Watershed Health Forum

Next Tuesday Feb 17th at 7:30PM the County of Marin will be hosting a special public forum at the Woodacre Improvement Club to update our community on the current Existing Conditions Report (focused on watershed and coho salmon health) and the San Geronimo Valley Enhancement Plan slated for completion in 2009.

We highly encourage everyone to attend this presentation to learn more about the important work in progress in the San Geronimo Valley, home to Central California's largest wild run of coho salmon and the beacon for hope of restoration of coho across California.

At Tuesday's meeting we will be joined by Dr. Derek Booth (http://www.stillwatersci.com/staff_directory_bio.php?cat=a-c&id=10), an engaging speaker and highly experienced watershed health expert, who very early on was SPAWN's 1st choice for leading this important study in our community and whose work will now be instrumental in guiding the formation of a science-based restoration plan for streams and valleys in the San Geronimo Valley, headwaters of the Lagunitas Creek Watershed. Dr. Booth will be presenting and discussing critical environmental health indicators for our local watersheds and ecological community.

The meeting is OPEN and FREE to all Marin residents as well as watershed groups across California.

We do look forward to seeing you at the meeting!

Please feel free to spread the word to neighbors, friends and colleagues.

Background: The Existing Conditions Report and San Geronimo Valley Enhancement Plan come as a result of an agreement that SPAWN forged with the County of Marin in February of 2008 resulting in a new ordinance to protect endangered coho salmon from unsustainable development practices - see http://spawnusa.org/pages/page-191. The ordinance requires an assessment of the cumulative impacts of developments on streams and endangered coho salmon, a 2-year moratorium on any new development in the Stream Conservation Area until the appropriate cumulative impacts studies are completed, and a new Riparian Tree Ordinance to protect the viability and resiliency of sensitive streamside forests that shade and shelter salmon.

More INFO: The County of Marin's consultants, Stillwater Sciences and Prunuske Chatham Inc., have completed the Existing Conditions Report for San Geronimo Valley and the report is posted at http://www.marinwatersheds.org.