Located just north of Tomales Bay, Estero Americano is unlike other wetlands along the Pacific coast. The fjord-like Estero Americano is home to significant populations of birds, fish, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians, including several special status and endangered species. Estero Americano is recognized as a Sensitive Coastal Resource Area, California State Marine Recreational Management Area, and part of the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.

Since 1988, The Environmental Action Committee of West Marin has worked tirelessly with our partners to protect and conserve Estero Americano from urban development and pollution. Today, despite enjoying protections as an important ecological reserve, the seasonal estuary remains under threat from urban encroachment and water degradation due to agricultural runoff and siltation. Work to preserve Estero Americano is never-ending and has never been more critical to the survival of the hundreds of species that depend on it.

January 18, 1971, two Standard Oil tankers collided near the Golden Gate Bridge spilling more than 800,000 gallons of bunker fuel into the Pacific Ocean. The spill was catastrophic, heavy, thick oil washed up along beaches in San Francisco and Marin County suffocating wildlife and destroying habitat.

“Fifty years later, this story is both a powerful reminder of how easily accidents can cause environmental devastation and an inspiring story of the strength of people working together on behalf of the environment.” - Elia Haworth, curator of coastal Marin art and history for the Bolinas Museum, Point Reyes Light, January 13, 2021