Coastal Post Online
MARIN COUNTY'S NEWS
MONTHLY - FREE PRESS
(415)868-1600 -
(415)868-0502(fax) - P.O. Box 31, Bolinas, CA, 94924
|
|
Bolinas Lagoon Restoration Plan Unveiled
On Management and Restoration of Bolinas Lagoon
NOAA's Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary will co-sponsor a workshop with the Marin County Open Space District on June 11 to present recommendations for the restoration and management of Bolinas Lagoon.
The public is invited to attend the workshop and comment on the recommendations and proposed actions contained in the "locally preferred plan," which addresses the impacts of human activities such as logging, grazing and development on the lagoon. The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Stinson Beach Community Center, located at 32 Belvedere Street in Stinson Beach.
Developed by scientists, public agencies and citizens, the locally preferred plan is one of several alternatives that will be evaluated in the Bolinas Lagoon Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study being prepared by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Bolinas Lagoon is a 1,100-acre tidal estuary that was designated a wetland of international importance in 1998 by an intergovernmental panel. Along with Tomales Bay and Drake's Estero, Bolinas Lagoon provides diverse habitats for fishes, marine mammals and birds, including numerous endangered species. It is also a valued recreational area for residents and visitors.
The recommendations and proposed actions are available on the sanctuary's Web site, http://farallones.noaa.gov. For more information, contact Sage Tezak, Bolinas Lagoon restoration coordinator, at 415-561-6622, ext. 306, or by e-mail at Sage.Tezak@noaa.gov. Public comments will be accepted through June 22, 2008.
NOAA's Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary comprises more than 1,200 square nautical miles of near shore and offshore waters beyond San Francisco's Golden Gate. Designated in 1981, the sanctuary extends from Bodega Head in Sonoma County, south to the waters off the San Mateo County coast.
Executive Summary
This restoration plan provides a suite of recommendations that address human activities that directly and indirectly impact Bolinas Lagoon. Humans have significantly increased watershed sediment availability and deposition, which has affected the ecological and hydrological processes of the Lagoon.
A Working Group of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine (GFNMS) Sanctuary Advisory Council developed the plan, in partnership with Marin County Open Space District (MCOSD), the United States Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps), and the public. The Working Group, composed of scientists, local stakeholders, environmental groups, and state and federal agency representatives will forward their recommendations to the full GFNMS Advisory Council in July 2008. The Advisory Council will review, discuss and forward the recommendations to the GFNMS Superintendent, who will then forward to MCOSD and the Corps.
Thirteen recommendations contained in this document constitute the Locally Preferred Plan (Section 2 - Restoration recommendations in the Locally Preferred Plan). These recommendations will be analyzed (among other alternatives) in the United States Army Corps of Engineer's Bolinas Lagoon Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study. Additionally, this document identifies recommendations for long-term management actions that may be implemented independently of the Bolinas Lagoon Feasibility Study, which are described in Section 3 - Management Recommendations for Bolinas Lagoon.
Finally, recommendations for adaptive management and monitoring are described in Section 4 - Framework for an Adaptive Management and Monitoring Program. The ecological and physical functions of Bolinas Lagoon are influenced by ongoing interactions among sea level dynamics, earthquakes and sedimentation. Since the early 19th century, human land uses have altered, and continue to alter the shoreline and watershed, changing the proportion of human-caused sediment reaching the Lagoon, degrading water quality and altering the rate at which natural processes shape the Lagoon. The result is a human-induced acceleration and alteration in the natural processes, resulting in a loss of tidal prism, and changes in composition of plants, animals and habitats. The recommendations presented in this document are based on the following vision statement, project goal and objectives. These guiding principles were used in the development of this document. Vision Statement: Bolinas Lagoon thrives naturally as an ecologically healthy tidal estuary.
Draft Plan May 2008
Project Goal: The Bolinas Lagoon Restoration Project aims to ameliorate adverse human impacts to the Lagoon, thereby promoting the natural, dynamic, evolutionary processes of this internationally recognized estuarine environment.
Objectives:
1) Restore natural sediment transport and ecological functions of Bolinas Lagoon by ameliorating the negative effects of human induced changes.
2) Identify and manage introduced species in the Bolinas Lagoon watershed.
3) Protect water quality by minimizing negative human impacts. This document focuses on addressing human impacts to the Lagoon and restoring - as much as possible - its natural hydrological and ecological functions. Each recommendation aims to provide long-term solutions, rather than short-term fixes. The Working Group recognizes that the Lagoon is constantly changing and that the timing and effect of future natural small and large scale events (e.g., sea level rise, frequency and intensity of major storms, earthquake magnitude and timing) are uncertain and that the best way to ensure the long-term health of the Lagoon is to restore the processes that allow it to naturally evolve.
A key element of the Locally Preferred Plan (Section 2) is floodplain restoration. The restoration and reconnection of habitat along the Lagoon's edge and upland habitat would allow for connectivity between these ecologically valuable areas, and allow the Lagoon to move inland in response to sea level rise. Other key recommendations for restoration actions include:
¥ Remediate watershed disturbances;
¥ Remove areas of unnatural levels of sedimentation (deltas) from the Lagoon;
¥ Restore Kent Island as a dynamic flood shoal island;
¥ Restore eelgrass, if suitable habitat is available in Bolinas Lagoon; and
¥ Actively plan and manage for sea level rise.
Elements of Section 3 - Management Recommendations for Bolinas Lagoon include the following suite of actions: implementing best management practices, removing fallen trees from the Lagoon, establishing a wildlife disturbance program, and developing an emergency response plan in the event of an inlet closure. Other recommendations focus on managing introduced species throughout the Bolinas Lagoon watershed, such as a rapid response plan for immediate removal of introduced cord grass and a plan for identification and removal of other invasive species. Management recommendations to protect the Lagoon's water quality include: developing a local oil spill response plan, replacing toxic impregnated materials, promoting environmentally sensitive use of facilities, and identifying toxins associated with the abandoned dredge. Combined, these management recommendations will conserve the rich ecological diversity in Bolinas Lagoon and its watershed.
Section 4 - Framework for an Adaptive Management and Monitoring Program describes techniques for reviewing and adjusting management practices based on information gained through monitoring. Managing for a healthy Bolinas Lagoon is dependent on the ability to learn and then adapt management practices. Adaptive management is an iterative process, which allows resource managers (MCOSD and GFNMS) the ability to implement conservation strategies, monitor the outcomes, and then adjust practices, if needed.
The recommendations in this document are from NOAA, through the GFNMS Working Group and the Sanctuary Advisory Council, to the MCOSD and the Corps. This document was developed through a community-based process, by which public comments were accepted at scheduled times during all seven Working Group meetings. Comments on this document that are received at the public workshop (June 11, 2008) and during the 30-day public comment period, will be compiled and presented to the Working Group. The Working Group will convene for a final meeting to consider possible revisions. This document will be revised and a final plan will be recommended, which will be considered as an alternative in the Bolinas Lagoon Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study. Section 5 - Conclusions, provides a detailed discussion on the current process and public involvement, future implementation strategies, and overarching challenges.
This document is the precursor to the preparation of an environmental review document through the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The environmental review will be based on the proposed actions in the final version of this document (i.e., the Final Locally Preferred Plan). The analysis will be an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) under NEPA, and an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) under CEQA. These two types of analyses will be combined to form an EIS/EIR. NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries will request to be a cooperating agency with the Corps on the EIS/EIR to ensure the resources and qualities of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary are addressed throughout the process.