Efforts to link the Bay Area and the Central Valley by high-speed rail pull onto a technical siding Thursday as the High Speed Rail Authority rescinded its support of an environmental study for that part of the bullet train. The common rescission of the 2008 approval, which recognized the Pacheco Pass as the preferred route, was in response to an August court ruling that the environmental document was partially inadequate. Parts of it will need to be redone.


But how long it will take to fix the study, and move forward with the choice of a position between San Jose and Merced, is a matter of controversy. Rail right officials say it should take a few months - at most. But an attorney representing an environmental group, which attached with Atherton and Menlo Park in filing the suit, says the study shouldn't be rushed.

"It's very clear to us that you need to appreciate that there may be environmental impacts, impacts on habitat and enlargement impacts that could be avoid if you did things differently," said Gary Patton, special counsel for the preparation and protection League, which connected in filing the suit.


Patton likely it could take as long as a year to reconsider the study properly; and any rushed study, he said, would possible lead the sides back to court. The groups concerned in the lawsuit objected to the authority's selection of Pacheco Pass over Altamont Pass as the gateway to the Bay Area, and still consider it a superior choice, Patton said outside the meeting. He said the groups want the authority to completely reconsider their choice, which could steer them toward Altamont.

Quentin Kopp, a retired San Mateo County judge who sits on the power board, said the court ruling was a narrow choice that upheld the adequacy of most of the environmental study but said more work is needed in two areas. He said he expected that work to be done within 70 days.

The ruling, by Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Michael Kenny, establish that the environmental impact report did not adequately consider the segment between San Jose and Gilroy in light of the Union Pacific Railroad's stated resistance to sharing its right of way and did not sufficiently study the effects of vibration that would be caused by the fast trains.

Kenny determined in October that the authority did not need to halt planning work on the section while the environmental study was being redone. Consultant working for the authority are studying specific alignments for the rail route.

The U.S will suggest a near-term emission decrease target at the U.N. Type of weather change summit in Copenhagen next month, a senior management official said Monday. President Obama will announce the aim "in coming days," the official said. The statement of a target will take the current legislative stalemate over a climate bill into account, the senior official said, and thus might present a range of possible reduction rather than a single figure.

The lack of agreement in Congress puts Obama in a tricky domestic and diplomatic bind. He cannot promise to the world more than Congress may finally deliver when it takes up type of weather change legislation next year. But if he does not offer some concrete pledge, the United States will bear the brunt of the blame for the lack of an international agreement.

The official also said the leader would decide shortly whether and for how long he might attend the December climate meeting. He frequent Obama's declaration that he would consider presence if his presence could be a useful impetus to a deal. The official spoke at a White House briefing under the condition that he not be recognized.

The management has so far resisted demands that it commit to a specific goal for reducing emissions, saying it could not pre-empt Congress. China, the world's largest emitter of climate-altering gases, has also refused to spell out plans for reducing emissions, although President Hu Jintao promised in September that his country would decrease the amount of emissions per unit of economic output by a "notable margin." Many observers expect China to deliver a more exact pledge before the Copenhagen meeting.

Obama has come under criticism from leaders of dozens of countries that have already set domestic greenhouse gas lessening targets. He is also under fire from numerous environmental advocates who say the United States, the world's second-largest emitter, must take a credible commitment to Copenhagen to ensure that the talks do not fall apart.

The House approved a measure in June that calls for a 17 percent decrease over 2005 levels of house emissions. A Senate committee passed a bill last month that sets a 20 percent target, but that is likely to be weakened in future discussions.

Obama and leaders of a number of other major countries have said the Copenhagen discussion will not yield a full binding treaty to address global warming. Instead, the more than 190 nations represent there are expected to produce an interim agreement that addresses the major issues without requiring approval or international enforcement.

A collection of businessmen on Monday launch a coalition to advise the federal government to make a major investment in electric transportation, pointing to electric cars as the top way to confront the nation's dependence on imported oil.


Top executive with more than a dozen companies, as well as Nissan Motor Co., FedEx Corp., electric utility PG&E Corp. and battery developers A123 Systems Inc. and Johnson Controls-Saft, announce the formation of the Electrification Coalition to lay the foundation for millions of electric cars to reach U.S. highways.

Issuing a lengthy plan to electrify the nation's fleet, the coalition urged Congress to pass a series of tax credits and loan guarantee to bring 14 million electric cars to the road by 2020 and more than 100 million by 2030. The group envisions a network of electric vehicles in 6 to 8 cities in the short term and growth across the country, making 75 percent of all vehicle miles travel powered by electricity by 2040.

