PRESIDIO POST
A Monthly Publication of the Presidio Trust
January 2001--Volume 4, Issue 1
WHAT'S INSIDE
COVER STORY
A PRESIDIO "MOVING" EXPERIENCE
A half- dozen new organizations are locating to the Presidio, bringing the total number of park- based groups to more than 130.
The Jewish Community Center will relocate most of its programs – including its classes and activities serving youth – to the Presidio while their permanent facility is constructed.
The staff of Higher Markets is at work while the finishing touches are put on their warehouse office space.
"Moving day" normally evokes images of strained backs and strained tempers.
But for Rick Brooks- Hill and the 60 employees of Higher Markets, the Presidio’s newest organization, their December move to office space in a converted historic Crissy Field warehouse was a far more pleasant experience.
“The staff gathered for a furniture building party,” said Brooks- Hill. “Everyone is excited. If we were moving to a conventional place I don’t think there would be this much enthusiasm.”
A DIVERSE GROUP
Higher Markets is one of a handfull of organizations ranging from bookmakers to schools to on- line providers of goods and services that has recently joined the Presidio community or who will arrive within the next few months. Most are participating in the Presidio’s short- term leasing program, which enables organizations to locate at the park for up to five years while the long- term plan for the Presidio is considered.
Ironically, the origin of Higher Markets, which helps universities purchase goods including dorm beds and lab equipment via the Internet, was with a Presidio based organization known for its research into the origins of man.
“One of our founders shared space with the Leaky Foundation on O’Reilly Street when he worked with San Francisco Independent Scholars,” said Brooks- Hill. “That’s how we got involved with the Presidio community and got to understand what the Presidio stood for. We wanted to be a part of it.”
SITES FOR SCHOOLS
The move to the Presidio was also a welcome one for the 200 students of Drew College Preparatory School. Since September the School has made a temporary home in the park’s former Cavalry Barracks while their new California Street facility is constructed in time for the 2001 – 2002 school year. Additionally, this fall San Francisco’s Jewish Community Center (JCC) will move to three buildings at the Public Health Service Hospital Complex on the park’s southern border. Over the next two years, most of their classes, workshops and after- school activities will take place there while their new permanent facility is constructed. “We chose the Presidio because it is close to our home location, it has easy access to public transportation, and because the buildings we are leasing can accommodate many of our programs at one location,” said Nate Levine, JCC’s Executive Director. “These qualities, combined with a prime setting in the Presidio close to beautiful Mountain Lake Park, made our choice an easy one.”
HISTORIC SITE, NEW USE
Britannica. com, Inc. Education Division is the last of five tenants to take up residence in the Presidio’s former Headquarters Building, one of two historic Main Post structures to enjoy a complete rehabilitation last year. Other groups in the Halleck Street structure include San Francisco Medical Science, Lexnet Consulting Group, the Center for Real Estate Enterprise Management and Erler and Kalinowski, who arrived at the park in 2000.
ARION PRESS
One of the Presidio’s most notable new arrivals is Arion Press, a celebrated letterpress printing house that has operated in San Francisco for nearly a century. The publisher of fine handcrafted editions including Moby Dick and a new version of the Bible will relocate their 30 tons of cast- iron presses and typography machines to the Presidio’s Public Health Complex. Arion is expected to be up and running this spring.
The new wave of organizations brings the total number of groups based at the Presidio to more than 130.
NEW PRESIDIO ORGANIZATIONS
Arion Press
A renowned printing house that designs and publishes limited edition books.
Britannica. com, Inc. Education Division
Publishes educational and reference materials in print and electronic format.
Drew College Preparatory School
Coeducational school serving students in grades 9 through 12 with classes ranging from algebra to computer animation.
Higher Markets
Links colleges and universities with providers of goods and services via the Internet.
Jewish Community Center
Provides educational, social, cultural and fitness programs to the community. Open to all, JCC’s programs currently serve San Franciscans on a daily basis.
NEWS BRIEFS
Trust Board Member Reilly Appointed World Wildlife Fund Chairman
Presidio Trust Board member William Reilly has been appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). WWF, the leading privately supported international conservation organization in the world, has sponsored more than 2,000 projects in 116 countries and has more than 1 million members in the United States. Reilly, former Administrator of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, is also the President and Chief Executive Officer of Aqua International Partners, an investment fund that finances improvements in water supplies in developing nations.
