There is no mention of the Rush Creek Wetlands in this editorial which is ~3.5 miles from Bell Marin Keys. Please demand the immediate restoration of the Rush Creek area!
Post your comments here –> https://bit.ly/3PDXnTc
Snipped from the IJ Editorial below:
The proposed addition of 2,000 acres of Novato wetlands to the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge is a sign of the North Bay’s success in restoring and protecting its baylands.
Marin’s congressman, Jared Huffman, has joined forces with Reps. John Garamendi and Mike Thompson in drafting legislation to add 7,000 acres to the refuge. The proposal would add the Hamilton and Bel Marin Keys wetlands to the federally protected wetlands.
They are currently seeking public comment via Garamendi’s website – bit.ly/3PDXnTc. A Dec. 12 deadline has been set for those comments.
The refuge, created in 1974, has grown to 19,000 acres, including much of the wetlands that border Highway 37.
The last time it was expanded was in 2011.
Its preservation is important to the health of San Pablo and San Francisco bays and to migrating birds for whom the area has historically been their winter stop.
Huffman says the Hamilton and Bel Marin Keys baylands are “the perfect candidate” to be added to the refuge.
Since its creation – the turning of the old Hamilton military airfield runway back into wetlands – the area has become a prime spot for local birders.
The Bel Marin Keys wetlands includes 1,610 acres owned and managed by the California Coastal Conservancy, which has been involved in restoration work there since 2019.
The Conservancy’s longstanding hope has been that management of Hamilton and Bel Marin Keys acreage could be turned over to the federal Fish and Wildlife Service.
In advancing the legislation, the congressmen and agency leaders need to be forthright in providing information regarding what changes the transfer and federal refuge designation might bring to current uses or to neighboring properties.
Providing for public comment on the legislation should also make possible ramifications clear upfront.
The overall goal is a sound one, one that Marin voters have backed with their tax dollars.
In 2016, Bay Area voters approved a $12-per-year parcel tax devoted to restoring and protecting baylands, improving public access and flood control work. Marin voters led the way, with a whopping 73.5% majority endorsing the measure.