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Lawson's Landing

The County of Marin approved a Master Plan for Lawson’s Landing in 2008 after a decade of debate over environmental issues centering on the need for adequate protections for the sensitive dune and wetland habitats.

The Environmental Action Committee of West Marin (EAC), led by Catherine Caufield, former EAC Executive Director, appealed the case to the California Coastal Commission (CCC), in whose jurisdiction Lawson’s Landing lies. MCL and other environmental organizations have supported the appeal. The CCC was scheduled to finally consider a Coastal Development Permit for Lawson’s Landing at its July 2010 meeting in Santa Rosa, and commissioners made a brief site visit, but the matter was not taken up at that meeting.

Although there has been some progress in establishing a 50-acre conservation easement over sensitive habitat areas , three basic environmental issues continue to be of concern:

(1) Campground and access road in wetland areas: Existing campgrounds and access roads are located in an area dominated by wetlands and wetland buffers and should be relocated to less sensitive areas. Many State and private RV parks have been able to set camping areas back from the coastline with campers taking shuttles or walking to the beach. This is also possible at Lawson’s Landing.

(2) Management of wastewater: Assumptions and models used in designing a new wastewater disposal system continue to raise questions as to the adequacy of the proposed system to protect Tomales Bay and groundwater. No alternative disposal systems have been proposed, such as providing hook-ups for RVs or travel trailers, thus eliminating the need for an expensive wastewater system and an elaborate pumping system. In the meantime, existing inadequate septic systems continued to be used.

(3) The California red-legged frog conservation easement: Separate from CCC consideration is the pending decision by CalTrans to purchase a 204-acre conservation easement at Lawson’s Landing to mitigate loss of habitat for the endangered California red-legged frog due to planned improvements to Highway 101 through the Marin-Sonoma Narrows. The easement would provide a significant benefit by protecting a whole complex of sensitive species and habitats at Lawson’s Landing, in addition to the frog’s habitat. An alternate mitigation site—Barboni Ranch— is also under consideration.

In the MCL January-February 2010 Newsletter, we wrote about a possible agreement between CalTrans and Lawson's Landing to establish a conservation easement at Lawson's Landing for protection of California Red-legged Frog (CRLF) habitat. Caltrans needs to mitigate the loss of 204 acres of habitat of the endangered CRLF that will be lost due to planned reconstruction of Highway 101 through the "Marin-Sonoma Narrows." CalTrans is also considering an alternate location for purchase of an easement -- the Barboni Ranch in West Marin. Marin Conservation League urges CalTrans to select the Lawson's Landing site. The primary advantage is that the easement at Lawson's Landing would also protect a host of other sensitive species and habitats, in addition to known habitat of the CRLF.

2010 Documents and Correspondence

2008 Documents and Correspondence

2007 Documents and Correspondence