Latest Project News

3/25 Muir Beach Restoration Public Walk

On a recent stunning Saturday, a number of Muir Beach residents and Conservancy supporters and volunteers showed up to hear the latest information about the project. Attendees voiced appreciation for being able to visualize on the ground what they have only been able to read in planning documents and see in powerpoints at community presentations.

Design, Permitting, and Funding Moving Along

Designs for the creek and wetlands restoration and for improvements in visitor access are moving along with contractors. Meanwhile, permitting with the various agencies involved (NMFS and Army Corps of Engineers, etc) and funding processes are slowly falling in line.

2/25 Volunteer Beach Cleanups start up

The first Saturday of every month, the Park Service is hosting clean-ups at Muir beach. The first few have focused on maintaining and installing fire rings and trash pick up.

1/25 Welcome Back Salmon Celebration

On a windy but magnificent Sunday members of FIGR (the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria and descendents of the Coast Miwok peoples), the local Muir Beach community, and Muir Woods volunteers gathered to celebrate the arrival of the Coho salmon and steelhead trout back to the park. Unfortunately, the year to date has been slim survival for the salmon - due to larger ocean ecology issues affecting their year class, and lack of rain allowing only a temporary break in the sand bar at the mouth of Redwood Creek.

An opening prayer began the event as rain sprinkled on our shoulders. But just as quickly the precipitation was gone and a rainbow graced us with its presence. A traditional salmon story inspired us, and then participants shared their own readings about the watershed and its natural heritage. As the sun set we pondered the work to come and hoped for a better future for this endangered species. This event will be an annual occurrence, so keep an eye out for next year's ritual.

Redwood Creek Nursery Grows Wetland Plants for Project On-site

The amount of rushes and sedges that will be needed after current areas are excavated to remove invasive species such as kikuyu grass will be massive. So in an effort to efficiently grow a lot of resilient plants, these species are being propagated through divisions on-site. Check out the plot beside the Coastal Trail.

 

12/25 Fish & Wildlife Funding Awarded

The US Fish and Wildlife Service has awarded a $1 million National Coastal Wetland Conservation grant to the Muir Beach restoration project.
This specific pot of money will go towards a combination of stewardship coordination, construction funding, biological monitoring, and construction management, with some funds also available for administrative purposes.
The Coastal Conservancy submitted the grant application to the U.S.FWS on our behalf, so the funds will go first to the Coastal Conservancy, which will then award them to NPS. With this award, the Coastal Conservancy board is also expected to release their own grant of $1 million to NPS.
This is excellent news, but we are not finished with our fundraising yet.....

Surveyors on Site

If you're seeing orange stakes in the ground, it is probably from our engineers out looking at construction areas for the creek and tidal wetlands this fall OR PG&E looking at the relocation of utility lines that will be affected by the project.

 

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