Feeding grounds could vanish for Marin Islands rookery

San Rafael wetlands vital to national wildlife refuge

The egrets and herons of the Marin Islands National Wildlife Refuge could vanish if development is allowed to pave over their main feeding grounds.

The refuge supports the largest egret and heron rookery in San Francisco Bay, yet the sanctuary itself preserves little of the salt-marsh and mudflat habitat where these birds feed. Like so many of us in the Bay Area, these birds must commute to work.

Over the years, however, with the extensive filling of wetlands and the growth of San Rafael along the southern shore of the San Pedro Peninsula, this feeding habitat has all but disappeared. Only two notable remnants remain of the once-substantial salt marshes on this part of the peninsula - the marshes at the San Rafael Rock Quarry and at the Beach Drive/Loch Lomond Inlet - yet both of these are under threat from both development and habitat decline.

The San Rafael Quarry Marsh is choked off from the nourishing tidal waters of the Bay by a small culvert that remains sealed most of the year. Silt builds up in the roughly 50-acre marsh from the constant settling of quarry dust. The dust is likely to increase, since Dutra Corp., the quarry owner, is planning a so-called reclamation project that would involve trucking up to two million tons of dirt on roads passing directly by the wetlands. This is part of a plan to continuously process the fines of the quarry in preparation for building 350 homes after the quarry is closed in 17 years. The Environmental Impact Report on the Reclamation Plan is expected by the first quarter of 2007.

The story is much the same for the 20-acre Beach Drive/Loch Lomond Marina marsh area. A small rusted culvert passes a fraction of the historic tidal flow to the Beach Drive Marsh (under county jurisdiction, just outside San Rafael). There are plans to fill in wetlands on the adjacent marina parcel (within San Rafael city limits) to construct McMansions. The narrow upland buffer zone around one marina marsh area may shrink to less than 20 feet. Neither of these development projects is finalized. Public input can still influence these projects and win protections for these important habitats.

Restoration of proper tidal flow will be an important start. The roads crossing these marshes are built on causeways, with small culverts running under the roads; these culverts are often completely blocked and in any case obstruct the flows. They need to be replaced with bridge culverts that leave adequate space for passage of water and wildlife. Officials must also require housing development to be set back from the wetlands and associated uplands.

WhatYouCanDo

Speak out to protect the conservation area that includes the wetlands and the upland transition zone from new housing at Loch Lomond Marina. San Rafael is now preparing the final Environmental Impact Report, expected in November. A Nov. 7 meeting with the Design Review Board, at 7 pm at the Council Chambers of San Rafael City Hall, will be an important opportunity to influence the process. Come to the meeting, and write to:

Paul Jensen, Contract Planner
Community Development Department
San Rafael City Hall
1400 Fifth Ave.
San Rafael, CA 94901

For more information about the developer's plans and the community response, see the San Pedro Road Coalition web site:

Both tidal-flow restoration projects fall within the unincorporated area of Marin County. Contact the Marin County Board of Supervisors at:

Board of Supervisors
Marin County Civic Center
3501 Civic Center Drive
San Rafael, CA 94903
bos -at- co.marin.ca.us

Urge them to upgrade the Beach Drive culvert and to require Dutra Corporation to immediately restore tidal flow to the San Rafael Quarry Marsh - as a prerequisite to county approval of the Amended Reclamation Plan and Operating Plan for the quarry.

Attend the meetings when the Supervisors will be considering these projects. To be informed of dates, contact or call (510) 848-0800, ext. 316. Speak out for protection of wetlands.

For more information contact Trip Allen of the Sierra Club Marin Group Executive Committee at tripallen -at- sbcglobal.net or call (415) 455-8982.

Trip Allen