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Point Reyes National Seashore
Giacomini Wetland Restoration Project: Phase II Construction Updates
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Welcome to the Public Information Site for the Giacomini Wetland Restoration Project Phase II (2008)
Map of Phase II Project Restoration (1,424 KB PDF)
What’s Happening at the Giacomini Wetlands Restoration Project This Week (Week of November 12 – November 15, 2008):
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| Aerial photo of flooded Giacomini Wetlands on October 29, 2008 |
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- Restoration Update: · During the first set of high tides following the breach event in the East Pasture on October 25th, many may have noticed that water levels are much higher in the East Pasture than the West Pasture. This is because the East Pasture is generally lower in elevation than the West Pasture. During the first week after the breach, water levels in the East Pasture generally reached up to the 5-foot NAVD88 elevation, but, later that week, the tides moved higher up into the former pastures, probably because soils were becoming saturated, and less water was going into the soils.
During construction, there were many interesting wildlife sightings, but perhaps the most interesting occurred four days after the breach. As one of our staff, Sarah Minnick, was seeding some of the restoration areas, a juvenile California sea lion came up the recently realigned Tomasini Slough almost all the way up to its junction with the old creek channel near Mesa Road. The young sea lion, nicknamed Tomas for Tomasini, appeared to be sick and lethargic, so park and construction staff helped the Marine Mammal Center volunteers rescue Tomas for medical evaluation back at the Center. Based on blood testing, Tomas appeared to have leptospirosis, a common bacterial disease among sea lions that can be treatable if caught early enough. Luckily for Tomas, he responded well to treatment and has already been released.
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| Lagunitas Creek Trail (formerly known as the Levee trail) is now temporarily closed. |
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- East Pasture – Construction Continues on Mesa and Southern Areas : The contractor is still working on several restoration and public access components in the southern portion of the East Pasture, including recontouring of the Dairy Mesa and removal of riprap and stabilization of creek banks near the Green Bridge County park and realignment of the Lagunitas Creek Trail 100 feet away from the creek to improve to provide a buffer that complies with local streamside ordinances. These activities have required temporary closure of the Lagunitas Creek Trail (formerly known as the Levee Trail) effective Monday, September 29, until construction is completed, because of the safety hazards associated with construction and construction equipment. The temporary closure is anticipated to last into the fourth week of November. The contractor, the Seashore, and PRNSA request that the public respect the temporary closure of this trail and not walk or ride beyond the orange construction fencing into the work area. Also, be aware that revegetation is being conducted in the former trail and levee area by volunteers, and the plants are susceptible to trampling if people do not respect the no access signs.
- Hauling and Disposal of Sediment: Hauling from the East Pasture began last week and is expected to run for another 10- to 14 days, as trucks remove the large mountain of excavated sediment from the Dairy Mesa. Hauling is being conducted with biodiesel-fueled trucks. Most of the East Pasture levee material has been used to fill drainage ditches and construct high tide refugia, with the rest being placed at the Dairy Mesa to restore the natural topography of the Mesa.
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| Volunteers planting at Olema Creek Frog Ponds last year |
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- Come Be Part of the Restoration Process: Just because the levees are breached doesn’t mean that all the restoration work is completed. The Park will be continuing restoration through revegetating some of the restored areas, and we hope that you will become involved through either attending an open community planting date or scheduling a planting day for your group or organization. We also welcome school groups. Open community planting dates are planned for several weekday and weekend days in November, including Tuesday, November 18 p.m. (9:30 a.m.- 12 p.m.) and Saturday, November 22 (12:30 – 3:30 p.m.). Check our website next week for more information. RSVP requested to ensure that we have adequate planting supplies. Please contact Leslie Adler-Ivanbrook by email if you are interested in scheduling a group or organization planting day or for RSVPing for an open community planting day.
