The San Mateo County Parks Department, with the help of a Dog Management Committee, is updating its policies regarding dogs in parks. Currently, the county ordinance prohibits dogs in County Parks. However, the County has acquired parklands over the years where dog use was allowed and therefore grandfathered in. Since the current ordinance was inconsistent, the Board of Supervisors recently amended the ordinance to reflect that dogs are allowed in park areas that have been specifically designated and signed.
Is a park ever permanently protected? Will tomorrow’s leaders appreciate our parks? Will they work hard to steward them?
One thing I know for certain is that the leaders of tomorrow are children today. And one of the best investments we can make in our parks is to nurture a new generation of young people to grow up and fight for them. But first, we must make sure our youth are getting to the parks because people protect what they love, and to know the parks is to love them.