Parks Association Trustee

(Part of a sonnet written by Mr. Murphy and read at the opening of the restored Crissy Field tidal marsh, Nov. 9, 1999)

It's a little dangerous for the Weekly Walker to write about a place I have not visited. Crissy Field is not new to those fond of walking San Francisco. But it is much better, thanks to hundreds of supporters who donated time and dollars to restore the area.

I haven't been to Crissy Field since the restoration was completed, but let me share what I know about it. I obtained this information from The San Francisco Chronicle and issues of Gateways, the quarterly newsletter of the Golden Gate National Parks Association.

On Nov. 9, 1999, a 40-foot wide channel linking the restored Crissy Field to San Francisco Bay was opened, and salt water met fresh water for the first time in nearly 100 years. This was the culmination of Phase I of the Crissy Field Project. Work preceding the channel opening included planting 50,000 native plants, removing more than 60 acres of asphalt and rubble, expanding and cleaning the beaches, restoring the dunes, planting an entry grove of cypress trees, excavating the marsh, building a parking lot, and building a promenade bridge over the channel. Still to come are restrooms with hot and cold showers, the West Bluff picnic area, a field center, and a replanted grassy airfield.

Airfield? It's all part of history. Crissy Field was built on fill as a racetrack in 1915 for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. Shortly after, it was converted to an airstrip and became home to the first Air Service Coast Defense Station on the West Coast. In the 1920s, dozens of biplanes were stationed at Crissy as the 91^st Air Squadron.

Crissy was also used for the first coast-to-coast transcontinental flight completed between dawn and dusk. The field was named for Maj. Dana Crissy, who was killed after takeoff from this field during a transcontinental air race in 1919.

Today, the restored marsh is a waterbird protection area for a variety of migrating waterfowl. Yesterday (in the 1920s) Crissy Field was a "pigeon post" for detachments of homing birds passing through San Francisco en route to other stations. It seems that these birds accompanied flyers so that if the plane went down (presumably in one piece) the bird would be released to carry a message back to base.

Crissy Field was abandoned around 1936 when the new Hamilton Field in Marin County was opened to larger and faster aircraft. Since then the field was little more than a wide spot at the north end of San Francisco, offering good views of the Golden Gate and a haven for kite flyers and windsurfers.

The new 20-acre tidal marsh is already attracting birds. More than 120 species have been sighted, including some not seen in the area for nearly 100 years. The restoration of the marsh is beginning to produce shrimp, fish, insects, plankton, and other plants and wildlife, drawing an increasing diversity of birds to the area. This will be a prime refueling spot for shorebirds migrating along the Pacific flyway this fall. Plan to visit in the next month or two as the sky fills with birds flying from their Arctic breeding ground to winter homes to the south.