Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Did the City Council REALLY vote to turn Lighthouse Field into a Dog Park?
A: Absoutelly not! The City Council voted to continue with the status quo regarding off-leash hours at Lighthouse Field and Its Beach. That means, NOTHING HAS CHANGED.

The regulations that apply to dogs at Lighhouse Field and Its Beach are UNCHANGED from what has been in place FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS. This means that dogs are allowed off leash in both places FROM SUNRISE - 10 A.M. and FROM 4 P.M. - SUNSET. Between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., dogs are allowed at the Field, on leash only, and prohibited altogether from Its Beach.

Q: What do you mean by "Share the 2%?"
A: Within the Santa Cruz city limits, there are over 1,800 acres of public open space. Of this space, only 2% is available for off-leash recreation. The map of available open space within Santa Cruz City limits clearly demonstrates the vast areas that do not allow dogs or allow them on-leash in limited areas only. View the Open Space Map.

Q: Are there parks and beaches near Lighthouse Field where dogs aren't allowed, for people who don't want to be around dogs?
A: Cowells Beach is less than a mile from Its Beach. The Main Beach is just over a mile away. About 1-1/2 miles to the west is Natural Bridges, arguably the most beautiful and best-preserved beach in the city. Three neighborhood parks are located within a mile: Lighthouse Avenue Neighborhood Park, Garfield Park, and Bethany Curve Greenbelt. Neary Lagoon Wildlife Refuge is about 1 mile away. The entire length of West Cliff Drive and the other beaches are also within walking distance.

Q: What are the environmental issues surrounding dogs in the field?
A: A number of environmental arguments have been presented which portray dogs as the primary and sometimes the only cause of environmental concern. After looking at both the broader neighborhood and urban context in which the park exists, as well as at the detailed site-specific conditions, it is clear that there is no significant conflict between the presence of dogs off leash and the preservation of Lighthouse Field and Its Beach. Issues related to dogs are negligible compared to other impacts. See a discussion in the FOLF White paper, Environmental Concerns.

Q: Has the bird population increased or descreased in 10 years at the site?
A: In the 2003 General Plan Update, 140 bird species were reported at Lighthouse Field State Beach. This is an INCREASE of almost 20 percent since 1984. At that time, the General Plan indicated that there were only 120 bird species found at the site.

Q: What about the sea otters?
A: According to University of California scientists, disease-causing parasites in freshwater runoff may be killing federally protected southern sea otters. CATS are the ONLY animals known to shed oocysts, which are the tough, environmentally resistant eggs of Toxoplasma parasites, in their feces. The parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, has been identified as an important cause of fatal brain infections in these otters.

Q: What is the water quality like at Its Beach?
A: Its Beach regularly has average or better-than-average conditions. Frequent measuring and monitoring of water quality by both the County Health Department and the independent Surf Riders Organization over the years have consistently shown that Its Beach seldom reaches or exceeds recommended state quality limits.

Q: Is it true someone lied about the 100 dog bites in the field last year?
A: False information was presented to the City Council on April 22, 2003. A member of the public attributed this statistic to the SPCA. This information was not only false, as a representative from Santa Cruz County Animal Services stated, the SPCA "could not possibly have given this statistic, since it does not exist."

There were zero police and fire/EMS calls to the field in 2002. If such a high number of bites had actually occurred, this would be reflected in these calls for service. Other similarly dramatic statements have been made that have been equally misleading.

Q: Why are there dogs in the field and the beach between 10 and 4?
A: It is absolutely the responsibility of dog owners to respect the posted hours and help educate other dog owners about compliance. FOLF has contacted authors and Web site owners to ask that they provide correct information about hours at these two locations to their readers.

Ironically, five official City and State documents published within the last two years had contradictory, confusing or inaccurate information regarding the hours and rules for off-leash dog access at Lighthouse Field and Its Beach. If it�s hard for official sources to get it right, then it�s not surprising that visitors have trouble.

When FOLF brought this to the attention of Parks & Rec, they immediately began to locate and destroy the misprints. The department is in the process of publishing and distributing corrected information that is provides consistent clear hours information.

Q: What is FOLF?
A: On March 28th, 2002, out of rumors and concern about the loss of this wonderful place to take dogs off-leash, friends and acquaintances from the Lighthouse Field and Its Beach dog community decided to form a more formal organization to express their views and concerns, dispel rumors and provide a unified voice that would represent the basic desire to maintain the undeveloped beauty of Lighthouse Field and support multi-use recreation at the site which includes off-leash dogs.


For more information and reference notes for the above facts, please read the FOLF White Paper (Download version, 712k .pdf)



updated 8/30/03