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Mira Monte Acquisition |
Special Event:Tidal Marsh to Gilded Age and Back AgainHabitat and History Tour of storied Marin Bayland in heart of Petaluma Marsh and Wildlife Preserve Sunday, September 26, 2010 2 pm - 4 pm A project of the Campaign for Marin Baylands $35 per person Event program:
At its July 20 board meeting, the Marin Conservation League Board of Directors approved a $1,000 donation to the Mira Monte Acquisition. The funds will come out of MCL's Lands in Between reserve fund, which is a special fund specifically set aside for land acquisition and preservation. Marin Conservation League has joined Marin Audubon Society, Marin Baylands Advocates and other conservation interests working to purchase the Mira Monte Marina, a complex of wetlands, mud flats and oak upland north of Novato across Highway 101 from Olompali State Park. The 57-acre site, straddling the Marin/Sonoma line where San Antonio Creek flows into the Petaluma River, include a seven-acre wooded hill known as Burdell Island, a name that reflects its former condition as an island prior to placement of levees that blocked tidal waters.Historic Landscape The Mira Monte wetlands are part of the Petaluma Marsh system, about 4,200 acres extending inland seven miles from the mouth of the Petaluma River. It is the largest intact ancient marsh remaining in San Francisco Bay, a remnant of a once broad band ringing the western and northern coasts of San Pablo Bay. Over the past two centuries urbanization and diking diminished the North Bay’s marshes, and the Mira Monte wetlands still exhibit many features characteristic of the earlier landscape. Human Settlers The Coast Miwok inhabited this area for several thousand years until they were displaced by European settlers in the mid-19th century. In 1852, land that includes Mira Monte was a wedding gift to dentist Galen Burdell and his bride who grew the property into the 20,000 acre Olompali domain and diligently “reclaimed” many of its tidelands for agriculture. In 1895 Burdell’s son built the Mira Monte Club, atop Burdell Island, a lavish sportsmen’s retreat for San Francisco’s elite, complete with modern plumbing and billiard room. The clubhouse was used for many years before being destroyed by fire in the 1960s. A marina with concessions was built along the river early in the 20th century, and during Prohibition Burdell Island reputedly harbored bootleggers. An oyster bar on Mira Monte’s waterfront was a popular hangout into the late 20th century. Mira Monte is now a collection of dilapidated buildings used for storage of marine equipment and RVs. Habitat Value Mira Monte’s value is heightened by its location in the midst of a network of already protected areas extending along the Petaluma River from the northernmost reaches of the Petaluma Marsh south to Highway 37. The state Department of Fish and Game owns most of the marsh to the north and the diked seasonal wetland to the south. Wildlife diversity on the site is high and includes the endangered California clapper rail and salt marsh harvest mouse, as well as special status species. Species observed on the property’s upland include American crow, Northern mockingbird, common barn owl, turkey vulture, bushtit, Say’s phoebe, American kestrel, and red-tailed hawk. Twelve fish species native to California are known to inhabit San Antonio Creek: one endangered species (winter-run chinook salmon), and four federally listed threatened species (spring-run chinook salmon, California coast steelhead, Central Valley steelhead, and North American green sturgeon), as well as Bay pipefish, California roach, Pacific herring, Pacific staghorn sculpin, prickly sculpin, shiner surfperch, threespine stickleback, tule perch, and yellowfin goby. Restoring Our Marshes Numerous efforts are underway to salvage and restore the Bay’s historic marshes so critical to its aquatic health. MCL was an early partner in one of these efforts, the Campaign to Save Marin Baylands, which has led to acquisition of a number of sites along Marin’s bayshore. Marin Audubon is in contract to purchase Mira Monte for $1.85 million and must raise these funds by March 2011. MCL has contributed $1,000 from its Land Preservation Fund to the Mira Monte effort and will co-sponsor a fundraising event at the site on September 26 (watch for your invitation in the mail). Donations may be made to the Marin Baylands Fund at the Marin Community Foundation, and mailed to Marin Baylands Advocates, PO Box 2598, Mill Valley, CA 94942.
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The price to acquire Mira Monte is $1.85 million.
Private contributions are vital and will help to leverage local support into major funding
opportunities.
Donations payable to the Marin Baylands Fund should be sent to:
Marin Baylands Advocates
P.O. Box 2598
Mill Valley, CA 94942
For more information, contact: Barbara Salzman at 415-924-6057 or view the youtube video!
Benefits of Acquiring Mira Monte
• Preserve native oak woodland
• Protect and restore tidal marsh, seasonal wetlands, and transitional habitat between marsh and uplands
• Preserve native habitat for endangered, special status, and migratory species
• Enhance water quality
• Protect watershed
• Protect critical connection between publicly owned lands
