Here's the thing: Crocker Amazon Playground is exactly that — a playground. We're talking about baseball and softball fields that already see heavy human use. This isn't some pristine meadow being paved over for a parking lot. McLaren Park, with its genuinely wild open space, sits right next door. As one SF resident put it, there's "not really any open park space that they're replacing grass in," and wildlife in McLaren Park is unlikely to be impacted by upgrades to fields "where people are playing during the day."

Anyone who's actually used high-traffic athletic fields in San Francisco knows the deal with natural grass: gopher holes that twist ankles, bald patches of dirt studded with glass, and — let's be honest — an unreasonable amount of dog poop. One local who grew up playing on city fields noted that turf eliminates all of that, calling it "way better, especially on super high use fields." Hard to argue with not dislocating your ankle at second base.