Marin Group donates for trails and species

The Sierra Club Marin Group has contributed $1,000 for trail restoration and endangered species protection in the Carson Falls area of the Marin Municipal Water District's (MMWD) watershed lands.

In the MMWD watersheds, the colorful and formerly widespread yellow-legged frog has been reduced to only two breeding populations, one around Carson Falls. The Carson Falls area, however, is a popular hiking site with multiple informal trails leading down to the creek. Hikers and dogs in this sensitive area unknowingly kill both frog eggs and tadpoles, and the frog population is in danger of disappearing within a few years. The endangered yellow-legged frog has already disappeared from more than 45% of its historic range due to habitat loss, introduced predators, and disease.

The Carson Falls Project will restore natural conditions to protect yellow-legged frogs, while also creating safer trails. The project will decommission redundant trails, reroute primary trails away from the creek and unstable slopes, install rustic barriers to protect sensitive creekside areas, build a new bridge across Carson Creek, and install discreet educational signage.

Frogs and hikers alike will benefit from the new trail design.

Gordon Bennett and Margot Biehle, co-chairs, Marin Group Water Committee