Building 35 Environmental Assessment Available
The Environmental Assessment (EA) for the rehabilitation of historic Main Post Building 35 for office use for financial services will be available for review in late January. Rehabilitation of this 62,000 square foot structure will be funded by the tenants and completed in compliance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Guidelines for Historic Building Rehabilitation. Issues that are being studied include the effects on transportation and parking, cultural resources, visitor use and experience, consistency with the Presidio’s General Management Plan Amendment and cumulative impacts. The full text of the EA will be posted at www. presidiotrust. gov. To request a copy by mail, call 415.561.5414 or email building35@ presidiotrust. gov
SUSTAINABILITY SPOTLIGHT
Why buy new when you can buy “green?” Purchasing recycled and environmentally friendly materials saves natural resources and energy, reduces pollution and minimizes waste.
As part of a nationwide effort to promote the use of recycled products and materials, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has designated items with recommended levels of recycled content and encouraged Federal agencies like the Presidio Trust to purchase them.
To meet and exceed EPA goals, the Trust has developed a “Green Purchasing” program. The effort ensures that, whenever possible, we are buying items that contain recycled content.
Last year approximately 80 Trust employees were trained to look for recycled content in products they purchase on the job. From copy paper to carpeting to construction materials, goods that previously might have been discarded are getting new life.
In 2001 we will expand the program to include products with other environmentally- friendly attributes. For example, goods that promote healthy indoor air quality like non- toxic paint, materials made from renewable resources like bamboo, and biodegradable items like “green” cleaning supplies will be added.
This month, the Presidio Trust, the National Park Service and the City of San Francisco are co- sponsoring a program designed to promote the health and environmental benefits of sustainable products:
Sustainable Products Training
January 22- 23
Presidio Golden Gate Club
This program is open to anyone who has responsibility for selecting, specifying or purchasing goods for their organization. Continuing education credits are provided. For details and registration information, visit http:// www. sustainableproducts. com/ jan2001training/ announce. html, email info@ sustainableproducts. com or call 202.338.0313.
In June 2000, the Presidio Trust received the White House “Closing the Circle” award for buying products with recycled content.
Board Members
Donald Fisher
Jennifer L. Hernandez
Ira Michael Heyman
Amy Meyer
Mary Murphy
William Reilly
Toby Rosenblatt
By Jim Meadows Presidio Trust Executive Director
COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION CRITICAL TO PLANNING EFFORT
It has been nearly six months since we first asked for your help as the Presidio Trust updates the management plan for the interior lands of the Presidio.
We are pleased to report that the high level of participation registered at our July 12 kick- off meeting was sustained at three subsequent public workshops held on September 13, November 15 and December 13. To date, nearly 500 people have participated in these public forums and more than 200 people have shared comments by letter, email and fax.
As we approach the end of the planning effort’s first phase this month, I’d like to offer my thanks for the time and effort the community has contributed to this process. Your participation reflects your enormous commitment to preserving and protecting this unique and wonderful resource.
If you have not yet shared your views, there is still time to do so. The public “scoping” period – a process during which the community comments on the issues, actions and alternatives they think should be included in a plan and studied in an environmental review, continues through January 15, 2001.
We welcome your comments on the five draft planning options and the draft Presidio Vision Statement contained in the Conceptual Alternatives Workbook that was sent to members of our mailing list and made available at www. presidiotrust. gov in November. As you study this information, please note that we urge you to “mix and match” concepts from each of the alternatives or to add new ideas not currently under consideration. The draft Vision Statement is reprinted on page 4 of this newsletter.
This winter, we will temporarily step back from the PTIP workshop format so that we may use your input to shape a draft Presidio Trust Implementation Plan (PTIP) and Environmental Impact Statement, to be published for public review and comment in the spring. However, we will continue to host public workshops on other Presidio programs and projects.
Again, we thank you for your support and input in 2000, and look forward to a successful conclusion to the PTIP planning effort this year.
PRESIDIO ORGANIZATION SPOTLIGHT
EDUCATE GIRLS GLOBALLY
Founder and President Lawry Chickering, Executive Director Natalie Freeburg and Board of Directors member Alvin Duskin lead Educate Girls Globally.
Why educate girls? Presidio- based Educate Girls Globally (EGG) was founded to advance a simple concept: the well- being of societies is greatly enhanced when resources are spent on girls’ education.
