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Berkeley ETHSTD 196 - Interactions Between Dogs and Wildlife in Parks on the Berkeley Marina

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Interactions Between Dogs and Wildlife in Parks on the Berkeley Marina Kera Abraham Abstract As pressure to develop open space in the Bay Area intensifies, it is increasingly important to understand the effects that people and their pets have on the wildlife populations utilizing the few remaining open space habitats. This study evaluates the interactions between off-leash domestic dogs and wildlife in adjacent regional parks (one developed, the other undeveloped) on the Berkeley Marina. Observations were made from two sites on opposite sides of the undeveloped Berkeley Meadow, and from a third site on the border between an off-leash dog zone and a protected wildlife area in the developed César Chávez Park. From each site, data was collected on the numbers of passing people and dogs, on- or off-leash status of dogs, dogs' deviation from the trails, and whether the dogs' activities caused wildlife flushes. Raptor and egret counts were also recorded at each site to approximate the comparative uses of the areas by wildlife. Results showed that César Chávez Park supports fewer raptors and egrets, but hosts more people and dogs, than the Berkeley Meadow. Total dog-induced wildlife flushes per observation period were statistically equivalent in both parks, but there were more flushes per dog in the Meadow and more flushes per unit wildlife in Chávez. Within the Meadow, there were no significant differences in raptor / egret or human / dog activities on the East and West sides. In Chávez, dogs deviated to the protected habitat side of the trail twice as often as to the off-leash dog zone side of the trail. These findings suggest that the Protected Natural Area in Chávez Park is not a viable habitat for wildlife, and that the Berkeley Meadow is better suited to serve as a wildlife refuge prohibited to off-leash dogs.Introduction The San Francisco Bay Area, a long-standing zone of rich ecology and high biodiversity, has been suffering accelerated habitat degradation as urban expansion, industrial intensification, and economic growth dominate local development. Many citizen groups and public institutions, however, are working to defend the area’s dwindling open spaces, which offer valuable respite and recreation for the dense urban population as well as refuge for wildlife (Gilliam 1969). Conflicting interests among local stakeholders complicate land management decision-making. The demand for recreational use of Bay frontage land exceeds the availability of open space; large numbers of people flock to newly opened or improved public areas along the shoreline (Delisle 1966 110). Parks in the East Bay, developed by the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) and the City of Berkeley Department of Parks and Waterfront (CBDPW), are likely to draw large quantities of humans and their pets, each individual with a different motivation for visiting the space. Simultaneously, as development pushes wild vegetable and animal populations out of their native habitats, wildlife depends on refuge in parks and protected conservation zones. In 1966 the Bay Area Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) prepared a comprehensive land-use plan to develop and maintain the Bay shoreline to enhance its value for Bay Area residents (BCDC 1966). The plan suggests that shoreline developments include both recreational facilities and wildlife conservation areas. It emphasizes the potential of waste-filled lands to serve as wetland and grassland habitat to support existing local wildlife populations (BCDC 1966). The City of Berkeley diked and filled the area now known as the Berkley Marina between 1960 and 1983 to create more land for development. After closing, the solid waste-filled land was capped with two feet of foundation soil, one foot of a compacted clay, and one foot of topsoil (LSA 1998). In 1976, the City of Berkeley’s Department of Parks and Waterfront resolved that the landfilled plot on the Berkeley Marina will serve as a recreational zone; this eventually became the 90-acre North Waterfront Park, renamed “César Chávez Regional Park” in 1994 (LSA 1998). Chávez Park was divided into three zones: the Recreational Zone in the non-irrigated Southern part of the park; the non-irrigated Transition Zone in the North; and the irrigated Natural Zone in the West along the shoreline (LSA 1998). In response to the petitioning of adog-walkers’ group called the Friends of César Chávez Park, in May 2000 the Berkeley City Council designated 17 acres of the Transitional Zone as an Off-Leash Dog Area (henceforth OLDA). The area is to be effective for a one-year trial period; in May 2001 it will be reevaluated. At the time of implementation, the City did not expect that the OLDA would have significant impacts on the natural or social resources of the park (FOCCP 2000). A seven-acre Protected Natural Area (PNA) to the North of the OLDA was designated for wildlife and native plant habitat. The PNA is off-limits to humans and dogs. There is no buffer zone between the OLDA and the PNA. At the time of implementation, the border between the two areas was to be delineated by straw bales placed 25 feet apart and ten informative signs (LSA 1998). An adjacent plot of landfill, called the Berkeley Meadow, is still generally unmanaged. The Citizens for Eastshore State Park (CESP), a citizens’ group formed in the 1980’s, was a primary impetus that led to the EBRPD’s recent designation of a “future Eastshore State Park” that includes the filled Berkeley Meadow (Shwartz 2000). The specific recreational uses of the site, however, are still undetermined. The EBRPD has hired a planning consultant firm to examine management options for the site; their investigation will include assessments of environmental impacts, public opinions, and economic feasibilities of various possibilities (Neuwirth 2000). One issue that will not be addressed by the consulting firm’s study is the question of whether dogs will be allowed off-leash at the Berkeley Meadow. Though free-running dogs were not seen as much of a problem in the past, growing human populations—and the consequent rise in pet populations—are increasingly impacting the ecological health of the area’s few protected open spaces. The subject has become a major source of contention between dog-walkers and wildlife conservationists in the Bay Area. Numerous local studies are now underway to assess the environmental


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Berkeley ETHSTD 196 - Interactions Between Dogs and Wildlife in Parks on the Berkeley Marina

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