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53-503: The Crosstown Freeway can refers to three different freeways in the US state of California: Crosstown Freeway (San Francisco) refers to a never-built freeway through Glen Canyon Park Crosstown Freeway (San Bernardino) refers to a segment of Route 210 in San Bernardino. Crosstown Freeway (Stockton) refers to a segment of State Route 4 which

106-449: A compact village, and proximity to transit and the canyon. Every new development project, whether public or private, must incorporate these features based on principles of good design and human scale. " A section of Bosworth Street connects the southern entrance to Glen Canyon Park with the central commercial district of Glen Park that lies about a third of a mile east. This section presents an important opportunity for urban design because

159-483: A couple of Zorrillos , or skunks—odious animals, which are far from uncommon. In general appearance, the Zorrillo resembles a polecat, but it is rather larger and much thicker in proportion. Conscious of its power, it roams by day about the open plain and fears neither dog nor man. If a dog is urged to the attack, its courage is instantly checked by a few drops of the fetid oil, which brings on violent sickness and running at

212-728: A dormant stage. Over winter, multiple females (as many as 12) huddle together; males often den alone. Often, the same winter den is repeatedly used. Although they have excellent senses of smell and hearing, they have poor vision, being unable to see objects more than about 3 m (10 ft) away, making them vulnerable to death by road traffic . They are short-lived; their lifespan in the wild can reach seven years, with an average of six years. In captivity, they may live for up to 10 years. Skunks mate in early spring and are polygynous (that is, successful males are uninhibited from mating with additional females). Before giving birth (usually in May),

265-523: A picnic ground -- mainly for adults. Crocker Real Estate added tables and benches, a baseball diamond and a running track. It was fenced and rented to organizations for company picnics that often turned into boisterous drinking brawls. Neighborhood children had to find other places to play. The Crocker era ended in 1922 when the City of San Francisco purchased the 101-acre (0.41 km ) Glen Canyon Park and Recreation site. At present, O'Shaughnessy Boulevard defines

318-427: A skunk finding its way into a garage or basement where pet food is kept. Skunks commonly dig holes in lawns in search of grubs and worms. Skunks use their long claws to break apart rotting logs to find insects that live within them. They also use those claws to help dig for insects, which leaves behind pits, which are easy signs of foraging. The claws also help with pinning down live and active prey. Skunks are one of

371-612: A verb, skunk is used to describe the act of overwhelmingly defeating an opponent in a game or competition. Skunk is also used to refer to certain strong-smelling strains of Cannabis whose smell has been compared to that of a skunk's spray. Skunk species vary in size from about 15.6 to 37 in (40 to 94 cm) long and in weight from about 1.1 lb (0.50 kg) (spotted skunks) to 18 lb (8.2 kg) ( hog-nosed skunks ). They have moderately elongated bodies with relatively short, well-muscled legs and long front claws for digging. They have five toes on each foot. Although

424-413: Is a low animal, about the size of a little dog or cat. I mention it here, not on account of its excellence, but to make of it a symbol of sin. I have seen three or four of them. It has black fur, quite beautiful and shining; and has upon its back two perfectly white stripes, which join near the neck and tail, making an oval that adds greatly to their grace. The tail is bushy and well furnished with hair, like

477-660: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Crosstown Freeway (San Francisco) The park and hollow offer an experience of San Francisco's diverse terrains as they appeared before the intense development of the region in the late 19th and the 20th centuries. The park incorporates free-flowing Islais Creek and the associated riparian habitat, an extensive grassland with adjoining trees that supports breeding pairs of red-tailed hawks and great horned owls , striking rock outcrops, and arid patches covered by " coastal scrub " plant communities. In all, about 63 acres (25 ha) of

530-656: Is due to the different weathering of the layers. The bedrock of the canyon is made up of rocks of the Marin Headlands terrane . The terrane is a large packet of rock that extends diagonally from the Marin Headlands (just north of the Golden Gate ), through the Twin Peaks and Glen Canyon area, and on to the southeast. This terrane is from 100 to 200 million years old (i.e. the Cretaceous and Jurassic periods). The bedrock of