In developing countries, if girls are kept in school the birthrate falls, infant and family health and nutrition improve, and the economy strengthens. The benefits are spectacular if girls stay in secondary school, regardless of what is taught or whether family planning is advocated. In order to realize these benefits, it is necessary that schools are within walking distance, that most of the teachers are women, that lavatories are available, and that the families don’t incur additional costs.
In much of Asia and Africa one- half to two- thirds of adult women are illiterate. To date, literacy efforts focusing at the village level have tended to have only a tiny impact. EGG's mission is to impact whole countries, and this requires the recruitment of governments as active partners.
Two of EGG's staff are leaving their quarters in the Thoreau Center in early January to launch EGG's project in Pakistan, where the government supports girls' education as a way of addressing widespread poverty, rapid population growth, and a need for economic development.
EGG finds projects and creative educators who need seed money or bridge support, then promotes national replication of successful models. EGG does not ask simply, "How can we help these girls?" but rather "Can we participate in the transformation of this country by improving their programs to educate girls and encourage the literacy of women?"
To learn more about Educate Girls Globally, please e- mail npf@educategirls.org or call 415.561.2260.
PRESIDIO PROFILES – PETER EHRLICH
Presidio Forester Keeping Watch Over Park Trees
PETER EHRLICH HAS NEVER SEEN A TREE HE DIDN’T ADMIRE.
In May, the former Golden Gate Park forester was charged with extending the life of the Presidio’s century- old historic forest and implementing a plan for its longterm revitalization.
Ehrlich is keenly aware that the thousands of trees in the Presidio hold an almost mystical allure for park visitors.
“I realize why people have such an emotional attachment to the trees,” he says, “because I feel the same.”
CYCLE OF LIFE
Trees, like all living things, have a life cycle. The Presidio’s Monterey pines, Monterey cypress and eucalyptus, which at maturity range in height from 80 feet to 140 feet, are nearing the end of their natural life spans.
Ehrlich faced the same challenge working for 15 years as a reforestation expert at Golden Gate Park. Ultimately, he served as the Urban Forester for the entire San Francisco Recreation and Park Department.
“The forest at Golden Gate Park was of similar age and species composition,” says the U. C. Berkeley School of Forestry graduate. “I enjoy applying the knowledge I gained there to implement a reforestation program at the Presidio.”
A “GREEN” TOMORROW
When public safety is at issue, trees simply have to be removed, Ehrlich says. However, wherever possible, troubled trees are pruned to extend their lives and protect people and property.
When a tree cannot be saved, replacement through reforestation is often the best option. Pilot projects designed to renew and diversify the forest are expected to begin this year under a framework plan that, when adopted, will also guide the care and enhancement of the park's native plants and landscaped areas. Restoration pilot projects slated for 2001 will be presented for community review at a January 10 Public Planning Workshop ( see Events section ).
A TREE- LINED VISION
The Presidio’s forest was originally conceived by Major W. A. Jones, who in the 1880s drafted a forestation plan designed to protect the military post from harsh sea winds and make it appear larger and more imposing to potential invaders.
“If we do nothing, we could lose many of these trees over the next two or three decades,” says Ehrlich. “We’re committed to replanting and enhancing their life spans.”
One of Peter’s favorite trees, the Port Orford cedar, can be found just inside the Lombard Gate on a hillside near the intersection of Ruger and Sherman Streets. Says Ehrlich of his experience at Golden Gate Park, “Trees I planted in 1988 are now 40 feet tall. We can have that kind of success at the Presidio.
The Presidio’s Premiere Historic Building Gets A Dose Of Tender Loving Care
“It’s the social center of the post at the crossroads to the Orient, Hawaii, the Philippines, Cuba, Panama and Alaska.”
So it was written at the rededication of the Presidio Officers’ Club on August 17, 1934. The event capped a major remodeling effort that transformed the modest 1812 adobe structure into the Spanish Colonial Revival Style building that generations of military families and Bay Area residents have known and loved.
Sixty- seven years later, the sentiment is more true than ever as the “O” Club receives a repair and upgrade that will make a portion of one of the West Coast’s oldest buildings a museum- quality public exhibition space.
The Officers’ Club will soon be the venue for a major public exhibit featuring 18th and 19th century art and artifacts from the Russian State Historical Museum. The program, to debut this spring, will showcase the 1806 intersection of Spanish and Russian cultures at the Presidio, and will be the first in a new series of Presidio Trust- sponsored cultural exhibitions and programs serving park visitors. The exhibit will provide the last opportunity for the public to view the Russian treasures before they return to Moscow permanently in July.
