Help Marin Baylands Campaign Acquire
and Protect Mira Monte and the
San Antonio Creek

Donations needed by September 30!

At its July 20 board meeting, the Marin Conservation League Board of Directors approved a $1,000 donation to the Mira Monte Acquisition. The funds will come out of MCL's Lands in Between reserve fund, which is a special fund specifically set aside for land acquisition and preservation. Read further for a description of the property and its importance to the Marin and Sonoma Baylands Corridor.

Historic Mira Monte Marina was once a popular recreational outpost along the Petaluma River. In its heyday in the mid-20th century it included a restaurant, lodge and marina that drew visitors from around the Bay. The lodge burned down in the 1960’s, the restaurant failed long ago and Mira Monte today is a collection of aging boat storage units, a ramp and dock, and caretaker’s cottage.

This 57-acre property offers an exciting opportunity for acquisition, protection, and restoration. Mira Monte’s diverse habitat includes seasonal wetlands, tidal marsh, and native oak woodlands. The distinctive terrain provides a home to endangered California Clapper Rail and other special status species, including the Black Rail, Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse, California Coast Steelhead and Green Sturgeon.

The property is enhanced by its location, bordered on the north and south by protected lands. The lands to the south are diked wetlands owned by the California Department of Fish and Game. To the north is the Petaluma Marsh, the largest tidal marsh in the state that has never been diked. Protecting Mira Monte on both sides of San Antonio Creek helps to ensure that the creek itself will be protected. The goal, upon acquisition, is to remove the existing crumbling buildings and complete a restoration plan, ensuring wildlife habitat is preserved and expanded. Ultimately, the property would be deeded to the California Department of Fish and Game.

While the threat of development is high, we now have the opportunity to purchase this magnificent site as a result of an agreement between the property owner and Marin Audubon Society.