.

Clearing leaves from the path and the meadow

We were joined by an awesome group of families from the San Francisco Day School, who joined the main group of volunteers on a job that at first appeared daunting and thankless - raking up eucalyptus leaves in a big area between Clayton and Cole Street on both sides of the north path. But with a lot of people getting to work, and with help from RPD, raking leaves in the sunshine actually turned out to be pretty fun. With a huge amount of leaf litter removed, the grass is going to have a much better chance to resprout with the coming fall rains.

The area we were working in was adjacent to a cluster of redwoods on the north side of the park, and a crew from RPD arrived to work with Charlie (pictured above) on clearing some burl growth as well as clipping back English Elm suckers coming up from the ground. During break we took a closer look at the redwoods and began learning more about them and thinking about a biodiversity project that we hope to bring to the multiple redwood clusters found in the Panhandle.

In the shade of the redwoods on a sunny fall morning

Meanwhile, Nancy and Michael traveled down to the east end to tackle a special project: clipping back the large bush from the north path. This bush grows quickly, and can reduce visibility for people traveling on the path. Safety on the path is an ongoing concern, and the commencement of cross-town, park-to-park bike rentals is bound to bring even more people riding bikes in the Panhandle. Meanwhile the city is moving forward with approval of a separated bike way along JFK Drive, just west of the Panhandle bike path, so we can expect cycling to continue to increase in the coming year.

First work day of the fall coming up this Saturday in the Panhandle

2011-10-05T23:25:00.000-07:00

Join us this Saturday, October 8 for the first Panhandle work day of the fall season.

We gather at 9 a.m. at the Bulletin Board near the Panhandle playgrounds, and continue until 11:30 or 12 noon.

We'll be joined by some families from SF Day School, which has begun a new school year and confirmed plans to continue lending a hand to the Panhandle Park Stewards this fall.

Yews Get Whacked

2011-09-30T21:57:00.000-07:00

Over the last couple of days, the Japanese Yews located along the north path at Clayton have been pruned back drastically. The pruning may be a last-ditch attempt to take care of an eyesore. These two plants have been poorly managed over the years, perhaps due to their location on opposite sides of a path used by vehicles. The result has been a really unnatural and lopsided form (the third Japanese yew, visible at the left in the photo, is not too great, either). The plant shown at right is also host to an aggressive English Ivy. Not sure what will happen next to these plants. Yews are tolerant of severe pruning, and when grown in a garden, they're typically cultivated as hedges or topiary, not as trees.

September workday report

2011-09-26T22:54:00.000-07:00

Community work crew at the Panhandle

September's workday brought the park stewards to the far east end of the park, where we worked in the shade of the redwood grove at the northeast corner of the park. Previous workdays have improved the soil and removed weeds at the base of these trees, and when the rains come we will be ready for planting. We hope to diversify the park by bringing in understory plants that you might typically find beneath sequoia sempervirens, thus beautifying the eastern entrance to Golden Gate Park and giving our community a way to experience a habitat that's representative of coastal California.

Cobbling together a fix at Ashbury

Also in the park this month, we got to see the work done by our Rec and Park crews to address a persistent problem with standing water where Ashbury meets the Panhandle. The work definitely showed a dedicated attempt to fix the problem, and I'm glad for the effort, but would also like to see work proceed for our approved capital improvement project, which includes regrading and path repair in this spot.

Panhandle reminder for Saturday 9/10; upcoming events

2011-09-08T13:53:00.001-07:00

Reminder: This Saturday, Sept 10 is our next Panhandle work day for volunteers from the community. We'll be working with Guillermo and Zack on our ongoing effort to beautify the park, improve conditions along the pathways, and protect the historic trees.

Panhandle work day
Sat, Sept 10
9am-11:30 am
Meet at the Panhandle bulletin board (near Ashbury)

At the blog for this Panhandle Park project, I recently shared some information about potential developments affecting the McKinley Monument. Please check out the post and let me know what you think by replying to me or posting comments on the blog.

This is an important time to be involved in the local community! Here are a few more events to know about happening on Sept 11 , 12 and 13.

-Dale

Sunday Streets Western Addition

Sunday, September 11, 2011

11:00 AM to 4:00 PM

More info: www.SundayStreetsSF.com; www.facebook.com/sundaystreets

Contact: sundaystreets@gmail.com

>If you park a vehicle on the streets that will be closed to cars, please note the signs which tell you that you have to move your car by 11 pm Saturday. Otherwise your car might get towed!

September 11: 2^nd Annual Western Addition Sunday Streets

North Panhandle, Alamo Square and Fillmore neighborhoods

Activities include:

· Fillmore Community Benefit District entertainment and activities along Fillmore Street

· Independent Artists' Week celebration of community artists in the Western Addition

· Donna Hunter Fitness line dance and healthy living inspiration

· Funky Town Roller Disco, by D Miles and CORA, free skates

· YBike Youth Bike Safety Rodeo

· Interactive Environmental projects by Climate Change Education

· Activities for kids North Panhandle –St. Cyprian's Church, Little Ones Co-op, Clif Kid

· Activities for kids Fillmore -Buchanan YMCA, Junior League SF,

· Freedom from Training Wheels, presented by SFBC

· Free Bike Rentals provided by Bike & Roll and Bay City Bikes

· Free Bike Repairs on Fillmore provided by REI, Mikes Bikes

MAYORAL CANDIDATE FORUM:

Monday, September 12th 2011 from 6:00PM - 8:00PM at 455 Golden Gate (Milton Marks Auditorium)

Partnering with Walk San Francisco, San Francisco Parks Trust and Friends of the Urban Forest, NPC will host a mayoral candidate forum that focuses specifically on park, recreation, and open space issues. Our goal is to give you the opportunity to learn more about each candidate's knowledge of and positions on these subjects. The following candidates will be participating in the forum:

Michela Alioto-Pier
John Avalos
David Chiu
Bevan Dufty
Tony Hall (pending)
Dennis Herrera
Ed Lee (pending)
Joanna Rees
Phil Ting
Leland Yee

To RSVP for this event, please go here.

Fell and Oak Streets Separated Bikeway Community Meeting*

Tue., Sep. 13 | 6:30-8pm | San Francisco Day School, 350 Masonic Avenue (at Golden Gate)

After years of community action to make the three blocks of Fell and Oak Street, the SFMTA is holding a community meeting to discuss options for separated bikeways on three blocks of Fell and Oak Street between Scott Street and Baker Street. If you want a safer connection between the Panhandle and the Wiggle, if you live in this area and want a safer street, or if you use this route to bike to local shops and restaurants, come to this meeting and speak up.

Creative ideas are needed to protect and improve the McKinley Monument

2011-08-24T21:42:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, the AIDS Walk brought thousands of people to Golden Gate Park. By midday, thousands of people were on the hunt for a place to sit for a rest or to have a bite to eat. One convenient place is to settle down next to, or on, a statue or monument.

Picnicking in Golden Gate Park

In the Panhandle, the McKinley Monument is put to similar use on a daily basis. It's actually put to use in a lots of other ways- toddlers learning to climb, little kids kicking a ball with parents, neighbors meeting up with friends for a bike ride, reading a book, or getting some sun.

But the monument is in disrepair. In June, when I saw a team of restoration experts hired by the city to remove graffiti, I asked about the job in front of them, and they said their current job would only be to remove some graffiti and apply a sealant. They pointed out the signs that water from rainfall is getting into the base upon which the bronze statue rests. They also pointed out how the gaps between the stones steps leading up to the monument are open and filled with weeds. I had already noticed that the bas-relief of McKinley was discolored from corrosion. But there is not a plan to fund maintenance or restoration of all of public artworks in San Francisco, and it appears that that the McKinley is lacking a benefactor. In the San Francisco Chronicle on July 16, 2011, a front page article by Stephanie Lee reported on the restoration of a large, 40-year old outdoor sculpture at the Hall of Justice that had just concluded at the cost of $35,000. The article reported that other artworks around San Francisco were in need of funding plan (public or private) "Robert Ingersoll Aitken's 1904 William McKinley statue in Golden Gate Park needs a heavy coat of protection over its bronze and stone that could cost as much as $165,000."

McKinley waiting for more than graffiti removal

Beyond repairing and restoring the monument itself, Alison Cumming of the SF Arts Commission told a committee in January about chronic, recurring vandalism of the monument, and said that her office would like to work with the Recreation and Parks department "to address solutions, including possible replanting of the area, up-lighting, and period-appropriate fencing" at the McKinley Monument.

Allow me a few comments on these possible changes:

1. Replanting of the area could really help. Right now, there is just weedy grass, and it's in poor shape, worsening in the dry season. This group has made efforts to remove debris and spread some healthy soil to allow new grass to sprout, but it would be so much better to have some nice plants. Throughout the east end of Golden Gate Park, statues and monuments typically have some decorative plantings (like the picture at top).

2. Uplighting the monument, if done in a comprehensive way, would be responsive to the concerns I have heard from neighbors about the darkness of the east end of the park. These neighbors have noted that the eastern end was underserved by the lighting that was installed throughout the rest of the park several years ago, and believe that the poor lighting contributes to more criminal activity, vandalism, and drinking/drugging. They are also concerned that along dark pathways, there's a greater risk of injuries due to bike-bike or bike-ped collisions. I would hope that lighting would not be limited to lights shining only onto the monument itself, but would be accompanied by lighting along the eastern perimeter of the park and at the beginnings of the north and south pathways.

