Bulletins from Save McLaren Park

What do we have with McLaren Park? What will we lose?

John McLaren Park is an enchanted bit of country in the City, offering a welcome respite from the rush of urban life. Run with your dog over meandering trails, watch hawks soar above, listen to arias of birdsong as you stroll through small forests and rolling grasslands or simply find a secluded spot to relax and ponder the world.

Over half of McLaren Park's 317 acres have been developed for a variety of activities. A golf course, soccer and baseball fields, tennis and basketball courts, playgrounds, picnic areas, an amphitheater, a large off-leash dog area, parking lots and clubhouses are available and well used.

Now, a relatively untamed region of western McLaren Park larger than several football fields is being considered for the installation of a new 18-hole disc golf course.

If this happens, more of McLaren's natural environment will be diminished: tree limbs will be stripped, ground cover trampled. Nesting areas and animal habitats will be reduced. Concrete tee pads will be poured and wood chips spread far and wide. These effects have already been observed at the disc golf course in Golden Gate Park.

 Though hikers and other park goers will technically still have access to this unique natural area, over time the course will come to be used exclusively by players because other park users do not feel safe with discs flying past them at highway speeds.

What will be lost if we destroy McLaren's last untrammeled areas? How do you value such a loss for park lovers now and generations to come? How do you quantify such a loss? How do you decide what is worth preserving and what is not?

Please, explore McLaren Park's history. Read about disc golf in other places. Review concerns of other local groups. Learn more about us, and help us keep the wild wonder of McLaren Park available for all.