And Furthermore... Another Reponse From Rec And Park

Well, all I can say is Thank You Mother Nature.   She cried some tears onto the Bison Paddock the last few mornings.  Hopefully it will see some new sprouts this coming week.

I got a follow-up reply to my last response to the Rec and Park's nonsense that the Zoo is responsible for the enclosure.  I'm sorry, I know it sounds bitchy, but if a PR department is going to make a statement in regards to department policy, they need to get their facts straight before doing so.  I have zero patience for incompetence at most  levels, but especially at that level or any other when dealing with Animal issues.

Here is the most recent exchange, and possibly the last.  I think I'm done for now.  Gotta move on.

Their response to my last reply...

Again the Rec and Park have worded their statement to make it seem like this is on the Zoo.  It is not.  

My reply...

At this point, I feel that I have done all I can do to bring public awareness to this issue.  I have written about this issue, I have contacted all the appropriate entities in the Rec and Park and City, and I have made a Petition.  It is now up to the Zoo to make sure the Rec and Park hold up their part of the agreement.  Let's see if RecParkSF Manager Phil Ginsburg and RecParkSF Commission President Mark Buell can manage to do that.

I do not for one moment believe that this "irrigation" issue is new.  This is a long standing issue.  The Paddock has been left to dry out the majority of the last many years, with exception of those few months during the 150th celebration for the Park.  

Here is a video I took in October 2021

https://youtu.be/QCYKAn18Bhc

As I noted in my previous post, the sprinklers in the back meadow are working just fine.  So, Why haven't they been on daily to reinvigorate that dried vegetation?  The Bison are rotated to that meadow, so that meadow needs attention as well.  If there is an issue with "irrigation" in the front meadow, then that back meadow should have been consistently maintained with green vegetation, so the Bison had something to graze on while the "irrigation" in the front meadow is fixed.  The negligence is clear.  The ass-covering is clear.  

The Rec and Park need to fix the current issues, and stay on top of any future issues.  Not wait months, or even years to show it attention.  And not wait for the Zoo to call attention to it.  They have Gardeners who should be attending to both meadows in the Paddock at the first sign of dry-out.  

At this moment in time, those sprinklers, front and back need to be on daily to rectify this dry-out until green is restored.  Additionally, with the climate warming more each year, moving forward, the "timer" system needs to be adjusted to reflect that hydration need.

When I drove by Thursday morning, I saw a gardener going into the Paddock.  I don't know how long the Zoo has been in talks with the Rec and Park about this, but the timing of my efforts and this now being given attention is curious.  The question on my mind is, How long has the Zoo been asking the Rec and Park about the no watering issue?   The Paddock has been consistently dry for over a year.  Has the Rec and Park been questioned for that long?  They have certainly been ignoring the Bison Paddock needs, have they also been ignoring requests to fix this issue?

Bottom line.  The San Francisco Recreation and Park Dept, needs to pay attention to the Bison Paddock as much as they do the rest of the Park.  They already shirk their "management" responsibility to the Zoo (which I'll detail in a future post), as if it is not part of their Department.  The Bison are actually IN the Park.  The neglect to the Bison Paddock has not drawn the attention of just myself, everyone has seen the dry-out for years.   It is Shameful.

Original Post (contains link follow-up posts and to Petition)...

https://iamnotananteater.blogspot.com/2022/06/petition-to-rec-and-park-city-of-san.html