Marin Audubon Society

The Marin Audubon Society is dedicated to active participation in conservation, environmental education & enjoyment of our natural heritage. We advocate sound land and water resource planning; act to restore, enhance and safeguard our wetlands and other natural habitats. Birds and other wildlife are the indicators of the health of our environment, and we remain committed to their protection.

History:
The Marin Audubon Society was established in 1956 as part of the effort to prevent development of houses on Richardson Bay tidelands.
In our early years, Marin Audubon Society (MAS) also was instrumental in protecting Bothin Marsh in Mill Valley, and the Marin Islands National Wildlife Refuge in San Rafael, which supports the largest heron rookery in San Francisco Bay.
In 1985, MAS began to restore and enhance wetlands. With the help of grants from State and Federal and private sources, MAS implemented habitat restoration projects at Redwood High School in Larkspur, Corte Madera Ecological Reserve, Gallinas Creek in San Rafael, Mill Valley Marsh, and Rush Creek/Cemetery Marshes in unincorporated Novato.
In 1997, after tireless battles to save habitat from development through environmental review, MAS’s focus changed to protecting habitat through acquisition. MAS assisted with the establishment of Marin Baylands Advocates, becoming its fiduciary agent. Together they initiated the Campaign for Marin Baylands.
Our first bayland acquisition was Triangle Marsh in Corte Madera, purchased in 1999. Since then, more than 1,000 acres of bayland habitat have been permanently protected by MAS through purchase with federal and state grants, foundations, and private contributors. Several properties have been donated. Other important bayland properties that have been acquired include: 164 acres of diked baylands along Simmons Slough near Novato, 632 acres of woodlands and baylands at Bahia in Novato, and a 182-acre tidal wetland and bayland on San Antonio Creek.
MAS restores wetlands on its properties, then donates many of them to the California Department of Fish and Game and the Marin County Open Space District.

Contact people:

Robert Hinz, Volunteer Coordinator, (email) Barbara Salzman, Executive Director, (email) Jude Stalker, (email)

Main office number: 415383-8688 415924-6057
Office fax number: (415) 927-3533

Address:

P.O. Box 599 Mill Valley, CA 94942-0599

Web Site: http://www.marinaudubon.org

Last updated on July 6, 2010