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On September 9 Marin County Open Space District contracted with a team of consultants to continue work on the Feasibility Study phase of our restoration effort. The team consists of Philip Williams & Associates, Wetlands Research Associates, Inc. and Dr. Stephen Monismith (of Stanford). The OSD also hired a project manager to monitor progress on the contract and help facilitate public information flow and meetings. More recently Dr. Joshua Collins, of the San Francisco Estuary Institute, has been retained to create and head an independent panel of subject-matter specialists to provide an independent evaluation of the consultants’ recommendations. All of these parties are familiar with the history of Bolinas Lagoon and the importance of its habitat values.
The first task to be addressed by the consulting team is a determination of the need for corrective action and physical intervention now. The Open Space District has scheduled a public meeting for Monday, October 27, at 7 PM, in the Stinson Beach Community Center. This will be the first in a series of public meetings to be held by the end of this year, as the Open Space District evaluates the purpose and need for the Bolinas Lagoon Ecosystem Restoration Project. At the meeting, the consultant team will provide an overview of their work program. Following this, they will lead a discussion about lagoon management objectives, and a discussion about lagoon conditions that would indicate the need to begin restoration work. Please attend the meeting, and participate in the discussions.
The current project schedule calls for a report to be submitted by June 30, 2004, projecting the lagoon’s condition 50 years hence and providing the basis for determining the need for corrective action. If it is determined that corrective action is required, a follow-on contract will be let to develop a recommended corrective program. Current plans are to limit the initial corrective steps to a budget of $30 million (±), which is a level of funding felt to be attainable. This follow-on contract will probably require the balance of 2004 and most, if not all, of 2005. Thus, the lead role in the Open Space District-Army Corps of Engineers team should return to the Corps in late 2005, or 2006. The Corps will then prepare a revised Feasibility Study Report (EIR/EIS) for public review, and submission to Congress. Once Congress approves a restoration project, funding will be requested for the pre-construction engineering design work, and ultimately, for physical corrective action. It is far too early to speculate what corrective action will eventually be performed.
Meanwhile, the Corps of Engineers is continuing their work on the project too. In the current fiscal year they intend to plan a computer model to study the movement of sediment entering Bolinas Lagoon from the ocean. Their plan for the next fiscal year is to implement the model, so it can help evaluate the projected effectiveness of various corrective alternatives.
Marin County Open Space District has created a web page for the Bolinas Lagoon Ecosystem Restoration Project. The site provides information about the project status and makes available various contracts and reports. You can also sign up for e-mail notification of future meetings at the site.
For the present, the most important thing you can do is to participate in the planning discussions hosted by the Open Space District. Once again, thank you for your interest and support.
Bucky Mace
For the Foundation Board