"There's no pie-in-the-sky here," said Frederick Smith, FedEx's chairman, president and CEO. "It's simply a matter of group, a matter of will and a matter of execution." participant, though, recognized that the proposal would be expensive and would require a major commitment from Congress. The group's blueprint would cost more than $120 billion over eight years and encourage tax credits for the fitting of advanced batteries, loan guarantees for the retooling of plants, and tax credits for public charging station and home charging equipment.


"Ultimately the customer will make the decision about where this country goes, but from the point of view of public policy we can set the stage for it," said Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., who joined the group for its statement.

Nissan President and CEO Carlos Ghosn said the auto manufacturing was working quickly to expand zero-emissions cars in response to concerns about oil security, tighter emissions requirements in the United States and elsewhere and a public thirst for choice vehicles not tied to petroleum.

Ghosn said the world market of 600 million vehicles is likely to expand to 2.5 billion vehicles in 2050 with the growth in vehicle purchasing in rising nations such as China and India, making electric cars a must. Nissan is release the Leaf, an all-electric car, in limited statistics next year and plans to put the vehicle into mass-production globally in 2012.

Caltrans, working together with the CHP has decided to slow traffic down across the new S-curve on the Bay Bridge, by closing one to two lanes of the Bay Bridge's upper and lower decks during off-peak hours.

The lane closures are intended to warn and slow vehicles approaching the S-curve to the posted 35 MPH speed. CHP officers will also be on duty enforcing the speed limits on the bridge.


Caltrans officials say this won't cause any traffic jams because the lanes will only be closed during off-peak hours.

The lane closure on the westbound deck will start past the toll plaza and will extend through the Yerba Buena Island tunnel. The eastbound lane closure will start at the center anchorage of the West Span and will end just past the Yerba Buena Island detour.


The off-peak hours are as follow:
Weekdays
Westbound: 12 p.m. - 3 p.m. and 11 p.m. - 5 a.m.
Eastbound: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. and 11 p.m. - 6 a.m.

Weekends
Westbound: 11 p.m. (Fri) - 7 a.m. (Sat) and 11 p.m. (Sat) - 9 a.m. (Sun)
Eastbound: 11 p.m. (Fri) - 8 a.m. (Sat) and 11 p.m. (Sat) - 9 a.m. (Sun)

Other safety actions include install additional 35 MPH signs, reflective striping on the barrier rails and radar signs that tell motorists how fast they are driving.

The S-curve is a temporary detour on the Bay Bridge put in place during Labor Day weekend 2009 to reroute traffic around building of the new East Span near Yerba Buena Island.

The spot has been plagued by more than 40 accidents since then, including a fatal crash this week in which the truck driver plummeted over the side of the span. CHP investigators say speed appears to be a factor in the crash.

The speed limit on the Bay Bridge is 50 MPH, but that is reduced to 40 MPH on the S-curve; drivers of large trucks are urged to drive 35 MPH or less on the S-curve.

At this time, Caltrans has not determined for how long the lane closures will occur.

Caltrans must go decisively to get better traffic safety on the Bay Bridge, where half events weren't enough to prevent a fatal accident on tricky stretch of road. The skid marks at the start of the new westbound S-curve tell the story: This danger zone is catching drivers off guard.

Drivers need to slow down on a slalom course of temporary roadway, where a motor vehicle driver died when his rig shot over the side and plummeted 200 feet to Treasure Island in the predawn hours Monday. Since Sept. 8 when the S-curve section was put in use, 40-plus accidents have occurred on the football-field length of pavement.

Caltrans has posted illuminated warning signs and a summary speed limit from 50 to 35 mph in the area. But before Monday's fatal incident, the string of accidents should have motivated Caltrans to try additional safety steps. Drivers, who ignored the go-slow advisories, need more clear warnings. The signs are too late and too subtle.

Bridge planners must reorganize how to handle the bridge's heavy weight of 260,000 drivers per day. It's a challenge made extra difficult by the need to finish building of an adjacent replacement span and merge it at the juncture where the dangerous S-curve is in use. Drivers will have to navigate this precarious stretch until the new span is connected in 2013.

Caltrans announced some minor adjustments Monday, including its plan to add reflective tape to the barriers along the S-curve and additional advisories on the westbound direction. The curve is not as much of a problem in the eastbound direction coming out of Yerba Buena Island, where most drivers tend to slow down for the tunnel. Those fixes may not be enough.

Our immediate concern is for the daily hazard created by the S-turn. Drivers need to be better warned, and speeders need to be cited. As we saw Monday, it can mean the difference between life and death.

The Bay Bridge is once again open to traffic - following six long days of urgent situation structural maintenance and hellish commutes - but it will most likely be shut down again in a few months for a permanent fix.

