Our Position

FIDO started out as a handful of people who gathered after the first public meeting regarding the Fiesta Island Development Plan in September of 2006.  We were appalled after reviewing the new plan as it did not mention, let alone account for, the largest user group on the island: Families and their dogs.  We are now a strongly lead community group dedicated to preserving this unique recreational resource that we have been using for 30 years.

How the City's Proposed Plan Impacts You

A road, fences, playground and parking lot will divide our existing off-leash area from north to south.  You will be required to pass thru designated gates to access some parts of the off-leash area.  The road is being proposed in order to access a paddler club/aquatic activity site at the south end of our area where they plan to build a beach.  This will essentially segment off most of the southeastern portion of our fenced area.  Additionally, they plan to segment off a large area in the north end of our fenced areas.  These two areas will undoubtedly be used to host weekend  ‘special events’ now held on Crown Point or elsewhere in Mission Bay making the areas unaccessible for off-leash use during these times.

We will basically lose some of the only undeveloped acreage we have  in all of Southern California where we can run, hike and bike with our off-leash dogs in a fenced, safe area free of cars.  As the single largest user group on Fiesta Island, we feel that we deserve our space like other users.  Also, as the population grows, we need to preserve this area for future dog owners will have even fewer places to exercise.  This is really a human exercise area as much as an off-leash park and is enjoyed by many citizens who do not own dogs.   It is open to any and all who wish to exercise in a natural environment, one of the few such areas that remain in San Diego.

The planner and city staff have refused to move the proposed paddler site and thus eliminate the road that bisects our area even though there are other sites within Mission Bay that would accommodate the paddler site.  This is in spite of a letter of support by the three city councilmembers who represent the beach communities, Councilmembers Faulconer, Zapf and Lightner, asking that the paddlers be moved.  These other sites already have beaches, parking lots, restrooms and the other expensive improvements that the paddlers requested for their location.  Instead of using one of these existing site, the city plans to replicate these expensive improvements within our area!  This makes no sense in light of the fact that Park and Rec is closing rec centers and swimming pools and cutting services in other areas of San Diego!

History of Off-Leash Dog Use

For over 30 years, Fiesta Island has provided the majority of public lands available for dog owners to exercise, train and enjoy their dogs in a leash-free environment. Of the 40,000 acres of land managed by the San Diego Department of Park and Recreation, there are only 41 acres designated as off-leash outside of Fiesta Island. Considering that there are currently over 700,000 dogs within the county, that is not much space. As the human population grows, so will the dog population (40% of all households have a dog and that number is continuing to increase).

The Future of Off-Leash Dog Use

We would like to continue to share this area with other San Diego citizens without having our area reduced and limited by programs designated for specific activities that could be accommodated in other Mission Bay Park locations where dogs are not allowed. The proposed precise plan to develop Fiesta Island would reduce our current ability to use and enjoy Fiesta Island. We do not feel that we should be displaced in order to establish paddle boat/aquatic site and a swimming area that is currently already being used by hundreds of daily and weekly users. The need for an expensive and intrusive road and most of the fencing in the southwest portion of the island would be eliminated by reasonably relocating the proposed paddle boat/aquatic site and swimming area to either South Shores or Mariners Point, for the following reasons:  

1. Paddle watercraft launching could be easily accommodated on the South Shores, where a beach, boat ramp and more than adequate parking is already in place and would add only a few additional minutes of paddling to gain the desired access to preferred waters. 
2. For safety reasons, paddlers prefer to not share launching areas with swimmers, which is what the current plan calls for.
3. Actual and potential swimming areas are already plentiful elsewhere in Mission Bay.
4. Swimmers tend to favor Mission and Ocean Beaches, or the La Jolla Cove and La Jolla Shores for recreational swimming, not Mission Bay.  This specific location experiences significant odors due to its location.
5. The paddle group's needs could reasonably be established at South Shores within the Master Plan framework since development at both Fiesta Island and South Shores is recommended in the Coastal Commission’s January 24, 2002 response to the City of San Diego Major LCP Amendment No. 2-2001-C (Sea World Master Plan) (p.7 item #3):
   
   “Therefore, planned expansion of the commercial development and/or leaseholds within Mission Bay Park will not proceed until significant portions of the planned regional parklands and public access and circulation improvements identified in the Mission Bay Park Master Plan Update are completed within South Shores and Fiesta Island.”


6. With the city’s current financial condition, FIDO feels it is unreasonable to plan to spend millions of dollars to build a paddler/aquatic site on Fiesta Island while there are other locations that already have the necessary infrastructure already in place.  Park and Rec is closing swimming pools, rec centers and eliminating programs throughout San Diego.  How can they justify this unnecessary expense?  They explain that the money will come from state and federal grants but this is still taxpayer money.

To date, every other current user of Fiesta Island has been accommodated in such a way that they can continue to enjoy the island as they have for decades. When the Over The Line (OTL) fields were going to be relocated near the entrance to the island and the OTL club complained, the fields were moved back to their current location.  When the runners and cyclists complained about the 2 way roads, the roads were changed back to one way. They are also building several $1/2 million bridges so cyclists and runners can continue to do their circuits around the island.  Skiers continue to have  exclusive use of Hidden Anchorage.  Jet skiiers are getting their space.  The paddlers went from having a space on the beach to store their boats to a fenced storage area with a shed.   The city then elected to add a dock for the paddlers and buoys to mark their race course.  Meanwhile, all FIDO has asked for is to be able to keep our current area without major improvement and hope to someday become the stewards of the area, raising funds for necessary improvements.

As the largest user group of Fiesta Island, the dog owners have lost the most acreage while other users have been accommodated. We acknowledge that some changes need to be made. We support many of the proposed changes to Fiesta Island such as those concerning the Least Tern habitat, erosion mitigation, and water quality improvement, and wetland creation. However, we also ask that the city recognize that many San Diego citizens enjoy the open, undeveloped feel of Fiesta Island and oppose the proliferation of marginally and seasonally utilized irrigated turf and other developments. 

Tens of thousands of dog owners and others currently use these same areas 365 days a year to exercise, socialize and play together.  We have no place else to go.