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Inspiration Point, The Presidio
The Presidio is one of San Francisco's most beautiful areas. Its 1,500 acres on San Francisco's Golden Gate have been protecting the Bay Area since 1776, making it one of the oldest continually used military bases in the country. But when the Army announced plans to leave the Presidio the question arose, what to do with this huge area located in one of the most beautiful spots in the nation? Suggestions flowed in including; becoming the permanent site for a three-ring family circus, a staging site for bungee jumping off the Golden gate Bridge, a nature preserve, housing for the homeless. The Muwekma Ohlone Indians threaten to exercise their land rights and turn it into a reservation. One congressman from Tennessee, Republican John J. Duncan called for the Government to sell off the land to developers in order to raise federal revenue.

Fortunately more forward-thinking minds prevailed and in 1994 Congress established the Presidio Trust to work with the National Park Service to preserve and renew the Presidio and make it accessible to the public. Today in the Presidio you will find its new residents include environmental groups, charitable foundations, and film companies. These organizations are located in some of the park's 800 barracks and buildings and are helping to preserve, the park's 1,000 acres of open space.
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