Richard Land, Caltrans chief engineer, said Monday afternoon that even as the repairs finished early that morning made the bridge safe for drivers, engineers were looking for "a better solution something more robust, better performing."

Until Monday, Caltrans (California Department of Transportation) official had steadfastly protected the design of their fix, which involved taking the force off a cracked eyebar that was establish during Labor Day weekend. That repair concerned install saddles above and below the cracked piece with four high-strength steel rods connecting them, and then worried to pull the weight away from the eyebar.


Caltrans engineers suspect that metal rubbing against metal, caused by high winds, cause two rods and a saddle to come crashing to the roadway last Tuesday. Their design to fix the problem was like to what they had fashioned over Labor Day weekend, but they added elements to prevent the metal-on-metal contact.

"This is a provisional fix," Land said, "but a long-term answer might be desired. Right now the plan is not to keep the present strategy in place for the long term."Caltrans engineers will study suggested repairs over the next couple of months in search of a plan that will be as strong as the current fix but need less monitoring and maintenance as the repair just install.

Instead of designing the long-term repair under time pressure, with the bridge closed and commuters fuming, Caltrans would plan the work and schedule a closure, perhaps in four to five months, Land said. The length of the conclusion would depend on the repair chosen. The options include replace the eyebar, a huge responsibility that could involve replace several eyebars, which join like a chain.

For the time being, Caltrans official said they added a number of "enhancements" to stop metal-on-metal contact, to prevent wind and bridge feelings from causing the rods to move, and to prevent the piece of the repair from falling to the bridge deck if they should fail again.

They spent much of the time adjusting the position and configuration of the metal piece to assure they were not rubbing. Plans that monitor stress and movement have been added, and Caltrans crews will check on the repairs daily for at least two weeks.

Customs and Border Protection seized more than a few pounds of opium on Tuesday at package delivery ability in Oakland, Calif.

CBP officers conduct examination of international cargo experimental anomaly in two packages arriving from Thailand. Opium, wrapped in plastic and concealed inside false walls of drums, was found in a shipment destined for Northern California. More than 22 pounds (approximately 10,261 grams) of opium was discovered.


Opium, derived from poppy plant secretion, is a Schedule II narcotic, which contains morphine. The morphine is extracted from the opium and used to create heroin. Heroin is an illegal, highly addictive drug, and its use is a serious problem in America. It is both the most abused and most rapidly acting of the opiates.

Assistant Director of Field Operation for San Francisco Leticia Romero said, "In addition to our primary role of preventing terrorists and terrorism-related articles from entering the U.S., CBP takes active measures to interdict narcotics at the gateways to our country."

Mayor Gavin Newsom envisions Market road without cars and without the nearly dozen Muni bus lines and the historic F-line. The City is in the middle of a six-month trial that aim at warning the amount of private automobiles on the major thoroughfare, and the mayor says that if the data backs it up, he favors an development of the vehicle ban and also moving toward remove Muni from the street.


The present vehicle ban trial begins Sept. 29 and auto traveling eastbound on Market avenue have been compulsory to make right turn at Sixth and Eighth street. The travel measures have been joined with other revitalization pains along the mid-Market stretch, as well as sidewalk seating, landscaped street medians, replanted trees, revamped transit station entrances and a series of art installation, with those placed in abandoned storefronts.

One plan he said, is to reroute Muni to Mission road or another nearby street so that Market Street could be transformed into a place solely for cyclists and pedestrians, and include such amenities as tables and chairs in the center of the street. Newsom said the plan is a long way from actuality, but said the present test on Market Street could lay the groundwork.

"That's not being contemplated in the immediate term, but data collection will afford us the chance to determine if that’s a viable option," he said. The decision is still out on the impact of restrict cars on Market Street, particularly for business, said Carolyn Diamond, decision-making director of the Market Street Association.


"We're still kind of waiting for the data on that," she said. Diamond and others are on-board with car limits, so long as the idea remains a trial. However, the response to banning Muni on Market Street established more skepticism.

"I think a lot of people would be upset," she said. "I can't imagine Mission Street being capable of conduct all that traffic." Tom Radulovich, founder of Livable City, said he's for revamping Market and Mission Street, saying neither "has worked very well for transit, bicycle, pedestrians or even private cars for decades."

However, there is concern about the convenience of transfer from the many surface buses that run along Market Street to underground streetcars and BART, Radulovich said. Banning buses on Market Street was pitched as an idea in the 1970s when the subway was build under the street, said Jim Lazarus, public policy director for the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce.

While he supports the current trial, Lazarus says The City wants to study traffic on nearby streets as well as Market." You can't deal with Market Street without dealing with Mission , and you can’t deal with Mission without dealing with Folsom, Howard, and Harrison ," Lazarus said.

