Why I’m Voting “No” on Measure D
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
This coming March 3rd we will be voting for presidential primaries, along with other measures that are closer to home, including Measure D: Initiative Measure Preventing the County from Changing the Primary Golf Course Use of San Geronimo Valley Golf Course Land Without Voter Approval.
I came to learn about this while researching a story on salmon in Marin for Marin Magazine. It will be published in the March issue. As many of you know, I am not an unbiased journalist, but rather write articles that advocate for a healthy environment. I am most passionate about the health of the ocean and our waterways and support working waterfronts and local fisheries. I’m particularly obsessed with wild salmon. Salmon connect the ocean to streams; long revered as a sacred creature, they have fed humans, along with 500 other species, from gadflies to orca whales, for thousands of years. They reverse the energy of a river, bringing minerals from the ocean that nourish rivers and the trees surrounding them.
Unfortunately, due to development along rivers, we are at historically low numbers of them. Coho salmon are critically endangered and at an estimated 2% of their historical average. The San Geronimo golf course occupied 157 acres that runs along the San Geronimo Creek, which is a tributary to Lagunitas Creek. This system has the largest population of Coho salmon south of Fort Bragg. Trout Unlimited has been brought in to design critical habitat for them on the former golf course, which could be a game changer for Coho in Marin.
Golf has been on the decline nationwide, and the owner of the course put it up for sale, and the non-profit Trust for Public Land purchased it. They had third party experts study it for a golf course, including a 9 hole, and found golf to be financially unfeasible. From inputs they received, they determine the best use was to restore habitat for endangered species, including Coho salmon, fresh water shrimp, red-legged frogs and the spotted owl. As well, they plan on putting in a walking and biking path that would connect the Golden Gate Bridge to West Marin, and a much-needed fire station. Angered by change and what they consider to be a lack of transparency, a group of advocates got enough signatures to have this put on a ballot. Many who signed had no idea what the alternative to the golf course would be and many people going to vote have no idea that the alternative is a major environmental restoration project and epic bike path.
Our federal government has rolled back many environmental laws, including a recent reversal on protection for streams and wetlands. Unfortunately, this comes at a time when we are facing many animal extinctions and trophic eco-system cascades due to climate change. By opposing Measure D we have the opportunity to have positive impact on a local level.
Reasons:
· San Geronimo Creek is one of the few un-dammed tributaries in the Lagunitas watershed. By restoring a flood plain for juvenile salmon, they will have food and protection during winter rains so they can survive into adulthood. (And local residents will have less flooding as well).
· Salmon are keystone species. From birth to death many other creatures eat them, scattering their bones into the woods where they fertilize trees that sequester carbon and protect the rivers.
· This property connects two Open Spaces and could be a vital wildlife corridor for all animals.
· The San Geronimo Golf Course used 49 million gallons of water a year to keep the greens green. The back 9 nine holes pumped water from a stream running through Roy’s Redwoods.On average, an 18-hole golf course uses 300,000 gallons of water a day. (Average daily use of water for a household in Marin is 59.90 gallons.)
· From Jan 2016 through Oct 2017, the San Geronimo Golf Course filed 226 Pesticide Use Reports. Pesticides were applied 889 times over the course of 22 months. Pesticides used included herbicides, rodenticides, insecticides, and fungicides. These wash into our watershed. Roundup Quikpro (active ingredient glyphosate) was used close to 20 times.
· It would be an epic bike path that keeps cyclist away from cars and save many injuries and lives. “No” on D is endorsed by Marin County Bicycle Coalition.
· It would be a flat, easily accessible walking path, excellent for birding and environmental education.
· If this measure wins, that doesn’t mean there will be a golf course. Nobody can be forced to open an unprofitable business. It will merely block environmental restoration. It will be a large empty field with real estate developers circling.
· “No on Measure D” is endorsed by Marin County Fire Department Firefighters Association. A fire station here would vastly improve the safety of many residents, and if it wins, the property will be in legal limbo for quite some time, creating a fire hazard.
· By creating a county wide vote on this property, it sets a dangerous precedent for other zoning, like Marinship in Sausalito, where everyone could vote on if an area should be open for residential or other development.
· If Measure D wins, the property can only be a golf course, unless otherwise decided by a popular vote. This is unprecedented and would add layers of cost and bureaucracy for not just this, but potentially any environmental restoration work in California.
Please help me spread the word to vote “No” on Measure D this March. To learn more about this, visit The San Geronimo for All Website.
