 |
|
 |
| ||
|
Sketching Out Protection for Marin's Baylands
If advocates for wetland critters and their habitat have their way, Marin County's baylands could soon be home to a new national wildlife refuge.
At the urging Marin Audubon, the Coastal Conservancy and others, U.S. Fish & Wildlife has identified a 17,600-acre study area stretching from the Petaluma River to Corte Madera and encompassing tidal marsh, diked baylands and some uplands. In May, the Service held a second series of public meetings to familiarize local landowners and other stakeholders with the idea and with the process for establishing a refuge.
Of all the baylands on the North Bay shore, Marin's are the most at risk from development, say environmentalists. Novato recently built a new golf course in the Marin baylands, and residential and transportation projects are proposed all along the Highway 101 corridor, which parallels the bayshore. Rather than hosting new homes, putting greens, highways and marinas, the proposed refuge would offer protected habitat to several federally listed endangered species, including the salt marsh harvest mouse, as well to curlews, dunlins, sandpipers, mallard, teal, pintail and scaup.
Although environmentalists are clearly enthusiastic about the notion of a new refuge, the proposal is encountering predictable resistance from developers with an interest in bayside property, as well as anxiety on the part of local landowners. With regard to the latter, Ellen Johnck of the Bay Planning Coalition - on record as supporting the concept of a new refuge - says the Service made a fundamental error by presenting the study area boundary as a fait accompli. "Fish & Wildlife goes in and draws a line around the parcels it thinks should be included without telling anyone, then notifies property owners that their property is within the line," says Johnck. "Most owners are very upset that didn't they know this was under consideration."
"Some folks have interpreted the study area as meaning that 'this is going to be the refuge,'" says the Service's Cathy Osugi. "We really want to make it clear - it's just a study area." She notes that the Service initially used incomplete mailing lists when it notified property owners about the first series of public meetings last November. "We should have done a better job with that," she admits, adding that the problem has since been corrected.
Osugi says the next step will be for the Service to develop several preliminary refuge boundary alternatives within the study area. These will be presented to the public for comment before being incorporated into federally required environmental documents. The Service will then select a preferred alternative.
Marin Audubon's Barbara Salzman says she expects the preferred alternative to include wetlands at the former Hamilton Air Force Base and Bel Marin Keys, which the Coastal Conservancy already owns. "Then we can add to it north and south," she says.
Osugi emphasizes that property for the refuge will be acquired from willing sellers only, and adds that the Service is required by law to pay fair market value based on an independent appraisal. She adds that until the boundary is established, estimating cost is impossible. And she cautions that the new refuge is by no means a done deal. "The alternatives always include a 'no action' alternative, she says. "For now we are just working our way through the process and we'll see where that takes us. I'm hopeful, but I can't predict what will happen."
Contact Cathy Osugi (503) 231-6838 CH
[ ABAG HOME | SFEP HOME ]
Copyright © 2002, San Francisco Estuary Project