San Geronimo Valley residents dispute county's plan to save salmon

Woodacre resident Marylu Giddings, who lives adjacent to San Geronimo Creek, stands behind yellow tape that shows where development restrictions would come up to her house.

[contractor]

God created the salmon. They are on the endangered species list. Humans caused this for many reasons. These San Geronimo folks should be happy that they can have a part in saving this species from extinction, not whining about their property rights. Before them came the salmon. Before them came a beautiful creation that was in balance. The county plan is entirely reasonable in light of this.

[Caroline]

The development along the creek looks like the backwaters of Arkansas, and of course the residents don't want to take any responsibility for their leaking septic systems, chlorinated hot tub dumpings, destruction of riparian habitat, muddy runoff, etc. Of course blame it on someone else.

[Izz]

Only SPAWN and Todd Steiner should be able to have buildings on the creek.

[FatFreddysCat]

They should look at construction projects along the creek on a case by case basis and judge them each on their own merits. If this lady wants to pave her driveway, how in the heck is this going to affect the salmon in the creek? I really hate arbitrary laws with zero flexibility. God gave us brains and judgment (at least some of us), let's use them.

[GetYourMarinHead Out]

Lets think about this what has a greater impact on Salmon; the Marin MMWD Dams from Kent Lake up to Lagunitas Lake or an old woman that plants a veggie garden at her house each summer for the last 49 years? What makes Todd Steiner the self appointed salmon god expert anyways? Remember SPAWN is just a private group of people.

[Dan]

I have known Mrs. Giddings for over 35 years, and I will take her word of some self appointed fish God.

[usandthem]

First of all the article said "build docks."
That is a typo. Should read "build decks."
No one has a dock on Lagunitas Creek.
What development? There has been virtually zero
development in the last 30 years in San Geronimo Valley because of the restrictions septic systems
placed on expansion. What little there has been
could not possibly have an impact. Pollution?
Try the San Geronimo Valley Golf Course for starters. How many pounds worth of pesticide runoff do they contribute compared to the average homeowner here. By the way, drive through the valley. No one has a lawn. I have lived here since 1960. The creeks have become shallower because they have filled with sedimentation, making
the creekbeds higher, makes the water temperature warmer. But still, it is obvious that the problems
are occurring in the ocean as several other fish are in serious decline and there are fishing moratoriums up and down the coast of California.
Salmon are no exception.

[Watching from Within]

How in the heck can anyone "replace" blackberry bushes from Northern California??? They are a weed here! Do we shoot the birds who poop the seeds? Will someone from SPAWN come pick up every berry that drops? This effort is based on very poor science. No one has done a specific study that disaggregates the data to determine the detrimental impact of building in SGV. What about the animals that graze upstream? The tourists that picnic upstream? Besides, I can't think of more environmentally conscious community than the many dozens of people whom I know personally who live near Lagunitas Creek. Shame on Steiner for going about this all the wrong way!!!

[margi]

Dan wrote:

I have known Mrs. Giddings for over 35 years, and I will take her word of some self appointed fish God.

agree

[creek resident]

The people who live in san geronomo do care about salmon. The article makes it sound like we dont care,that isn't true.The reason we protest the plan is because it is basicly taking away the right to use enjoy our property.Who whould buy a house when you can't do anything on it.

[Mike]

The headline should have read "Todd Sieiner builds an illegal rock wall in the creek on his property, then tells everyone else they can't build."

[contractor]

The San Geronimo Valley Salmon Enhancement Plan recommends the following:

- Protect and preserve trees and shrubs on creek banks.

- Create a 35-foot buffer zone around creeks and streams.

- Promote the "replacement, removal or modification" of unpermitted structures, such as sheds, chicken coops and garages near streams.

- Route stormwater drains away from creeks.

- Fix leaking septic systems.

- Replace non-native plants such as bamboo, eucalyptus and blackberry with California natives.

The plan would achieve these goals by:

- Targeting non-native plants, and making "fish-friendly" plants available at local nurseries.

