By Geoff Page
The Dog Beach fencing project, described here in The Rag four years ago, is finally underway. The work of drilling holes in the sand and placing 4×4 wood posts is almost complete.
The posts are four feet high and close together, perhaps ten feet apart. The existing “fence” was much shorter but ran along the same paths.
The word “fence” is a bit confusing. There is an existing east/west path, on the south side of the Dog Beach dunes, that borders the wetland area.
This path has three “entrances” from the paved bike path north down to the main path and two paths that go through the dunes north to the river.
Aerial Shot
The original fence consisted of 4 x 4 wooden posts, about two feet tall, along these paths. A thick rope ran from post to post. The Parks and Rec Department referred to this little construction as a “fence.”
That description was of what was once there. Anyone who walks these paths knows that little fence has been in sorry shape for years. The rope has rotted away. Posts are gone because high tides regularly inundate the path, undermining them.
The city admits that this existing fence was more of a suggestion that people stay on the path and not damage the surrounding dunes and wetlands. It functioned fine for most people but did nothing to deter dogs or homeless campers.
The new fence is actually a fence. It will line both sides of the paths fencing in walkers.
The much taller posts have holes near the top.
These holes will accommodate a rope, much like the old fence along the path, albeit much higher. Below the rope will be four rows of twisted wire from post to post.
The body of the fence will consist of wooden slats spaced several inches apart. The slats will slide in, from top to bottom, through the twisted wire. The intent of the design is to leave big enough spaces to allow wildlife through but keep large animals, dogs mainly, on the path. This writer has been visiting Dog Beach for decades and the only wildlife seen there has been birds, which can fly.
In an attempt to limit people walking north into the dunes from the river side, three entrances are being constructed, two of which are pictured here.
Fence
Four years ago, the fence cost was estimated at $125,000. The money was hopefully coming from the Wildlife Conservation Fund. The work was to be done by the Urban Corps of San Diego County, and that organization is building the fence today.
Urban Corps
According to Andrew Meyer, Director of Conservation, San Diego Bird Alliance:
We have been working closely with the City, and now with San Diego River Park Foundation, too. We got a $100K grant to remove and replace the sand fencing, and we have hired Urban Corps to do that work.
The San Diego Bird Alliance is the new name for the former San Diego Audubon Society. James Audubon has fallen from grace in recent years because he was a slaveholder over 200 years ago.
The amount of money is less than the original estimate from four years ago because it is not enough to build the whole fence. According to Park Ranger Sonya Nystuen, there is not enough money to build out the wire and slats part of the fence. Some of it will be done, but large sections will just be the post and rope.
In the areas where there will not be wire and wood, the fence will revert again to a suggestion. This will not deter dogs of course.
The fence design is not bad looking. But, coming from a lifetime in the construction industry, the design looks like a maintenance nightmare to this writer. Putting, literally thousands of feet of wire in a marine environment seems unwise.
The design allows for easy replacement of damaged wooden slats. Simply slide out the damaged slats and slide in new ones. That means the existing ones can just as easily be removed. And used for firewood.
As stated previously, the area regularly floods during high tides. At least the bottom two feet of the fence will be underwater monthly. Debris will be left hanging from the fence when the tides recede. Some debris will damage the fence as well.
The goal of very well-intentioned people is to keep birds and dogs apart. Once again, however, after decades of visiting Dog Beach, it seemed to this writer that the birds and dogs had reached an accommodation with each other many, many years ago. It remains to be seen whether or not this fence will provide the birding folks with a level of comfort.
This is so lame. What will the bird watchers dressed for African Safari complain about now that this is done, though?
Over the years the ecosystem has only gotten stronger back there, so I find it amusing they think there was truly a threat…..
A few of us had subtle memorials dedicated to our OB dog beach dogs who passed over the years. I’m really sad those have been removed. I wish we had known and could have at least grabbed the ones with their names on it….
Why are you building memorials in this bird nesting area?
I find these all the time on the cliffs and I usually dispose of them unless it’s something quickly degradeable.. I hope nobody memorializes me by leaving litter in such a beautiful place.
The memorials were simply the dog’s names written vertically in a subtle manner on the previous posts… there was no memorial created in the bird nesting areas.
Each of us who did this were extremely active with Dog Beach, including quite literally hundreds of cleanups over the years at this point. So please spare me your littering comments.
I don’t mean to be a party pooper, but those are pressure treated 4×4 posts. The preservative used is soluble copper and tri-azole biocides. Are those posts approved for used in the ground and especially in the San Diego River watershed??
That is actually a very good question. That is worth asking about further.
Additionally, the wood used is not a strong wood, using this kind of wood is relying more on the pressure treatment for longevity than the wood strength. One look at the few existing posts that remain shows how that wood fares in that environment. The best thing to use is a hard wood that does not need pressure treatment, but that is expensive.
The OB Dog Beach fence project has officially begun, aiming to protect local wildlife by separating dog-friendly zones from sensitive habitats. While the original design included full fencing, budget constraints have led to a simpler version using posts and rope in some areas. https://www.augustafencingcontractors.com/