3. Fencing the monument would be a big change, but there are ways to mitigate the negative impacts. It would be a loss to eliminate the positive, harmless ways people play on or around the monument, but a barrier may be necessary, given the ongoing problem with vandalism, and with other lesser ways that people degrade the area (for example, by using it as a place to smoke or drink, or to set up a charcoal grill). I don't expect everyone will agree that those problems merit a fence, but I believe they are all degrading to the monument and that they all result in excluding others from the area, thus denying access to most for the pleasures of a few. But, there are some drawbacks to a fence, such as taking away the monument's steps as a place to sit. The lack of seating is another comment I've heard from neighbors. So, if a fence is built, it's going to be extremely important to add some kind of seating in the immediate area.

Despite some major controversies in the past about public artworks, San Francisco is in a phase of experimentation in its public spaces, and some of those experiments are beginning to literally touch its public sculptures. The Pioneer Monument - a huge piece that had to be relocated and eventually found a home in the middle of Fulton Street across from the main library - was fenced in years ago. Now, in addition to the fence, there's a bed of soil and mulch home to dozens of plants, bordered by a meandering wattle to keep the soil in place. It's all encircled by a low, stone seating wall that gives people a place to rest and watch life (and traffic) go by. If ideas like this can be implemented down in the Civic Center, then I think we can come up with even more creative ideas to protect and improve the artwork in our neighborhood park.

August work day wrap-up

2011-08-24T19:03:00.000-07:00

Here's a belated report on what went down during our workday on Saturday, August 13. We had the opportunity to work with Dave, the gardener responsible for the western half of the Panhandle, and also Zack, a park supervisor. Several neighbors joined us, both routine volunteers and also some joining us for the first time. Our summer fog gave way early, and we ended up working in an awesome, sunny morning.

The ornamental plantings around the playground have grown larger and more beautiful, and have become one of the highlights of the Panhandle, so we started our workday there, spreading some mulch. That will help retain moisture in the soil and protect the small plants.

Next we moved on to the west, where we spread fresh soil around a big bare patch just off of the basketball courts. Dave said that after the soil is placed there, he would seed the area to re-establish the grass.

New soil will help re-establish the turf by the basketball courts

We ended up with a final project for the day: cleaning up under the huge walnut tree (close to Oak & Clayton), one of the park's most beautiful trees. There are two benches and a trash can next to the tree, and there was a mess of grime, mud, and trash that had congealed in the area. Some holes had also been dug. We scooped it all up, and filled in some holes, resulting in an immediate improvement. We also talked about whether removing the trash can might actually reduce problems at that spot.

A few days later, the trash can was removed. Keep an eye on conditions there, and let us know what you think. With universal recycling & composting in San Francisco households, more use of reusable food and drink containers, and less wasteful packaging, maybe we don't need as many trash containers as before. Or, will fewer trash containers just lead to more trash in the park?

The benches below the giant walnut tree got some overdue attention

August workday coming up this Saturday

2011-08-09T10:29:00.000-07:00

Our second Saturday workday is approaching: this Saturday, August 13. Come join us in the park at 9 am for some exercise, some community building, and some park advocacy.

Meet at the bulletin board, outside the playground near Ashbury. Wear sturdy shoes. Tools and gloves are provided. Work continues until 11:30 or noon.

A few scenes from the park this summer.

The tire swing is back in action again and the rubber matting is patched.

Good dog.

New this summer: We have dahlias. Planted by the park stewards this spring.

Improvements at the west end

2011-07-30T17:07:00.000-07:00

The path leading to the Sue Bierman Glade received some attention and some fresh, clean materials. Looking good!

Come learn about potential Oak & Fell bike project next Tuesday

2011-07-21T22:51:00.000-07:00

This post contains information I sent to our email list a few days ago, as well as a few minor additions.

WHAT: A community meeting sponsored by Panhandle Park Stewards and North of Panhandle Neighborhood Association. Meet with staff of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and learn about a potential project to improve access for bikes between the Panhandle Park and the Wiggle bike route.

WHEN: Next Tuesday, July 26, starting at 7pm. Meeting expected to last less than one hour.

WHERE: St Cyprian's Episcopal Church, in the lower level community hall, at the corner of Turk & Lyon.

Background: The SF MTA has funding to begin planning and design work along Fell and Oak Street to improve the safety and comfort of bicycling in our neighborhood. Luis Montoya of the Livable Streets Subdivision of the SF MTA is leading the project and initiated this meeting, and wants to meet with everyone concerned.

I think changes to Oak and Fell would have impacts on the Panhandle Park - including, but not limited to the experience of cycling in the park. See previous posts about local cycling issues on this blog. Volunteers at our recent work day expressed interest in taking part in a meeting to learn about where this project might be headed and to begin to provide input. Panhandle Park Stewards has a practice of volunteer work days in the park, and not of community meetings, so I am happy to team up with NOPNA to arrange this meeting. Luis Montoya has said that there won't be technical details, such as a measurement of impacts, at this meeting, nor will there be any voting on one idea versus another. Those details are further in the future and would be presented at a public meeting, publicized broadly.

July Work day

2011-07-09T17:34:00.000-07:00

This morning's crew worked in the new bed by the playground, that was planted by the Belvedere group two months ago. We pulled some densely seeded trifolium (though leaving a strip) and followed up with placing a layer of mulch. All but one of the new plants seem to be thriving!

We also got into the beds on the front of the playground with some basic gardening, deadheading, and a few new plants.

A few of us also worked inside the playground. The odd weather pattern seems to have produced a bunch of leaf litter from the surrounding eucalyptus trees, sort of out of season (though of course they fall year round, too) and so we took a bunch out with a rake.

July work day coming up THIS SATURDAY

2011-07-06T16:37:00.000-07:00

Our next work day is fast approaching, Saturday, July 9 at the normal time and place: 9 am - 11:30 am, meeting up at the bulletin board (near Ashbury). I heartily encourage all interested park lovers to be part of this month's program.

I've made a Facebook event and that's one way to register your interest and to tell friends about it. You can find the event at this link.

The bike party gathered in the Panhandle this evening

2011-07-01T22:11:00.000-07:00

The Stone Pine near Stanyan

2011-06-18T21:57:00.000-07:00

Google Street View shows you what was recently there

Earlier this week I found the stump and a few leftover branches of a tree in the Panhandle, near Oak Street just east of Stanyan. Google Street view (screen grab above) shows that this was an Italian Stone Pine (pinus pinea) a tree originating in the Mediterranean region.

I count 21 rings

The form of a typical juvenile Stone Pine is described as a "bushy globe" and this tree fit that description. The rings in the stump indicated that it wasn't very old. Some older Stone Pines are found at other parks in San Francisco (the best known being at Washington Square Park), but overall, Stone Pines are not that common in San Francisco, and I believe this one was the only Stone Pine in the Panhandle. McClintock's 1964 booklet does not list any Stone Pines in the Panhandle. The loss of this tree suggests some interesting questions: Should we consider replanting a Stone Pine, given that it's relatively uncommon and has some precedent in the Panhandle? Or would it be better to look farther back in our history and put a higher priority on planting trees that were present but are no longer in the Panhandle?

June Work Day wrap-up

2011-06-15T16:05:00.000-07:00

Our June work day in the Panhandle brought together a group of neighbors who planted dozens of small plants from Rec and Park's plant nursery: lots of lavendars, daisies, and yarrow.

Guillermo told us about the organic methods he's been using to care for the Panhandle. No pesticides, no synthetic fertilizers.

To expand an existing bed along the north path between Lyon and Central, we laid cardboard on grass, and situated our plants.

Some of the park regulars stopped by to watch us cut holes in the cardboard and dig holes for the new plants. The soil in the Panhandle is really compacted, and this took a lot of work.

Besides the flower bed in this picture, we also filled in beds on both sides of the Panhandle at Lyon. Here we are showing off our work at the end of the day.

Saturday workday reminder; McKinley Monument clean-up happening today

2011-06-08T15:23:00.000-07:00

Our next Panhandle workday is coming up quickly - this Saturday, June 11. Rec and Park staff are organizing a bunch of projects and need the extra energy and enthusiasm of community volunteers to get them done. Besides spreading some fines and much, we might even get to put a few more new plants in the ground. Come out to join us at 9 am. Late arrivals are also welcome.

recent writing on the Monument

There's also big news at the park this afternoon! Work at the McKinley Monument is getting underway this afternoon and continues tomorrow morning. A team of four workers are out with brushes and solvents to tackle graffiti, and then re-apply a protective sealant over the stone. The workers were sent by the San Francisco Arts Commission, which is responsible for upkeep of the Monument. Besides the graffiti problem, the Monument also needs other maintenance, which one of the workers pointed out to me, such as the open joints between the stones that are letting water penetrate into the structure. Those problems aren't being addressed this week, but they're on the SFAC's radar and plans are under development. Thanks to the SFAC and everyone who wrote or called SF 311 to report the problems at the Monument (which was last cleaned by the SFAC a little over a year ago).

Next work day coming up this Saturday

2011-06-06T23:16:00.001-07:00

It’s time for another workday in just a few days, this Saturday June 11. Please join us as we kick off the summer season of park stewardship with a bunch of activities to make the Panhandle a better place for the neighborhood. The work day runs from 9am – 11:30am and we gather at the Bulletin Board near the playground.

