Marin Group donates for Rush Creek trail

The Marin Group has donated $1,500 towards the construction of a new hiking trail north of Rush Creek Preserve in Novato. This is a part of wetlands improvements to the Bahia area, which was saved from development by a referendum campaign in 2001. The Sierra Club helped to win the referendum and to raise funds for purchasing the land to protect permanently.

The gift went to the Marin County Open Space District. It offset the cost of constructing an inland trail as a bypass for a levee trail that was abandoned when the California Department of Fish and Game completed wetland enhancement work north of the preserve. The project also involves caging existing native shrubs and trees to help revegetate adjacent sites. There may also be some exotic-plant control on an area infested with the invasive tree of heaven.

A portion of the funds donated was raised from proceeds of the Marin Group's "Marin County Hiking Trails" event this past April. The county's five major open-space agencies: the Point Reyes National Seashore, National Park Service, California State Parks, Marin Municipal Water District, and Marin County Open Space District, submitted a list of projects for possible funding. The selection was made by Marin Sierra Club hike leaders, including Richard Watson and Jim Bonsey.

The easiest access to the trail is at the end of the road on Bahia Drive, across from Topaz Drive. There is a chain-link fence with Open Space District signs indicating the trail entry.

As you enjoy your hike on this trail, remember that it was enhanced in part by the Sierra Club Marin Group.