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San Francisco, CA 94124
Phone: 415-282-6840
Fax: 415-282-6839
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Heron's Head ParkRestoring San Francisco's Most Unique Wetland through Community Stewardship  Heron's Head Park (formerly known as Pier 98) is a 24-acre restored wetland, that is owned and operated by the Port of San Francisco and situated at the base of the Hunters Point Power Plant. Heron's Head is a unique environment in that it is built on landfill, but is now a thriving marsh that is maintained primarily by youth and community volunteers. More than 1,200 student volunteers serve as primary caretakers of the park each year. They help to plant native plant species, weed non-natives, and clean and maintain the wild areas of the park. Heron's Head Park supports over 78 species of birds annually, and is an important rest stop for migratory birds along the Pacific Flyway. Programs:
All LEJ programs are free to public school and youth groups. We follow the standard
project-based learning format:
Educational Programs for Your K-12 School and Youth Group Heron's Head Park Programs are designed to promote a sense of place and, ultimately, community stewardship in young program participants. This is achieved through both in-class and outdoors activities all focused around the themes of wetland restoration. Oftentimes, teachers combine a trip to Heron's Head Park with a neighborhood "toxic tour" through Hunters Point. LEJ offers a number of exciting, hands-on learning programs based in the Park including:
For more info contact: heronshead@lejyouth.org. Community Stewardship Days Community Stewardship or "work" days are held on the second Saturday of each month at Heron's Head Park. Download the schedule and directions here. If you would like to schedule a workparty for your group at another time please click here. History of Heron's Head Park In the past one hundred years approximately 90% of the San Francisco Bay's tidal wetland have disappeared due to the advance of development, and the creation of built environments through landfill. In the city of San Francisco newly established Heron's Head Park stands out as a model for waterfront redevelopment, wetlands restoration, and habitat protection through community involvement. Formerly known as Pier 98, Heron's Head Park is a twenty-four acre wetland comprised of upland and tidal habitats, located at the northern base of the Hunters Point Peninsula. Once open water, Pier 98 was initially created as a bay fill project to be utilized as a Port-shipping terminal. As fate would have it, the project never materialized beyond filing in the Bay, and Pier 98 turned into a Brownfield site for several decades. Ironically, while Pier 98- the Brownfield- became another example of urban blight in the over industrialized and impoverished neighborhood of Hunters Point, Pier 98- the wetland- became a hidden ecological treasure buried at the foot of a Power Plant amongst forests of pampas grass, fennel, and endangered California natives. As nature took its course, the abandoned landfill became critical habitat for more than seventy-eight species of mostly migratory birds along the Pacific flyway and a variety of native and invasive plants. As of the early 90's the resulting salt marsh became one of only two remaining wetland habitats in the city and county of San Francisco. During the mid-nineties the Port of San Francisco began a collaborative process to redevelop Pier 98. Local residents and teachers advocated for the transformation of the area into a park as a means to provide open space for the surrounding under-served communities. Many teachers expressed the need for a safe environmental education space for their classes, similar to those in the wealthier Presidio District of the city. Amongst the advocates was a newborn environmental justice education organization called Literacy for Environmental Justice. In partnership with community-based and city entities it was decided that Pier 98 would become Heron's Head Park. Enthusiasm for Heron's Head Park was great from its beginnings. During the design phase of the project teachers began bringing their science classes to the site to study the impending transformation. Simultaneously LEJ had begun leading "toxic tours" of the surrounding neighborhood as a means to use the area as a case study for environmental justice and urban redevelopment initiatives. The Pier 98 waterfront project naturally fit into the tours as a hopeful stop along the way. By October of 1999, at the Heron's Head Grand Opening, LEJ has helped to direct more than 500 public school students to the newly established park. It became clear that Heron's Head Park was a unique place. As the only natural wetland area in southeast San Francisco local public schools and colleges were eager to utilize the spot as an outdoor classroom. Yet, these blossoming stewards would need to be organized. For two years the Port attempted to employ community members temporarily as park educators, but this sort of a part-time program presented challenges. During July 2000 the Port of San Francisco and LEJ entered into a formal partnership to maintain the Park. LEJ assumed responsibility for all of the community education and outreach programs at Heron's Head. The goal was to develop a comprehensive, community-led stewardship program for the growing wetland environment, which would introduce students of color to careers in the environment. LEJ began the new program by hiring Patrick Marley Rump, a local resident who had studied with the City College Habitat Restoration program as Park Coordinator. The next step involved creating a partnership with Americorps/ Urban Service Project to employ two young adults from the community to help lead stewardship programs under Patrick's guidance. In August 2000, Marshawn Weaver, a nineteen year old, and Antonio Arenas, twenty years old, began their training as the first Heron's Head Park educators. Oversight of the Park was organized into a Heron's Head Steering Committee led by LEJ, and made up of representatives from the Port of San Francisco, City College, the San Francisco League of Urban Gardeners, and Urban Service Project. In this way, Heron's Head became a collaborative project including city, federal, and community-based agencies, residents and youth. The strategy to build a young, diverse park staff was conscious. This was to be a means to develop energetic and culturally accurate outreach and education programs for the site. By hiring residents of the communities to be served, the staffing structure reflected programmatic goals. Most importantly, it demonstrated to the surrounding community that Heron's Head is THEIR park. Through this model LEJ engages more than 1,200 students and community volunteers at Heron's Head Park annually. Each year this provides close to 5000 hours in volunteer labor, approximately $50,000 as in-kind support for the Park. These community volunteers have been instrumental in removing hundreds of thousands of gallons of invasive plants and trash from the park, while planting thousands of native plants into the site. Today Heron's Head Park is primarily maintained by public student volunteers led by community -based educators. All of this community involvement has been critical to the success of the Port and LEJ's efforts to redevelop Pier 98 from a blighted landfill to a living classroom. Through this example of multi-lateral involvement, Heron's Head Park has become a model waterfront project that has restored a wetland while revitalizing a community. Toxicity at Heron's Head Park
There has been some, perhaps, well intended, but mis-guided information spread by a member of the public that Heron's Head is a public health hazard due to historical dumping at the site. After a series of costly toxicological studies funded by LEJ and the Port of San Francisco by an outside independent consultant we have found that there is absolutely no significant risk for recreational activities at the Park. Isn't that great news?! For a full presentation about the history of toxicological study at Pier 98/Heron's Head Park please click here. It's actually quite interesting! As a result of the history of Pier 98, combined with the raging popularity and success of Heron's Head as both a social and wildlife refuge, this is a Brownfield's remediation project that should be showcased across the nation as an example of what can be accomplished when government and community work together. Our dream is to expand this vision of waterfront restoration throughout the Southern waterfront of San Francisco. Join us! Support Heron's Head Park Our work is made possible through the support of generous individuals like YOU! Find out more about how you can support Heron's Head Park! |