- Learn About Changes in Hydrology and Fish with Restoration: On Saturday, November 22, Point Reyes National Seashore Association (PRNSA) and the Seashore will be hosting the last of this year’s field seminars on the Giacomini Wetland Restoration Project. The seminar on November 22 at 10 a.m. will focus on changes in hydrology and fish use and communities with restoration of the Giacomini Wetlands. The presentation will be led by Brannon Ketcham, the park’s hydrologist, and Michael Reichmuth, the park’s fisheries biologist. All of the seminars are open to the public at no cost and will convene at the corner of 5th and C Streets in Point Reyes Station. This seminar will be followed by community planting day from 12:30–3:30 p.m.
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| Excavator breaching a levee to allow tide waters to flood the Giacomini Wetlands on Sunday, October 26, 2008. |
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- Breach Celebration: We want to thank all of you who came out to help us celebrate this incredible legacy project for Tomales Bay as we finally breached the levees and let in the tides for the first time in 60 years!
We had a wonderful turnout on the weekend of October 25-26 for the Giacomini Wetland Restoration Project Breach Celebration. Approximately 175 people turned out on Saturday, October 25, to hear noted wildlife biologist Jules Evens discuss the dynamics and changes in bird use in the Giacomini Ranch prior to and after restoration.
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| Water flowing through breached levee on October 26, 2008. |
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Saturday afternoon, the contractor worked fast to remove the final section of levee in the northern portion of the East Pasture and to breach the levee on two of the newly created tidal creek channels. There was a big round of applause from the approximately 30- to 40 people watching from Tomales Bay Trail when the tides finally breached the levee on the lower Tomasini Slough and brought tidewaters in for the first time in 60 years to the Giacomini Ranch East Pasture. Tomasini Slough is the new channel for Tomasini Creek and is one of the creek’s former alignments prior to being leveed in the 1960s.
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| Visitors watching the flooding of the Giacomini Wetlands on October 26, 2008. |
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On Sunday, October 26, more than 500 people showed up to watch the peak of the high tide in the East Pasture. People walked out into the former pasture and watched the tide fill up the newly excavated floodplain area around one of the new tidal channels off Lagunitas Creek, with the tidewaters often lapping at their feet. Kayakers also paddled into the newly created waterways within the East Pasture. Later that day, many people came to the Seashore’s Red Barn to help the park, PRNSA, and contractor staffs celebrate this truly momentous occasion. The Open House event featured a new video and slide show documenting this key phase of the project, as well as posters, publications, and speeches honoring the people and funders who made this project happen.
The Seashore and PRNSA want to thank the local community and general public for the incredible enthusiasm and support that they brought to this weekend’s celebration. The truly heart-felt excitement and joy about this new phase of the project – it may be the end of construction, but it is only the beginning of the Giacomini Wetlands! -- made this event a truly worthwhile and memorable experience for all who attended. We can’t wait to share with you the miraculous rebirth of this land as we watch the tides turn pastures back to marshland. Check this page in the future for updates on restoration progress.
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| Excavator working near Fish Hatchery Creek in the West Pasture of the Giacomini Wetlands. |
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- West Pasture Restoration Completed: As of October 31, all of the work in the West Pasture has been completed, with the exception of some fencing and revegetation activities. The former North Levee trail entrance area is being prepared for use as a viewing area and will be improved in the future once the park secures funds for the public access component.
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- Olema Marsh Restoration Completed: Construction in Olema Marsh has been completed. The contractor removed fill and cattail thatch to improve water flow conveyance to the existing Bear Valley Creek, which was breached to allow tidewater to flow into the marsh and to allow more outflow of floodwaters. Bear Valley Creek flows through Olema Marsh, which is severely impounded due to loss of outflow through one culvert and the presence of an earthen berm near the inlet of the remaining culvert. This berm currently limits hydrologic connectivity of Bear Valley Creek with Lagunitas Creek.