Market and Muni

• 5 months Time before new car limits may be added to Market Street
• $167 Minimum fine for failing to obey traffic limits on Market Street
• 3 miles whole length of Market Street
• 12 Muni lines that run on Market Street

Now that a new Muni study has exposed that almost 1 in 10 riders may be rudely riding the city's buses and streetcars for free - costing the cash-strapped agency an estimated $19 million a year in lost revenue - San Francisco Supervisor and mayoral wannabe Bevan Dufty has called for a City Hall hearing on the Police Department's bus check program.

Dufty also plans to focus on violent crime aboard Muni, which has captured public notice with several high-profile incidents, among them the beating of an 18-year-old actor, the stabbing of an 11-year-old boy and the argument between two women fighting over a seat on a bus that became a local YouTube hit.

The bus check program requires SFPD patrol officers to ride Muni at least two times a shift. Muni has a divide team of fare-inspection officers.

"News reports about continued violence on Muni and estimates that up to $19 million is lost every year due to fare avoidance, I look forward to hearing from the Police Department and Muni about the bus inspection program," Dufty said. He listed a hearing earlier than the City Operations and Neighborhood Services Committee at 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 9

A ribbon-cutting rite for a bridge on an 8-mile section of the Bay Trail in South San Francisco will be held at noon today.

The complete Bay Trail, which is administer by the Association of Bay Area Governments, consists of 500 miles of a continuous shoreline pathway around the Bay Area, of which 296 miles have been finished.


The conclusion of the bridge on the eight-mile segment in South San Francisco will present employees and residents with recreational opportunities as well as the facility to walk from the San Francisco International Airport to Brisbane.

The South San Francisco Scavenger Company and HCP joined to fund the bridge at a cost of $1.2 million.

Access to the ribbon-cutting ceremony is obtainable via the Bay Trail or by parking in the Alexandria Building parking lot at 450 East Jamie Court and taking a shuttle.

Twenty years past the Loma Prieta earthquake shook movable a 250-ton section of the Bay Bridge, state transport officials vowed Monday to the long-planned substitution span will be built to improve withstand a main temblor. "When the bridge is total, it's going to be one of the majority seismically higher structures in the world," Caltrans spokesman Bart Ney said.


On Monday, Caltrans at large a computer-generated simulation of how the new East Bay segment of the bridge - set to be completed in 2013 - is likely to respond when jolted by a big quake. The imitation can be view at tr.im/BAa2. In the depiction, the bridge sways and undulates, moving with the earth's rumbling rather than resisting it. Imagine an undersea kelp forest pushed and pulled by a strong tide. The beams connecting different sections of the bridge are planned to take up the earthquake energy and protect the main arrangement. The damaged beams then can be swapped out.

The soaring 525-foot-tall tower of the designed self-anchored suspension span on the East Bay portion of the Bay Bridge will be held up by four steel legs, each able to move separately. The legs will be linked by consumable shock-absorbing beams. The unique East Bay span, which is crossed by about 280,000 cars and trucks a day and has undergone a temporary retrofit, was built to handle about 4 inches of motion. The single-deck substitute span is planned to be able to move at least 39 inches, said Marwan Nader, senior associate of the firm T.Y. Lin International, which helped design the project.


When the 6.9 magnitude Loma Prieta earthquake struck 20 years ago this week, the shaking snapped off a 50-foot-long section of the upper deck of the Bay Bridge’s eastern span, and it not working onto the lower deck. One driver died. The bridge was closed for a month, choking off one of the Bay Area's busiest transportation arteries.

The new bridge is designed to keep it standing in the largest plausible earthquake to occur within a 1,500-year period. Those calculations don't specify a quake of a certain size. Rather, engineers factored in projected ground motion emanating from various epicenters. "It will be one of the safest places to be in an earthquake," Ney said.

Bridge officials said the roadway may buckle in a major earthquake and get knocked out of alignment, rendering it temporarily impassible. But if the overall structure remains intact, as expected, Caltrans crews would lay down steel plates right away to make the bridge usable for emergency vehicles before it is repaired for public use.

Retrofit work on the San Francisco portion of the bridge has been finished. New bolts and braces, extra steel, a new bearing system and other upgrades were put in place to make it less susceptible to collapse.

The Bay Bridge project now is estimated to cost $6.3 billion and won't be over until 2013 - 2 1/2 decades after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Ney said there is an upside to the long delay: Advances have been made in seismic engineering and bridge-building resources. "What we're building here," Ney said, "is an icon - not something that's built once in a generation, but once."

The California High Speed Rail Authority does not have to stop planning while it correct deficiency in an environmental impact report, a Greater Court judge in Sacramento determined Thursday.

