While San Francisco's elected officials continue their usual circus of spending your money on programs that don't work, a far more competent group of residents is quietly getting things done in Golden Gate Park: the great blue herons.

Heron chick season has officially kicked off. The first hatchlings of the year have been spotted near the park's established rookery, and the adults are already hunting near the fountain by the de Young Museum, doing what herons do best — feeding their families without a single government subsidy.

Say what you will about San Francisco's governance struggles, but Golden Gate Park's wildlife ecosystem remains one of the most remarkable things about this city. Great blue herons have been nesting in the park for years, raising their young in towering eucalyptus and cypress trees while joggers, tourists, and dog walkers pass below largely unaware. It's a genuine urban wildlife success story — and one that didn't require a $2 million feasibility study or a 47-member oversight committee.

For those who haven't witnessed it, heron rookeries are genuinely spectacular. These are prehistoric-looking birds with six-foot wingspans building massive stick nests, dive-bombing fish from park ponds, and engaging in elaborate mating displays. It's free, it's wild, and it's happening right now.

Here's the liberty-minded takeaway: Golden Gate Park works best when the city maintains it well and then gets out of the way. The herons don't need intervention. They need clean water, healthy trees, and humans who respect the space. That's a lesson that applies well beyond ornithology.

If you haven't taken a walk through the park lately, now's the time. Bring binoculars, look up, and watch nature do what bloated bureaucracies never can — deliver results on time and under budget.

Welcome back, herons. At least someone in this city knows how to run a household.