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| Eucalyptus removal on Point Reyes Mesa portion of Giacomini Ranch. |
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- Invasives Removal: · Contractors have completed this year’s removal of invasive Himalayan blackberry from selected areas in the East Pasture and will be working in December on another round of cape ivy removal. Other invasive plants targeted this year include pampas grass, periwinkle, and Eucalyptus.
A separate contractor removed a large portion of the non-native Eucalyptus trees on the Giacomini Ranch property near the Martinelli Ranch, which is part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Thanks to a donation by a local member of the Point Reyes community, more than 60 medium- and large-sized Eucalyptus trees were felled and, when possible, chipped and evenly redistributed within the work area. Smaller-diameter trees were cut by Park Service staff. In November, erosion control blanket and other soil stabilization measures will be installed to minimize surface run-off of soils during the rainy season.
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| Tidal channel creation in East Pasture |
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- Tidal Channel Creation and Realignment of Tomasini Creek: Construction contractors have finished creation of tidal channels and sloughs and high tide refugia for rails in the northern and central portions of the East Pasture. In addition, contractors have completed connection of the currently leveed section of Tomasini Creek to the new upper Tomasini Slough. The Tomasini Slough is the new alignment for the currently leveed portion of Tomasini Creek within the Giacomini Ranch. In areas where the existing channel will be retained as part of the Tomasini Slough alignment, the contractor removed vegetative material in the channel to improve hydraulic capacity.
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| Small berm left after removal of most of the East Pasture Levee to keep out tides until the end of construction. |
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- Levee Removal: All of the levees have been removed in the East Pasture and West Pasture.
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| Planting of Tomasini Triangle marsh in 2007 by Marin Conservation Corps. |
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- Reestablishing Native Plant Communities: Revegetation contractors continue to install container plants at some of the areas targeted for active revegetation, with early efforts focused on the high tide refugia established at the northern ends of the East and West Pastures. Additional areas at the southern end of the East Pasture will also be actively revegetated with riparian and upland plant species following completion of construction in November.
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| Mark Cederborg, Project Manager, Hanford ARC, discusses challenges of constructing in wetlands. |
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On Saturday, November 22, Point Reyes National Seashore Association (PRNSA) and the Seashore will be hosting the last of this year’s field seminars on the Giacomini Wetland Restoration Project. The seminar on November 22 at 10 a.m. will focus on changes in hydrology and fish use and communities with restoration of the Giacomini Wetlands. The presentation will be led by Brannon Ketcham, the park’s hydrologist, and Michael Reichmuth, the park’s fisheries biologist. All of the seminars are open to the public at no cost and will convene at the corner of 5th and C Streets in Point Reyes Station. This seminar will be followed by community planting day from 12:30–3:30 p.m.
Past Field Seminar Topics included:
- On August 23, 2008, Mark Cederborg, Project Manager for Hanford ARC for the Giacomini and Coastal Watershed Restoration Projects, discussed some of the construction methods and challenges.
- On September 27, 2008, Lorraine Parsons, Project Manager/Wetland Ecologist for Point Reyes National Seashore, discussed some of the challenges and opportunities in restoring estuarine wetlands and changes expected with the Giacomini Wetland Restoration Project.
- On October 25, 2008, Jules Evens, a noted avian biologist who has studied the birds and other wildlife in this area for decades, discussed the dynamics of bird use prior to and after restoration of the Giacomini Wetlands.
Download the "Giacomini Wetlands Restoration Project Series of Free Field Seminars" flyer (199 KB PDF)
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Take an historical tour of this "working dairy ranch turned restored wetlands" project with Point Reyes National Seashore's wetlands ecologist Lorraine Parsons.
Your Wetlands: Giacomini Wetland Restoration Project podcast
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Giacomini At-A-Glance
- When did construction start?
Phase II of the restoration project started on July 16, 2008.
- Where is construction being conducted?
Construction started in the East (adjacent to Point Reyes Station) and West (adjacent to Inverness Park) Pastures simultaneously with removal of the southern portions of the levee systems.
- What was going on prior to construction?