583-560: Is easily entered at its southeastern corner (end of Bosworth Street). Somewhat further north, there is a wooden stairway leading down into the park (the Sussex Street entrance). There are also trails leading into the park from the Diamond Heights Shopping Center. Of one of these, Joseph Stubbs has written, "It is a dramatic, sudden revelation of the park interior from high up, which is simply stunning. It occurs midsection of

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636-664: Is protective of her kits, spraying at any sign of danger. The male plays no part in raising the young. Skunks are omnivorous , eating both plant and animal material and changing their diets as the seasons change. They eat insects, larvae , earthworms , grubs , rodents , lizards, salamanders , frogs, snakes, birds, moles , and eggs . They also commonly eat berries , roots , leaves , grasses, fungi and nuts . In settled areas, skunks also seek garbage left by humans. Less often, skunks may be found acting as scavengers , eating bird and rodent carcasses left by cats or other animals. Pet owners, particularly those of cats, may experience

689-409: Is rare for a healthy skunk to bite a human, though a tame skunk whose scent glands have been removed (usually on behalf of those who will keep it as a pet) may defend itself by biting. There are, however, few recorded incidents of skunks biting humans. Skunk bites in humans can result in infection with the rabies virus. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recorded 1,494 cases of rabies in skunks in

742-431: Is surrounded by willow thickets. In earlier times, the creek had an open water channel sustained by a much larger water flow, and was "more of a river than a creek". Urban development has reduced the watershed of Islais Creek by as much as 80 percent. At the southern end of the canyon, Islais Creek enters a culvert which carries it to its exit into San Francisco Bay. The creek has a meager but year-round natural flow, and

795-472: Is to a skunk's advantage to warn possible predators off without expending scent: black and white aposematic warning coloration aside, threatened skunks will go through an elaborate routine of hisses, foot-stamping, and tail-high deimatic or threat postures before resorting to spraying. Skunks usually do not spray other skunks, except among males in the mating season. If they fight over den space in autumn, they do so with teeth and claws. Most predators of

848-517: The Franciscan formation that makes up much of coastal California. During subduction - 160 to 80 million years ago - and the subsequent uplift, the terrane was twisted, broken and disrupted, and the chert was deformed into the tight folds now visible in road cuts along O'Shaughnessy Boulevard (see photo). These rock outcrops provide some of the best outdoor rock climbing in San Francisco, primarily in

901-624: The 1980s, only four were found between 2001 and 2007. A reintroduction was done in April 2009. Reintroduction may also be possible in Glen Canyon Park. Here the main issue appears to be re-establishing the native plant " silver bush lupine ", whose leaves are the larval food of these butterflies. A substantial fraction of Glen Canyon Park is now covered by non-native species including eucalyptus forest (17 acres), French broom (6 acres), and field mustard , but no specific proposal for re-introduction of

954-546: The Americas, such as wolves , foxes , and badgers , seldom attack skunks, presumably out of fear of being sprayed. The exceptions are reckless predators whose attacks fail once they are sprayed, dogs, and the great horned owl , which is the skunk's only regular predator. In one case, the remains of 57 striped skunks were found in a single great horned owl nest. Skunks are common in suburban areas, and domestic dogs are often sprayed by skunks. There are many misconceptions about

1007-482: The California State Highway Department proposed a Crosstown Freeway that would have followed Bosworth Street through the neighborhood of Glen Park and then O'Shaughnessy Boulevard through Glen Canyon Park. The plan was abandoned due to opposition by several groups of residents. Six other freeways planned for San Francisco in the late 1940s were cancelled at about the same time; the conflicts over

1060-592: The City of San Francisco in the 1990s using eminent domain . The area was being considered for residential development. The 3.6-acre parcel was named O'Shaughnessy Hollow. The city government of San Francisco mandated the development of management plans for all the "natural areas" under the city's control, and this process culminated in release of the Significant Natural Resources Areas Management Plan in February 2006. The plan favors

