New Open Space Preserve Maps
Posted on: April 16, 2013
We just completed an update of our open space preserve maps. The maps are now available in PDF format on our preserve map webpage. Since the last map update in 2010, we added new detail, including topography and more parks, multiuse pathways, and regional trails information.
New Volunteer Opportunity at Bolinas Lagoon
Posted on: April 2, 2013
Become a member of the Kent Island Habitat Restoration Team. The kickoff program is Saturday, April 20th and we will host community volunteer days twice a month through September 2013.
Kent Island is a flood tidal delta that forms a barrier island in the interior of Bolinas Lagoon. In a natural state, the island should have low growing dune plants adapted to salt water inundation, sand burial, and erosion that would allow the island to shift with wind, wave, and geologic factors and to rapidly recover after tectonic subsidence. In recent years, invasive nonnative plants have colonized the island, displacing native plants and locking the island in place. Volunteers will remove invasive vegetation by hand and irrigate the heaviest infestations with salt water from the lagoon.
There are several ways to join the team:
- Train as an Environmental Steward and contribute on your own time.
- Conduct your own volunteer day with your business or school group.
- Join one or more of our community volunteer days on the first Friday and third Saturday of every month through September 2013. Dates include: April 5th and 20th; May 3rd and18th; June 7th and 15th; July 5th and 20th; August 2nd and 17th; and September 6th and 21st. Lunch will be provided on Saturdays.
For more information or to RSVP for one of the scheduled dates: Call the Marin County Parks Open Space Volunteer Office at (415) 473-3778 or e-mail Tori Bohlen at VBohlen@marincounty.org. To learn more about Bolinas Lagoon, read about the Bolinas Lagoon Ecosystem Restoration Project.
The Kent Island Restoration Project is being funded through the US Army Corps of Engineers Estuary Habitat Restoration Program.
Parks and Preserves Shine in 40th Anniversary Photo Contest
Revised on: November 19, 2012
We are proud to announce the winners of the Marin County Parks 40th Anniversary Photo Contest. We hosted the contest to celebrate 40 years of preservation and recreation, and to bring attention to the 20,000 acres of local parks and preserves that are Marin’s backyard. More than 100 photographers submitted photos for consideration, capturing the everyday extraordinary beauty of Marin.
Judges included open space ranger and photographer Craig Solin and local professional photographers Cheri Larsh Arellano and Graham Law. Contestants submitted photos representing the following subjects: Landscapes and Vistas; Plant and Wildlife; and People Enjoying Nature (including horses and dogs). After careful consideration, the judges selected 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in each category. First prize winners include: Pacheco Falls by Cole Slater (Landscapes and Vistas); Bobcat by Phil Pasquini (Plant and Wildlife); and Summer Evening on Horse Hill by Reena Rosskopf (People Enjoying Nature, including horses or dogs), which was selected as the grand prize winner via Marin County Parks Facebook.
The winning photos can be viewed online at the Marin County Parks 40th Anniversary Photo Contest Winners or viewed at REI in Corte Madera this winter.
Board of Supervisors to Meet on Parks Funding Measure
Posted on: August 2, 2012
The Marin County Board of Supervisors will meet on Tuesday, August 7, 2012 at 10:30 am to conduct a merit hearing to solicit public comment concerning the proposed ordinance, sales tax, and expenditure plan to be used for parks, open space, and farmland preservation. For more information, see the Staff Report. The agenda is available on the Board of Supervisors Meeting Archive for 2012 and the meeting location will be:
Marin County Civic Center
Board of Supervisors, Room 330
3501 Civic Center Drive
San Rafael, CA 94901
The sales tax would come into effect only if approved by two-thirds or more of the voters participating in the November 6, 2012 election.
Marin County Parks Survey Results
Posted on: June 26, 2012
The Marin County Parks Department commissioned Godbe Research to conduct a survey of 606 Marin County voters from June 7 through June 10, 2012 to assess potential voter support for a sales tax measure within Marin County during the November 2012 election. The survey also tested support for various projects and programs to be funded with any proceeds, measured the influence of supporting and opposing arguments on potential voter support, identified the optimum tax amount at which voters will support the measure, and identified any differences in voter support due to demographic and/or voter behavioral characteristics.
The survey report is now available for public review.