Judge Michael Kenny's tentative ruling found that the current work would not harm the environment or prevent the ability from adhering to his August ruling in a lawsuit filed by Atherton, Menlo Park and four ecological groups opposed to running trains from the Central Valley over the Pacheco Pass and up the Peninsula to San Francisco.


The August choice found that portions of the environmental analysis for the proposed route were inadequate. Unless Kenny is swayed by arguments during a hearing this afternoon, it will become final.

Stuart Flashman, an Oakland attorney representing the cities and environmental groups, said he will argue that the authority and the judge misinterpreted the law. Jeff Barker, a deputy director of the authority, said the tentative decision benefits the authority, which is difficult to get the high-speed rail system on track."The fact that we would not have to stop work is very important," he said.

After an especially strong breeding season, the sea lions are not only booming, they are crowd into commercial fishing harbor, and spark a turf war at public beach. "One bump against me three times, then he went and nipped my little toe," San Francisco swimmer Sarah McCusky told FOX News.

But it's no amused matter for Bay Area fishermen who protest the thousand-pound mammals are damage docks and overcrowding their boats."They take over berths and make it hard for fishermen to get to their boats, and really make it tough for people to do their jobs," Peter Dailey, Deputy Director of the Port of San Francisco, told FOX News.


The Port of San Francisco policy to make the docks sea lion-proof, installing 200-feet of mesh rubber barricade. And if that doesn't work, there are additional options.

"There are humane ways you can make their lives unhappy. You can be like a noisy neighbor, you can turn on loud music, you can have lights flashing on them, you can hose them down," Dailey told FOX News.

The birds are protected under federal law and as Sarah McCusky points out, they were there first. But she and other swimmers don't feel entirely safe in the water with half-ton carnivores.


"I think it's made us all a little bit more anxious about exactly where we will swim to," McCusky said.One cause for hope? Crab season starts soon, and scientists say that the arrival of more boats, noise, and dockside activity may pursuade these sea lions to leave on their own.

Nancy Pelosi released the follow statement in answer to the $11 million decided to the San Francisco International Airport under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act:


The Federal Aviation Administration's announcement today that it would allocate $11 million to San Francisco International Airport is encouraging news for the Bay Area. This money will be directed to the rehabilitation of Runway 1R – 19L, repairing deteriorating pavement, improving the surrounding drainage system, upgrading the electrical runway and taxiway lighting system, and repainting runway markings to increase visibility and improve security for aircraft on the airfield.


The project improves safety for the millions of domestic and international passengers who travel during this airport each year and creates a probable 65 jobs in the Bay Area. This is another example of how Congress swift action to pass the Recovery Act continues to create jobs and invest in America.

H1N1 swine flu is a latest influenza germ causing illness in public. It was initial found in public in April 2009. Swine flu has caused illness all over the earth, including San Francisco. For up-to-date information about H1N1 swine flu, please visit the Department of Public Health H1N1 swine flu.


Mitch Katz, MD, Director of Health, San Francisco Department of Public Health (DPH), earlier announced that the California Department of Public Health has established the first case of 2009 H1N1 Flu in a San Francisco occupant.

• Follow Interstate 580 west across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.
• Shortly after the bridge, take the Sir Francis Drake Blvd. exit (the second exit after the bridge).
• Follow Sir Francis Drake west approximately 22 miles (35 km) - passing through San Anselmo, Fairfax and Samuel P. Taylor State Park - until it intersects with Highway 1 at Olema.



• Turn right on Highway 1 and proceed north about 100 yards (100 m).
• Take the first left turn at Bear Valley Road and head west about 1/2 mile (0.8 km). Look for a big red barn on the left and a sign for Seashore information on the right.
• Turn left past the red barn and proceed up the driveway to the Bear Valley Visitor Center, the main park contact station.

Plane

San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose International Airports service the San Francisco Bay area.

Car


The Presidio can be reached from the north by crossing the Golden Gate Bridge (Highways 1 and 101); from the east by way of Lombard Street (Highway 101); and from the south via Highway 1.

Public Transportation
San Francisco Municipal Railway (MUNI) buses serve the Presidio via the 28, 29, 43 and 82X lines. Bus service from the North Bay to the Golden Gate Bridge toll plaza is available through Golden Gate Transit.

Fort Baker, the ninth and final "Post-to-Park" converstion in the Golden Gate National Parks, is a 335 acre former 1905 U.S. Army post located immediately north of the Golden Gate Bridge. This hidden gem of a site consists of over 25 historic army buildings clustered around a main parade ground, a sheltered harbor protected by a jetty, a number of historic gun emplacements, and trails and forested areas climbing gently up from San Francisco Bay.


