NOAA’s Gulf of the Farallones Sanctuary Seeks Public Input on Management and Restoration of Bolinas Lagoon
May 23, 2008
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 local 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 nearshore 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.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 70 countries and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.