- Offering free permits and labor to owners who relocate unpermitted structures.

- Providing tax credits to owners who restore the landscape within the buffer zone.

What is hard to undestand about the above? We are talking about species extinction folks. SPECIES EXTINCTION.

The commenter who mentioned the golf course pesticide runoff is entirely correct as well. Ban pesticides from the golf course. Period.

[Red Diaper]

People before fish.Who cares if they go extinct ? Gimmie a break. Geez!

[Martina2]

Just another case of: the environmental regulations are great when they're for someone else, but when they're for you ... they're intrusive.

[Jay Bird]

In Half Moon Bay a property owner sued the city because they essentially took his property by "environmental regulations"

He won millions, and the city was facing bankruptcy.

SVG property owners should go to court if SPAWN and the county goes through with taking their property.

That way, when SGV property owners win, the rest of marin county can share the burden of these regulations by paying higher taxes.

[Landscape Architect]

I hope that the SGV residents don't retalliate by suing the County and tying up the County's money in court instead of applying it as matching funds to leverage federal grant funding to implement the expensive solution on the landscape -- constructing and enhancing floodplains and moving structures from them, and removing and replacing culverts that block fish passage. Those enhanced floodplains, new replacement green outbuildings and new hi-tech septic systems are an amenity compared to ramshackle sheds, dry yellow grass, and blackberry thickets. Stop complaining and start organizing with your neighbors to develop a vision for stewarding your reach and demanding the compensation you deserve per square foot. The first reach of neighbors that bands together will be the first to get what they want. And it seems to me that MMWD is doing everything it can to help, short of removing the dams.

[Mel]

We have fireplace gods,air gods,plastic gods,tree gods,oil gods and now a FISH GOD.

Can't we all get along???

Do we need another resurrection?

[Martina2]

Mel wrote:

We have fireplace gods,air gods,plastic gods,tree gods,oil gods and now a FISH GOD.
Can't we all get along???
Do we need another resurrection?

I think we need a Senor Fish in Fairfax or Woodacre.

[Scooby Doo]

Contractor "God created the salmon....". If so, then why is he letting them die? Can't god just save them?

Keep your make-believe great sky daddy out of the debate. Your childish superstitions have no place in rational conversation.

[Frequent Visitor]

Todd Steiner talks about SGV people who "don't believe in science". That's not only incendiary, it's disingenuous. He doesn't mention that no real scientific study has been targeted at this area. True, we know something about what salmon need, but we don't really know the exact causes for the decline. If it's water quality, who, specifically, are the culprits?

Is it leaking septic systems? Pesticides and fertilizers? Runoff from cow and horse manure? Runoff from gas and oil on rain-slick roads? Carbon monoxide?

Is it an overall decline in the amount of water in the creeks? Do the dams have a deleterious effect?(And are we willing to take them down to save the salmon?)

This plan paints with an extremely broad brush. You're talking about what are essentially 35 foot environmental easements for the entire valley -- and for those of you who haven't been to San Geronimo Valley, you'd be hard-pressed to find many structures that DON"T fall within those boundaries.

What they're really saying with this plan is that they want to alter the property rights of almost every homeowner in the Valley, and most have been there for generations. Wow! Where else in Marin County would this fly? The next logical step is for the County to abate all the houses and pay some very hefty eminent domain money to the residents.

And all this happens in a county and a state that still haven't approved the use of incinerating toilets... You want to end the pollution from septic runoff? How about abandoning the SPAWN plan and spending the funds on installing incinerating toilets in every home in the Valley?

How about this for a plan: 1) "Grandfather" in every existing structure in the Valley so that those who are there now don't unfairly bear the burden of everyone's problem. 2) Continue the new building moratorium, allowing only repairs and reasonable modifications and extensions to existing structures. 3) Insist that the golf course use organic pesticides and fertilizers. 4) Encourage and help fund the installation of environmentally sound waste solutions such as graywater systems and incinerating toilets.

Do this and you will have tremendous support from the SGV community, since they already love their Valley and want what's best for everyone anyway.