1113-478: The United States for sprayed dogs. It involves hydrogen peroxide , baking soda , and liquid dish soap . Skunk spray is composed mainly of three low-molecular-weight thiol compounds, ( E )-2-butene-1-thiol, 3-methyl-1-butanethiol, and 2-quinolinemethanethiol, as well as acetate thioesters of these. These compounds are detectable by the human nose at concentrations of only 11.3 parts per billion. It

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1166-583: The United States for the year 2006—about 21.5% of reported cases in all species. Skunks in fact are less prominent than raccoons as vectors of rabies. (However, this varies regionally in the United States, with raccoons dominating along the Atlantic coast and the eastern Gulf of Mexico , while skunks instead predominate throughout the Midwest , including the western Gulf, and in California.) Mephitis mephitis ,

1219-567: The aerial photograph). These facilities include a community recreation center, ball fields and tennis courts, playgrounds, and a ropes course. The park is also well used by local rock climbers, who consider it one of the best "bouldering" sites near San Francisco. An additional building about halfway up the canyon near Islais Creek serves the Silver Tree Day Camp and the Glenridge Cooperative Nursery School. The park

1272-427: The animal; two have been killed in our court, and several days afterward there was such a dreadful odor throughout our house that we could not endure it. I believe the sin smelled by Saint Catherine de Sienne must have had the same vile odor. In Southern United States dialect, the term polecat is sometimes used as a colloquial nickname for a skunk, even though polecats are only distantly related to skunks. As

1325-401: The canyon to develop a neighborhood that would attract homebuyers. As Jeanne Alexander has written, Crocker installed a mini-amusement park with an aviary, a mini-zoo--bears, elephants and monkeys, a bowling alley, and, for extra thrills, hot-air balloon rides, and an intrepid tight-rope walker who performed on a wire stretched across the canyon. From 1907-1922, Glen Canyon Park was operated as

1378-471: The creek would be established both by re-planting sections of the creek's banks with different plants and by the introduction of "scouring" structures. Glen Canyon Park used to support populations of two rare species: the "vulnerable" San Francisco forktailed damselfly and the "endangered" Mission blue butterfly . The plan proposes changes in the management of the park that would promote self-sustaining populations of these insects. The damselfly population in

1431-446: The day they shelter in burrows, which they can dig with their powerful front claws. For most of the year the normal home range for skunks is 0.5 to 2 miles (1 to 3 km) in diameter, with males expanding during breeding season to travel 4 to 5 miles (6 to 8 km) per night. Skunks are not true hibernators in the winter, but do den up for extended periods of time. However, they remain generally inactive and feed rarely, going through

1484-411: The diversity of species living along Islais Creek. The plan envisions the removal of an additional 120 trees (of the total of 6000 trees in the park) to further improve the creek, to increase the extent of the park's grasslands, and to promote forest understory plants. The plan also seeks to restore some open-water areas along the creek, which is nearly totally obscured by the willow thickets. The change in

1537-490: The family Mephitidae . They are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant scent from their anal glands . Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown, cream or ginger colored, but all have warning coloration . While related to polecats and other members of the weasel family , skunks have as their closest relatives the Old World stink badgers . In alphabetical order,

1590-444: The female excavates a den to house her litter of four to seven kits. Skunks are placental , with a gestation period of about 66 days. When born, skunk kits are blind and deaf, but already covered by a soft layer of fur. About three weeks after birth, they first open their eyes; the kits are weaned about two months after birth. They generally stay with their mother until they are ready to mate, roughly at one year of age. The mother

1643-622: The form of bouldering . The park's history commences with Adolph Sutro 's purchase in the 1850s of 76 acres (310,000 m ) of the canyon, which he named "Gum Tree Ranch" after the blue gum eucalyptus trees he had planted. The first commercial manufacturing of dynamite in the U.S. occurred in the canyon; on March 19, 1868, the Giant Powder Company began production at its first manufacturing plant, under exclusive license from Alfred Nobel to produce his new explosive in America. The plant

