Gather ‘Round the Fire
By Dane Larson

Writer’s note: Yes, it’s been awhile since I last rambled on. About two years, in fact. What can I say? Sorry, I guess. No, I did not move inland. And no, I did not suffer some horrible calamity or a life-changing head injury. I suppose I was just busy working on other “projects,” which I’d be proud to say include a forthcoming Hollywood movie and television pilot on surfing in California, if in fact they did, but unfortunately they don’t. Sigh. I did, however, manage to work on a couple of books and write a series of magazine articles, and that’ll have to do for now. While I won’t make any promises, I will try to write regular dispatches for the foreseeable future. Try. -DL

Let’s all gather ‘round and talk about bonfires, a very hot (sorry) topic these days in San Francisco. The Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) has proposed a ban on all fires at Ocean Beach, potentially to begin May 1, 2006, with a public comment period happening as we speak. Currently bonfires are limited to the beach area between Fulton and Lincoln Streets, a policy that was implemented in 2004. Prior to that, fires were allowed along the entire stretch of Ocean Beach.

The issue has proven a controversial one, and the San Francisco surf community appears split. Initially it seemed surfers opposed the ban (defending their right to “burn” so to speak), but many recently have come out in favor of it, concerned that bonfires result in more trash on the beach, increased hazards from broken glass and nails, and so on. While I sympathize with this view and agree that the fires have the potential to cause the aforementioned problems, I wholeheartedly oppose the ban, and, as you might expect, I’ll tell you why, responding to some of the criticisms in the process.

Bonfires don’t cause problems, people do. While it’s easy to point to fires on the beach as the source of a number of urban beach ills, the reality is that these same problems exist whether or not the fires are allowed. What the GGNRA fails to address or even acknowledge is that many of the individuals who come and trash the beach don’t understand the harm that they cause. Once more, unless they are somehow educated, they’ll trash the beach whether they’re sitting around a fire or not.

There are much bigger issues here, and those include lack of infrastructure and education. There aren’t proper facilities at Ocean Beach, because for years the city and various parks departments have refused to acknowledge and invest in a valuable asset that’s right under their noses: A wilderness beach that has been spared from major development, even though it borders an internationally renowned city.

For starters, the city and GGNRA could place trashcans on the beach and implement a garbage and recycling program. The San Francisco chapter of the Surfrider Foundation has for years pushed the GGNRA to do just that, and has continually been stonewalled. The GGNRA’s rationalization? That placing trash cans on the beach will encourage people to bring more trash with them to the beach in the first place. Right-now that’s backwards logic if I’ve ever heard it.

The city and parks departments could also consider placing temporary fire pits on the beach during peak months. Santa Cruz does this on its beaches each year, and it helps keep bonfires and fire debris contained to small areas. Seems sensible to me.

A ban won’t likely be enforced. Currently, even though fires are limited to between Fulton and Lincoln Streets, every weekend there are still fires up and down the beach. The city and GGNRA either do not have the resources or choose not to expend them to fully regulate the current system. A total ban will simply penalize those who choose to abide by the rules, while the law breakers would continue to have fires. I would venture a guess that the latter group is the same subset of individuals who also trash the beach.

A sensible regulation plan will greatly improve the situation. Implementing an advance permitting system, for example, will require people to plan in advance, and offer an opportunity to educate individuals on low impact beach use. Additionally, permitting could serve as an enforcement tool, deterring individuals from causing problems because their information would be registered with the GGNRA as part of the process. There would be recourse.

Placing garbage cans and temporary fire pits on the beach will help keep bonfires and their subsequent debris limited to select areas, and help prevent dangerous debris such as glass and nails from getting strewn across the sand. Regulating both the location of bonfires, as well as potentially scheduling the time of year they are allowed to occur, would help the city and GGNRA minimize the impact that fires have on the beach.

Education is the key. The beach presents a unique challenge in terms of park management. It attracts urban users who often wouldn’t use parkland otherwise, and therefore, they are less likely to be environmentally aware. Bonfires or not, there are numerous opportunities to increase education, including improved beach signage, educational materials at local businesses (where people buy their firewood, for example), and general public awareness campaigns. Additionally, a permitting system could include educational information as part of the process.

In the end, there’s no reason that we can’t implement sensible policies that will still allow for beach bonfires, while greatly minimizing their impact. The solutions to beach management are straightforward, and there are plenty of examples of successful programs in place in neighboring beach communities. Indeed, the real issue here isn’t whether or not bonfires should be allowed at Ocean Beach, but whether the GGNRA and city are willing to allocate the proper resources towards beach management and environmental education.

Get some waves. – DL

Let GGNRA know your opinion during the current public comment period, which runs through April 15th by going to http://www.saveoceanbeach.org.

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