In keeping with our "Gardens of Wonderland" event this weekend, we asked Volunteer Coordinator (and avid hiker) Reed Milnes to write about the natural wonderland that surrounds The Walt Disney Family Museum in The Presidio of San Francisco.
The Presidio of San Francisco offers a candid look at the natural world, and how it adapts to, impacts, and embraces our urban environment. It also offers a glimpse into the natural world that existed long ago. The legacy of the Presidio is one shared by Native Americans, the Spanish, U.S. Military, outdoor enthusiasts, and now residents and tenants. These groups have all had an influence on the natural environment of the Presidio, leaving their own marks, and contributing to the National Park that it is today.
Early Native American inhabitants thrived using the natural resources the area provided, and in a lifestyle in harmony with the world around them. Spanish explorers began, and the U.S. Military continued to shape the land for their use, providing resources and defense for the growing community. Now, residents and outdoor enthusiasts explore the Presidio and see how wildlife has adapted to the new urban environment, enjoying some of the few remaining populations of native plants and wildlife.
Entering through the Lombard Gate, the shade from the large Eucalyptus trees is the first indication of change. Originally, this was a diverse environment including dunes, serpentine rock, grassland and wetland environs. Military era reforesting projects introduced stands of large trees including the Eucalyptus and the Cypress that you see today. As you walk from Lombard Gate and past Lucasfilm's Letterman Digital Arts Center, the sounds of birds mix with the sounds of the city, blurring the lines between the urban and natural world. Many species including Red-tailed Hawks, Anna’s Hummingbirds, sparrows, swallows, and robins share the air with transplants like the Green Parrots, who have expanded their range from North Beach to include the palms of the Presidio.
Following Letterman Drive past the Thoreau Center on the north side, a natural grass area is reminiscent of habitats before humans made this their home. Tall grass and low scrub have taken hold, providing different environs that welcome many small mammals and birds. Gophers, moles, shrews, and other ground dwellers crisscross the expanse, also making it the hunting ground for larger predators such as the Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks, foxes and coyotes. Here, nature has adapted to meet its needs in a curious and unique way. Waterfowl like the Great Blue Heron were once staples of the wetland habitat, fishing for food in streams. Now they have adapted to our changes in unique ways, including “fishing” gophers out of their holes in this, and other grassy areas of the Presidio.
Just beyond this small square of grassland is a ravine and small winding stream, Thompson Reach. This area of native watershed represents the successful removal of a former military-era dumping site. Following extensive remediation of possible contaminants, and painstaking replanting of native flowers, scrub, and willows, the small stretch of stream “daylights” one of the original freshwater sources used by native inhabitants before European settlers arrived. The work accomplished here offers an opportunity to welcome back the Presidio's amphibian population so hard hit by years of development. This space also offers a wonderful vantage point for watching many of the wild inhabitants with whom we share the Presidio. Near dusk you may even see one of the many raccoons or the rare fox slide along the base of the stone wall, using the cover to move to nighttime hunting and foraging grounds.
From Thompson Reach traveling west, you approach the Presidio's Main Post, home of The Walt Disney Family Museum. Historic red brick buildings that served as Army barracks during years of military occupation, mix with construction and design spanning the decades, and nature shares space with the urban landscape. A large expanse of asphalt representing the historic parade grounds is punctuated by a towering Eucalyptus tree and its dwarfed neighbor, a Cypress tree. Wildflowers wind through small crevices in cement; gophers push up at the curb edges making entrance and exit mounds, while avoiding the circling hawks and stalking foxes.
The Museum building foretells the future of the Main Post. The 1890s red brick building, imaginatively redesiged and remodeled under the guidance of the Walt Disney Family Foundation, is flanked by lush lawn, native flowers, shrubs, and two of the military era Cypresses. Working in concert with the Presidio Trust, the Museum has planted an oasis in the midst of the row of barrack buildings that are currently being restored. Home to mice, ducks, dogs, deer, an elephant, and a Goofy, The Walt Disney Family Museum welcomes its other furry, feathered and flowered friends who stop by to visit.
Reed Milnes
Volunteer Coordinator
All photos (except the one of Walt) taken by Reed Milnes, courtesy The Walt Disney Family Museum; used with permission.