Marin County Parks Projects:
For this project we were told to read about each of the seven parks projects on the Marin County Parks website. We then had to write a one paragraph summary on each of the projects.
Aramburu Island Shoreline Protection and Ecological Enhancement Project:
Aramburu Island is located in Richardson Bay, just off the coast of Tiburon. It is a 17-acre island created in the early 1960s by dredge spoils and fill from nearby development. Aramburu Island is protected by Marin County Parks but has been lacking much needed attention over the last few years. The island has been dominated by invasive and non-native plants. Waves have caused erosion of as much as 6 feet per year. The Audubon Society recently noticed that birds in Richardson Bay were using Aramburu Island as a refuge from toxic waters. Seeing this sparked that idea to create a plan to enhance the island. Two years were spent fundraising, planning, and permitting the project. The plan was designed to improve aquatic, wetland, and upland habitats for a range of local species, stabilize the rapidly eroding eastern shoreline, and help the island and surrounding communities adapt to sea level rise. It created unique and important wetland, beach, and terrestrial habitats for birds and wildlife and focused on creating habitats for terns and other water birds. The main construction of the project was completed in November of 2012. Since 2013 Audubon staff and volunteers have counted 1,500 shorebirds foraging, resting, and roosting on the island. In 2014 Black Oystercatchers, Black-necked Stilts, and Killdeer were able nest successfully. Plants were planted in the winter of 2013 and 2014 but the drought and Canada Geese remained a challenge as they like to eat the young plants. In 2015 planting numbers were doubled, irrigation systems were installed, and goose-repelling strategies were tried. In 2016 planting and seeding efforts gave more than 5,000 new native plants and about 2 acres of seed coverage to Aramburu Island. The new focus is to sustain our new plants through watering only through April so that they become tolerant of California's try summer and removing more non-native plants. The Audubon Society will continue to plant native species, remove invasive species, monitor birds and vegetation, maintain the shoreline, and continue work to improve habitats and ecosystems on the island through 2017. After that Marin County Parks will take on the monitoring and maintenance of the Island.
Castro Park Playground Renovation:
Castro Park was an old abandoned little league baseball field that was redone in 2003. It was transformed into a 1.5-acre park and playground that is now in need of some structural improvements. A public meeting was held to discuss ideas on how to renovate the play area and the project is currently moving forward and soliciting input from the local community.
Integrated Pest Management Program:
The 2016 Allowed Pesticides List for landscape and structural uses report was recently approved by the Marin County Boards of Supervisors. The report talked about achievements, partnerships, and a concerted effort to reduce chemical use. 126 out of 147 parks and county facilities were managed without the use of pesticides last year. Additionally, 37,000 hours were spent removing invasive plants like french broom, scotch broom, thistles, fennel, and other non-native grasses.
McNears Beach Park Master Plan:
McNears Beach Park is a 55-acre park located in San Rafael. McNears Beach Park is used for swimming fishing, picnicking, and looking at the amazing waterfront view. The park has been used and loved by many people and is now starting to show its age. In June of 2014 a contract was agreed upon to update the parks facilities and other programs such as various buildings and walkways, the old water, electrical, telephone, and irrigation lines, and many storm drains.
Paradise Beach Park Master Plan:
Paradise Beach Park is Marin County’s smallest regional park and is located on the Tiburon Peninsula. The park is rich in history and has been used for over 150 years and was a Navy net depot during World War II. In June of 2014 a contract was agreed upon to improve the park’s facilities and other programs and to weave some of the rich history into the park’s natural beauty.
Stafford Lake Bike Park:
The idea of building a bike park in Marin County was first proposed in 2008 due to community interest. Many different locations in Marin were looked at and in 2011 a master plan for the bike park was created. Construction drawings began shortly after and a design was picked in March of 2014. Marin County Parks began construction of trails in July of 2014. They began to build trails such as Perimeter Trail, the Mike’s Bikes Progression Zone (with beginner, intermediate, and advanced trails), a maintenance trail that provides access to the upper areas of the park, and the Kid’s Learn-to-Ride Zone. These trails are knows as Phase I of the park and opened on August 22, 2015. In 2012 a non-profit was formed specifically to fund raise for the bike park helping to earn the project a total of $732,000 by August 2015. They continued to work on building the entry plaza, gateway, and more. They also plan to build intermediate pump tracks, a terrain park, downhill and flow trails, bridge crossings, progression trails with balance features, and a main event plaza. The park was created so that riders of all ages and abilities can progress and test their skills in a safe, fun, and appropriate place in Marin County. Stafford Lake is the North Bays first public bike park and is the only park with a dual slalom course west of Truckee. The park even features beautiful views of Stafford Lake.
Stafford Lake Park Master Plan:
The Stafford Lake Park is a 139-acre park located in Novato, California. It is Marin County Parks’ largest unplanned area and is unique because of its rural setting. In June of 2014 Marin County Parks contracted with landscape architects and planners to update the master plan. The master plan includes improvements to the park’s facilities and other programs. The park is currently set up for fishing, group picnicking, hiking, disk golf, and larges events with a max capacity of 5,000 people. Community workshops are held periodically to gather the public's ideas and input, update people on the progress being made, and let them know how they can help.
Presentation:
After writing these summaries we had to pick one project and make a presentation to recruit volunteers for that project. We then presented it to the class.