Recognizing San Francisco Day School

2011-05-16T19:36:00.000-07:00

The San Francisco Day School has been an outstanding partner in the Panhandle Park volunteer effort this year. Saturday's program was the sixth consecutive work day in which families from the Day School took part, alongside other volunteers from the neighborhood. Now, as they're about to take their summer break, I want to take the opportunity to say thank you to everyone from SFDS. Your consistency, your enthusiasm, your hard work and your helpful spirits have made a big difference since you began in November 2010. Families have shown up when their specific grade is organized, and have also begun to come back as repeat volunteers.

Parent leader (and great park steward) Fif G. says that SFDS is ready to take a summer break, so SFDS families aren't participating in an organized manner this summer, though the monthly work days are continuing and everyone is welcome to come out and join volunteers from the community. SFDS plans to return to action in September 2011.

Be a star, on your bike

2011-05-15T14:58:00.000-07:00

The Wiggle is name of the local bike route that leads cyclists between Mint Hill and the Panhandle. I'm helping spread the word about a special video shoot, happening one day only: next Sunday. Here's the details:

The Wiggle PSA Video Shoot - Sunday May 22 @ 2pm

Join the party on Sunday May 22, 2:00pm at Duboce Park (corner of Duboce and Steiner) to film a video for THE WIGGLE! We’ll start by filming a group shot at Duboce Park, then we’ll turn to the streets to capture what it's like to ride The Wiggle with all of your closest friends.

What: The Wiggle PSA video shootWhen: Sunday, May 22nd @ 2pmWhere: Meet at Duboce Park (corner of Duboce and Steiner)Who: Any and all bicyclists! More Info: DoTheWiggle.com or RSVP to our Facebook event

We want all kinds of bikes to represent: cruisers, fixies, road bikes, party machines, double-deckers, triple-deckers, Trikeasauruses, pedicabs and whatever else you’ve got. Just ride on over, and bring as many friends as you can muster. Of course, this being a San Francisco bike party, if you want to dress in your bicycle best, we won’t stop you!

Do the Wiggle!

May work day wrap-up

2011-05-14T17:04:00.000-07:00

Neighbors worked together with park staff in the Panhandle this morning. In the shade of a group of pittosporum near Oak and Clayton, we spread compost fines to enrich the soil and protect the roots. We also spread soil around two of the redwoods near Fell and Clayton, and in that area we tracked some bumble bees to a nearby hole in the ground. Bumble bees make their nests underground, and we wondered how many bees might be down there. Wikipedia says a mature nest might have 50 bumble bees.

Meanwhile, Fif and Nancy got to work cutting back the sod encroaching on the cross-over path. By the end of the work, we were amazed at just how much path we had brought back.

When we finished our work and walked back to the playground, we found a bunch of new plants in the ground. The Kevin Collins Children's Garden provided dozens of colorful, decorative plants to fill the new bed at the southeast corner of the playground.

What season is it, anyway?

2011-05-14T13:54:00.000-07:00

Panhandle Bay to Breakers Survival Guide

2011-05-14T13:47:00.000-07:00

The following information is from the smart folks at Dance Safe

Alcohol: WHAT IS A STANDARD DOSE?

A standard drink is defined as 12 oz. (341 ml) of beer, 5 oz (142 ml) of table wine, or 1.5 oz (85 ml) of liquor.
It is the amount of alcohol you drink, not the type of drink that affects you. It's always good to know the alcohol content of whatever you are drinking.
Alcohol affects some people more or less strongly than others, and can affect the same person differently at different times. This depends on body weight, metabolism, tolerance from prior use, food in the stomach, and other factors.
There really isn't a standard dose of alcohol. Know your own limits and pace yourself. A standard drink is metabolized out of your system in approximately 1.5 hours.

WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF DRINKING ALCOHOL?

Low to moderate amounts can produce feelings of relaxation, lowered inhibitions, and increased sociability.
Larger amounts can cause dizziness, nausea, slurred speech, slower reflexes, sleepiness, bad judgment, dehydration and a hangover the next day.
Hangovers can consist of nausea, headache, dry mouth, body aches, and generally feeling "sick." They are partially due to dehydration and loss of electrolytes.
Overdoses can cause loss of motor control, black-outs, temporary coma (passing out), and in extreme cases, death.

BE CAREFUL

Alcohol is highly addictive and tolerance develops quickly with severe withdrawal symptoms including nervousness, tremors, seizures and hallucinations.
Long term use can damage the liver, brain and other organs, and can result in severe mental and physical problems.
Consuming too much alcohol at once can cause death through acute alcohol toxicity. Drinking games are especially dangerous as they can easily lead to overdoses.
Alcohol impairs vision and motor coordination. Driving drunk is illegal and endangers yourself and others.
If a woman drinks too often during pregnancy, her baby can have fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).
In the United States, it is illegal to purchase alcohol if you are under 21 years of age.
Mixing alcohol with over-the-counter medications, prescription medications or illegal drugs can be dangerous and lead to medical emergencies.

What is Nitrous Oxide?
- Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas) is a gas that has been safely used as a mild anesthetic in combination with oxygen for over a century.
- It is classified as a "dissociative anaesthetic."
- Nitrous is legally available for over-the-counter sale, although in many states it is illegal to sell nitrous to a minor. Some states also have laws against inhaling nitrous for intoxication purposes.
- Nitrous is most commonly sold in small canisters for use in making whipped cream ("whippits"), although it can also be purchased in large tanks.
How is nitrous oxide used?
- Nitrous is always inhaled.
- Users either inhale the gas directly from a tank or else dispense it first into balloons.
- Nitrous Oxide has been used recreationally since the late 1790s.
What are the effects of nitrous oxide?
- A lungful of nitrous oxide results in the temporary loss of motor control and a "dissociative" psychological effect, where sensations and perceptions become disconnected.
- Users report a dreamy mental state, and may experience mild audio and visual hallucinations.
- The effects come on immediately and usually last less than a minute. Repeated inhalations of nitrous can extend and intensify the experience.
Be careful
- Nitrous produces an immediate loss of motor control. Stay seated if you are going to inhale nitrous. There have been many injuries and a few deaths from people who have fallen down after inhaling nitrous.
- Your brain needs oxygen! Brain damage and suffocation can result from inhaling pure nitrous for an extended period of time.
- Nitrous can be extremely cold when it comes out of the tank. Cold gas can burn the skin as well as the lips and throat. Dispensing the gas into a balloon and allowing it to warm up before inhaling it can reduce this risk.
- High pressure levels in the tank can shoot the gas out at a dangerously fast speed and damage the lungs. Again, it is safer to inhale from a balloon than from a tank.
- Nitrous can be psychologically addictive. While rare, many people have become addicted to nitrous and other dissociatives.
- The regular use of nitrous can cause long-lasting numbness in the extremities and other neurological problems.

Pathway progress at Lyon Street

2011-04-17T23:36:00.000-07:00

Meeting last week with some new advocates for the Panhandle, I learned about a patch job to the asphalt path where Lyon St would cross over the park. I came back to take a picture and was happy to see this large, smooth swath. Hopefully this repair will lift up the path out of the muck, a problem for this spot during the rainy season. Thanks to the RPD for completing this repair, and to community members (if any) who turned in a repair request.

April workday: Beautiful day in the park

2011-04-09T22:46:00.000-07:00

A big group of volunteers enjoyed this morning's workday under sunny skies. After getting an orientation to the day's work and checking out examples of one of the park's weeds, rumex crispus, we organized into two groups. While some folks began a clean up of the children's playground, the bigger part of the group walked east to a worksite near Baker Street. We passed by the pittosporum crassifolium that toppled over during the high winds this week. It was sad to see the end of this old tree, but fortunately there are several other Karos nearby in the park.

We started out by filling wheelbarrows, and then spread them around the young cherry trees near Baker Street.

The soil also went around the big redwoods on the north side of the park.

Closer to Lyon Street @ Fell, the enormous eucalyptus trees got a layer of mulch.

Thanks to all of our volunteers, and especially to the seventh grade (and some other students) from SFDS!

April workday coming up next Saturday

2011-04-02T23:50:00.000-07:00

Our next Panhandle community work day is coming up next Saturday, April 9. Join the fun by meeting up at the bulletin board (@ Ashbury) at 9 a.m. Wear sturdy shoes; gloves and tools are provided.

Our work plan is still being developed. Given the heavy rains in March, a bumper crop of spring weeds is coming up. The lawn mowers will be out soon to cut the weeds down to size, but helping hands from the community would be useful in eradicating weeds from around the trees.

It's Vernation Time Again

2011-03-18T18:56:00.000-07:00

I love visits to the park this time of year.

Tree improvements near Bierman Glade

2011-03-16T22:47:00.000-07:00

I noticed recent tree pruning that has dramatically improved the appearance and feeling around the Sue Bierman glade, west end of the Panhandle. The pruned trees were pittosporum, one of the most common trees in the park.

March work day - wrap up

2011-03-13T22:57:00.000-07:00

A garden is a work in progress, forever changing and, as a managed landscape, it needs routine upkeep and inputs. In the Panhandle, one of the inputs that we routinely bring in is healthy soil, so on this March work day, that's just what we did in the park's largest grove of redwoods, located just east of the McKinley monument. We last spread new soil in these redwoods at a community workday in January 2010.

Volunteers also worked to clean up the playground, and to bury cardboard - i.e., sheet mulching an area just outside the fence, so that we can have a bed that will be ready to plant into this spring.

