SPEAKER SERIES Newsletter of the Marin Audubon Society. Vol. 60, No. 07 March 2018 Free and Open to the public Richardson Bay Audubon Center 376 Greenwood Beach Road, Tiburon Information: 415/789-0703 THURSDAY, MARCH 8 7:30 PM Badgers in Marin County With Susan Kirks The MARIN AUDUBONRail SOCIETY Black Point Acquisition in the Works Ron Dudley Ron American Badger is a native mammal to California’s grassland ecosystems. Marin County has a small sustaining badger population, but where are the badgers? The American Badger is rarely seen and usually misun- derstood. In California, badgers have a special status since 1987, Species of Concern. Many believe with fragmented habitat, destruction of habitat and frequent vehicular strikes killing badgers, the species deserves a higher level of protection. A Threatened status would mandate consideration of protecting the badger’s habitat. Badgers reside in Ann Thomas Ann our coastal and inland grassland The acquisition property is a mix of oak wooded hillsides and low-lying diked baylands on Bayview and ecosystems, the open spaces often Hemlock Avenues, near Norton Pond, Days Island and the mouth of the Petaluma River. With the lack utilized for agriculture and urban of rain, the baylands at the base of the hills are dry this year. Under normal rainfall years, water would development. be ponded in the baylands. Our speaker, Susan Kirks, is a Naturalist with 18 years of field e are pleased to announce that we’ve Marin Baylands Advocates, is contributing study and observations of American just signed the Purchase Agreement funding for the appraisal and MAS is providing Badger. She is recognized as to buy two undeveloped parcels, funds for the deposit. California’s leading naturalist expert Wtotaling 2.63 acres, at Hemlock and Bayview This purchase is part of the Campaign on the species and also currently Avenues which are paper streets in an area for Marin Baylands, the goal of which is to serves as President of Sonoma known locally as the gridiron of Black Point in permanently protect all of the existing and County’s Madrone Audubon Society. Novato. The property, located close to Norton diked baylands along San Francisco and San Susan will share information with us Pond, supports diked seasonal wetlands, Pablo Bays in Marin County. More than 100 about Marin County’s badger popula- grasslands and oak-wooded hillside habitats. years ago, the gridiron area of Black Point was tion and how we can best understand Historically, the area was a series of coves where divided into postage stamp-sized lots that were and support conservation of this the tides came up to meet oak-wooded hills. given away, reportedly to folks who subscribed special wild creature. We have successfully breached the dikes at to either to the Chronicle or Reader’s Digest. Bahia, restoring tidal flow to that habitat. A MAS and MBA have jointly protected nine IN THIS ISSUE vision is that the outer levees that now block properties in this area, so far. tidal waters from the Black Point baylands Over the next six months, our organizations President’s Message 2 could be lowered as well. will be raising the funds necessary to complete Field Trips 2 and 3 We are now in the contingency period, the purchase. In addition to asking for our during which a title search and an appraisal are members’ support, we will be applying to Conservation Report 4 being prepared. We have six months to remove the Marin County Open Space District for Habitat Stewardship 6 contingencies, and raise the $200,000 purchase Measure A funds and to other funding sources. price. If additional time is needed to complete To make a donation now, send to MAS, Box Birdlog 7 the fundraising, we have the option to extend 599, Mill Valley 94942. Note that the donation escrow for another six months. Our partner, is for the Black Point acquisition. LIKE US ON WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/MARINAUDUBON MARCH 2018 1 BOARD OF DIRECTORS All phone numbers are in the 415 area code President’s Message unless otherwise noted. Questions? Please By Barbara Salzman contact the appropriate Board member. President Barbara Salzman 924-6057 As we finish the marsh restoration at the Corte owned by various public agencies: (1) habitat Vice President Lowell Sykes 388-2821 Madera Ecological Reserve, my thoughts go enhancement of the muted tidal marsh at Secretary Everett Clark 789-9224 back over our history of restoring baylands, Redwood High School funded by the Coastal Treasurer Susan Winston 949/632-0908 Conservation Phil Peterson 828-4780 and especially to one of our earlier efforts, Conservancy; (2) improvements on properties Barbara Salzman 924-6057 the project just a few yards north of our owned by the Marin County Open Space Field Trips Jane Medley 559/760-1551 