YOU CAN HELP SAVE TOMALES DUNES!

We need your help to protect Tomales Dunes! After decades of debate and campaigning, and prolonged deliberation by the Planning Commission, the Lawson's Landing Master Plan will be considered by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday October 14.

The Planning Commission has recommended a plan that is a definite improvement on the illegal and damaging uses now occurring at Tomales Dunes. All camping on wetlands will cease, a new septic system will eventually replace the illegal cesspits fronting Tomales Bay, and the permanent campers that are basically second homes for 213 lucky RV owners will be opened to the public. However, the plan still has some serious flaws:

• There is no requirement to stop artificial drainage of the wetlands.
• Camping is allowed to continue in the wetland buffers for at least another three years, a clear violation of the Local Coastal Plan's requirement that wetlands be protected by 100 foot buffers.
• The Adaptive Management Plan that is supposed to ensure that sensitive species and habitats are protected and restored is vague and has no teeth.
• The plan would give the owners up to three years (and unlimited extensions) to apply for the secondary permits (called Precise Development Permits) that are needed before they can install the new septic system, improve traffic flow, and institute other improvements on the site.

Lawson's Landing will be pushing to weaken the Master Plan. They want

• to extend camping in wetland buffers;
• to restrict the Adaptive Management Plan to just a few areas and to only ten years;
• to retain the “second-home” campers, which produce a rental income of more than $800,000 a year; and
• to replace with RV camping the tent-only camping areas that the Planning Commission recommended to provide a closer-to-nature experience for those who prefer that to RV camping.

SEND EMAILS OR LETTERS OF SUPPORT: Click here to see a sample letter. 

Or write your own letter, asking your Supervisor to protect Tomales Dunes. The Board's home page has email and regular mail addresses under each member's picture. Go to: http://www.co.marin.ca.us/depts/BS/main/index.cfm

Urge the Supervisors to:

• Strengthen-not weaken--the Master Plan and ensure it complies with the Local Coastal Plan;
• Require that artificial drainage of wetlands cease immediately, so that they can begin to recover from decades of damage.;
• Ban camping in the wetland buffers; and
• Put Precise Development Permits and implementation of the required improvements, especially the new septic system, on a fast track.

COME TO THE MEETING OCTOBER 14th: Your presence at the Supervisors meeting, even if you do not speak, will make a difference!  We'll be handing out lapel tags so that you can make your feelings known.  It is important to let the Supervisors know that their constituents want them to protect our coastline and enforce our hard-won environmental protections.

WHAT: Board of Supervisors decision on Lawson's Landing

WHEN: Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 1:30 pm

WHERE: Board of Supervisors Chambers, Room 330, Civic Center, San Rafael, California

DIRECTIONS: from Highway 101, take the North San Pedro Road exit traveling east; turn left onto Civic Center Drive; continue to free, all-day parking. For maps, go to: http://www.co.marin.ca.us/depts/is/main/CivicCenterDirections.cfm

FOR MORE INFORMATION GO TO:

http://www.eacmarin.org/campaigns/tomales_dunes.php#2008

The County's Staff Report will be posted on October 8 at http://www.co.marin.ca.us/efiles/BS/AgMn/cybagnda.htm

Learn more about Tomales Dunes

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Marin County Board of Supervisors

3501 Civic Center Drive

San Rafael, CA 94903

Dear Supervisors:,

PLEASE ACT TO PROTECT TOMALES DUNES BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!

Tomales Dunes is one of Marin’s—and California’s--coastal treasures.  It is the largest unprotected dune system in central California--a complex of mobile dunes, central dune scrub, dune prairie, and dune wetlands. It supports at least 14 listed species and has the richest collection of seasonal dune wetlands in central California. It is also one of the few dune systems in the state that still has a vital population of native dune grasses and some true mobile dunes—completely bare and constantly shifting.

The Planning Commission has sent you a Master Plan for Lawson's Landing that is an advancement over existing conditions, but which still falls short of the goals of complying with the Local Coastal Program and protecting precious coastal resources while allowing future generations to continue to enjoy visiting and camping at this beautiful site. 

As you consider the Lawson's Landing Master Plan and Coastal Development Permit, I urge you to safeguard this valuable habitat from

over-exploitation and ecological degradation. Specifically,

• Strengthen-not weaken--the Master Plan and ensure it complies with the Local Coastal Plan;
• Require that artificial drainage of wetlands cease immediately, so that they can begin to recover from decades of damage.;
• Ban camping in the wetland buffers; and
• Put Precise Development Permits and implementation of the required improvements, especially the new septic system, on a fast track.

Upholding Marin’s hard-won coastal protections will preserve the beauty, biological wealth, and recreational value of this special place for future generations. As naturalist Jules Evens has said, Tomales Dunes is like no other place on earth. Please protect it!

Sincerely,

(Signature)

Name

Address

cc: California Coastal Commission <rpap@coastal.ca.gov>

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