Prior to construction, efforts were made to improve construction conditions through vegetation removal via mowing and drying out of the site after a tide-induced breaching of the levee on July 2, 2008.
- When will the site become completely tidal?
The site became completely tidal at the end of October. Now, higher high tides will flow into a large proportion of the East and, to a smaller extent, West Pastures.
- When will construction be completed?
Construction will continue through November 30, 2008, except for revegetation, which will extend into December 2008.
- When does off-site hauling start?
Off-site hauling from the West Pasture ended in the second week of September. Off-site hauling from the East Pasture started approximately October 14 and will run for three to four weeks. Hauling is being conducted with biodiesel-fueled vehicles, which is expected to minimize noise and air quality impacts.
- How much material will be hauled off-site?
A total maximum of 29,000 cubic yards of material will be hauled off-site from the East and West Pastures. This is substantially reduced from the 170,000 cubic yards of off-haul estimated in the final EIS/EIR. Because of public concern over hauling impacts and costs of hauling, the Seashore worked with the project engineers and construction managers to identify ways to reduce off-hauling, including by re-using more of the material on-site.
- Will the project result in closure of roads or trails?
No road closures are expected, although there may be small delays associated with entry and exit of trucks. There will be temporary and permanent trail closures.
- How can I learn more about what’s going on with the project?
Please check our web site. Updates have also been provided at the monthly field seminars, the last of which for 2008 will be on November 22.
- Questions, Concerns?
Please call our construction hotline if you have any specific questions or concerns. The number is 415-464-5162.
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The National Park Service (Park Service), California State Lands Commission (CSLC), and Point Reyes National Seashore Association (PRNSA) have hired Hanford ARC as the construction contractor. Hanford ARC, based in Sonoma, Calif., was the contractor that performed the first phase of the Coastal Watershed Restoration Project in 2007, and the company is very experienced in working in tidal and creek systems with environmentally sensitive habitats and species. Hanford will be using biodiesel-fueled trucks for hauling excavated sediments to the quarries, which are being fully restored to natural conditions under a separate project in 2009.
We wish to thank the local community and park visitors for their support of our project and their patience during construction. While construction does cause some impacts to residents and visitors, we are hoping that you will find the results of our efforts worthwhile, particularly after we finish construction of Phase II in 2008. We also hope that you become part of the restoration project by joining one of our drop-in community or organized group planting days this fall. Also, look for seminars and field trips being planned this summer and fall — the last one for 2008 is on November 22 — to update the community and visitors on status of the restoration effort, as well as on specific aspects of the restoration effort such as changes in bird use, vegetation, and hydrology.
PRNSA helped to raise most of the monies for this project and is managing the construction portion in collaboration with the Park Service. PRNSA has engaged Winzler & Kelly (Santa Rosa, Calif.) to manage construction during Phase II. The Park Service will provide environmental monitoring during the project to ensure that impacts to valuable natural resources such as wetlands, riparian habitat, and special status species are minimized to the extent possible.
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Phase II of the project has included the following components:
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- Removal of the remainder of the levees in the East and West Pastures of the Giacomini Ranch, except for areas where sections will be retained as high tide refugia for rails.
- Further lowering of the levee in the southern portion of the East Pasture that was removed last year.
- Creek bank stabilization activities such as removal of riprap, laying back of vertical creek banks, and creation of floodplain terraces along the southern portion of the East Pasture Lagunitas Creek Bank.
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- Removal of remaining agricultural infrastructure and conditions such as drainage ditches, pumphouse, culverts, bridges, irrigation pipes, fencing, and equipment.
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- Creation of tidal channels in the East and West Pastures.
- Removal of culverts and tidegates on the diked East Pasture Old Slough and Fish Hatchery Creek.
- Removal of the West Pasture North Levee and borrow ditch used to create the levee.
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- Enhancement of special status species habitat through retention or creation of topographically elevated berms as high tide refugia for state-listed threatened California black and endangered clapper rails and muted tidal impounded areas for federally listed endangered tidewater goby.