Fort Baker features a hands-on children’s museum and learning center, the Bay Area Discovery Museum; a first-class lodge, Cavallo Point-the Lodge at the Golden Gate; an institution dedicated to dialog and action on global environmental issues, the Institute at the Golden Gate; as well as a very active U.S. Coast Guard station and a small yacht harbor.

A pilot plan to screen traveler airplane cargo for explosives will be launched later this summer at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).The Air Cargo Explosives Detection Pilot course, the effort will be conducted at SFO air cargo services under a collaboration between DHS’s Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate plus Transportation Security Administration (TSA).


The $30 million cargo explosives show pilot course will later be delayed to two other as yet unannounced – U.S. airports. The objective of the course is to value better the technical and operational issues related with explosives detection for air cargo. This work will provide critical information to help in making future decisions on the national air cargo security communications, as well as support in the research and growth planning to hold air cargo safety.

Additional agencies involved in the SFO pilot course will be the airport, air carriers, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the New Jersey-based Transportation Security Laboratory.

With the amount of air cargo undergoing screening due to rise substantially, the scientists will seek a better understanding of the economic impact of these changes on the air carriers and how they do business.The pilot course will focus on developing concept of operations for screening air cargo. Those concepts will be evaluated and checked to see whether they can be improved for use at other airports.


Work done in combination with the Transportation Security Laboratory will, in part, focus on developing a list of Work done in combination with the Transportation Security Laboratory will, in part, focus on developing a list of suitable screening techniques for different commodities and types of air cargo. The program will use currently offered commercial technology for screening air cargo. It is expected new ideas will be generated for where the department should invest its R&D resources to improve the technology.for different commodities and types of air cargo. The program will use currently offered commercial technology for screening air cargo. It is expected new ideas will be generated for where the department should invest its R&D resources to improve the technology.

To advance the field, the DHS is already funding the growth of new screening technologies for explosives, such as advanced X-ray systems that can screen entire pallets at once. Among the systems or techniques now used for baggage screening that will also be deployed at SFO for cargo screening are Explosive Detection Systems, Explosive Trace Detectors, and standard X-ray machines, as well as canine teams and manual inspections.

Data collected through this course will allow the research team to check the accuracy of computer models that will simulate the air cargo screening process at SFO, and can then be expanded to the entire airport and other airports.


The S&T Countermeasures Test Beds program provides DHS with an independent and objective testing capability. This program provides information about scientific, economic and operational issues associated with deploying technologies. Additionally, the program provides data to decision-makers as to which technologies are suitable for different missions.

In festival of the 100th birthday of the National Park Service in 2016, America invites the world to notice the meaning of national parks to their lives and inspires people to both practice and become faithful to these special places.

On August 25, 2006 - the 90th birthday of the National Park Service – Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne launched the National Park Centennial Initiative to plan national parks for another century of maintenance, preservation and pleasure. Since then the National Park Service asked citizens, park partners, and experts and other stakeholders what they envisioned for a second century of national parks.


A nationwide sequence of more than 40 listening sessions produced more than 6,000 comments that helped to shape five centenary goals. The goals and vision were accessible to President Bush and to the American people on May 31st in a report called The Future of America’s National Parks.

Every national park staff took their lead from this report and shaped local centennial strategies to describe their vision and desired accomplishments by 2016. This is just the 1st year, and there are many great things to come as the National Park Service prepares to celebrate 100 years!

To keep up with the Centennial Initiative and to knowledge the interactive story of The Future of America’s National Parks.

MUNI Bus and Cable Car Routes. For MUNI information call 415/673-MUNI(6864)

To Visitor Center, Museum Building, Aquatic Park, and Hyde Street Pier:
#19 Polk
#30 Stockton
#42 Downtown Loop
#47 Van Ness/Potrero
#49 Van Ness/Mission
F Market Historic Streetcar
Powell-Hyde Street Cable Car


To the Maritime Library Laguna Street Entrance (Lower Fort Mason):
#28 19th Avenue

Cast in 1679 in Lima, Peru, the 8-pound San Francisco bears the coat of arms of Don Baltasar de la Cueva Henriquez y Saaverdra, 24th Viceroy of Peru.


Originally emplaced at the Castillo de San Joaquin to guard the San Francisco Bay, the cannon was subsequently moved to Sonoma at the request of the Mexican Governor of Alta California. On July 20, 1846, Captain Montgomery of the U.S.S. Portsmouth sent a military detachment to retrieve the cannon and return it to the Presidio.

The 2009 United States Mint Proof Set® contains 18 coins, each bearing the "S" mint mark of the United States Mint at San Francisco.


