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Sun reflecting on Channel B joining Third-Valley Creek
at Chicken Ranch Beach in March
Photo courtesy of Neysa King |
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Welcome from the Council!
Tomales Bay Watershed Council (TBWC) News is published monthly and includes announcements of Council meetings and other happenings in the watershed.
We welcome your comments on our newsletter or on any of the Council's Activities. We also welcome contributed articles, links to relevant websites, and photographs. Contact us at info@tomalesbaywatershed.org.
If you have not joined our mailing list already, please sign up using the link on the side panel. Please feel free to forward this email on to any friends and associates you think may be interested.
If you received this email in error, please see unsubscribe instructions at the bottom of this message.. |
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Chicken Ranch Beach Project Update
Tuesday, May 17th, 2011
3:30-5:30 pm
Inverness Yacht Club
Please join us for a presentation on the Final Draft of the "Restoration Feasibility and Conceptual Design Report for Chicken Ranch Beach" on May 17, 2011 from 3:30-5:30 PM at the Inverness Yacht Club.
In June 2010, the Chicken Ranch Beach Restoration Project moved one giant step closer to realization with the release of the "Draft Restoration Feasibility and Conceptual Design Report" prepared by the Kamman Hydrology & Engineering, Inc. (KHE) team for the Tomales Bay Watershed Council. Many of you read and commented on this report, and we have integrated your comments and will present the revised project report next month.
See a summary of the project, as well as a diagram of the preferred alternative by clicking here. |
Chicken Ranch Beach
Water Quality Monitoring Shows Elevated Bacteria Levels
 | | Channel B crossing Chicken Ranch Beach in March |
The Tomales Bay Watershed Council is currently monitoring bacteria levels in the water at two sites at Chicken Ranch Beach. Results from the first two weeks of this month show elevated levels of bacteria both in the "Channel B" which pools on the beach near the North end of the beach, and in the near-shore waters of Tomales Bay. The elevated bacteria levels exceeded state contact recreation standards for both Total Coliform bacteria and E. coli.
Late season rains can often produce this kind of response by mobilizing bacteria and flushing it to the bay. Samples from this week showed some improvement, although levels remained above contact recreation standards.
An improving trend would be expected with the arrival of drier weather. Tomales Bay Watershed Council's Water Quality Program will continue to monitor the sites.
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Celebrate Earth Day by Restoring Endangered Salmon Habitat on Lagunitas Creek with SPAWN
Saturday, April 23rd
9255 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. (SPAWN Offices)
SPAWN (the Salmon Protection and Watershed Network) is hosting a work party to plant natives grown in our nursery, remove non-native invasive plant species, and transplant seedlings in preparation for future habitat restoration projects.
We'll finish the day with a BBQ and delicious food donated by Good Earth Organic and Natural Foods! This project is a collaboration with Transition West Marin and the Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership.
Our restoration site is at 9255 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., about four miles southeast of Point Reyes Station, in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
Contact Diana at 415-663-8590 ext. 118 or email diana@tirn.net with questions.
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National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Reviews Status of Local Coho and Steelhead Populations
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NFMS), a unit of NOAA, releases review of the status of the Central California Coast Coho population under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The review was part of a periodic review of species listed as threatened or endangered through the ESA.
The memorandum states that "Although long-term data on adult abundance for populations within the CCC Coho Salmon ESU remain scarece, all available evidence from shorter-term research and monitoring efforts indicate that conditions have worsened for populations in this ESU since the last formal status review was published [2005]. For all available time series, recent population trends have been downward, in about half the cases significantly so, with particularly poor returns during the period 2006-2010." Download the entire memorandum here. |
Point Reyes Birding & Nature Festival
April 29th-May 2nd, 2011
Join the area's best birders and naturalists for this annual event that
celebrates spring migration in West Marin.
Join EAC on the May 2nd for a boat tour to Cordell Bank to see pelagic birds. Come see the incredible film "Ghost Bird" about the Ivory-billed woodpecker, once believed to be extinct, on Friday evening at the Dance Palace.
Visit www.pointreyesbirdingfestival.org to view the schedule of events and
sign up.
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Rainfall in Tomales Bay Watershed
The graph below shows the long term average rainfall per water year (in red) and cumulative rainfall for the previous two water years (blue and purple lines).
The green line shows the rainfall for the current water year (October 1, 2010-September 30, 2011).
This graph will be updated each month during the rainy season. |