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1696-451: The freeway plan for San Francisco were among the earliest incidents in the Highway revolts in the United States of the 1960s and 1970s. Six years later, in 1964, homes and businesses along Bosworth Street were demolished in order to greatly widen the section of the street leading to O'Shaughnessy Boulevard. An undeveloped, very steep area just west of O'Shaughnessy Boulevard was acquired by

1749-448: The glands found in species of the family Mustelidae . Skunks have two glands, one on each side of the anus. These glands produce the skunk's spray, which is a mixture of sulfur -containing chemicals such as thiols (traditionally called mercaptans), which have an offensive odor. The thiols also make their spray highly flammable. A skunk's spray is powerful enough to ward off bears and other potential attackers. Muscles located next to

1802-443: The lava. The ooze was colored red by iron from hydrothermal springs . Both lava and chert were formed in the deep ocean near the equator, and were rafted northeast on the gradually-moving ocean floor toward California. Near shore, greywacke accumulated on the chert in some areas, including a small part of the southeast slope of Glen Canyon. Subduction then squeezed the terrane against the continent, and it eventually became part of

1855-472: The living species of skunks are: The word skunk is dated from the 1630s, adapted from a southern New England Algonquian language (probably Abenaki ) seganku , from Proto-Algonquian * šeka:kwa , from * šek- 'to urinate' + * -a:kw 'fox'. Skunk has historic use as an insult, attested from 1841. In 1634, a skunk was described in The Jesuit Relations : The other

1908-413: The lower slopes of the canyon - largely hidden under slope debris/ravine fill - is pillow lava or greenstone; these erupted from fissures in the deep ocean floor when the terrane was located hundreds of miles southwest of its present location. The upper slopes and cliffs are of layered chert, which hardened into rock from the ooze of remains of countless radiolarian creatures that accumulated on top of

1961-500: The lupine was included in the Management Plan. The importance of Glen Canyon Park to its surrounding neighborhoods is indicated by a recent community plan for Glen Park that contains the following statement: "The Glen Park community's special character is created by the unique combination of eclectic building styles, pedestrian scale, the layering of green space and buildings climbing into the canyon, public spaces, walkable streets,

2014-477: The most common fur color is black and white, some skunks are brown or grey and a few are cream-colored. All skunks are striped, even from birth. They may have a single thick stripe across the back and tail, two thinner stripes, or a series of white spots and broken stripes (in the case of the spotted skunk). Skunks are crepuscular and solitary animals when not breeding, though in the colder parts of their range , they may gather in communal dens for warmth. During

2067-609: The nose. Whatever is once polluted by it, is forever useless. Azara says the smell can be perceived at a league distance; more than once, when entering the harbour of Monte Video, the wind being offshore, we have perceived the odour onboard the Beagle . Certain it is, that every animal most willingly makes room for the Zorrillo . Skunks carry just enough for five or six successive sprays – about 15 cm  – and require up to ten days to produce another supply. Their bold black and white coloration makes their appearance memorable. It

2120-495: The park and hollow are designated as undeveloped Natural Area . Elevations in Glen Canyon Park range from approximately 225 feet (69 m) above sea level at the south end of the park to 575 feet (175 m) above sea level at the north end and along the eastern rim of the canyon; the walls of the canyon are extremely steep, with many slopes approaching a length-to-height ratio of 1:1 (100 percent). Formal recreational facilities in Glen Canyon Park are mostly located at its southern end (see

2173-423: The park behind Diamond Heights Shopping Center and George Christopher Playground." A branch of Islais Creek (named after the wild cherry islay ) originates in the canyon. It is the largest remaining creek in San Francisco with public access. The bottom of the canyon, where Islais Creek flows, is irregular but moderate in slope, dropping 350 feet (107 m) over a distance of about 1 mile (1.6 kilometer). The creek

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2226-509: The park was studied by John Hafernik and his colleagues in the 1980s prior to its local extinction; they re-introduced a population of these damselflies in 1996 that persisted for two seasons. The damselflies need open water habitat, which has proven difficult to maintain. There has been a declining population of Mission blue butterflies at the nearly contiguous Twin Peaks Natural Area; while park employees logged about 150 butterflies in