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| High tide refugia for rails. |
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- Lowering topographically elevated areas in the southwestern portion of the East Pasture to increase hydrologic connectivity of the marshplain with a created tidal channel.
- Minor relocation of the Lagunitas Creek spur trail in the southern portion of the East Pasture slightly away from the creek bank to increase the buffer for the creek as mandated by many regulatory agencies and allow for reestablishment of healthy riparian habitat.
- Grading in the southern portion of the East Pasture to improve floodplain processes.
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- Grading in the southern portion of the East Pasture to improve floodplain processes.
- Removal of a portion of the berm along the Bear Valley Creek channel in Olema Marsh to slightly decrease water levels within this impounded system and improve hydraulic connectivity with Lagunitas Creek.
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| Marin Conservation Corps installing native wetland plants at Tomasini Triangle freshwater marsh |
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- Revegetation and invasive plant removal in both the East and West Pastures to jumpstart plant establishment in certain portions of the Project Area and/or to remove invasive plant species that have the potential to spread without further management.
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Where will excavated sediments be disposed of?
Unlike most of the wetland restoration projects in San Francisco Bay where there is a deficit of sediment, this restoration project must contend with the fact that the Giacomini Ranch has an excess of sediment and is topographically higher in elevation than it was historically. Therefore, sediment must be excavated in order to achieve some of the restoration goals. Throughout the planning for Phase II, the Park Service, PRNSA, and its consultants have strived very hard to minimize the amount of off-hauling of sediment from the project site. Many of the soils retained on-site are being used for final grading of the Park Service-owned portions of the Dairy Mesa, filling of drainage ditches, and creation of special status species habitat.
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Some soils will still need to be hauled off-site during construction. These soils are being hauled to quarries on the Tomales Point portion of the Point Reyes Peninsula. The Park Service administratively closed quarries in the Seashore in 1991. Since then, the Seashore has been interested in restoring the quarries to a more natural appearance characteristic of this coastal prairie landscape, but the soils needed to restore the natural contours of this hillside quarries have not been available. The Giacomini project provides some soils to be used as a base for restoring the hillslope. A native topsoil layer is being placed on top of the imported soils to maintain ecological integrity and allow for appropriate native plant restoration over the next few years.
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How can I be part of the restoration process?
Come be part of the restoration process by helping us plant wetlands!
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| Volunteers planting native wetland plants at Olema Creek Frog Ponds. |
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Several of the Phase II restoration areas will be actively revegetated this fall. This includes riparian, salt marsh, and upland ecotone or grassland areas. Community drop-in planting days are currently planned for Wednesday, November 12 (1–3:30 p.m.), Tuesday, November 18 (9:30–12 noon), and Saturday, November 22 (12:30–3:30 p.m.; following morning field seminar): RSVP requested. The Park Service is also organizing volunteer planting days for local schools, community groups, universities, and other interested organizations on these and other days by prior arrangement. Please contact Leslie Adler-Ivanbrook by email to RSVP for an open community planting day or to schedule a group or organization. You may also contact Lorraine ParsonsLorraine Parsons by email or by phone at 415-464-5193 to become involved.
In addition to planting, there may be other opportunities to help with restoration, including salvaging of plant materials or even assisting with monitoring. Again, please contact us if you are interested.
Come be an active part of this project, which will help to transform Tomales Bay!
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What to expect during construction:
Noise and What’s Being Done to Minimize Noise Impacts: Construction equipment will generate noise that may be audible to adjacent residents and park visitors. Construction activities will include soil excavation, rough and fine grading, and demolition of concrete, metal, and other non-soil materials. In addition, some portion of soil and non-soil materials will be hauled off-site, which will also generate noise along local roadways. Off-haul material will be transported to regional landfills, recycling facilities, and sites designated by the Park Service (off Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and Pierce Point Road on the Point Reyes Peninsula).