Included in this set are four Presidential $1 Coins honoring past Presidents of the United States: William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, James K. Polk and Zachary Taylor; the six quarter-dollar coins honoring the District of Columbia and the five U.S. territories: Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands; the four Lincoln Bicentennial One Cent Coins recognizing the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth; a new Native American $1 Coin; and the Jefferson nickel, Roosevelt dime and Kennedy half-dollar.

The vast San Francisco Bay and Delta region of California is placed at the union of Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. It is often referred to as the San Francisco Bay estuary. Since the detection of gold in the Sierra Nevada foothills in 1848, this area has undergone rapid, large-scale, and permanent changes driven by population migration involved to the region's natural setting and economic opportunities. The consequent land use changes, particularly urbanization, have resulted in the loss of wetlands, alteration of freshwater inflows, contamination of water, sediments and biota, and declines of fish and wildlife species.


The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has maintained a broad program of multi-disciplinary research studies, both basic and useful, in the San Francisco Bay estuary and its watershed. The studies help us understand the point and impact of these changes, as they also help decision-makers use science to help mitigate adverse things. USGS studies often are conducted in cooperation with other Federal, State, and local agencies, and have been planned to increase our understanding of main issues. These issues include waste disposal, water flow management, harbor/channel dredging, wetland restoration, food web processes, exotic species impacts, natural hazards mitigation, and maintaining quality of life.

"Access USGS-San Francisco Bay & Delta" was created to help distribute this information via the World Wide Web. Here you will find examples of USGS publications, posters, maps, and other information on the San Francisco Bay & Delta region from many disciplines.

Build to protect undersea minefields laid external the Golden Gate, this Endicott-era battery was and completed and arm in 1904. Fortifications included four 6-inch guns mounted on dying carriages; these guns had a range of nine miles and could fire at the rate of two rounds per minute. The unique guns were dismounted in 1917 for use in World War I, but the battery was customized to receive two 6-inch guns on simple barbette carriages in 1920. During World War II, the Sixth Coast Artillery Regiment manned the two guns at Battery Chamberlin, which were placed under camouflage netting to deter possible air attack. In 1948, the Coast Artillery Corps was deactivated, the battery disarmed, and the guns scrapped.


Battery Chamberlin named in honor of head Lowell A. Chamberlin, First Artillery, who served with difference in the Civil War and remained an artillery officer until the 1890's. He died in 1899.


In 1977, the National Park Service traditional a 6-inch gun and failing carriage from the Smithsonian organization and installed them in gun emplacement No. 4. Demonstrations of this 50-ton rifle-similar to the original armament are conducted on the first Saturday and Sunday of each month from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. An underground cartridge room also is open for inspection and contains photos and small exhibits on the coastal defenses of San Francisco. Battery Chamberlin is located at the north end of the Baker Beach parking lot.

The San Francisco Air value Resource group is developing a car free tourism website for visitors to San Francisco. Many visitors to San Francisco select to drive while plentiful public transportation options exist - options that could save visitors both time and cash. The team's car free plan aims to take present information on transportation options in the City and make the information more accessible and available.


The team has also facilitated cartography updates on the Transit to Trail chart, published as a supplement in the April-June 2009 Bay Nature Magazine. This map provides information about using transit to reach San Francisco area parks and recreation and will be available on the car free website soon. If you would like information on the San Francisco Resource Team on Air Quality please contact Stephanie Anderson at 510-763-2500 ext.1.

Member Organizations

• BART
• Town of San Francisco Department of Environment
• SF Municipal Transportation Agency
• The Presidio Trust
• UCSFM
• Sierra Club
• San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

Devoted November 29, 1960, the West Coast World War II Memorial is a rounded wall of California stone set in a grove of Monterey pine and cypress. Overlooking the Pacific Ocean, it bears the names of 413 members of the armed services who were lost or covered at sea in U.S. Pacific waters between 1941 and 1945.

The memorial was built by the American Battle Monuments Commission, a governmental agency also responsible for its preservation. Cemeteries and memorials maintained by the A.B.M.C. save the legacy of American servicemen whose remains were not returned to this country for final interment. The West Coast Memorial is one of three A.B.M.C. memorials on U.S. soil dedicated to lost soldiers of World War II; the others are the East Coast Memorial at Battery Park in New York City and the Honolulu Memorial in Hawaii.

Enclosed by a white picket fence and shaded by Monterey pines, the pet cemetery is the final sleeping place for hundreds of loyal animals owned by families stationed at the Presidio. Most of the serious markers imitate those found in military cemeteries and now and then return the pets' military life-listing birthplaces as well as Australia, China, England, and Germany. A lot of markers also contain family names and owners' position which include majors, generals, and colonels. Others contain only a simple epitaph, such as "A GI pet. He did his moment." As in many military cemeteries, there are also markers to several "unknowns".