Workers in that area also scooped up weeds and tossed them into wheelbarrows. Yeah!

Thanks to SF Rec and Park workers for organizing the work, and to our partners, the San Francisco Day School and Asian American Recovery Services, for bringing out volunteers and working so hard.

Capital Improvement Project at the Panhandle

2011-03-06T13:36:00.000-08:00

Please check out this new video on YouTube (by yours truly) with news about the Panhandle Park and the capital improvement project coming this year. Folks from the Neighborhood Parks Council did me the favor of offering some suggestions about the rough cut and then posted it to their website this past week.

I hope this video contributes toward improving perceptions about the Panhandle Park held by people across San Francisco. Comment, share, or just enjoy.

Upcoming Panhandle Work Day: Saturday, March 12

2011-03-02T16:18:00.000-08:00

Our next work day is coming up a week from Saturday, on Saturday March 12. We start at 9 am and end around 11:30. Neighbors are invited to join us to care for the park.

February Work day wrap-up

2011-02-12T14:21:00.000-08:00

With huge participation, great planning and organization, and heavenly weather, the February Panhandle work day was a success this morning. Here are a few pictures that capture some of the fun and accomplishments.

We began at 9 for introductions and a rundown of the day's plans from Guillermo, Gloria, Zack and Charlie (department staff).

Working with some of our regular volunteers from the neighborhood, students from SF Day School worked to bring healthy soil into the children's garden around the perimeter of the playground.

A small, hard-working group spread cardboard to suppress weeds, and then added soil to an area at the southeast corner of the playground. We'll get to plant this area soon!

Students worked in small groups at a table in the playground making Shasta Daisy seed balls with clay, soil, and water.

Wielding shovels, volunteers spread out and edged the mud and grass off of pretty much all the pathways in the center of the park. Compared to the muddy conditions of last spring, this is pretty miraculous. Let's hope that the rains coming next week don't return the mud to the walkways.

Another group traveled east of Masonic with wheelbarrows, pitchforks and rakes to spread mulch under the big cherry laurel (one of my favorite trees in the park - seen below during one of last year's big picnic days). Considering the tree's huge canopy, that's a bigger job than it sounds like. Looking at past workdays, we spread wood chips on that tree in February 2010. How cyclical!

Thanks everyone!

Connecting the City

2011-02-01T12:08:00.000-08:00

In this new video from the Bike Coalition and its Connecting the City initiative, a family from the Richmond enjoys the Panhandle and other scenic spots in San Francisco.

Installing bike counters

2011-01-31T14:25:00.001-08:00

Installing bike counters
Originally uploaded by Dale331

MTA personnel were in the Panhandle this morning to install a bicycle counter into the bike path. It's located west of Masonic. While the area is blocked off, you can detour through the paved area and then rejoining the path. Read Bike NOPA for more on these devices in the neighborhood.

New work protects the Panhandle's trees and improves its soil

2011-01-22T22:22:00.000-08:00

The ongoing efforts to protect and enhance the Panhandle Park have included promoting healthier soil, and this has been accomplished in part by adding fresh materials to the area below our mature trees. The result is - to me, anyway - an upgrade in the attractiveness of the park. Starting from the park's east end near Baker, the work, conducted by both second-Saturday volunteers and staff gardeners, has improved the appearance of the redwood groves, and also - below - around the two mature Brisbane Box trees:

Moving in this material (which has included both mulch and composted material) has taken quite an effort, and there are other reasons for this work besides adding to the beauty of the park. The benefits to the trees, as I understand it, are primarily to provide a layer of protection from feet, paws, and anything else that can poke or gouge the tree's roots (obviously, with roots near the surface being the most vulnerable). In addition, the fresh soil brings nutrients and, compared to a carpet of grass, helps the roots to breathe. Lastly, since mulch suppresses weeds and grass, there's no need for the lawnmowers to ride right up to (and occasionally scar) the tree trunks.

Building these rings to the circumference of the tree's branches leaves plenty of room for people looking for a picnic on the grass, and hopefully will lead to fewer uprooted trees, such as these two which crashed down (or, to look at it another way, sprang up) in February 2010. One of my goals this year is to find a way to support the effort to improve soil quality across the entire park, including grassy areas. Not only would that make a better looking park with healthier plants, but it has the potential to reduce the demand for irrigation, a major drain on the city's budget.

One online source confirms that mulching around trees is "good horticultural practice" and lists an additional benefit I had overlooked: it "absorbs dog piddle."

January work day wrap up

2011-01-11T23:38:00.000-08:00

Our park's benches - especially those near the restroom and basketball courts - have been described as unappealing. One person said they looked like they were sinking into the mud.

The benches are mounted into asphalt, so it wasn't so much a matter of benches sinking, as it was that dirt, weeds, and trash were creeping up and around them. So on Saturday, our gardeners began working with neighborhood volunteers on an excavation. It's an important and timely project, because this area of the park will soon receive capital improvements - but the benches are expected to stay.

At the monthly work day Saturday, park volunteers spread in two groups. While I worked with one group in the east end, a group of students in the fourth grade at the SF Day School took to caring for the playground - spreading new soil into the Kevin Collins Children's Garden, and raking leaves from the sand in the playground.

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T17:27:00.000-08:00

May we be blessed in 2011 with plentiful rain, blooming trees, and visits to the park.

2010-12-11T10:24:00.000-08:00

Brown conical mushrooms sprout yesterday in the park under a cherry laurel

The large cherry laurel just east of Masonic is a real survivor. Our park has quite a few laurels, but none like this. From time to time, people leave trash in there and cut into or gouge the trunk with metal and glass. When I visited the park yesterday, I saw that one of its large branches was pulled down to the ground and the branch was cracked. That was hard to see.

It cheered me up to turn around and find mushrooms sprouting from wood chips we spread around the tree in February.

Panhandle Project Selected for Implementation

2010-12-04T14:11:00.000-08:00

Ready for change?

Great news yesterday: Our proposal for capital improvements in the area between the playground and basketball courts has been selected for implementation!

The plan repairs a key area in our big neighborhood park while leaving the current design intact. It will fix broken pathways between the playground and basketball courts, replace degraded turf while modernizing irrigation and drainage, and place small-stature, moisture-loving native plants in a small area. It will also build a seating wall positioned close to the basketball courts, and installs bike racks. To protect the area from harmful impact of heavy vehicles, it re-routes service vehicles to get them in and out of the park more sensibly. And it builds a walkable wood-chip path to improve access to the Kevin Collins Children's Garden surrounding the playground.

Project overview. Drawing by Holly Kuljian

SF Rec and Park Department will get this work underway soon - hopefully in the first months of 2011. We have an immediate opportunity to ensure the project is fully realized -

- park outreach to let even more park users know about the project

- visit neighborhood associations and tell them about the project

- become acquainted with the work team and document the project through photos and videos

- organize the day when neighbors will take part in planting as part of our volunteer match

- learn more about the plants chosen and lead tours of the project

- organize a park celebration - before and after project

- propose creative reuses for any materials being removed from the park

- make a financial contribution to help us reach our match

We'll need lots of help to make these things happen. Looking forward to working with you on this in 2011!

Park reflections

2010-11-27T17:45:00.000-08:00

The Panhandle isn't supposed to have a reflecting pool, but today between rain showers, the puddles at Panhandle central offered a way to view the tall trees looking down instead of up. A long standing maintenance problem, the poor drainage in the vicinity of the playground would finally be addressed if our proposal is selected for implementation. Stay tuned for news soon -- and tune in to the Dec 2 meeting of the Rec and Park Commission.

November Work Day wrap up

2010-11-14T17:18:00.000-08:00

At yesterday's Panhandle work day, regular volunteers joined with students and parents from SF Day School to take care of our neighborhood park.

I was happy to have many volunteers, because the weather was awesome and it was our last work day of the year. We had an enormous pile of compost soil to spread out in the redwoods at the southeast corner of the park. It was definitely not manure, and smelled like fresh ground cypress. This project in the redwoods followed up last month's work day, when we cut back the young redwood shoots growing thickly from the burls of the large redwood trunks. By spreading nourishing soil in this area, we were giving the redwoods the nourishment they might not otherwise get from the sandy soil found throughout the park.

Shoveling is hard work, but we enjoyed working in the shade of the trees, and getting some fresh air and exercise to begin the weekend.

Other work that we got to do was removal of mud and weeds from the crossover path connecting Lyon St, and some trash pickup behind the McKinley Monument. I heard that several socks were found.

We found conclusively that fifth graders are big enough to maneuver a wheelbarrow across the lawn. Thanks everyone!

Last work day of 2010 this weekend...

2010-11-10T18:39:00.000-08:00

Panhandle Work Day: Saturday, Nov. 13

For all of you who enjoy rolling up your sleeves and getting to work raking, shoveling, and digging, note that the second Saturday of November is fast approaching. The Panhandle Park Stewards will be out in the Panhandle for our monthly work day this Saturday, Nov. 13, starting at 9 am and going until 11 or 11:30 am. Since we're taking off for the month of December, this is our last work day of the year.

Meet up with us at the Bulletin Board (near the playground), where we'll discuss the days projects, gather tools and proceed to our worksite, which is likely in the east end of the park this month. Wear sturdy shoes and if you want, bring your own gloves, though gloves are typically available. The current five day forecast is for Saturday to be sunny and warm.

PPS named SF's Outstanding Park Volunteer Group!

