THE FOREST AND TREES OF THE PRESIDIO OF SAN FRANCISCO

The forest and the trees of the Presidio of San Francisco are worse off today then they were when the Army turned over the Presidio of San Francisco to the Presidio Trust and before that to the inept National Park Service (NPS) in 1995. All over the Presidio of San Francisco the Army planted trees where once the sand dunes and sandstorms reigned supreme. In the early days there was NO real forest management plan as we have today - so the Eucalyptus trees and other non-native trees and plants were planted by the Army because they did not know better. Today many an arborist marvel at the Army and the good work they left generations. The main purpose of the forest was to keep the sandstorms at bay. The Army did a good job and they also created a forest second only to the Golden Gate Park that we all admire and enjoy. Around 1991 the Army commissioned Jones and Jones to study the Presidio of San Francisco forest and create a Forest Management Plan. I read this plan and it was a good one. The NPS read this plan and decided to out do the Army. The NPS spent millions of dollars on consultants and when the new Forest Management Plan was in place it incorporated the Forest, the animals, the birds, and a host of other issues that destroyed the original focus - which was the Forest. So much for ineptness and buffoonery the NPS is so famous for. We are now in the year 2004 and a recent General Accounting Office (GAO) report points out the Presidio Trust which took over from the NPS is not doing much for the forests of the Presidio of San Francisco. The environs of the Presidio of San Francisco today are worse off than they were when the Army left for good in 1995. The Presidio Trust the baby born and delivered by Nancy Pelosi who is now the Minority Whip of the Democrats has failed the constituents of San Francisco and should be dismantled. The Presidio of San Francisco is a National Park and not a Disney Land Commercial venture. That is what we see today - millions of dollars given to developers to build concrete structures and nothing much done to the green forests which are over a 100 years old. The old Letterman Complex, which came under the Hospital Command once, had some beautiful trees. The Lucas Digital Center cut down the trees and have now constructed a huge concrete match box with over 1500 underground garage spaces which is despicable. A source of pollution. The mostly white rednecks that control the Presidio Trust see nothing with this nonsense. The Presidio of San Francisco once belonged to the Ohlone. The Spanish, the Mexicans, and finally the Americans took control of the Presidio of San Francisco and controlled it. Today under the National Park Service and the Presidio Trust the land, water, and the air have been abused by both these corrupt and inept entities. The abatement task of the Presidio of San Francisco that should have been done by the Corps of Engineers was taken over by the NPS and the Presidio Trust. They bought some insurance and thought they could do a good job. Today they have done next to nothing and show case one or two examples of cleanup. Today we have a contaminated watershed, heavy vehicular pollution, contaminated underground batteries like Battery Wagner and Battery Caulfield, underground oil tanks that have not been removed, acid contamination of the watershed from the thousands of Eucalyptus trees, and other hot spots that I will not reveal but have concrete hot spot maps and documents to expose the buffoons who now purport to know everything. The Presidio Nursery was established with my help. Perhaps the only person who can and will testify to that is Sharon Farrel. She is no longer there. I worked with Monica, Damien, Peter and a few others. Today I see the Presidio Nursery continues to be alive but does not have the real support from those authorities who cannot fathom nor comprehend what is means to have a sensible and practical Forest Management Plan in place. When one visits the Presidio of San Francisco it is the forest that strikes the eyes and the images of the forest remains with a sensible person long after any memorable visit. At the Presidio of San Francisco we have one of kind trees all planted by the Army and neglected by the Presidio Trust and the National Park Service. We have the gray foxes and some with the fluffy red tail. We have one of kind hawks and other birds and insects that defy the imagination. We have many exotic plants. We have wild fowls and lot of them. Other animals too many to mention. The worst two legged animal ever to set foot on the Presidio of San Francisco - corrupt officials like Brian O'Neill, Susan Hurst, Mai-Liis Bartling, Leo Guillory, and that emperor of all crooks the Presidio Trust former Director James Meadows. These scumbags have screwed the Presidio of San Francisco by wasting taxpayers money and giving millions away to consultants. These scumbags have failed to preserve and protect our forest and our environs at the Presidio of San Francisco. Today there is no need to waste millions to create a green open space on the Main Post. There is already lot of green open space that the Presidio Trust cannot look after. Yet some consultant and others close to the Presidio Trust crooks will make money with alterations and modifications that are not necessary on the Main Post of the Presidio of San Francisco. The new Doyle Drive will be built underground. This plan is not know to too many but the San Francisco County Transportation Authority and other State and Federal Agencies all have agreed that the new Doyle Drive will go under ground and mostly under the Main Post. The Tennessee Hollow Project is a joke. The NPS is behind this plan more to fiddle and fart with the Crissy Cesspool which is going no where. The NPS did not care to save the Shellmounds that are on Crissy Field. The Monterey Fir Trees growing on Crissy Field are non-native but what can you tell the fools. The Tennessee Hollow project will bring down trees but the NPS will be slow to plant trees. Once on the Main Post by the 100 series buildings there were some adult trees that the NPS cut. Then they ordered White Arcacia that they abandoned. I rescued and planted these trees in the Veterans Administration Cemetery at the Presidio. Today in front of the 100 Series building the NPS planted some black arcacia and does not take care of them. They have put the burden on the Presidio Trust. The NPS destroyed beautiful plants that once grew in front of the 100 series building planted by the Army. They then proceeded to plant some lousy plants and again put the burden of watering these plants on the Presidio Trust. These NPS fools never ever cease to amaze me. The Letterman Complex once had some beautiful trees that George Lucas could have saved. But knowing the arrogant George Lucas of Skywalker Ranch fame - he probably does not care what those under him do to earn their paycheck without any compassion for the environs. His 1500 underground garage will pollute the Presidio of San Francisco. He will waste electricity which the City and County of San Francisco will provide him. His folks will send million of gallons of toxic wastewater and raw sewage all the way to the Phelps Raw Sewage Treatment Plant in the Bayview. He and his crones will do damage to the Presidio of San Francisco. The NPS and the Presidio Trust will look the other way because he will pay them a measly 5 million dollars a year for Prime Real Estate that should never ever be given to George Lucas. The Presidio Trust under James Meadows lied to the Congress when the real figures linked to the Lucas Lease were provided to Congress. Everything about the George Lucas deal was clouded in secrecy. This is a crying shame. Bottom line the Presidio Forest and the Presidio environs are suffering every single day. Instead of putting money to keep the environment clean the Presidio Trust is pandering and catering to developers who are now going to build condominiums where once stood the Public Health Hospital by the 15th Avenue Gate. In this area too there are some beautiful trees. Do not be surprised if the crooks cut the trees in their place build homes for the filthy rich. In this area lie 500 Marine Seamen. The crooks will probably desecrate the ground and build homes. The Presidio of San Francisco is in the hand of crooks and they do as they please. Mostly biased rednecks that have no place living and working on the Presidio of San Francisco. The Presidio Trust Board meet twice or three times a year. No one goes to these meetings anymore. There is no Accountability and there is no Transparency. Who will save the Presidio Forest? Who will right the wrong of these vermin? Who will?

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