current restoration. In 1989, we removed fill District by removing debris and also excavating Membership Elyse Omernick 694-2320 to create tidal marsh and isolate an area of fill a channel to open up an area to tidal action Fundraising Everett Clark 789-9224 to function as an island high tide refugia for at Bothin Marsh; (3) removing fill on State Speaker Series/Programs the endangered California Clapper Rail (now Lands property at the end of Mitchell Blvd. Susan Kelly 883-9505 Ridgway’s Rail). This followed on our hiring in San Rafael to restore tidal marsh along Special Projects Jude Stalker 680-6291 Gary Page and Jules Evens to survey Clapper Gallinas Creek; and (4) replacing a culvert Nominating Bob Hinz, 383-8688 Rail use in the adjacent Heerdt Marsh. This and enhancing Rush Creek Marsh owned by Editor, The Rail Bob Hinz, 383-8688 study was the first to identify the importance the Department of Fish and Game and the Website Susan Kelly 883-9505 of this marsh for this endangered species, and OSD. Most were funded by the Supplemental Property Management Ed Nute 669-7710 Publicity Barbara Freitas 924-7477 it launched the careers of Gary and Jules as Environmental Project program that was BAAC Reps Lowell Sykes 388-2821 experts on this species. administered by the Regional Water Board, but Barbara Salzman 924-6057 The event that led up to that project was no longer exists. We were one of the first, if not DIRECTORS MEETINGS a sewage spill by the City of Larkspur into the first, non-profit to receive funding from the Meetings open to members. If you wish to Corte Madera Creek. I was asked by the Coastal Conservancy. attend please call 924-6057. then Executive Officer of the Regional Water Without willingness of the Marin Audubon 6:30 PM, First Tuesday of the month Richardson Bay Audubon Center Quality Control Board, Steve Ritchie, to Board and my project management, none of 376 Greenwood Beach Road suggest a project to mitigate for the impacts of this would have happened. In all approximately Tiburon, California 94920 the spill, and when I did, we were encouraged 500 acres were restored or enhanced prior to MAS telephone: 721-4271 (for messages only) to take on the construction. The MAS Board 1999 when we began to purchase properties. Marin Audubon Society is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) was as enthusiastic as I was about taking it on, Since our first purchase, Triangle Marsh, organization. All memberships and contributions and the rest is history. The channel has silted we have confined our restoration work to are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. in over the years and is now a thriving marsh properties that we purchased. More on our The Rail is published ten times a year by the well-vegetated with native marsh species. It is history in future issues. Marin Audubon Society on 100% recycled paper; edited by Bob Hinz [email protected], an important part of Marin Audubon’s legacy We welcome Elyse Omernick who is taking 383-8688; assisted by other members of MAS; of marsh restorations. over as Membership Secretary and joining the and designed by Studio NaCl (www.studionacl. That Ecological Reserve project wasn’t Board. Elyse’s Board responsibility will be for com). Deadline is the first of each month. actually our first restoration. Our first was in Facebook and initiating us into Instagram. We ©2018 Marin Audubon Society the late 1970s when a group of our volunteers have been wanting for some time to increase Website: www.marinaudubon.org removed water hyacinth from Smith Ranch our social media presence. Elyse’s enthusiasm Members can receive The Rail electronically instead of a hard copy by emailing member- Road Pond at Deer Valley Road. Later we and willingness to help is welcome. [email protected] removed non-native plants from an artificial Do you love birds and want to be involved DONATIONS APPRECIATED! pond at the Richardson Bay Sanitary District, in activities to protect them and improve their Marin Audubon Society welcomes gifts of and we dredged to deepen Remillard Pond habitat? Contact Bob Hinz, our Nominating funds, stock, or property, and bequests in in Larkspur to benefit the Western Pond Committee Chair, to find out more about a general, or in honor or memory of someone. Gifts may be directed to any MAS project. Turtle. Other projects followed on properties continued on page 7 Unspecified gifts of more than $500 will be placed in the Endowment Fund for conserva- PETALUMA RIVER BOAT TRIP ONLINE SIGNUPS BEGIN FEBRUARY 26 tion, the protection of wildlife species, and the preservation and enhancement of wildlife habi- tats. Since MAS is an all-volunteer organization, Departure/return at Petaluma numbers of shorebirds as well as the raptors 100% of your donation goes to its projects.