2010-11-10T17:38:00.000-08:00

We've just learned that we have been named "Outstanding Park Volunteer Group" by the Neighborhood Empowerment Network! Thank you to those who nominated us and supported us in gaining this recognition. This award recognizes our successful, hands-on efforts to improve the Panhandle through showing up for work days, meeting with city officials, writing proposals, and sending in 311 reports. It also gives us a chance to get the word out to even more people in the community about ways we can come together and enhance our park.

A special event to celebrate the 2010 NEN awards is coming up in just one week: Weds, Nov. 17, at 6 pm, in the North Light Court of City Hall. Find more details and sign up for free tickets here. And here's a look at last year's awards, to give you a feeling for what an exciting and wide-ranging, only in San Francisco, event it will be!

NEN Awards 2009 from NENtv on Vimeo.

Sunday morning rain

2010-11-07T19:09:00.000-08:00

This morning's heavy rain created some huge puddles in the Panhandle this morning, like this one connecting Lyon Street.

October Work day wrap up

2010-10-13T17:02:00.000-07:00

The redwoods clustered near Oak and Baker, with their massive trunks, cast deep shadows on the Panhandle's south path. The darkness and boggy conditions here have made this the spookiest corner of the Panhandle, making it a fitting site for our October work day. And since it was a hot day it was a relief to work in the shade.

Redwoods sprout new trunks from burls, which are located around their trunk collar. Sprouts tend to emerge from burls when trees are burned or harmed - and these redwoods had thick clusters of sprouts, some growing several feet tall. Because the thick growth impeded views into and out of the park, volunteers were asked to lend a hand cutting it back. Working on this was our way of making the Panhandle more accessible to everyone in the community by increasing visibility and a feeling of security.

SFPD was out in the park Saturday morning, using their motorbikes. They checked in with us a couple of times and let us know about the enforcement they were conducting in the park, such as drinking alcohol.

"Connecting the City" proposes a fix for Panhandle Path friction

2010-10-12T10:26:00.000-07:00

Today's bulletin from the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition announces a Treehouse Talk that Panhandle Park users should note:

The SF Bicycle Coalition's 2010 Fall Tube Times newsletter is hot off the presses. The cover story showcases our boldest initiative to date:Connecting the City. Read the story and ogle the renderings showing our designs for bikeways that are physically separated from vehicles to the fullest extent possible. Download the Tube Times today....

Get a sneak peek at what Connecting the City has in store at our Treehouse Talk tonight, Tuesday October 12th, 6:30 pm, at the SF Bicycle Coalition Office, 833 Market Street, 10th Floor. Free to SF Bicycle Coalition members (a $5 donation from non-members is appreciated); bring your bike upstairs.

The Fell St space in question (on street cleaning day)

The first route up in Connecting the City is "Bay to the Beach," and that one includes the Panhandle. You can find in the newsletter a specific suggestion for transforming Fell and Oak Streets between Scott and Golden Gate Park (the majority of that stretch is alongside the Panhandle). The vision is to "move car parking 10 feet away from the curb and use this new space as a buffered, protected bikeway for faster bike traffic." That change would give a safe commuting route "while improving the walking experience on the Panhandle mixed use path."

Friction between the growing numbers of people cycling and walking on the multi-use path was the top complaint I have heard from park neighbors. In July, I wrote about the problem and suggested approaches to fixing it so that we have a park more suitable to today's needs. I'm not able to attend tonight's SFBC talk, but I hope some of you will be able to go to learn about the proposal and raise up any Panhandle issues that need to be addressed.

Vote for the Panhandle! Best of Parks Poll going on now

2010-09-27T13:50:00.000-07:00

Support your neighborhood park by clicking through to the Best of Parks Poll. The Panhandle's nominated for Best Park for a Picnic! We're currently trailing behind Dolores Park - but every vote shows support.

You will be asked for name and email address, and I'm sure the folks at Neighborhood Parks Council will treat you right.

Sunday Streets @ the Panhandle

2010-09-23T14:02:00.001-07:00

This past Sunday was the Western Addition's first time to play host to Sunday Streets. At Central Avenue, people enjoying the open streets flowed in and out of the park. The meadows were full of people and pets, dogs looking for adoptive families, free bike repair, and healthy food samples.

RV's

2010-09-12T14:09:00.000-07:00

It makes me nervous just to think of driving an R.V. in San Francisco. Living in one in the middle of the city - well, that would be one way of beating the high rents. But it's not allowed between 10 am and 6 pm, and can result in $1,000 fine and/or six months in jail.

Still, one R.V. that we've become familiar with this summer is the land yacht sporting RawVgan California plates. It has spent so much time on Baker that it earned a spot on the recent Google Maps update.

Oh wait - not just one spot, but here it is again when Google's camera traveled down Oak!

Sept Work Day wrap-up

2010-09-11T17:25:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all for coming out and joining the fun in the Panhandle Park this morning.

As promised, the hedge-clippers were brought out for this huge monster shrub, a species from Chiapas.

New plants went into a few of the beds on the eastern end, north side. How cute are they?

And speaking of cute, here's a bike party we found back on the west end near Masonic. This party serves as a great reminder about why to keep this nice space open and unobstructed!

Workday Tomorrow! 9/11 @ 9 am

2010-09-10T15:05:00.000-07:00

Remember the green grass of February?

Tomorrow morning we begin at our usual place, the Playground/Bulletin Board, then travel down to the east end. We'll be working with the gardener on some first aid for the area around the McKinley Monument. Increased use of the park by picnicers and partiers does have impacts!

Our efforts will prepare the park for the influx of visitors expected from the next Sunday Streets. I hear we get to brandish clippers against a few of the decorative shrubs crowding our multi-use path. (The NE area is probably the parks most bio-diverse zone).

Around 11 am, we head back to put away tools. A discussion about the community proposal for Panhandle capital improvements will follow and should be concluded by noon.

Back to the Source

2010-09-10T14:39:00.000-07:00

Enjoy your parks this lovely summer afternoon.
Visit the Music Concourse to welcome back the fountains!
(Fountain: from the Latin "fons" or "fontis", a source or spring)

Labor Day in the Park

2010-09-06T16:49:00.000-07:00

On Labor Day, what better way to celebrate your work than with a day of rest in the neighborhood park?

In the west end, the Panhandle this afternoon was bounce-housey, and skate park-ey.

Meanwhile, east of Masonic, the open meadows beckoned for picnicking with friends in the shade of the cypress and laurel.

August work day wrap-up

2010-08-18T14:50:00.000-07:00

THANKS to the neighbors who came out Saturday morning to work with Guillermo in the Panhandle. We joined together to tend to the children's garden around the playground. After raking eucalyptus leaves out of the flower beds, we also trimmed shrubs growing along the fence, so people can better see in and out. Participation was down this month - could it be that folks are taking their summer vacations and trying to get away from the San Francisco's summer fog?

Nearby, fresh stripes had been painted on the basketball courts and an intense 3-on-3 tournament was getting underway. For 1on-1 basketball action, come to the Panhandle basketball courts on Saturday, August 28 for the Red Bull King of the Rock qualifying round. Winners from the Panhandle courts will face off with qualifiers from around the country for a $10,000 prize on Alcatraz in September, in what is said to be the first sporting event on Alcatraz since the inmates left 50 years ago.

Nopa Velo rides to the tall trees of the Panhandle

2010-07-26T20:30:00.000-07:00

photo: Michael Helquist

Nopa Velo, our neighborhood cycling group, brought riders to the west end of the Panhandle on Sunday morning, where I told the group about Elizabeth McClintock and her contributions to the history of the Panhandle Park and the trees of Golden Gate Park. We continued on to the Presidio, and back to the 'hood for a backyard brunch.

Park inhabitants

2010-07-24T21:56:00.000-07:00

The east end of the Panhandle near Baker is a place to see small flying creatures. Around the McKinley Monument this summer, dozens of damselflies fly about on the hunt for smaller insects. Near the Redwoods on the south path, this West Coast Painted Lady was getting some sun.

Every time I crossed the west end of the Panhandle this month, I seemed to hear the screams of a red-tailed hawk. Today I finally spotted him in the branches of this Silver Maple.

Get stuff fixed

2010-07-23T19:51:00.000-07:00

Some appreciation for the work of the folks at 311.

And a reminder not to get used to disfunction.

Cycling in the Panhandle: We (all) need a better path

2010-07-23T16:14:00.000-07:00

When I talk with neighbors and park users, the most common complaint I hear is that the Panhandle's north path is no longer fun or safe. There are more cyclists than the path can handle, some cyclists and walkers are inconsiderate or oblivious to others, and there's no room for people to walk, especially when they have strollers and pets.

The most recent renovation of the multi-use path - completed by SF Rec and Park about six years ago - was a major accomplishment. Besides a new, smooth surface and a slight path widening, the upgrade also added lighting, and the benches and trash barrels were set back from the path. Since then, additional improvements such as the Fell Street bike lane, the rebuilding of the median on Kezar at Stanyan, the "Shrader valve" bike light, curb ramps at most entrances, and the dedicated crossing phase at Masonic, have gradually created a better experience for cycling to and from the Panhandle. When you combine all these gradual changes with the huge increase in cycling citywide, and the surge in neighbors enjoying their park, we've reached a tipping point, where the north path is no longer up to the demands we're putting on it. The crowding, the yelling, and infrequent, but serious collisions show that need a re-thinking of how the Panhandle paths are designed, and how they connect to the cycling routes in the city.

