Environmental Action Committee of West Marin (EAC)

The Thriving Cities Challenge from the Salazar Center in Colorado is offering a $50,000 to $100,000 prize for community teams working to advance climate resilience and racial equity through nature-based solutions. Applications due April 15th. at https://thrivingcitieschallenge.org

It's World Water Day! To celebrate all things water, we are releasing our publication, Beneath the Surface: Groundwater, a Proactive Analysis Exploring California and Marin County Water Resilience in a Changing Climate to spark a dialogue on groundwater within the context of water resiliency. To understand how groundwater is managed and regulated in Marin County, the report offers a thorough review of relevant background research including local and statewide regulatory frameworks and interviews with key agency staff and experts. Get your free copy today at www.eacmarin.org/groundwater

Question: When fishing off the shore of Tomales Bay in Marshall, Marin County, I can only use one rod, right? (Ramon) Answer: Fishing regulations in Tomales Bay are outlined in the Ocean Sport Fishing Regulations booklet. The number of rods you can use will depend upon what species of fish you are targeting. California Code of Regulations, Title 14, section 28.65 states that any number of hooks and lines may be used in all ocean waters and bays, with these exceptions that cou...ld apply in your case. For more information please visit: https://californiaoutdoors.wordpress.com//how-many-rods-c/ California Department of Fish and Wildlife Photo: Tomales Bay, California State Parks, all rights reserved. #fishingeducation #recreateresponsibly #tomalesbay

We'll be live at 12:30 with exciting news! A 100-foot pedestrian bridge that will connect the Marin County community with trails on the former San Geronimo ...Golf Course will open to the public, allowing visitors to enjoy views from the new bridge and make a giant loop around the 157-acre property. SPAWN crew and representatives from landowners The Trust for Public Land will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the bridge, and we'll be live broadcasting here on FB so don't miss it!

For centuries immemorial, indigenous tribes have maintained an intimate connection with California's land and sea. As the original stewards of the coast, native peoples possess traditional knowledge about the health of and threats to California's coast and ocean. California’s tribes continue to manage, depend on, and have a sacred relationship with the ocean. Today, California's tribes are able to contribute to the ongoing management of California's marine protected areas (M...PAs). Photo: Chumash people paddling a Tomol 2015 Photo compilation by Tima Link, source image by photographer Robert Schwemmer, NOAA. #CaliforniaMPAs #CalifMPAs #ProtectWhatYouLove #NativeOceanProtectors

Did you know there are canyons, some as deep as the Grand Canyon, lurking beneath the surface of the ocean off California's coast?! Called submarine canyons, these deep waters are home to a myriad of mysterious deep sea creatures and are a source of upwelling, a process where cold, nutrient-rich waters rise to the ocean surface close to shore. Submarine canyons occur all along California's coast in areas such as La Jolla, Point Dume, Monterey Bay, Carmel, and Humboldt, and t...wenty eight of California's marine protected areas (MPAs) include portions of these deep canyons. Most are too deep to SCUBA dive, so scientists deploy ROVs (remotely operated vehicles) to explore these areas. For more information, check out this CDFW blog on submarine canyons: https://cdfwmarine.wordpress.com//exploring-californias-m/ Some submarine canyons close to us: Mattole Canyon SMR (Humboldt County): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpJcA48SF-k&feature=youtu.be Soquel Canyon SMCA near Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz County) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXJGYEN__Iw&feature=youtu.be Portuguese Ledge SMCA off Pacific Grove (Monterey County) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGzxkeazpp4&feature=youtu.be Big Creek SMR near Big Sur (Monterey County) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkkxYBmh2-g&feature=youtu.be @deepmare @CaliforniaDFW Feather Star Image: Soquel Canyon CDFW/ MARE #CaliforniaMPAs #CalifMPAs #ProtectWhatYouLove #DeepSea #SubmarineCanyon

Starting in 2013, events like the arrival of warmer waters, sea star wasting syndrome, and a subsequent explosion of purple sea urchins hit the Northern California coast and decimated 90% of the bull kelp forest. In early 2020, the California Ocean Protection Council authorized funding to support kelp forest recovery on California’s north coast. The funding was to be used for the removal of purple urchins by commercial fishermen and ecological monitoring. Reef Check Califor...nia and a team of 13 fishermen initiated urchin removal operations at Noyo Bay in Mendocino County in early August. Since then, a total of 26,535 pounds of purple urchin have been removed from the restoration sites. Maintenance and ecological monitoring will continue at Noyo Bay throughout the winter, and urchin removal operations are anticipated to begin spring 2021 at a second restoration site in Mendocino County! For the latest updates on the urchin removal projects, visit: https://noyocenter.org/help-the-kelp/ Reef Check Foundation California Department of Fish and Wildlife Noyo Center for Marine Science The Nature Conservancy Photo: Tristin McHugh #CaliforniaMPAs #CalifMPAs #ProtectWhatYouLove #OptOutside #WatermansAlliance