Important markers in the favorite cemetery date back to the 1950's, when the Presidio was home to something like 2,000 military families. Though there are no executive records regarding the site, some credit approval of the pet cemetery to Lt. General Joseph M. Swing, who was the commander of the Presidio at the time. In any case, there are various legends nearby the cemetery, which some believe was originally a burial ground for nineteenth-century cavalry horses or World War II guard dogs.


During the 1970's, the pet cemetery fell into disrepair. Legend has it that an secret former Navy staff became the illegal caretaker in those years and repaired the failing headstones and repainted the fence. It is believed that he placed the military-style warning sign seen at the cemetery entrance. Nowadays, the pet cemetery is officially closed to new interments.

Located near the gun batteries of the coastal bluffs, Fort Scott was recognized in 1912 to serve as head office for the Coastal Artillery Corps of the San Francisco Bay area. Mission Revival style buildings the first of this style to be built on the Presidio-characterize the post and the U-shaped parade ground breaks from fixed quadrangular plan. With the advent of missiles and long-range bombers after World War II, Fort Scott lost its planned importance and became part of the Presidio in 1956. The post was finally converted to an Army Education Center.

The Bay Area Air value Management District receives around 3,000 air pollution complaint every year from members of the public. Virtually 1,700 of these complaints are connected to smell. Members of the public are keenly aware of air pollution events in their communities and often act as first indicators of air quality troubles to the Region. Suitable declaration of complaints is one of the most chief and hard responsibilities of Region staff. In fact, other than a violation in development, responding to complaints from the public takes preference over all other duties assigned to inspectors.


If you wish to record a complaint about air pollution, the following information will tell you about the process and give you some instructions that will help us respond to your complaint in the most professional way.

Common Information

• Every complaint is investigated individually by a field checker.
• Whenever likely, complainants are contacted in person unless they specially request otherwise.
• The names and addresses of complainants are secret and are divulged to no one but Air District staff, except where required in matters during before the court. Or, you may record your complaint in secret.
• District Inspectors prepare a written report for each complaint inquiry and you may apply for a copy of the report if you wish.
• Complaints are never solicited by District workers. Air pollution complaints should be natural and self-generated.

Air Pollution Complaint analysis

Complaints are regularly received for many air contaminants which may include smell, smoke, dust, and argue. During regular business hours, complaints are dispatched to an checker as soon as received, or, with very few exceptions, no later than 30 minutes after receipt. This ensures a prompt, timely analysis while the event is in improvement.When complaints are dispatched, Checkers proceed directly to the region of the assumed source to determine the cause of the complaint. Checkers are often able to quickly determine the likely source of emission. Complainants are contacted as soon as possible under the conditions at the time of inquiry. Checkers will contact each complainant and will verify smell complaints in the presence of the complainant whenever possible.While Checkers attempt to ascertain whether a violation of air quality regulations has occurred, air quality complaints may even occur when an operation is in full compliance with policy. But even if the suspected facility is in compliance, Air District Checkers will still strive to achieve early interference on any possible problems where possible in order to achieve successful decision The goal is to mitigate any negative impact on the public. If a violation is documented, enforcement action will be taken.


Public Nuisance

The air District can receive many complaints that are confirmed to a exacting plant or ability. This occurrence may result in a purpose that the facility is creating a public pain. The California Health and Security Code and District rules prohibit emissions of air contaminants which cause nuisance or annoyance to a considerable number of people, or that present a threat to public health, or damage to property.

Notice of Violation

When a public nuisance or other violation of state, national or District policy and regulations occurs, the District may issue a Notice of Violation to the accountable individual or ability. California law provide that violations of air pollution regulations may be prosecuted through either managerial, social, or illegal processes.

If an individual or facility does not achieve compliance promptly after enforcement action has been taken, the Air Pollution Control Officer may petition the Air District's Hearing Board for an Order of Abatement. Abatement Orders may require the addition or adjustment of air pollution control equipment and changes in operating procedures within a specified time-frame to eliminate the release of offensive air contaminants or excessive emissions.

Tips on Making a Complaint

Air pollution complaints should be made as soon as possible after detecting a smell or observing smoke or argue. The sooner a complaint is received, the sooner it is dispatched to the checker and the investigation can begin.

When making a smell complaint, a good report is very helpful. Try to associate the smell with something memorable to most people such as rotten eggs, rotten cabbage, sweet or sour chemicals, burning plastic, garlic, chlorine, asphalt. Some other useful descriptions are: oily, musty, metallic, pungent, light and heavy. Other helpful information is whether the odor is intermittent but recurring, or constant for longer periods of time, and how long you have been experiencing the problem. It is very important for us to know what impact the emissions have had on you. It is also main to phone in complaints on each day that the difficulty is observed.