Richardson's Bay: Regulating And

January - February 2021 Planning for Richardson's Bay: recreation on MMWD's watershed Regulating and Protecting an by Nona Dennis Irreplaceable Natural Resource No one saw it coming! Within days of the first call in March to stay-in-place as a measure to control the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, people thronged to the beach, parks, and open spaces. At first, land managers responded by limiting entry to bikes and close-to-home walkers. As confinement wore on, they realized that being outdoors was the universal “cure” for a restless public, and they doubled their efforts to manage the crowds. Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD, or District) was no exception. By mid-December 2020, watershed lands were still experiencing record numbers of iStock Eelgrass beds are a vital component of Richardson's Bay ecosystems. visitors who, for nine months, had been escaping from the confinement of home to the relative safety of the outdoors. by Terri Thomas Recreation as a whole, always welcomed “Richardson Bay is a priceless natural pebble beaches, rocky shorelines, eelgrass on the watershed, was straining District resource which affects those who live and and shellfish beds, seal haul-outs, herring resources, creating competition among work around it, and on it, and also those spawning grounds, and resting and feeding watershed land uses, ecological and who pass through it...Good water quality habitats for tens of thousands of migrating cultural resources, and the District’s is absolutely essential for maintaining and overwintering waterbirds, including primary mission of supplying high quality Richardson’s Bay as important wildlife many species of diving ducks. Designated water and protecting the watershed’s habitat, and for maximum public enjoyment,” as an Important Bird Area by Audubon rich natural resources. Furthermore, it stated former Marin County Supervisor and California, it includes a 900-acre protected was compounding existing visitor safety State Senator Peter Behr as President of MCL area, the Richardson Bay Audubon Sanctuary, concerns. in 1984. in its northeastern reach. The Sanctuary MMWD’s legacy of is seasonally closed to boats to protect Irreplaceable resource wintering waterfowl. public access Richardson’s Bay is a 3,000-acre Richardson’s Bay was once the top herring The history of MMWD’s founding ecologically-rich, shallow inlet of San fishery on the west coast of North America, helps to explain the current recreational Francisco Bay. It hosts a mosaic of habitats Pacific herring spawn in its sheltered waters including open water, marshes, sandy Continued on page 2 Continued on page 4 In This Issue— Corte Madera tidal marsh restoration— page 6 Transit Center project- page 7 Project Update: San Geronimo Valley-page 8 Nature Note: Eelgrass - page 11 MCL Director Profiles— page 11 New Mission, Vision, Guiding Principles- page 12 PAGE 1 January - February 2021 A Message from the President - MCL updates its Mission, Vision, and Guiding Principles Dear Members and Friends, Last month Marin clearly states what we want: “…an of environmental work in many areas creates Conservation League’s Board ecologically diverse and resilient exciting possibilities to help stakeholders of Directors unanimously natural environment that a adopt best-practices and develop innovative approved MCL’s 2021-23 thriving, engaged community policies--that can help Marin and potentially Strategic Plan, a roadmap values and cares for”. can be spread elsewhere and so have impacts that will help us to remain As for MCL’s Guiding Principles, regionally and beyond. a relevant and effective we revised four Principles-- “Work for environmental justice, equity, advocate for Marin’s support nature first, act based on diversity and inclusion” in all of our environment. Personally, I’m science, use diverse approaches for environmental advocacy work means that relieved (it was a lot of work!) and mobilizing action, and tirelessly advocate we will listen, learn, and figure out how we excited by the many planned changes and for the environment--that capture our can best add value by working with partners the unplanned changes that will arise from past and current approach to thoughtfully in underserved communities, whose “learning by doing” as we implement the developing, vetting and advocating for residents are disproportionately people of Plan. policies that benefit Marin’s environment. color. Here are some highlights from our new The two new Principles are really Over time, we aim to improve our work Mission, Vision and Guiding Principles important to me: and how we communicate with you, the statements, listed on page 12. They precede “Integrate climate change understanding public, and decision-makers about that everything else in the Plan. into our work”. Yes, MCL’s Climate Action work--in order to be better and more To our Mission statement “Preserve, Working Group addresses climate change effective advocates for the environment on protect and enhance the natural assets mitigation