2279-414: The primary predators of the honeybee , relying on their thick fur to protect them from stings. The skunk scratches at the front of the beehive and eats the guard bees that come out to investigate. Mother skunks are known to teach this behavior to their young. Skunks are notorious for their anal scent glands, which they can use as a defensive weapon . They are similar to, though much more developed than,

2332-720: The properties along the north side have remained undeveloped since their acquisition by the City in the 1950s. The community plan proposes that this land be developed into a greenway and pedestrian plaza. The plan also suggests that Islais Creek , which runs underneath this section of Bosworth Street, be "daylighted" in this section. The plan was formally endorsed by the San Francisco Planning Commission in 2004, but implementation has not been funded as of 2007. Skunk Conepatus Mephitis Spilogale † Brachyprotoma Mydaus † Palaeomephitis † Promephitis Skunks are mammals in

2385-586: The re-establishment of native species and species diversity in the city's parks. Some aspects of the plan have been controversial. For example, the plan envisions the removal of some large, mature trees (often eucalyptus, which was imported from Australia) to favor smaller native plants. The plan also includes new restrictions on recreational use of the park, such as the closure of some trails and of some areas for rock climbing, and prohibitions against unleashed dogs. In Glen Canyon Park, about 20 mature eucalyptus trees were removed in 2004 as part of an effort to increase

2438-465: The removal of skunk odor, including the pervasive idea that tomato juice will neutralize the odor. These household remedies are ineffective, and only appear to work due to olfactory fatigue . In 1993, The American chemist Paul Krebaum has developed a formula that chemically neutralizes skunk spray by changing the odor-causing thiols into odorless acids, which is endorsed by the Humane Society of

2491-485: The sand dunes south of Golden Gate Park. The site of the plant has been designated as California Historical Landmark #1002, although no marker has been placed on the site yet. The Good Brothers Dairy was located where Glenridge Cooperative Nursery School is today. Cows grazed as early as the 1850s, and likely earlier. The dairy remained until the 1920s. In 1889, the Crocker Real Estate Company bought

2544-464: The scent glands allow them to spray with a high degree of accuracy, as far as 3 m (10 ft). The spray can also cause irritation and even temporary blindness, and is sufficiently powerful to be detected by a human nose up to 5.6 km (3.5 miles) downwind. Their chemical defense is effective, as illustrated by this extract from Charles Darwin 's 1839 book The Voyage of the Beagle : We saw also

2597-454: The tail of a Fox; it carries it curled back like that of a Squirrel. It is more white than black; and, at the first glance, you would say, especially when it walks, that it ought to be called Jupiter's little dog. But it is so stinking and casts so foul an odor, that it is unworthy of being called the dog of Pluto. No sewer ever smelled so bad. I would not have believed it if I had not smelled it myself. Your heart almost fails you when you approach

2650-496: The water and resulting vegetation provide a habitat for animals, including skunks , opossums , raccoons , red-tailed hawks , red-shouldered hawks , great horned owls , coyotes , and the rare native San Francisco forktail damselfly , Ischnura gemina . The scenery of Glen Canyon Park is also distinguished by numerous large outcrops of rock. The most striking of these consist of reddish, layered " Franciscan " chert . These outcrops have clearly visible banding (see photo) which

2703-590: The western perimeter of Glen Canyon Park. In conjunction with an extension of Bosworth Street, the Boulevard was built in 1935 using roadcuts and filled slopes on the canyon's steep slopes. It was named after Michael O'Shaughnessy , who was for many years the Chief Engineer of the city. The recreation center at the south end of the park was built by the Works Progress Administration in 1937. In 1958,

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2756-411: Was apparently located near the present recreation center, at the southern end of the park. The factory did not last long. On November 26, 1869, an explosion completely destroyed the entire facility, turning every one of the buildings on the site and the surrounding fencing, into "hundreds of pieces", according to a newspaper account. Two people were killed, and nine injured; the plant was later rebuilt in

2809-536: Was built in the 1970s See also [ edit ] Crosstown Expressway [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles about roads and streets with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Crosstown_Freeway&oldid=996201882 " Category : Road disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

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