Potential noise impacts may occur during construction on 4th Street, 5th Street, C Street, B Street, Mesa Road, State Route 1, Levee Road, Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, and Pierce Point Road. For the East Pasture, construction equipment, fueling, and other construction support activities will be staged at the former Dairy site; watering trucks and construction management personnel will be staged off of Mesa Road. For the West Pasture, the primary construction entrance will be at the very southern end of the West Pasture off Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in Inverness Park. A limited amount of construction access and hauling will occur via the North Levee.
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To minimize impacts to residents and visitors from noise, construction hours have been shortened. Work at the site will occur between 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM, Monday through Friday. The Contractor and crew will not enter the site prior to 7:00 AM or leave the site after 7:00 PM, and no equipment engines or other noise generating activities will start prior to 7:45 AM or continue past 6:15 PM.
In addition, the Park Service and PRNSA will work with the contractor to minimize the number of days in which materials are hauled. The number of daily truck roundtrips will typically be limited to 40. Intermittent hauling of demolition debris to recycling centers or landfills will occur through the end of November. Hauling will only occur on weekends under special circumstances. The contractor, Hanford ARC, will be using biodiesel-fueled vehicles for hauling of excavated sediments off-site similar to those used for Phase I, which should help to reduce noise impacts.
Dust and What’s Being Done to Minimize Dust Impacts: In addition to noise, construction equipment can generate dust that could potentially impact adjacent residences and businesses. The Park Service and PRNSA will require that contractors install wind screen fencing along the construction entrance at C Street to minimize airborne dust from reaching residential and commercial areas. The contractor will also be required to frequently water construction areas and to sweep streets in the vicinity of site access locations. Dust generation will also be reduced by requiring the contractor to wash tires of trucks prior to leaving the site. Hauling trucks will be required to have two feet of freeboard or space between the top of the load and top of the truck or to be tarped to minimize accidental spilling of dirt onto local roadways.
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Traffic and What’s Being Done to Minimize Impacts on Traffic and Roads: The Park Service, PRNSA, and its contractors do not anticipate that construction will result in any road closures or traffic detours. However, there could be temporary traffic delays as equipment move on and off the site, particularly along Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in Inverness Park. Traffic delays will involve flagmen stopping traffic in one or both directions as trucks and other equipment enter or exit the West Pasture and the quarries. This should generally cause no more than a 5-minute traffic delay.
As noted earlier, every effort will be made to minimize the total number of days of hauling. The number of daily truck roundtrips will generally be limited to 40. Hauling will be permitted on weekends only under special circumstances.
Prior to the start of construction, the Construction Manager will document the existing condition of roadways, many of which were repaved last year. Contractors will be required to ensure that loads in hauling trucks do not exceed the legal limit.
The primary construction entrance to the eastern portion of the Project Area (East Pasture) will be from a temporary construction access road off of 5th and C Streets in Point Reyes Station. Hauling in Point Reyes Station is anticipated to occur on both 4th and 5th Streets, as well as B Street, during Phase II. As with Phase I, hauling traffic will be routed so that trucks entering the site come down 5th Street and trucks exiting the site come down 4th Street. From these streets, trucks will either head north or south on State Route 1. There will also be construction traffic on Mesa Road associated with watering trucks and operations of construction management personnel. Materials being hauled to quarries on the Point Reyes Peninsula will utilize Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, including the section known as Levee Road, and Pierce Point Road.
The primary construction entrance to the western portion of the Project Area (West Pasture) will be at the southern end of the East Pasture. From here, trucks hauling sediment will turn right and head north on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard through Inverness Park and Inverness to one of quarries designated for closure this year. Another entrance that will be used during construction is the current trailhead for the spur trail on the West Pasture North Levee, particularly during the final stages of construction.
The primary construction entrance for Olema Marsh will be the existing entrance off Bear Valley Road near Limantour Road. From here, trucks will turn right on Bear Valley Road and continue onto Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. At this time, no off-hauling of sediment is anticipated from Olema Marsh.
