Kristin Shannon : Background Information on GGNRA Muir Woods Plan; Mt. Tam Task Force Website

We had 57 people up at the Mt. Tam community center last night (Wednesday) who are unanimous in opposition.
They passed 8 resolutions -- let me know if you would like them.
New website just up: MtTamTaskForce.com which has links to park service comment spots to comment BEFORE OCT 4th and listing of key political officials to contact.

Much appreciation, and we need help.

Background: 

What both IJ and SF Chronicle articles FAIL to mention is that a nine community alliance (the Mt. Tam Task Force) STRONGLY objected to the earlier Bush Park Service plans to add 7 parking lots to Muir Woods and start a park service run shuttle to collect fees.

The nine communities on the task force took two years to study and provide full and specific recommendations to the national park service, the Marin County Supervisors, and those recommendations were accepted.

The communities included: Mt Tam (Muir Woods Parks Association), Homestead Valley, Muir Beach, City of Sausalito, Bolinas, Stinson Beach, Tam Valley Community Association, the Sausalito Floating Homes association, and Green Gulch Zen Center.

In addition, there were thoughtful environmental groups, individuals and groups concerned with protection of wildlife and the waterways, plus large community meetings that rejected the CTMP plan.

The Park Plan to raise funds via increased usage of Muir Woods was called the CTMP -- The "Comprehensive Transportation Management Plan" for the next 20 - 25 years. That plan was thoroughly rebuffed.

County Supervisors Charles McGlashan and Steve Kinsey led work towards conserving the heritage and a reasonable alternative that would remain in Marin County control. And that's how we got County busses and the freeway signs on 101.
The current improvements to the salmon spawning grounds at Muir Beach and Muir Woods are also a direct result of the Mt. Tam Task Force coordination.

Dias Ridge was specifically declared to be "off limits" because of the disruption to animal trails, congestion problems, etc. How can this be on the table again?

The Park Service congressional mandate instructs a balance between preservation of national heritage sites and public access. Congress also LIMITS the fees charged for park entry but does NOT cap parking or shuttle bus fees. It's easy to do the math.

IMHO When Bush administration cut the Park Service budget, the cash strapped service sought other income sources and ADDED usage of the heritage sites (such as revenue from Disney Museum and Sports Authority stores blossomed.)

Seasoned Park Supervisors resigned in protest and lobbied for better protection of heritage sites.

Despite the then management of the GGNRA spending thousands of dollars to bring in outside consultants to persuade local residents, citizen protests supported Kinsey and McGlashan in developing constructive alternatives.

3 quick questions:

1. Why are we pretending that this is a "new" discussion when these ideas were soundly defeated in a two year 9 + community evaluation process?

2. Why is the comment period now suddenly so short? Less that 2 weeks?

3. What are the heritage site and revenue implications if the county loses control of the current shuttles?


Kristin Shannon
Muir Beach

To Submit Comments to the National Park Service (Deadline is Friday, October 4, 2013)
please click HERE

Visit http://mttamtaskforce.com/ for more links of who to contact.

Editor's note : It has been brought to my attention that the links on the Mt Tam Task Force website were not working, so we are posting them here :

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Marin County Supervisors
Supervisor Steve Kinsey 
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415-499-7331 
skinsey@marincounty.org 
Staff Contact: Liza Crosse 
lacrosse@marincounty.org 

Supervisor Kathrin Sears
Room 329, Civic Center
3501 Civic Center Drive
San Rafael, CA 94903
415-499-7331
ksears@marincounty.org
Staff Contact: Maureen Parton
mparton@marincounty.org (FYI, Maureen lives in Mill Valley)

City of Mill Valley 
Mill Valley Mayor, Andrew Berman 
26 Corte Madera Avenue 
Mill Valley, CA 94941 
415-388-4033 
cityclerk@cityofmillvalley.org 

Congressman Jared Huffman
999 Fifth Avenue, Suite 290
San Rafael, CA 94901
415-258-9657
District Director: Jenny Callaway
Jenny.Callaway@mail.house.gov


Submit Letters to the Editor

Marin Independent Journal
Readers’ Forum
4000 Civic Center Drive, Suite 301
San Rafael, CA 94903
opinion@marinij.com
San Francisco Chronicle
sfgate.com/submissions/#1
Mill Valley Patch
www.millvalleypatch.com 
Mill Valley Herald
www.marinscope.com 
Pacific Sun
www.pacificsun.com