Ideas are bubbling up from neighbors, and I'll suggest three guiding principles for figuring out the best way forward:

1. Just like you treat the "whole patient," we need to treat the whole park. It would be a mistake to renovate one path and leave others to crumble. And before we start digging anything up, we need to figure out key issues like irrigation and drainage. Let's think about how the paths are affected by both natural processes (such as sunlight, runoff, soil quality, tree health) and human processes (the cars and trucks of SFPD, Rec and Park). This kind of thinking is needed to create long-lasting, attractive paths that don't have an adverse impact on the environment.

2. We should attain all reasonable standards for designing multi-use pathways. An excellent pathway meets a bunch of standards for width, grade, surface quality, materials. Its design nudges people in the right direction to share the path in a way that's safe and considerate to others. It accommodates diverse users, including disabled people. Because our park's path is in a special setting - in particular, a grove of mature trees with historical significance - some of the standards may not be attainable - for example, having a lot of clearance on each side.

3. Plan for increases in cycling. More and more local residents are finding a way to bicycle on a routine basis. And visitors are also hopping on bikes. The Panhandle is part of a major cross-town bike route, and it's the gateway to Golden Gate Park. We need to think about the future.

Fell Street Solution?

Fell Street on street cleaning day

One idea bouncing around in the cycling community is to add a two-way bike lane on the south side of Fell Street by moving the parking lane over. Fell Street currently has 4 lanes of moving car traffic next to the Panhandle - one more than it has east of the Panhandle. By separating the bike lane from moving traffic, we could make a safer, more comfortable riding area that would appeal to a broad range of cyclists. Or, the two way bike lane could be applied on the Oak Street side.

Do we need a bike lane and a multi-use path? It may be the only way to satisfy current demands and to plan for increases in cycling. And we can find local examples as close as The Presidio.

Options in the Presidio: traffic lane, bike lane, buffer, multi-use path

Still hard to imagine? Check this video, which shows a new, separated two way bike lane in downtown Vancouver. The 3-D animations may help people visualize how the space adjacent to the park could be converted to different use, while paying attention to everyone's needs.

July Work Day wrap-up: a muddy success

2010-07-12T10:49:00.000-07:00

A spirited and energetic crew turned out from the neighborhood on Saturday for July's Panhandle work day. With guidance from Rec and Park staff and interns, we tackled a major eyesore and potential health hazard - standing water and mud puddles near the playground and the Ashbury cross-over paths.

We're becoming more aware that the puddle problems arise from poor drainage, malfunctioning irrigation systems, and crumbling asphalt paths. The problem is worst at Ashbury, possibly because the nexus of restrooms, and playground, and asphalt surfaces attract the greatest number of service vehicles, leading to more turf damage and soil compaction. But puddles are also found elsewhere in the park, like the ponds near Oak & Baker. Failing to address this problem puts more obstacles in the way of families getting to the playground. Stagnant water also provides a breeding ground for mosquitoes, which carry West Nile Virus. West Nile continues to kill people, and although illnesses and deaths in the U.S. continue to drop from the early 00's, it's active this year in Santa Clara County. But today, we still lack designs, plans, and funding for a makeover of the paths. We will need to work together to find long-term fix so that we can have a healthy park.

Saturday's work got the attention of Bike NOPA, which has a great post and photos at its site. We also met the reporters from The Square, who put together this video.

Next work day: Saturday, July 10

2010-07-06T23:14:00.000-07:00

Did you visit the Panhandle on the Fourth of July? It was a great scene (at least what I saw!) Our neighborhood park is thriving this summer, more popular than we have seen in years. With more use comes a need to pay more attention to maintenance, and discussions about how to keep our park up to date, and in tune with the community's needs. Come out to the Park this Saturday, July 10, to be part of taking care of our park and meeting other neighbors who care about the Panhandle.

Everyone is invited to join us for park stewardship on Saturday morning, starting at 9 am, gathering near the playground/bulletin board.

Tools are provided, but it's sometimes a good idea to bring your own gloves. Wear sturdy shoes - it can be damp, even in July. If you can't make the full time, you are welcome to drop in for part of the time.

June Work Day wrap-up

2010-06-21T23:11:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a terrific crew of volunteers from the neighborhood who joined us in the Panhandle on Saturday morning for some park care.

We weeded out a bed on the North side of the park, near Masonic.

Next was a two-step process of amending the soil to protect the exposed soil, while providing a good planting medium.

Guillermo demonstrated some careful planting techniques.

Then all joined in on planting dozens of impatiens, marigolds, and white petunias.

This Saturday: June work day for the Panhandle

2010-06-08T11:23:00.000-07:00

Gardening tools

Panhandle Clean Up!

It's time to bring out the tools and get to work with neighbors in the park. This Saturday, June 12, starting at 9 am and lasting until 11 am. This month's work plan is still being developed.

Meet at the bulletin board, near the playground. You can also drop-in for just part of the time - we'd be glad to see you.

Final verdict for the Horse Chestnut

2010-06-05T21:41:00.000-07:00

There was no saving the common horse chestnut that split in half two weeks ago. The remaining half was removed, and then it was cut down to the stump.

Looking on the bright side, the loss of the old tree gives plenty of growing room for another Aesculus growing close by. With the red blooms it's clearly a Red Horse Chestnut, a species that's becoming increasingly popular as a street tree in San Francisco, on Waller, Dolores, and elsewhere.

Big tree splits in half

2010-05-24T22:45:00.000-07:00

The old horse-chestnut that dominated the center lawn of the Panhandle Park near Cole split in half on Friday afternoon. The falling branch reportedly came close to knocking out a family walking nearby.

Seen from the north, the damage may not look so drastic, but from the side view (below), it's clear that the tree is nearly destroyed. I enjoyed its showy white flowers each spring and hope that it can be saved.

The big leaves of the tree were interesting to see during their vernation in March.

Tree vs. Tree near Oak/Lyon

2010-05-19T19:31:00.000-07:00

Rec & Park cleans up the aftermath

Passing through the Panhandle Tuesday morning, I found a Rec and Park crew removing a fallen tree near Lyon and Oak. A large branch from a eucalyptus tree was on the ground, and I also saw the stump of a different tree - what looked like an elm.

Where the branch dropped from

The crew confirmed that a branch from a eucalyptus had fallen and crushed an old elm tree.

paper for scale - not a young tree

The crew said they had noticed the fallen tree Monday afternoon at about 1:30 p.m., which was another rainy day (0.06 of an inch). The falling branch had also damaged the small, young elm nearby, but it survived. Fortunately there are three other, mature elms in that vicinity of the Panhandle.

Seen from a distance, the eucalyptus that dropped a limb is HUGE. Many of the large trees in the Panhandle are over a hundred years old.

Not-so-muddy May: re-assessing our entry paths

2010-05-19T17:13:00.000-07:00

Central @ Fell: This is improvement

See for yourself - the short paths that lead into the Panhandle Park at each cross street are showing across-the-board improvement. Muddy ruts at these entrances, apparently caused when city vehicles access the park by these narrow paths, have long been an eyesore and annoyance to neighbors. I took stock of conditions in February, and found poor/very poor conditions at about half of the paths. Now, despite our super-wet spring, Sunday's Bay to Breakers, and yet another rain shower on Monday, the paths looked pretty good when I visited Tuesday evening.

My standards may be too low - these access paths are far from perfect and need a good sweeping, especially after the hordes using and abusing the park on Sunday. Several paths also need re-paving or repair. But the deep ruts and persistent puddles are way down. It could be from the change of seasons, from better or less use of the paths by trucks, or from the Rec and Park staff paying more attention (perhaps spurred on by complaints from neighbors). Whatever the cause, the change is welcome and reduces an eyesore. Even the big trucks that entered the park last week with porta-potties and trash containers didn't leave much evidence of damage.

Still muddy @ Ashbury from Fell

Here's the summary, showing Feb and May results side-by-side. There are fewer problems overall and no major problems east of Masonic. The worst problems are near Ashbury, which is likely a trouble spot because it's used most frequently by trucks for routine maintenance of the restrooms and playground.

Keep an eye on conditions at the entrance you use the most, and talk to your gardener about it, or use the 311 system to report the problem. It is possible to make a change.

More blooms in May

2010-05-10T23:13:00.000-07:00

The first tree you pass as you enter the Panhandle from the west is in its peak bloom now. I believe this is a Portugal Laurel, or prunus lusitanica - the same species as the tree near Shrader that fell during a storm in February.

Further east, one of the two California Buckeyes in the park is also blooming.

May work day wrap up

2010-05-09T10:42:00.000-07:00

Our community work day yesterday brought 10 of us together to work on caring for the Panhandle Park.

We made some real progress on removing debris from the North path - this time between Masonic and Ashbury. Our park gardener had staged equipment and safety cones to make this possible. I think that cyclists and other path users are going to notice a big difference. Here's a step by step breakdown of our work:

Find a target area

figure out how much you need to uncover

Don the special hat and use the cutting tool

Scoop up the mud and weeds

Make a final sweep

We still had enthusiasm and energy to spare, so we raked eucalyptus leaves from the turf close to the playground. Enjoy your park this weekend and thanks to the Panhandle Park Stewards!

Events coming to the Panhandle: B2B, BTWD, and NOPNA block party

2010-05-05T13:38:00.000-07:00

Gear up for some big events in the next two weeks:

They're coming...

