Our incredible Bushrod Rec Center director, George Henderson, hosted a community meeting in late October to talk about how we can make the park better. That whole thing was a cute story for another time, but the one big takeaway was this: the grass needs time to rest in the winter, which means that the Bushrod Athletic Fields (Racine side) are going to be closed for a few months.

For those who have been around for awhile, this shouldn't come as a surprise at all; the fields are closed every winter for the same reason. A lot of parks in San Francisco do the same thing, and kids, dogs, athletes, and other park-goers would find new places to hang out for a few months. In the past few years here, we've had people defy the closure by cutting bolts or holes in the fence... which is honestly not good for anyone (replacing those things is expensive, which takes away from the park's already slim budget for recreational activities and maintenance).

Here are a couple good reasons to give the fields a break this winter...

• The fields get easily damaged when wet. Heavy activity (from dogs, people, etc running around) basically reduces the fields to a muddy mess.
• It's good for the park's natural ecosystem! There are a bunch of migrating birds that come this way during the winter months that use the park to roost. Their grazing and fertilization also makes the grass healthier.
• It gives us better athletic fields. Having a rest period gives the little league volunteers more time to prepare the fields for the spring, and rewards their excellent work during the on-season. These are important fields that used to host the A's, and they still support thousands of people every year – let's treat them with care!

So, from one neighbor to another: let's give the fields a break until March! In the meantime, explore another local park like Dover, Hardy/Frog, or even just the other (non-athletic) side of Bushrod Park.