The club grounds and parking lot at the Pacific Rod and Gun Club are not used just during shooting hours. The Club property is open to the public seven days a week. However, the gate may be closed at night, and there is a caretaker on the grounds to keep an eye on what is going on here on the property. We share our facilities in many ways. One important way which is appreciated by many who walk or run around the lake is the Club offers the only clean, safe, easily accessible restroom (not a port-a-potty) on the outer shore of the lake.
Many activities take place at Pacific other than shooting. For example, the Club is looking forward to the parking lot being used as a staging area again this year, 2010, for the Susan G Komen Walk for the Cure. As you know, this is a fund raising activity for breast cancer research. In the past, there have been many hundreds of people here during the walk in San Francisco. The Club shuts down its shooting operations for golf tournaments so the parking lot can be used for their parking needs.
The San Francisco Chapter of the Model A Ford Club of America (MAFCA) uses the parking lot as a staging point for its monthly tours. This club provides their cars for many of the City’s parades, such as the Memorial Day Observance at the cemetary in the Presidio, the annual Pride Parade, and the Greek Parade. The Model A Club has also held several swap meets here in the lot. They happily operated their swap meets while shooting continued as usual.
Several car shows have also taken place on club grounds during regular weekend shooting hours.
The San Francisco International Airport uses the Rod & Gun Club facilities to train its security personelle on the safe and proper use of shotguns. The San Francisco Police Department, whose firing range adjoins our grounds, has also used the Rod & Gun Club facilities to train officer in shotgun use. It should be noted, that the police range operates on a daily basis, with shooting often occuring into the late evening hours. The Rod & Gun Club hours are Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11:00am to 5:00pm.
The Club supports many other public service activities by sponsoring such activities as the San Francisco Fire Department Toy Program Fund Raiser, The Guardsmen’s Annual Fund Raiser, Women on Target, Refuse to be a Victim, a youth shotgun training and gun safety program, and the San Francisco Public Schools with their use of the rifle range. The Pacific Junior Rifles program which is sponsored by the Club, has trained many champion shooter. None of these activities require membership in the Club.
The Club is working toward a renewed youth fishing program at the lake. Rods and reels will be available for youth fishing events as well as volunteer members to help with those events. Club members have worked hard toward seeing that trout are again being planted in the south lake.
Youth organizations and schools use the clubhouse facilities at no cost. San Francisco Boy Scouts have used the clubhouse for courts of honor for many years. Several Girl Scout troops have earned money for their activities by serving dinners and lunches for various Club events. In March, 2010, one local school made a field trip to the Club to release baby trout which they had raised from eggs. This group plans to do the same again in 2011. The parking lot also provides a safe parking area for several rowing club boat trailers.
There are many animals that co-exist on the property with the Pacific Rod & Gun Club. Birds of prey have been seen sitting on top of target houses while shooting was in progress. Small birds build nests in the porch overhangs and feed their babies while members sit below them chatting. Foxes are frequently seen crossing the fields in the evening. Moles and gophers appear in the fields from time to time. For a time, there were ring neck pheasants living in the brush at the south end of the property. As many dog owners have learned the hard way, there are plenty of skunks living in the brush surrounding the Club. Gulls and cormorants can be seen on the lake just in front of the club, seemingly oblivious to the shooting. None of these animals or birds seem to be affected by the shooting or the presence of humans.
Having a trap and skeet facility within the city of San Francisco is an opportunity to provide a unique recreational sport for City residents and residents of the Bay Area as a whole. Not only San Franciscans use the Club, but also people from around the Bay bring business to our City. It should also be remembered that trap and skeet shooting are Olympic sports. Many Olympic caliber shooters have trained here. Who knows, maybe someday a Olympic Gold Medal Winner may have been trained at Pacific! Many championships have been taken by shooters trained here at Pacific.
The clubhouse facilities, which were all built by the Rod & Gun Club, are available on a rental basis for meetings and parties for a reasonable price. Many local groups meet here on a weekly or monthly schedule. The clubhouse is handicapped accessible, and there is ample free parking for meetings and parties. The monies derived from these rentals is used to maintain the buildings and grounds.
The Pacific Rod & Gun Club is a non-profit organization which supports itself, pays rent to the City Recreation and Parks Department, maintains the property and facilities, and does not cost the City anything. Membership is not a requirement to use any of the facilities here at Lake Merced. However, memberships are available to interested people.