In preparation, the Club is undergoing roof repairs, installation of new heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, and interior and exterior repainting, among other improvements.
“This is the first phase of a long- term effort to return the Officers’ Club to its former glory and to make it a space open to the public,” said the Presidio Trust’s Michael Couacaud. Couacaud managed the restoration of the Washington Monument before coming to the park.
Originally the Spanish Commandante’s residence, the Officers’ Club has seen many uses in its long life. The site is a primary basis for the Presidio’s National Historic Landmark status.
Watch the February Presidio Post for details about the upcoming exhibit “Unseen Treasures – Imperial Russia and the New World.”
January
Wednesday, January 10, 6 to 9 p. m.
Pilot Program Workshop
Learn how the Presidio Trust and the National Park Service plan to revitalize the Presidio’s forested areas, enhance native plant communities, and restore historic views this year. Meet at the Golden Gate Club. Call 415.561.5418 for details or directions.
Tuesday, January 23, 7: 30 p. m.
Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) Advisory Commission Meeting
Please note that for the month of January the Advisory Commission will meet at the Presidio’s Golden Gate Club (135 Fisher Loop), NOT the Upper Fort Mason Center. For details or directions, please call 415.561.4733.
February
Beginning February 10, 2001
Behind the Screen: Making Motion Pictures and Television
This major exhibit explores the science and craft of moving images and their production. The program is free with admission to the Exploratorium. Visit www. exploratorium. edu for details.
Tuesday, February 13, 7 p. m.
Restoration Advisory Board Meeting
The Restoration Advisory Board acts as a focal point for the exchange of information and concerns on environmental cleanup activities at the Presidio. Meet at the Golden Gate Club. For additional information, call 415.561.5323.
Wednesday, February 14, 4: 30 to 6 p. m.
Presidio Valentine’s Day Walk
International intrigue, tragedy, even the makings for California’s first divorce. Learn about love Presidio- style on this 1- mile walk. Meet at the flagpole near the intersection of Arguello Boulevard and Moraga Avenue on the Main Post. Call 415.561.4323 for reservations.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary SEALS Program
Presidio- based Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary needs volunteers to help conduct a yearround study to protect the harbor seals in Bolinas Lagoon. Orientation sessions will be held throughout January. Volunteers will be trained on Tuesdays and Thursdays from February 1 to March 10, 2001. To learn more, call 415.561.6625.
Comment On The Proposed Presidio Trust Vision Statement
The following statement outlines a proposed view of the Presidio's future, from the perspective of the Presidio Trust Board of Directors. This draft Vision Statement is excerpted from the Presidio Trust Implementation Plan Conceptual Alternatives Workbook, published in November 2000. The Workbook in its entirety is available at www.presidiotrust.gov or by calling 415.561.5414.
The Presidio of San Francisco, one of America's cultural and natural treasures, is a unique park within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Congress decreed that the former army post is to be managed and operated in a manner that will both project its great natural, historic, scenic, cultural, and recreational resources and cause it to be financially self- sufficient. The Presidio comprises the beginnings of a dynamic community as it changes from post to park and looks to a future bright with opportunity and promise. The Presidio Trust will create an inclusive global center dedicated to excellence and innovation, distinctive in its programs of education, research, learning, culture, history, arts, and environmental sustainability.
Long both a destination and a gateway, the Presidio now stands ready to contribute to the 21st century and beyond, fostering a wide range of new journeys and experiences. The Presidio will become a special destination. Its diverse community of tenants, organizations, and residents, working together, will demonstrate excellence, new solutions, and models in resource management and in environmental, cultural, and economic sustainability. At this beautiful site, they will support and offer diverse programs to park visitors. The Presidio Trust will preserve and enhance the Presidio's natural, historic, scenic, and recreational resources, and offer a wide range of opportunities for recreation, reflection, and personal renewal.
LET’S HEAR FROM YOU!
Send your comments to: PTIP Presidio Trust, c/ o John Pelka
34 Graham Street P. O. Box 29052 San Francisco, CA 94129- 0052
ptip@ presidiotrust. gov
THE PRESIDIO TRUST
34 Graham Street
P.O. Box 29052
San Francisco
California 94129- 0052
Voice: 415.561.5300
Fax: 415.561.5315
Library Hours:
Weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
415.561.5343