Tomales Bay looking north from the mouth of Lagunitas Creek. Photo by Robert Campbell. What's Inside About Us Members Get Involved Watershed Stewardship Information & Reports Timeline (PDF) TBWC Resources "2004 Tomales Bay Watershed Stewardship Plan, A Framework for Action," PDF document - 2.7 MB "Executive Summary, Tomales Bay Watershed Stewardship Plan 6-page PDF document - 188 KB "Tomales Bay Water Quality Monitoring Plan," PDF document - 273.1 KB "Tomales Bay Watershed Council Operating Procedures," 12-page PDF document -164 KB, updated October 2003.

NEW! September 2007: Latest version of the Integrated Coastal Watershed Management Plan (ICWMP) is now available. Document was submitted by the Tomales Bay Watershed Council for Prop 50 in the Step 2, Round 1 application. Appendices are available upon request. To download complete report by chapter, visit our Information and Reports page. Who We Are: Our Mission The Tomales Bay Watershed Council is made up of representatives from local organizations, businesses and government agencies who are dedicated to managing the 220 square miles of the Tomales Bay watershed, an area that encompasses about one-third of Marin County, California. Our purpose is to help implement the Tomales Bay Stewardship Plan, unanimously adopted in 2003 as a means for preserving and protecting the water and land resources for sustainable uses by agriculture, aquaculture, business, environmental, recreation and residential interests. Tomales Bay 'Call to Action' Tomales Bay is the geographic heart of the portion of western Marin County that includes the watersheds of Lagunitas, Olema, and Walker creeks. There are hundreds of tributaries associated with these three largest creeks, and the surrounding landscape can be viewed as a vast circulatory system, connecting all the plant, animal, and human inhabitants. Waters flow into Tomales Bay through wildlands, dairy ranches, forests, parks, and human communities. Its upper boundary is made up of coastal ridgelines – a rim of sorts measuring142 miles. TBWC held its first meeting in January 2000 and began working collectively on the Watershed Stewardship Plan adopted four years later. However, a plan is only as strong as the commitment of the people who carry it out, namely the residents of West Marin and the many people who visit the area to enjoy its beauty and recreational features. It is our hope that you will join us in supporting this extensive stewardship effort: responsible action is its own reward. The Council's Current Activities ¶ In April 2006, the TBWC moved into its new Olema Valley headquarters, joining the Pacific Coast Science and Learning Center at its facility six miles south of the Olema junction on Highway 1. ¶ In January 2006, the State Waters Resources Control Board awarded Tomales Bay Watershed Council a sizable planning grant. Part of the "Water Security, Clean Drinking Water, Coastal and Beach Protection Act of 2002," such funds are known as Proposition 50 grants. Ours will fund the development of an Integrated Coastal Watershed Management Plan, as well as a Septic Solutions Report and Municipal Stormwater Assessment and Recommendation Report. ¶ As called for in our Tomales Bay Stewardship Plan, and with support from the Marin Community Foundation and County of Marin, TBWC is implementing its Water Quality Monitoring Program, which will include sampling at three local swimming locations – Ink Wells, Samuel P. Taylor and Green Bridge – and will begin source area monitoring in Inverness – at Third Valley Creek and at Chicken Ranch Beach – to gather information about sources of watershed pollution from septic systems and other human-related activities. Read more about our current and ongoing activities on the About Us page or download our Winter 2006 newsletter (pdf). Be informed! Information on beach closures and water quality monitoring results are available on the Earth911 Web site at www.earth911.org/WaterQuality. How You Can Support the TBWC Meetings: Everyone is welcome to join us at our meetings on the third Tuesday of each month, 3:30 - 5:30 p.m., at the Red Barn, Point Reyes Seashore Headquarters, Bear Valley Road, Olema. For information, including meeting agendas and summaries, contact Council Coordinator Neysa King. Tax-Deductible Contributions: The Tomales Bay Watershed Council is a working group of stakeholders and not a formal entity, so in order to begin implementing our Tomales Bay Stewardship Plan, we created the Tomales Bay Watershed Foundation, a tax-exempt non-profit corporation. Our fiscal agent is the Marin County Resource Conservation District. To date, the Foundation has received a grant from the State of California for more than $460,000 dollars, as well as a number of other smaller grants from the Marin Community Foundation and the County of Marin. With the support of these funds, stewardship activities for Tomales Bay watershed are underway, with much more planned. To help us in our ongoing efforts to continue to preserve and protect this valuable watershed, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution payable to Marin County RCD/TBWC, Box 447, Pt. Reyes Station, CA 94956. Contact us at Tomales Bay Watershed Council, Box 447, Point Reyes Station, CA 94956, 415-868-9081, or email Council Coordinator Neysa King Copyright © 2005 - 2007 Tomales Bay Watershed Council Web site by Karen Peterson