I n the Preliminary Analysis for their 1997 Bolinas Lagoon Study, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers said:

"The lagoon is one of Marin County's most significant natural resources. The lagoon tidelands are publicly owned. ... Along with Drake's Estero and Tomales Bay, Bolinas Lagoon provides an important coastal environment for fish, birds and mammals that is unparalleled along the northern California coast between San Francisco and Humboldt Bays. Open water, mudflat and marsh provide productive and diverse habitats for marine fishes, water birds, and marine mammals. Bolinas Lagoon is part of a much larger protected natural habitat complex that is part of or adjoins the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, Pt. Reyes National Seashore, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Central California Coast Biosphere Preserve, Mt. Tamalpais State Park, and the Audubon Canyon Ranch Bird Sanctuary."

Our earliest geologic maps (1850's) show an island free Bolinas Lagoon, which was then navigable to the far northern end by shallow-draft vessels. Today, the far northern end is not accessible by any watercraft, and the main body of the lagoon is navigable by canoes and kayaks only, and only during high tide. Shallow-draft boats with outboard motors can use narrow channels near the mouth at high tide.

Between 1968 and 1988 the lagoon lost twenty-five percent of its water capacity (over one million cubic yards) from sediment accumulation; sedimentation caused by human intervention with the natural processes. In the past 30 years, the "upland" areas surrounding the lagoon have increased by 67%. During this same period, the sub-tidal areas have decreased by 29% and the inter-tidal by 5%. The sub-tidal and inter-tidal areas are where the ecological values of the lagoon reside.

Because of this sediment accumulation, and the ultimate destruction of Bolinas Lagoon that will result if the buildup continues, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers entered into a partnership with the Marin County Open Space District in 1998 to preserve and restore Bolinas Lagoon. Why? Because a fully-functioning Bolinas Lagoon is one of but a handful of tidal estuaries on the West Coast of our country, and tidal estuaries are essential habitat: as breeding grounds for shellfish, finfish, bottom fish, and marine organisms; as pupping grounds for harbor seals; as nesting areas for herons, egrets and other wading birds; as stopovers for migratory birds on the Pacific Flyway; as year-round habitats for numerous endangered species; and, as recreational resources for millions of our citizens.

The Restoration of Bolinas Lagoon is unique in the history of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers because their justification for undertaking the partnership with Marin County Open Space District is based solely on Bolinas Lagoon's value as ecological habitat. The positive economic impact on the local communities is a by-product of the restoration effort, but the wildlife habitat is sufficiently valuable that it alone justifies the work, in the Corps' opinion. An article in Nature (May, 1997) places the annual economic value provided by an acre of tidal marsh at $4,044; tidal estuaries, $9,243. Using these numbers, the annual economic contribution of a living, fully functioning Bolinas Lagoon to the people of the world is $8,965,740 (Bolinas Lagoon measures 1,060 acres, of which 15% is marsh).

In January 2000 The San Francisco Chronicle carried articles with headlines that stated: "West Coast Ground fish Under Disaster Status" (January 20) and "Dungeness (Crab) in Danger" (January 24). Bolinas Lagoon, and other coastal estuaries, provide nurseries for juveniles of these species. The loss of estuarine habitat only increases the pressure on rare, threatened and endangered species. The Bolinas Lagoon Management Plan prepared by Marin County (1996) lists 3 species of amphibians, 23 of birds and 3 of mammals that frequent Bolinas Lagoon and are identified as "rare, threatened or endangered."

Audubon Canyon Ranch, located on the shore of Bolinas Lagoon, offers "natural history" classes to over 20,000 schoolchildren each year. The lagoon-side classes are supplemented by the work of 800 docents, who provide "in-classroom training." The Point Reyes Bird Observatory is also headquartered adjacent to Bolinas Lagoon. PRBO conducts research on pelagic and migratory birds throughout the world. Their scientists have been of inestimable help to the Point Reyes National Seashore in assessing the impact of the Mt. Vision fire (12,354 acres, 1995) on the flora and fauna of the park. PRBO has monitored migratory and resident winter bird populations using Bolinas Lagoon for the past 20 years.

The town of Stinson Beach, located immediately to the south of the Lagoon, attracts over one million visitors yearly. Many of these visitors visit Bolinas Lagoon for bird and harbor seal "watching" – the Lagoon is home to over 245 different types of birds, and during pupping season several hundred harbor seals make the Lagoon their home. The town of Bolinas is located just across the Lagoon from Stinson Beach, and is home for a number of local fishermen. Preservation of Bolinas Lagoon as a hatchery and nursery for fish will contribute to the sustainability of their lifestyle.

The international environmental significance of Bolinas Lagoon is recognized by its inclusion in the Gulf of the Farallones International Biosphere Preserve (United Nations designation); by its nomination for the Coastal America Program (by the
U. S. Army Corps of Engineers); and by its designation as a Wetland of International Importance (1971 Ramsar Convention on Wetlands) by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It is the only wetland so designated in the contiguous 48 states on the Pacific Flyway. The California State Assembly emphasized the importance of Bolinas Lagoon in a resolution adopted on April 24, 1997.

The planned cost of the Initial phase of the restoration effort will be in the range of $30 million. The Federal Government will pay about 60% of this total. Marin County Open Space District must rely on the State of California and private sources for its share. The Bolinas Lagoon Foundation is acting as the coordinator of the private funding effort.