Tomales Bay State Park General Plan Was Prepared by the Department of Parks and Recreation Northern Service Center and North Bay District Staff
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SCH #2003062074 Arnold Schwarzenegger Governor Mike Chrisman Secretary for Resources Ruth Coleman Director of Parks and Recreation State of California The Resources Agency Department of Parks and Recreation P.O. Box 942896 Sacramento, CA 94296-0001 February 2004 California Department of Parks and Recreation General Plan Inquiries The Tomales Bay State Park General Plan was prepared by the Department of Parks and Recreation Northern Service Center and North Bay District staff. For general information regarding this document, or to request additional copies, please contact: California Department of Parks and Recreation Northern Service Center One Capitol Mall, Suite 500 Sacramento, California 95814 Attention: Tomales Bay State Park General Plan Team Copyright 2004 California State Parks This publication, including all of the text and photographs (excepting the cover photograph), is the intellectual property of the Department of Parks and Recreation and is protected by copyright. Cover photograph copyrighted and provided by Robert Campbell, Chamois Moon www.chamoismoon.com Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................. ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 10 Location and Park Areas..................................................................................................... 12 West Shore Park Areas ..................................................................................................... 12 East Shore Areas............................................................................................................... 13 Map 1: Regional Map ....................................................................................................... 14 Map 2: Park Location and Planning Areas .................................................................... 15 Purpose of Park Acquisition............................................................................................... 16 Spirit of Place ....................................................................................................................... 17 Tomales Bay Environmental Phenomena.......................................................................... 17 The Park’s Three Distinct Settings..................................................................................... 18 Purpose, Scope, and Process of this General Plan.......................................................... 20 Why do we need a General Plan? ..................................................................................... 20 Where do we get the information? ..................................................................................... 20 What is the scope of this plan? .......................................................................................... 20 General Plan Public Involvement....................................................................................... 21 EXISTING LAND USE, FACILITIES, INTERPRETATION, AND RESOURCES .................. 24 Existing Park Land Use and Recreational Use Patterns .................................................. 26 Park Recreational Use Patterns......................................................................................... 26 Traffic Circulation ............................................................................................................... 27 Road Easements, Right-of-Ways, and Encumbrances...................................................... 28 Existing Recreational and Operational Facilities.............................................................. 29 Trails .................................................................................................................................. 29 Day Use Facilities .............................................................................................................. 29 Map 3A: Park Facilities-North Park Areas ..................................................................... 30 Map 3B: Park Facilities: Inverness Parcels ................................................................... 31 Overnight Facilities ............................................................................................................ 32 Park Concessions .............................................................................................................. 32 Operations Facilities .......................................................................................................... 32 Utilities ............................................................................................................................... 33 Existing Interpretive Programs and Facilities................................................................... 34 Environmental Living Program........................................................................................... 34 Other Interpretive Programs offered in the Park ................................................................ 34 Outreach Programs............................................................................................................ 34 Interpretive Information ...................................................................................................... 35 Self-Guided Nature Trail .................................................................................................... 35 Wayside Exhibits................................................................................................................ 35 Educational Use by other Groups ......................................................................................35 Collections..........................................................................................................................36 Park Interpretive Support ...................................................................................................36 Natural Resources................................................................................................................36 Climatology.........................................................................................................................36 Air Quality...........................................................................................................................36 Geology..............................................................................................................................37 Map 4A: Geologic Hazards-North Area ..........................................................................42 Map 4B: Geologic Hazards-Inverness Parcels ..............................................................43 Topography ........................................................................................................................44 Soils....................................................................................................................................44 Hydrology and Water Resources .......................................................................................45 Plant Life ............................................................................................................................50 Map 5A: Plant Communities-North Park Areas .............................................................52 Map 5B: Plant Communities-Inverness Parcels ............................................................53 Animal Life..........................................................................................................................55 Map 6A: Wildlife Habitats-North Park Areas..................................................................58 Map 6B: Wildlife Habitats-Inverness Parcels.................................................................59 Map 7A: Natural Resource Sensitivity-North Park Areas .............................................60 Map 7B: Natural Resource Sensitivity-Inverness Parcels............................................61 Aesthetic Resources............................................................................................................65 Introduction.........................................................................................................................65 Scenic Resources ..............................................................................................................65 Auditory Resources............................................................................................................70 Cultural Resources ..............................................................................................................71 Cultural Resources Overview.............................................................................................71 Archaeological Resources..................................................................................................71 Ethnographic Overview ......................................................................................................73 Map 8: Cultural Resource Sensitvity-All Park Areas ....................................................74 Ethnohistoric Period ...........................................................................................................77 Historic Context ..................................................................................................................79 Park Purchase and Development.......................................................................................82