May 8: Panhandle Park Work Day
Saturday May 8, 9 am to noon.

May 13: Bike to Work Day
A yearly tradition, a high holy day for the bike community, Bike to Work Day (BTWD) is on Thursday, May 13. The Panhandle is the scene of one of San Francisco's most popular Energizer Stations, supporting riders on the way home from work or school. There's lots of free stuff - while it lasts - for cyclists - so come down, support the bike commuters, and spend some time enjoying your park. Fell @ Masonic, 5 to 7 pm.

May 15: NOPNA Block Party and Food Drive
Just a block off the park - Lyon between Hayes and Grove - is the site of NOPNA's neighborhood block party. NOPNA throws one of the best community-based block parties in SF, bringing together neighbors, kids, food, and music. Bring nonperishable food for the Groceries for Seniors Program. Saturday, May 15 from 11 am to 6 pm. (I'm planning a Panhandle Tree Walk @ 3 pm, leaving from Lyon @ Hayes).

May 16: Bay to Breakers
The 99th annual Bay to Breakers 12K footrace is coming up on Sunday, May 16. Usually, B2B pierces my consciousness when I hear the persistent din of helicopters tracking the race as it courses west on Fell Street. I like to walk over and check out the scene as the masses traverse our neighborhood. The mood is festive, but the thousands and thousands of runners, walkers and drinkers usually outlast my interest. Join the fun by having a picnic in the Panhandle. Take blankets, sunscreen, refreshments, games, a camera, and the Sunday paper (it goes on a really long time...)

and going...

Our next workday: Saturday, May 8

2010-05-03T21:07:00.000-07:00

The next Panhandle Park Stewards work day is fast approaching, so mark your calendars and join your neighbors, even if just for an hour, on Saturday, May 8 between 9 am and noon.

Here's a flyer

There's no better time of year to enjoy the park: the puddles have dried out after the extraordinary soaking of the last rainy season, the trees are leafing out, and the grass is lush and green.

We need your help. Our park gardener has projects awaiting us, and we'll be meeting up near the playground (close to Ashbury). Wear sturdy shoes, and bring your own gloves if you've got 'em. Other tools will be provided.

Map fun: Site of Panhandle Bandshell

2010-04-21T22:54:00.000-07:00

While playing around with Google Maps and creating a Panhandle Park/Neighborhood map to post here, I noticed that the current satellite images capture the construction (or perhaps dismantling?) of the Panhandle Bandshell. That was 2007! Wonder when we get new pics of SF?

flickr photo from affinity1

The bandshell still exists and lives up north at Fort Mason these days. I wonder if we could get it back to the park for the summer?

First poll wraps up

2010-04-21T16:41:00.000-07:00

Here are the results of the first blog poll. I will leave the analysis to you. The turnout out was ... not overwhelming. Hey, no sweat! I'm going to pause before starting a new poll. If you've got an idea, send me an email.

Reactions to the Panhandle Playground's "D" grade

2010-04-21T16:15:00.000-07:00

Readers made several comments on last week's post about the Panhandle Playground receiving a "D" on a city-wide playground report card. There was general acceptance of the D grade, basically because the playground was both out-of-date and worn out. The worn-out qualities were observed in different ways: the mats are worn (with holes below the swings where the kids feet touch the ground); the wood is worn and is marked as containing arsenic. The out-of-date design was seen in the overabundance of sand and lack of safe running surface; and the play structures don't appeal to kids of different ages. Parents did appreciate the recent removal of the bushes, but still want the playground kept cleaner.

A web search turned up the following notes from a Rec and Park Commission meeting. So the playground's 10-year anniversary is just 10 days away! What, by the way, is Diablo Elementary School?

On May 1, 2000 Mayor Willie Brown came out to the "Saturn" playground in the panhandle for the long awaited dedication of the renovated area. Audree Jones-Taylor and Dan McKenna from the Department joined him. The Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Coalition hosted the event. Nearly 75 children from the nearby Diablo Elementary School attended the event. This was the youths annual spring celebration, so they were more than ready to inaugurate the newly renovated play area.

I also asked parents to comment on access issues, and they mentioned the poor conditions of the south path. Parents felt caught with no good options because it's difficult to push a stroller on the bumpy south path but the north path is crowded with lots of cyclists. In addition to advocating for a playground upgrade, community members may also need to organize around re-surfacing the south path and upgrading the multi-use path.

Our great outdoors

2010-04-18T17:11:00.000-07:00

The President has a new memorandum about America's Great Outdoors, calling for greater federal efforts that would, among other things, promote "community-based recreation and conservation." Here are a couple of ways our community was out enjoying the Panhandle Park this weekend.

Frisbee _?_ - not sure what this is but you score goals like in soccer

Croquet!

Beanbag toss (there was not just one but two separate beanbag toss parties in the Panhandle yesterday!)

Making films

Looks kind of like volleyball, but its throwing a big orange ball over the net

McKinley Memorial cleaned today

2010-04-14T21:58:00.000-07:00

The Panhandle's primary artwork- a massive bronze statue on a stone pedestal dedicated in 1904 in commemoration of an assassinated U.S. President - was cleaned today of graffiti. Pictured here, a worker hired by the San Francisco Arts Commission has removed the worst tag, a big, black mark painted recently just below the engraving of the presidents name. But he still had several tags to go, such as the one visible on the top step. Our tax dollars at work.

April work day - wrap up

2010-04-11T17:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at the monthly Panhandle Park work day, neighborhood volunteers teamed with the Park's gardener and youth from Larkin Street to care for the plants around the playground - the most diverse area of park (plant-wise, that is).

The crew on Saturday

With three sets of helping hands it doesn't take long to fill a truck load of soil.

Around the playground, plants grow in barrels and in the soil. A little extra mulch will help these plants thrive.

Shade garden

Will helped spread chips around the shade garden and talked about how much the plants had grown since they were planted a year ago.

With Kevin's daffodils in bloom, it was a good time to work on adding soil amendments to this planted area, which also has tulips and artichokes.

Does our playground deserve a D?

2010-04-11T13:18:00.000-07:00

I was surprised, and dissapointed, to learn that the Panhandle's playground earned a D in the 2010 San Francisco Playground Report Card.

I'd first like to encourage families in the community to keep using and enjoying the playground. Don't let the D grade turn you off. Speaking as a non-parent, I think it's a popular destination in a beautiful setting. Yesterday morning, under threatening grey skies, dozens of kids and parents visited the playground, and no one seemed to have problems with safety or cleanliness. (The Park Stewards were out for Saturday work day, working to beautify and nurture the plantings around perimeter of the playground. Report coming soon).

from By Lorena on Flickr

I'd also like to compare the grades for the surrounding parks. I grabbed a part of a map showing neighborhood parks (from the 2008 report), and superimposed each park's 2010 grade. The result shows that neighborhood families have nearby "A" grade playground at Alamo Square to the east, and at Rossi and Sharon Arts (i.e., Koret) to the west. But, sadly, our D grade for the Panhandle is the worst in this square-mile or so of San Francisco.

More important context is that San Francisco has been upgrading playgrounds. Only 13% of playgrounds earned a D or F in this year's report card. That's down from 21% in 2008.

That leads up to my questions:

Does the playground deserve a D grade? What do neighborhood parents think of conditions, and what would they change?
What is in store for the Panhandle Playground? If it's not on the list for renovation now, when will it be?
What are the most important park-wide issues (such as tree care, turf care, multi-use path, bad behavior) that affect your ability to access and enjoy the playground?
Who are the community leaders for this playground?

White blooms on a Hawthorn for Easter

2010-04-03T18:55:00.000-07:00

Abuzz with bees and enticingly fragrant, this Hawthorn (genus Crataegus) near Central & Fell is having a big, beautiful bloom. Wiki has great info about the ethnobotany of Hawthorns, such as the supposition that they were the source of Jesus's crown of thorns.

Trick riders today

2010-04-03T18:22:00.000-07:00

A fixie trick riding rally is just wrapping up in the Panhandle. Great, mellow crowd mostly there to do & watch tricks. I gather the party is put on by Skully Boom, launching a new product that you can use to take amplified music just about anywhere, and a new film, Revoked. Catch the trailer on Vimeo for obscure SF locations, like including Wallenberg HS.

April 10 workday: get a flyer

2010-04-02T16:38:00.000-07:00

Here's a new flyer to announce our next Park work day. Just click the image to see bigger and to get a printable 8x11 jpg.

Last weekend in March

2010-03-26T22:05:00.000-07:00

It's the last weekend in March. We're going to have beautiful spring weather, so why not catch some park stewardship/habitat restoration on Saturday, at one of the dozens of projects happening around the Bay Area. Then, on Sunday, join NoPa Velo for a neighborhood bike ride on Sunday!

Coming up in just two weeks is our next Panhandle Park Second Saturday Work Day. Send me an email with your suggestions about what we need to work on!

In bloom near the basketball courts

Leafing out on the west end of the park

It's Spring!

2010-03-21T16:39:00.000-07:00

Spring started with a bang and with warm, sunny weather leading up to yesterday's vernal equinox. Here are some park developments of the past week:

First shave of the year: mowing the grass. Watering, too: it's drying out fast

More maintenance by park staff on the multi-use path. THANK YOU!