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Temporary and Permanent Trail Closures and What’s Being Done to Minimize Impacts to Residents and Visitors: During construction, some of the local trails may be closed temporarily to ensure that public safety is not endangered by hazardous conditions that can occur during construction. The Park Service, PRNSA, and contractors request that visitors and residents strictly adhere to trail closure signs, because these are active construction areas and not safe for public visitation. Information about trail and parking lot closures will be posted prior to closure on this website, given to Interpretative Staff at the Bear Valley Visitor Center, and posted on signs at trail and road entrances. While construction schedules do not always allow for substantial notice, the Park Service will strive to give at least 7 days notice prior to trail closure. The Park Service will strive to ensure that trails are closed for the minimal time necessary to complete construction.
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| Lagunitas Creek Spur Trail |
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Temporary Trail Closures:
- The Lagunitas Creek Trail (formerly known as the Levee Trail) on the Giacomini Ranch East Pasture will be temporarily closed starting Monday, September 29, 2008. This closure is in effect due to the safety hazards associated with construction and construction equipment. The temporary closure is anticipated to last until mid-November. The Lagunitas Creek spur trail will also be rerouted slightly during the construction process.
- The Olema Marsh Trail is now re-opened.
Permanent Trail Closures:
- On September 15, the informal path along the West Pasture North Levee was closed to allow removal of the levee, adjacent borrow ditch, and the tidegates/culverts on Fish Hatchery Creek. This trail will not reopen after construction. The Park Service will build an overlook area at the former trailhead entrance to allow visitors and residents to watch the restoration process from this vantage point.
Map of Olema Marsh Trail and West Pasture North Levee Trail Closures (2,004 KB PDF)
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Where can we view the restoration area?
The restoration project area can be viewed from several vantage points in the Point Reyes-Inverness area. Some of the existing trails may be temporarily or permanently closed during construction, however, most trails will be reopened once construction is completed. Trails and viewing points include:
- Lagunitas Creek spur trail: Southern portion of East Pasture adjacent to Point Reyes Station. Trail can be accessed from entrance to Green Bridge County park along State Route 1 just east of the Green Bridge. This trail winds through riparian habitat in the Green Bridge County park and then follows the edge of Lagunitas Creek out towards White House Pool area. During construction, this trail will be temporarily closed, and it will be rerouted slightly as part of Phase II work.
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- White House Pool County park: On the south side of Lagunitas Creek, the County of Marin Parks and Open Space District manages a small park on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard (Levee Road) that has a path that winds through riparian habitat as it follows the edge of Lagunitas Creek. Parking may be found at an on-site parking lot. This park provides several locations to view the restoration project area across the creek.
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- Olema Marsh Trail: On the opposite of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard or Levee Road is Olema Marsh. A trail starts in the parking lot from Olema Marsh and crosses the top of the shutter ridge as it follows the east side of the marsh, eventually ending at Levee Road. Olema Marsh is one of the areas that will be restored as part of Phase II. The trail will be closed temporarily during the construction period.
- Tomales Bay Trail: For those wanting a longer walk and grander vistas of the restoration project area and Tomales Bay, the Tomales Bay Trail provides beautiful views of much of the Tomales Bay watershed. The trailhead is located off State Route 1 just north of Point Reyes Station. There is a small parking lot. The trail is approximately 1 -1.3 miles long. In future years, this spur trail will be extended to provide better views of some of the northern portions of the East Pasture and the shallowly flooded flats that attract hundreds of shorebirds and waterfowl in the fall and winter.
- West Pasture North Levee path (Temporary): The northern portion of the West Pasture and adjacent undiked marsh can currently be viewed at a small informal spur trail that occurs on the West Pasture North off Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. This path will be closed during construction starting September 1 and will not be reopened. In the future, the Park Service will develop a viewing overlook area to enable residents and visitors to view the newly restored marsh.
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