Lagoon Lifesaver-- November, 2002

RESTORATION PROJECT STATUS

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Marin County Open Space District continue their work on the Bolinas Lagoon Ecosystem Restoration Project. After reviewing and analyzing the many critical, yet constructive, comments submitted in response to the Draft Feasibility Study report/EIS/EIR, a new action plan has been formulated.

The major concerns with the plan, as presented in the reports, include:

• The plan was too large and too costly,
• The plan was too risky biologically, without a strong "adaptive management" program, and
• The justification for taking any action was inadequate.

As a result, the Corps will collect new data, reanalyze existing data, and address a number of smaller, less costly combinations of corrective actions that can be justified individually if it can be demonstrated that they will prolong the healthy life of the lagoon. Criteria for selection will be developed and publicized, and there will be public involvement throughout the selection and justification process during preparation of a revised Draft Feasibility Study Report/EIR/S. No plan will be finalized without a complete "adaptive management" plan, including a thorough biological assessment of the current conditions in the lagoon. Advantage will be taken of the data developed in monitoring the results of the Caltrans mitigation project at the south end of the lagoon.

All of this work, including developing a "plan of action," will take some time to accomplish, so the December 2 public meeting has been cancelled, and will be rescheduled after the first of the New Year.

Congress recessed without authorizing budget bills, so the Corps, and other federal agencies, is operating on a continuation of last year’s budget. And, there was no WRDA bill implemented. Our project will probably be ready for inclusion in WRDA ’04 (if there is one), but work can continue without WRDA into Phase III (Pre-construction Engineering and Design) once the final Feasibility Study Report is completed, in parallel with the County’s EIS/EIR process.

Thank you for your past support of our efforts to preserve Bolinas Lagoon. We will persist, and we hope that your letters and financial support will continue.

Bucky Mace
For the Foundation