Milagra Ridge
Milagra Ridge | |
---|---|
Nearest city | between Daly City and Pacifica |
Coordinates | 37°38′21″N 122°28′45″W / 37.63917°N 122.47917°W |
Area | 275 acres (111 ha) |
Created | 1987 |
Operated by | National Park Service |
Website | www |
Milagra Ridge Military Reservation | |
Near Pacifica, California in United States | |
Type | Harbor defense installation |
Site information | |
Owner | United States Army |
Controlled by | United States Army Coast Artillery Corps |
Site history | |
Built | 1943 |
Fate | Decommission 1987 |
Milagra Ridge is a 275-acre (111 ha) open space park that is an isolated
History
The
In 1956
The National Guard assumed management of the Nike missile site between 1963 through March 1974, when it was decommissioned and, in May 1974, the land was turned over to the City of Pacifica.[1][4] Prior to the land transfer, several areas had already been turned over, including 73 acres (30 ha) in 1962 (eventually becoming residential parcels) and 36 acres (15 ha) in 1972, first to the Department of the Interior and then to the City of Pacifica in 1974.[4] The buildings at SF-51A were demolished in 1983 and a condominium complex was built on that site.[4]
In 1987 the
Today, it is a protected area and is open for hiking. A new trail, the Milagra Battery Trail, was completed in November 2016.[9][10] It provides access to Milagra Ridge from a small parking lot at the end of Connemara Drive in Pacifica along a trail approximately 2,000 feet (610 m) long and 5–6 feet (1.5–1.8 m) wide.[7] Milagra Battery Trail is located in 34 acres (14 ha) of land set aside as a conservation easement in a 2007 agreement between the National Park Service and O'Brien Homes[11] and is part of the Bay Area Ridge Trail, along with the existing trail through Milagra Ridge to Sweeney Ridge.[7][12] The conservation easement was added to the park's land, bringing it up to 275 acres (111 ha).[13] In the late Spring, the area provides thousands of tiny wild coast strawberries interspersed with poison oak.
Milagra Ridge is home to a USGS seismometer that is very close to the city of San Francisco and provides nearly-real-time data to the public.
Special-status species
Several threatened and endangered species have been observed at Milagra Ridge, including:[7]
- Mission blue butterfly (Aricia icarioides missionensis) as early as 1992, due to the presence of several )
- San Bruno elfin butterfly (Callophrys mossii bayensis) discovered in the mid-1980s
- San Francisco garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia), not observed and not likely to be present, but it is a suitable habitat
- California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii), presumed existent from small burrows
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Golden Gate National Recreation Area: Milagra Ridge". National Park Service. 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
- ^ a b c Sebby, Dan (13 October 2015). "Historic California Posts, Camps Stations and Airfields:Milagra Military Reservation". California State Military Museums. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
- ^ Poskanzer, Jef. "SF-51L Milagra Ridge". Acme. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Postel, Mitchell P. (Summer 2012). "The Nike Missile Areas at Milagra and Sweeney Ridges" (PDF). XLI (1). San Mateo County Historical Association. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
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(help) - ^ Poskanzer, Jef. "SF-51C Sweeney Ridge". Acme. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
- ^ Morlidge, Roy (23 April 2009). "Milagra Ridge: Former military installation now a refuge for endangered species". California Beat. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
- ^ a b c d Milagra Battery Trail and Signs: DRAFT CEQA/NEPA Environmental Compliance Categorical Exemption/Categorical Exclusion (PDF) (Report). National Park Service / City of Pacifica. November 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
- ^ Lancelle, Julie (2 December 2016). "Trail of the Month: Milagra Ridge". Pacifica Tribune. Archived from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
- ^ "Volunteers Complete Milagra Battery Trail". Riptide. 21 November 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
- ^ "Reporters' notebook". San Mateo Daily Journal. 16 September 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
- ^ "Milagra Battery Trail and Signs, Milagra Ridge". National Park Service, Park Planning. 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
- ^ Sullivan, Jim (3 January 2016). "Trail of the month: Milagra-Battery Trail". Pacifica Tribune. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
- ^ Sullivan, Jim; Lancelle, Julie; Maykel, Ron (November 2016). "Milagra Battery Trail" (PDF) (Press release). Riptide. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
Bibliography
- Freeman, Joe C.; Haller, Stephen A.; Hansen, David M.; Martini, John A.; Weitze, Karen J. (July 1999). Seacoast Fortifications Preservation Manual (PDF) (Report). National Park Service. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
- Hynding, Alan (1982). From Frontier to Suburb: The Story of The San Mateo Peninsula. Belmont, California: Star Publishing Company. OCLC 8892429.
- Kent, Matthew W. (June 2009). Harbor Defenses of San Francisco – A Field Guide 1890 to 1950. Online on-demand: blurb.com. ISBN 978-1-61584-163-9. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
- Postel, Mitchell P. (2010). "Part VI: Milagra Ridge" (PDF). Historic Resource Study for Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Mateo County (Report). National Park Service. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
- Savage, Dema (1983). The Land Called Pacifica. Pacifica, California: Friends of the Sanchez Adobe. OCLC 76286878.
External links
- Karlenzig, Jackson (1 July 2012). "Wildflowers and a View at Milagra Ridge". Bay Nature. Retrieved 7 January 2017.