NIKE NEWS
Site SF 88
March, 2016
This issue’s cover photo comes to us courtesy of Ed Thelen. Greeley and Norton have certainly spent a lot of years hanging out in the Guard Shack greeting the thousands of visitors who come by Nike Site SF-88L!
Comings and Goings:
Alex
Duncan completed his second tour of duty here in The Marin
Headlands. Starting out as an Intern, and then this past summer and
fall as a Seasonal Park Ranger. Alex has moved on to The Presidio
where we wish him well and thank him for his great Interpt tours of
the site. As we get closer to summer, a new Seasonal Ranger and a
couple of Interns will be on board. I’m sure we all look
forward to greeting our new arrivals.
Here
is a recent photo of the gang before a recent Open House. I compared
this
photo to a photo I posted recently of my very first Open House. Glad
to see us all here and keeping the story alive.
News Around The Site:
During
the month of February, many of you may have noticed some special
visitors we had around the site. I hear they ate and slept very well
during their stay at the site. For those that may not be aware of
what it is I am talking about, here is a photo of our visitors….
The
preliminary study of converting the Generator Building to a Welcome
Center/Museum has started. Jason Hagin, Historical Architect has
been working on the plans to make this happen. As the project moves
along, I will keep you updated on what is transpiring.
New
doors for The Assembly Building and “A” Pit entry doors
are moving along. Measurements have been taken, contractor selected
and work begun. These improvements will go a long time in keeping
the site functional.
The
Dog Kennel supply building is also getting a facelift. It is in
really bad shape, so this makeover couldn’t have come at a
better time.
In
the very near future I will be putting a call out for your
assistance in getting the Generator Building cleaned out. There is a
lot of stuff in the building, so we will need to take a look at
everything. UPCOMING
EVENTS: March
16, Wednesday: 10
A.M. – 12 Noon East
Bay Regional Parks. Rangers
and Staff from East Bay Parks will be on site for a tour and a Q &
A period. East Bay Parks contain several former Nike Sites so their
interest in our site is high. March
26, Saturday: 1:00
P.M. Porsche
Club Tour
of the Site April
2, Saturday Open
House April
22, Friday: 12
Noon Sister
City Organization This
group is from Mexico and is studying about the Cold War. May
7, Saturday: Open
House May
13, Friday: Tentative,
Subject to Change-9:00 A.M. SANDIA Nuclear
Weapons Interns June
8, Thursday: 3:30P.M.
– 5:00 P.M. Road
Scholar Tour 1:45
P.M. – 3:30 P.M. Cupertino
Senior Tour As
more events come along, I will keep you posted. July
2, Saturday: Open
House: also our 2nd
Annual BBQ Event. Last year’s event was super successful and
this year will even be better. I will give you all more info in the
weeks ahead. CENTENNIAL
OPEN HOUSE WEEKEND: As
I am sure you are aware, 2016 marks the Centennial of the National
Park Service. As we celebrate this great birthday, The Marin
Headlands will be hosting a very special Open House Weekend. The
dates of the event are August 6 and August 7. As part of that
special weekend, Nike Site 88L will be open both Saturday and Sunday
from 12 Noon until 4:00 P.M. I am hopeful that many of you will join
in this special celebration. As the time draws nearer, I will be
furnishing more details about the event. Lots of great activities
and events will be happening over that weekend.
SHOUT-OUTS: To
Tracy
Neal,
Volunteer Coordinator, Facilities Division North, for bringing
several Volunteer groups to the site to do various tasks. To
Andrew
Felton, Volunteer
Coordinator and Lead Ranger, Marin Headlands for working with me
regarding signs for the Nike Site. Andrew created a fantastic
presentation for the GGNRA Sign Committee. Because of this
presentation, the Sign Committee authorized our request to have Nike
Missile Site on five (5) additional road signs and a brand new entry
sign for the site. To
Greg,
Alec, and Jerry For
getting the siren in the IFC to work and also working on some
mechanical issues in “A” Pit. To
Clinton
for
all of his help in getting started with a Nike Site 88 Junior Ranger
Book. To
David
for
his help with putting together a new introductory video for our
visitors. To
Ed,
Don and Gordon for
being there when we need them!
To
Amy
Hoke for
all of the work involved with having the goats at the site. And
to all who have been a part of the site.
More
Shout Outs in the next edition! Thanks
to all of your contributions, Nike Site 88L remains an active and
vibrant piece of our history! Gee,
wonder what Jerry is pointing at? Going
up? Many
thanks to Greg Brown for the photos! Alec
and Ranger Mike pondering “to eat or not to eat.” Uh
oh… I thought there was no fuel on board! Even
the Oozlefinch says:
Centennial
1916-2016
Al
Blank Park
Ranger GGNRA Marin
Headlands
Nike
Site 88L was invaded by goats for a month. It seems they enjoyed the
menu and had a great time helping us controlling our vegetation
issues at the site. With all of the recent rain, the goats certainly
helped in keeping the site under control vegetation wise.