One Tam’s project team, as well as a number of artists and ecologists inspired by the potential of the West Peak’s restoration, will be on hand to explain how these factors are incorporated into a community-based design process to chart a path forward. They will include Mill Valley filmmaker Gary Yost, who has made it his mission over the years to draw attention to the much-needed restoration of Mt. Tam’s western peak. He’s done so with a series of three short films, the third of which, “Song of the Last Place,” debuted in 2016 at “The Mountain Calls,” a One Tam evening hosted by Tomales Bay Miwok descendent Sky Road Webb and television host Doug McConnell at the Throckmorton Theatre.
The series spans from 1950, when “the military bulldozed the highest peak of Mt. Tam to build an Air Force radar station tasked with directing jet interceptors and short range nuclear missiles against the potential threat of Russian nuclear bombers,” to 1980, when “the base was obsolete and summarily closed. The military walked away from dozens of structures, leaving behind a huge toxic mess on the mountain,” Yost writes.
One Tam works to ensure a healthy, vibrant and diverse landscape for our beloved and iconic Mt. Tam. We are the community-supported partnership of Mt. Tam’s land agencies and managers that includes California State Parks, Marin County Parks, Marin Municipal Water District, and the National Park Service along with the nonprofit Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. One Team leads programs that care for our mountain, inspire our next generation of land stewards and strengthen our local community.
The series continues in February with a focus on Native American History on Mt. Tam. On Thursday, March 14, the series turns to the Health of the Mountain. One Tam hosts its next Hands on Tam Winter Work Day on Saturday, February 2 from 8:30am-1pm (MORE INFO).
The 411: One Tam and the Marin Art & Garden Center celebrate the opening of an interactive exhibit that explores the intersection of ecology and cultural history on Mt. Tam’s West Peak. Event features a lecture and wine reception. Tix $15 for the talk or $35 for the series. MORE INFO & BUY TIX.