Drawdown: Marin is a community-driven campaign to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for climate change impacts. In July, they released their Draft Strategic Plan after working with over 150 people over 2 years through 6 Stakeholder Collaboratives to develop ideas for local solutions to climate change. EAC participated in Drawdown's carbon sequestration and climate-resilient communities groups helping to develop local climate solutions focused on Blue C...arbon Wetlands Restoration, and the Water-Energy Nexus, Micro-Hydro Turbines. You can learn more about these projects in the Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan: https://www.marincounty.org//draft-drawdown-marin-strategi Drawdown: Marin: https://www.marincounty.org//climate-and-a/drawdown-marin EAC’s climate work: https://www.eacmarin.org/climatechange For more about what the EAC is doing, check out our monthly newsletter on our website. https://www.eacmarin.org/newsletters

Taking the right actions in the right place is essential to help the western monarch. The map above makes it easy to take the right action based on where you live. Based on where you live what actions will you be taking? For more information on monarchs in Marin and what you can do to help maintain the population, download the report through the link in our biography. Our report takes a deep dive into our communities efforts to support the western monarch butterfly and outlin...es steps we can take to support the butterflies. #MarinCounty #WesternMonarchButterfly #MarinMonarchs #XercesSociety #MonarchMonday Learn More: https://www.eacmarin.org/western-monarch https://xerces.org/western-monarch-call-to-action

"The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is advising consumers not to eat sports-harvested mussels, clams, or scallops from Marin County due to dangerous levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins being detected. This warning does not apply to commercially sold clams, mussels, scallops or oysters from approved sources." https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OPA/Pages/SN20-009.aspx

Marin County is hosting public meetings and created a virtual platform focused on natural disasters and hazards for residents. February 2, 2021, 1pm and 6pm: The County is offering two identical sessions that will focus on wildfire hazards and mitigations including information on the Marin County Community Wildfire Protection Plan and the new Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority. Marin County, California ... Register here: https://mailchi.mp/fb9a101ccb62/lhmp2021 In addition, the County has launched an online platform to provide information to residents on vulnerability to natural disasters, strategies to cope with hazards, and a framework for mitigation and strategies. Check out the online tool here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MCM_LHMP_VES_2021 #EAC #CaliforniaMPAs #CalifMPAs #ProtectWhatYouLove #MarinCounty #PointReyes

An ocean of thanks to all of you who photographed the King Tides in November and December. If you haven't yet uploaded your photos to the project, you can still do so. In Northern California, you have one more opportunity to observe our highest high tides and contribute to this community science project on Monday, January 11 and Tuesday, January 12. Only locations north of Point Conception will see extreme high tides on those days. If you are able to safely visit the shorelin...e during these highest tides of the year, your photos will help California understand how our shoreline is affected by high water today and by sea level rise in the future. Whether you head out to take photos or not, please join us on social media for #KingTides Sharing your King Tides photos and talking about what you've noticed helps us all understand we're part of a community that cares about climate change and wants to act to protect the people and places that we love. Thank you for your help! We look forward to seeing your photos! california.kingtides.net #EAC #CaliforniaMPAs #CalifMPAs #ProtectWhatYouLove #OptOutside #MarinCounty #PointReyes

"President Trump vetoed the Driftnet Modernization and Bycatch Reduction Act on Friday, putting protected marine species in the crosshairs of an unsustainable fishing method after decades of grassroots advocacy to end the fishery. The bipartisan bill would have phased out the use of large mesh drift gillnets in the federal waters off the coast of California, the only place the nets are still used in the United States" (Turtle Island Restoration Network). In a devastating blo...w to marine biodiversity, Trump’s veto could spell the death knell for the amazing, ancient and gentle Pacific leatherbacks if it is allowed to stand, said Todd Steiner, executive director of Turtle Island Restoration Network. Turtle Island Restoration Network will do everything within its power to ensure the veto is overturned or the legislation is re-introduced under the Biden administration and signed into law. To read more please visit: https://seaturtles.org/trump-vetoes-bipartisan-bill-to-pro/

The Coastal Commission provided a public notice that the January 14th hearing to review the federal consistency of the Point Reyes National Seashore’s General Management Plan Amendment has been postponed. Thank you to everyone for submitting comments asking for the Commission to receive to be afforded the time they originally requested to review the plan. That request was granted today! https://www.eacmarin.org/eac-gmpa/ccc-delayjan14

Join Morgan and Ashley in welcoming our newest legal and policy interns, Katherine and Ariel, to the EAC team this winter! Learn more about our internship program and how you can gain job experience while working to protect the places you love in West Marin. https://www.eacmarin.org/internship-apply... https://www.eacmarin.org/interns #EAC #CaliforniaMPAs #CalifMPAs #ProtectWhatYouLove #MarinCounty #PointReyes

It's time to voice your concerns to the California Coastal Commission to protect water quality and species in the Point Reyes National Seashore. Check out our action alert and turn in comments by 5pm on Friday, January 8th! https://www.eacmarin.org/eac-gmpa/2021/1/5/ccc-action-alert