A proposal to restore marshlands and bolster sea-level rise protections at the edge of the Richardson Bay in Mill Valley scored a $670,000 grant to boost project planning and design.
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission awarded the grant to the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy last week to fund environmental review and regulatory permit applications for the proposed project at the 106-acre Bothin Marsh Preserve.
“The marsh itself is currently drowning through this muted tidal effect,” said Rob LaPorte, a project manager at the conservancy. “It takes longer for the tides to drain from the marsh than a normal functioning marsh.”
“So we’re losing vegetation and we’re losing whole sections of the marsh to wave erosion,” he said. “We’re making sure we get a project implemented as fast as possible in order to restore the marsh and all of the rare wildlife and plants it supports.”
The scenic marsh provides habitat to more than 400 species of migratory birds, including the state threatened California black rail and the federally endangered Ridgway’s rail. The high marsh also supports rare plants, such as the Point Reyes bird’s beak.
Sea-level rise is threatening to erode the marsh in as few as 25 years if nothing is done. The flood-prone Bay Trail, also known as the Mill Valley-Sausalito Multiuse Path, is inundated by high tide at least 30 days of the year. With 1 foot of sea-level rise, the path could flood in sunny conditions nearly 220 days a year.
A PREVIOUS STORY ON SEA LEVEL RISE BY DICK SPOTSWOOD.