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Delivered by the Foundation at a public meeting in Stinson Beach on January 29, 2003
Bolinas Lagoon Foundation is a private California non-profit public service corporation established in May, 1978. The specific purposes for which the Foundation was established are to promote the conservation, protection and preservation of Bolinas Lagoon and its natural surroundings as a unique natural resource; to support scientific study of Bolinas Lagoon; to encourage an active concern for Bolinas Lagoon by the public; and to work with and assist other non-profit agencies concerned with the welfare of Bolinas Lagoon. Our public outreach includes this web site, newsletters and other publications, and periodic public meetings.
In 1994 the Foundation commissioned a study of the physical condition of Bolinas Lagoon. The results of that study, and parallel activity by the Bolinas Lagoon Technical Advisory Committee, led to a request to Congress that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers determine if Bolinas Lagoon was in jeopardy, and if the restoration and protection of the Lagoon were in the “National Interest.” The answers to both questions were “YES,” and in 1996 Bolinas Lagoon Foundation committed to assist both the Marin County Open Space District and the Corps of Engineers in securing the funding (both public and private) necessary to undertake a Bolinas Lagoon Restoration Project. That project is the Bolinas Lagoon Ecosystem Restoration Project. To that end, the Foundation has helped secure many millions of dollars; federal, state, county and private funds, toward advancing the restoration project.
We are now at a critical point in the life of the restoration project. The public has identified some shortcomings in the Draft Feasibility Study Report/EIR/EIS published in June, 2002, and in addition, the public has criticized the $100 million plus scope and magnitude of the project. These shortcomings and criticisms must be addressed immediately. The physical condition of Bolinas Lagoon continues to deteriorate and if no restorative work is performed, the Lagoon may eventually lose its environmental habitat values. We believe Bolinas Lagoon is too important an ecological resource to lose.
Time is of the essence! Senator John Burton is termed out of office in 2004. Without his splendid and forceful leadership, it will be difficult to continue to receive the state funds which constitute the critical local match to federal spending for the project. As a practical matter we need to proceed with a dramatically scaled-down project before the end of this calendar year.
This project must include both engineering solutions and the biological science safeguards necessary to assure the survival of a healthy Bolinas Lagoon. We strongly believe that the work should continue with all possible speed and efficiency, to preserve and make use of the financial resources now available to Marin County Open Space District.
We commend the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for their continued commitment to the preservation and conservation of Bolinas Lagoon, and we pledge our ongoing support and commitment to the Corps and to the Marin County Open Space District. As always, we stand ready to help and assist in any way possible.