Join Us at the Winter Gathering!

Mark your calendar! 🎉 You're invited to our Winter Gathering on Saturday, December 7th from 1-4 pm at The Lodge at Marconi's Buck Hall, overlooking the stunning Tomales Bay. This gathering celebrates our supporters and successes over the past year over food, drinks, and live music with Desi & The Mish. This zero-waste event has both an indoor and outdoor sitting area weather permitting. We hope to see you there!

EAC's MPA Petitions Move Forward 

We continue our advocacy for boundary and designation changes to MPAs at two West Marin locations: Drakes Estero and Duxbury Reef. This includes participating in Fish and Game Commission meetings and presenting to the Golden Gate MPA Collaborative. The Fish and Wildlife Department also recently released a mapping tool where you can review all of the petitions that have been submitted statewide. 

Learn More:

MPA Petitions at the Golden Gate Collaborative & Mapping
Advocacy for MPAs and Fisheries Management at the Fish and Game Commission

Got Rats? Skip the Poison & Get Tips on What To Do Without the Use of Poisons

We live in a wide variety of habitats: grasslands, forests, dunes, and wetlands in coastal Marin. Each of these habitats is home to a wide variety of rodents: field mice, voles, squirrels, woodrats, and even regular old urban rats. 

We do not want these rodents in our homes, but we also recognize that they play a vital role in our local ecosystems, including seed dispersal, managing vegetation, and providing food for coyotes, hawks, owls bobcats, and a wide variety of other predators.

Unlike in urban areas, where neighborhood rat elimination or maximum control is often the goal, we do not want to reduce our wild population of rodents. They are needed to maintain a balanced ecosystem!

Rodent poisons, especially anti-coagulants (or blood-thinning poisons), not only kill rodents but also a wide variety of birds and other mammals. The dying rodent goes outside and is eaten by a hawk or pet, who is then killed by the residual poison. Glue traps are equally bad: they indiscriminately trap all kinds of birds and mammals and are far too cruel.

Unfortunately, some property owners are still using very harmful rodent poisons, including anti-coagulants, to control rodents inside and even outside their houses. This is completely unnecessary.

If you have a rodent issue, check out these resources, or contact a rodent control expert to determine how to approach this without the use of poisons. 

Also, in good news, Governor Newsom just approved some of the strongest rat poison restrictions in the nation, which we supported.  

Learn more at Raptors are the Solution. 

Updates on Joint Advisory Council Meeting in Point Reyes Station

This August EAC Executive Director, Ashley Eagle-Gibbs, and Communications Intern, Kate Loomans, attended the Greater Farallones (GFNMS) & Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries (CBNMS) Joint Advisory Council meeting in Point Reyes Station.

Since the last council meeting, GFNMS and CBNMS published the Blue Carbon Education Toolkit to increase communication and education about the value of preserving and restoring blue carbon habitats and processes and published an addendum to the Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment for the North-central California Coast and Ocean which provides the latest climate vulnerability information for key species, habitats, ecosystem services, and maritime heritage resources.

A major highlight from the meeting included hearing the Condition Reports from both sanctuaries which identified climate change as a primary threat to sanctuary health. 

During the public comment period, we highlighted the importance of sequestering blue carbon and updating regulations to prevent seafloor dredging or other disturbances mapped as heavy carbon sink areas of the sanctuary and spoke about the vulnerability of rocky intertidal habitat like Duxbury Reef due to sea level rise and recreation. We provided support for two resolution action items: the Joint Proposed Resolution to Support Inclusion of the San Francisco-Pacifica Exclusion Area into the National Marine Sanctuary System, which would close the gap in the sanctuary; and the Joint Proposed Resolution to Support Funding for Farallon Islands Research and Monitoring. We view this long-term research as critical to the continued protection of this important ecosystem, endangered species, and marine conservation. We also thanked the Sanctuary for its continued support of expanding boundaries and protections at Duxbury Reef State Marine Conservation Area, which is in line with California's 30 x 30 goals, and our hope that the Sanctuary reviews its role in 30 x 30 in its 10-year management plan review.

Read our Full Report Here.

Ushering in Fall at the Annual Piper on the Ridge Picnic Celebration

This September we celebrated the coming of the full Harvest Moon and the fall equinox at our annual Piper on the Ridge event atop the Inverness Ridge.

The event started in the late 70s when a group of locals (instigated by Kate Munger) began walking up to the ridge to watch the setting sun and moonrise and to enjoy good food, wine, and company. The original piper, Matt Burgin, moved away to the East Bay, and Dan McNear took over in about 1980. Eventually, this group got busy with other pursuits and handed the event off to the EAC in the early 90s to continue to coordinate the community and use it as one of our annual fundraisers.

Nearly 90 attendees embraced the changing season as we hiked up the hill in the cool fogs and gusting winds to enjoy Dan McNear's piping and our dinner picnics. This casual event included a welcome from our long-time Master of Ceremonies, Mia Monroe, who inspired seasonal group games and laughter. Per tradition, we passed out cookies for everyone to enjoy, and everyone pitched in and made sure no trash was left behind. A big thank you to Point Reyes National Seashore for our permit, our attendees for their generosity towards our mission, and to Mia and Dan for making this event so special each year. 

Learn More & View Photo Gallery

EAC Harnesses the Power of People to Clean Up Our Watersheds

This September we teamed up to clean up with our West Marin community for the annual Litter Bugs Me roadside clean up and International Coast Clean Up Day. 

The week kicked off EAC’s 15th anniversary of hosting Litter Bugs Me which encourages teams (businesses, village associations, schools, non-profits, and service organizations) to adopt a roadside in one or more of West Marin’s coastal towns to help reduce trash build-up in the watershed before the fall mowing schedule and winter rains, and ends with an individual clean up day on Coastal Clean Up Day.

The week-long effort resulted in 109 volunteers removing 1,200+ pounds of trash and 160+ pounds of recycling over 437 square miles to protect habitats and watersheds in coastal Marin County. Notable items removed included a computer, PGE, and AT&T electrical debris, tires, and buckets of microplastics.

Read More | View Photo Galleries

Past Copies of Print and Email Newsletters, Publications, and Blogs

Beach Recreational Water Quality Program

Visitor Stewardship: Cleaner Marin County Coast

Join MPA Watch

Healthy Tomales Bay

Bookmark: Community Resources Pages

Shop the Protect What You Love Advocate Store

Scoop up our amazing mission merchandise!

We’ve got tees and hoodies available in a variety of styles and colors for both adults and youth, all on demand! Our fantastic partner, Bonfire, is donating a portion of the sales to support our cause, helping us keep inventory and production costs low while keeping you stylish with fresh new threads that showcase our mission and programs. These pieces also make perfect gifts for family and friends! So don’t wait—start shopping now and show your support! You can also visit our office Advoate Store, where members receive 10% off various environmental books, tees, notecards, earrings, and more. 

MISSION

To protect and sustain the unique lands, waters, and biodiversity of West Marin. We achieve this goal through advocacy, science, education, and engagement.

VISION

Protected resilient ecosystems in West Marin’s coastal communities for current and future generations.