and impacts--but so do our your behalf. And we’ll need your help: we of Marin”, we added “in a changing other main Issue Committees: Fire and hope you will check out our Issue Committee environment”, reflecting the growing impact Environment; Parks and Open Space; meetings and participate in new volunteer of climate change on our environment and of Land Use, Transportation and Water; and opportunities going forward! other negative environmental changes, such Agricultural Land Use. Integrating policy as spreading new pathogens and non-native expertise on climate change with policy invasive species. Our (first!) Vision statement expertise deeply rooted in MCL’s long history Robert Miller, President Planning for recreation on watershed from page 1 “dilemma.” By the early years of the organized within months of the charter. Cycling escalated sharply in the 1980s as 20th century, much of Mt. Tamalpais was Their paramount interest was captured in mountain bike technology evolved, and in the hands of some 20 private water a headline in a 1915 issue of California- conflicts began to appear. Slow-moving companies. To the dismay of hikers who Out-of-Doors: “A Great Opportunity and visitors were suddenly faced with riders on flocked to the mountain, these privately- a Duty: A Water Supply and a Public two wheels reaching speeds three-to five owned lands were off-limits, particularly Park in Marin.” Thus, TCC members were times their own pace. in the Lagunitas Creek watershed. That enthusiastic supporters of the bond When then-Chief Ranger Bill Hogan all changed when, in 1912 and 1915, measure and all subsequent expansions retired in 2016 after 38 years as a ranger Marin citizens created and then funded of the new water district. They wanted to with the District, he estimated, based on the first municipal utility chartered in ensure that the watershed would remain visitor surveys in 1974 and 2013, bike use California. More than 10,300 acres came open to the public. And it did. had grown from about two percent of into the public domain. That would grow For many years, hiking, running, and all visitors to 30 percent. Equestrian use over ensuing years to the 18,500 acres horseback riding predominated. The mix had decreased, and hiking and running now managed by the District on Mt. of users was not without controversy. continued to be the dominant mode of Tam. (Nicasio and Soula Jule Reservoirs MCL voiced its concerns decades ago over recreation. In total numbers, annual visitors , constructed in 1961 and 1976, dangerous and unregulated horseback had roughly doubled from 750,000 annual respectively, brought the total a acreage riding. Hikers and runners cut corners visitors to over 1,600,000, now estimated to to 21,250.) It was not a coincidence and created social trails. A few “clunker” be over 2,000,000. “Outdoor recreation is that the Tamalpais Conservation Club, bicycles began appearing in the 1970s. representing a large group of hikers, was Continued on page 3 PAGE 2 January - February 2021 Planning for recreation on watershed from page 2 no longer a ‘nice to have’; it is now a ‘must reduced stamina have,’” he said. Leaders across the country that come with recognized the undeniable economic, social age, had been and health benefits of outdoor recreation. lobbying the With it came evident impacts to vegetation, District Board roads, and trails. to legalize the This already-considerable growth has E-bikes that they been amplified by Covid-19. A November already ride on the report from MMWD staff cited high levels watershed. They of use at major entry points and along were not alone popular trails (300 visitors per hour were in the growing reported recently on the Cataract Trail). The appearance of report cited parking limitations, trash and E-bikes on District sanitation issues, and increasing requests lands, however. for medical aid. A seasonal entrance The Board agreed attendant at Sky Oaks reported the last that the matter weekend of November as the busiest in warranted study. her term; 800 cars entered. Enforcement of After a year Marin County Parks personal safety measures against Covid-19 of robust Lake Lagunitas (foreground) and Bon Tempe Lake areas have has added to ranger responsibilities. public review, experienced especially high recreation levels since the onset of Staff began to take short-term actions, including study the Covid pandemic. such as augmenting and servicing sanitation by a Community safe access to recreational opportunities facilities, adding hand sanitizer at parking Advisory Committee and further outreach, for diverse visitors, address unauthorized lots and sanitation stations, upgrading staff eventually recommended to the Board uses, ensure adequate capacity to maintain trash cans with wildlife proof receptacles in December 2020 that they approve a three- infrastructure and historical landmarks, and monitoring trash in high use areas, and year Special Use Permit for E-bikes as an and reach out into the cultures of selling annual passes online.

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