New plantings, by and courtesy of the Belvedere School, at the Children's Garden around the playground

Know a cheesewood when you see one

2010-03-14T21:59:00.000-07:00

Our work in the Panhandle yesterday centered on a thicket of trees, and with the help of McClintock's book, I identify them as pittosporum, a.k.a. cheesewoods. These trees aren't instantly all that impressive, but on closer inspection, their flowers are unique and beautiful. And they are one of the more common trees in the Panhandle - I spotted them all over today once I knew what to look for.

Different species of cheesewood produce different color flowers. Here are two of the different flowers in bloom today. Watch for thicker blooms on the cheesewoods in the Panhandle this spring and summer. And search Flickr for Cheesewood or Pittosporum for better pictures, including shots of the gooey seeds that erupt from pittosporum fruits in the summer.

March vernation of our Aesculus

2010-03-13T16:55:00.000-08:00

While many trees in the Panhandle still have their winter form (above), others are quickly leafing out. Below is the vernation (fun new word) of the leaves on the grand old tree between Shrader and Cole - I believe its genus Aesculus, of which several species, including this, are called Horse Chestnuts. Same genus as the much-loved species California Buckeye.

March Panhandle work day - wrap up and photos.

2010-03-13T16:23:00.000-08:00

Today's Panhandle work day had a big job to do: helping a grove of trees between Lyon and Central, near Oak. These big piles needed to be spread to help nourish and protect the trees. Fortunately, our group of volunteers was reinforced by folks from Asian American Recovery Services and Larkin Street Youth Services. Working with pitchforks, wheelbarrows, and rakes, they had the soil spread by the end of the morning.

Larkin Street volunteers with me (left) and Guillermo (front right)

Neighborhood volunteers, meanwhile, tackled a persistent Panhandle problem: keeping our multi-use path clear of mud and grass. Armed with shovels, we sliced through the muck and scooped it up and off the path. This job felt even more tiring than spreading mulch, but seeing the results, and getting some thanks from some passing cyclists and runners was gratifying.

Panhandle neighbors next to our spiffed up path

It's Arbor Day in California, so it was fitting that we also paid some attention to one of the grandest old trees in the Panhandle: the 100+ year old Moreton Bay Fig near Central. We removed dozens of nasty clumps of Ehrharta grass from the base of its trunk.

Knowing our history: Mary Helen Briscoe tells of community engagement with the park

2010-03-08T21:57:00.000-08:00

One of the biggest champions of the Panhandle Park in recent years is Mary Helen Briscoe. I asked Mary Helen to share some of her park experiences. Here are some highlights from recent years in her own words and pictures.

Neighbors getting organized to tackle problems
PROSF (Panhandle Residents Organization Stanyan Fulton) began in the eighties and from the first was involved with the Panhandle, the park being the focus of our neighborhood. Early on we joined with Clean City Coalition and other City-wide groups in picking up trash, which I'm bound to say was a worse problem in the nineties than today. There were many encampments and a lot of drug and alcohol abuse, especially near the old restroom and playground at Ashbury.

PROSF worked with the Capital Division of the Rec & Park Dept. to get the new restroom built after it had been closed for more than a year. PROSF also had many members in RAD, an organization working with the police and Guardian Angels to fight the drug problem in the Haight and Panhandle.

Learning to work with the city's Recreation and Parks staff
After working with Gloria Koch-Gonzalez, Park Supervisor, and Kristin Bowman of the R&P Volunteers Office on City-wide cleanups, Gloria asked me to be a volunteer representative for the Panhandle. Her persuasive powers, along with the charm and obvious needs of Guillermo, a Panhandle gardener, led to the regular cleanup, a joint effort with NOPNA (North of Panhandle Neighborhood Association).

The monthly cleanups began in 2007 and it was a great pleasure to work with Guillermo outdoors in a beautiful setting. He is so knowledgeable and cares so deeply about the park, especially the trees, that the cleanups are more than picking up trash, but also a learning experience about the needs and care of trees and other plants.

Guillermo gardens full-time in the park, and also has some fun planting flower beds and, in a whimsical moment, trimming a shrub into a rabbit. It can be found on the south side of the park near a utility box, east of Masonic. On one Saturday cleanup, we hosted a party in and around the playground for the children with refreshments and a pinata supplied by Guillermo.

What getting involved with the parks means to neighbors and families
The other wonderful experience in cleaning up is involvement with neighbors and city-wide volunteers. It is a delightful and hopeful sight to see young children wielding rakes and volunteers' dogs attracting the attention of passers-by. Although we've received thanks and encouragement from those on bikes or foot passing through, we've rarely been able to persuade them to help out. But we're raising consciousness!

Seeing people donating their time and energy to caring for their environment is a healthy example for others, especially the young. Adding more events in the park that are fun will engage people in their surroundings and help keep the park beautiful.

For the past two years PROSF with NOPNA has a grant application out for help in putting out a brochure describing the history and the trees of the Panhandle which are not only beautiful but historic and, often, rare. After the brochure, the plan is to fund at least one sign with the historic and botanical information about the Panhandle, to be placed at Stanyan and/or Baker. Due to cuts in granting agencies, it's taking time but we're still working on it.

Mar. 13 Work Day: Download a flyer

2010-02-28T23:07:00.000-08:00

Link to download of .jpg

(See, I do like eucalyptus trees.)

One less eucalyptus

2010-02-27T15:44:00.000-08:00

Until this morning, I had overlooked the loss of another Panhandle Park tree - this large old eucalyptus, just off the south path near Lyon St @ Oak. I'm told that it fell about a week ago. A big thank you to everyone who worked on removal - you left the area looking good!

After the rainfall of this past week, the ground in the Panhandle is really saturated. It's affecting the turf, the paths, and obviously, our trees. With the thin layer of topsoil and shallow roots, trees in the panhandle are vulnerable to being toppled during a windy storm, especially this time of year. The good news behind this, though, is that snowpack in the Northern Sierra is 121% of normal, and the U.S. Interior department yesterday indicated that California's three-year drought is over. Possibly California is getting enough rain to begin reviving the salmon in the Sacramento river?

The Panhandle Park still has many - at least a dozen - large, mature eucalyptus trees. They're not my favorite tree, but you've got to admit that their trunks have a certain human-like pulchritude.

We lost a tree to today's storm

2010-02-26T18:09:00.000-08:00

Fell St east of Shrader

A good-sized tree came down in the Panhandle, apparently a result of today's fast-moving rainstorm. Does anybody know what kind of tree this is?
Update: I've referred to a copy of Trees of the Panhandle, and believe I've identified this as a prunus lusitanica, a.k.a. Portugal laurel.

February blooms in the Park

2010-02-26T14:16:00.000-08:00

During late February, we start seeing some early blooms in the Panhandle Park. Above - Cherry Laurels (just east of Masonic). Below - a white magnolia and a pink magnolia near the McKinley Monument.

Panhandle Park Stewards

Pictures from January workday

Starting our 2012 at the Panhandle's West End

Santa brought us Masonic traffic safety measures

December Workday wrap-up

December panhandle workday is tomorrow!

Red-light cameras for Fell/Masonic

Do pines drop their leaves?

Saturday's accomplishments

Did anyone else notice?

Fall Panhandle work days - starting this Saturday!

Panhandle Pathway connections to East and West making news

October Workday wrap-up

First work day of the fall coming up this Saturday in the Panhandle

Yews Get Whacked

September workday report

Panhandle reminder for Saturday 9/10; upcoming events

Creative ideas are needed to protect and improve the McKinley Monument

August work day wrap-up

August workday coming up this Saturday

Improvements at the west end

Come learn about potential Oak & Fell bike project next Tuesday

July Work day

July work day coming up THIS SATURDAY

The bike party gathered in the Panhandle this evening

The Stone Pine near Stanyan

June Work Day wrap-up

Saturday workday reminder; McKinley Monument clean-up happening today

Next work day coming up this Saturday

Recognizing San Francisco Day School

Be a star, on your bike

May work day wrap-up

What season is it, anyway?

Panhandle Bay to Breakers Survival Guide

Alcohol: WHAT IS A STANDARD DOSE?

WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF DRINKING ALCOHOL?

BE CAREFUL

What is Nitrous Oxide?

How is nitrous oxide used?

What are the effects of nitrous oxide?

Be careful

Pathway progress at Lyon Street

April workday: Beautiful day in the park

April workday coming up next Saturday

It's Vernation Time Again

Tree improvements near Bierman Glade

March work day - wrap up

Capital Improvement Project at the Panhandle

Upcoming Panhandle Work Day: Saturday, March 12

February Work day wrap-up

Connecting the City

Installing bike counters

New work protects the Panhandle's trees and improves its soil

January work day wrap up

Happy New Year

Panhandle Project Selected for Implementation

Park reflections

November Work Day wrap up

Last work day of 2010 this weekend...

PPS named SF's Outstanding Park Volunteer Group!

Sunday morning rain

October Work day wrap up

"Connecting the City" proposes a fix for Panhandle Path friction

Vote for the Panhandle! Best of Parks Poll going on now

Sunday Streets @ the Panhandle

RV's

Sept Work Day wrap-up

Workday Tomorrow! 9/11 @ 9 am

Back to the Source

Labor Day in the Park

August work day wrap-up

Nopa Velo rides to the tall trees of the Panhandle

Park inhabitants

Get stuff fixed

Cycling in the Panhandle: We (all) need a better path

July Work Day wrap-up: a muddy success

Next work day: Saturday, July 10

June Work Day wrap-up

This Saturday: June work day for the Panhandle

Final verdict for the Horse Chestnut