October Update - Included below is the district one newsletter for this month.

The Election and 4th Wednesday meeting

You have probably noticed that there is an election November 8, in our community for the Marinwood CSD Board of Directors. To find out more and discuss the issues with the candidates visit our online forum at http://marinwoodassociation.org/v-web/bulletin/bb/viewforum.php?f=13

After gaining approval from all three candidates, the Marinwood Association agreed to co-sponsor a candidate’s forum along with the League of Women voters on Wednesday October 26 at 7:30 PM at the Marinwood Community Center. This is an opportunity to meet the candidates and hear their answers to your questions. This meeting replaces the regular 4th Wednesday update meeting at the community center.

Fire Protection

By now you should have received the first two flyers laying out the options facing our community regarding fire protection. One more flyer is being developed to be sent within the next week. A town hall type meeting is scheduled for November 2 to discuss the information you have received. This is an important issue facing our community. Please take the time to read the material and attend the November 2 meeting.

The Village Center

Much progress has been made. The community representatives have continued to meet with the property owners and the county regarding the community based planning effort. The community has responded to a survey about the grocery store needs. The results are being tabulated and will be available shortly. One very promising opportunity has emerged with a grocery in Sonoma. The owners and management have agreed to visit our community for a site visit and a tour including the CSD community center. These owners have indicated a good knowledge of our community and want to experience it first hand before they make any decisions.

You should expect a town hall meeting to discuss the various options being considered in the December/January timeframe. The general parameters remain the same. A mixed use facility with a destination grocer, additional retail and housing are still the main elements. Capturing additional community space, creating a safe non-vehicle transportation area along with a visually pleasing and green environment are our top priorities.

Supervisor Adams turns 49

Supervisor Susan Adams is hosting a Halloween party for her Birthday on Saturday, October 29 at the Marinwood Community Center from 4 to 6 PM. She has a suggested contribution amount of $49 for the affair. To get more information or make reservations call 927-2929 Bring your most outrageous costume.

Supervisor Adams takes on Miller Creek

A number of issues have developed over the years with Miller Creek. Many properties along the creek are faced with erosion problems that the individual abutting property owners may not be equipped to repair, if left alone the creek will become a slew of mud and debris that is inhospitable to fish and wildlife. To solve the problems and generate solutions will require an effort by all affected by the creek. This includes those of us living on the creek and those of us living within the creeks watershed area. Supervisor Adams has declared this a priority and asked a number of community leaders to meet to discuss the options. The first meeting will take place the afternoon of October 26. We will report the results here.

Of course we still need funds - Dues, donations and ads

Please be sure to visit our first advertiser. Check it out at www.marinwoodassociation.org It is not too late to pay your 2005 dues ($10) or make a donation to the Marinwood Association (Any amount – we received a $500 donation already this year). You can make a direct donation or buy one of the cute Marinwood thingies located here or place an ad on our web site. The money is being used to finance a number projects within Marinwood. Did you know the community was responsible for contributing almost $6,000 to the Marinwood Village Project? Your funds in action! But we need more. We had to dip into reserves to make our commitment and are seeking to not only replace the amount we paid the county but also finance the other worthwhile activities such as creating safer routes to our schools and protecting Miller Creek.

Comments – Email - Join Association - Attend Meeting

We are making it easy for you to give us feedback on the various activities underway. Under some items above is a line of clickable text. Just click on “comments” to go to our online forums and post your note. Click on “Email” to send us an email. Click on “Join Association” to find out how to pay your annual dues of just $10. Click on “Attend Meeting” to find out what meetings are scheduled.

“The views expressed in this newsletter are those of the author and may or may not reflect official positions established by the Board of Directors of the Marinwood Association.

Tear off and mail with your check

To: Marinwood Association

c/o Geoffrey Mack
2742 Heatherstone Drive
San Rafael, CA 94903

From: ___________________________

Email address ______________________

Street Address______________________

______________________

Phone number ______________________

Dues $10 For all the many representations and planning efforts provided and to support our community’s efforts at self improvement I/we hereby submit payment of our 2005 Marinwood Association membership dues in the amount of $10.

Donation $__________Marinwood Association is a non-profit organization.

District one newsletter

Revised Public Review Draft of the Marin Countywide Plan now Available
Be the first on Your Block to Have One

The Marin County Community Development Agency is pleased to announce the release of the Revised Public Review Draft of the Marin Countywide Plan on August 24, 2005. This revision reflects direction obtained from the Planning Commission after 23 public hearings, and the review and consideration of over 343 letters received from the public.

The Revised Public Review Draft of the Marin Countywide Plan is now available for free by download from the Marin Countywide Plan Update website at www.future-marin.org and on compact disc. One complimentary paper copy will also be provided to local organizations and community groups. Thereafter each additional paper copy will cost $35.00. To receive a paper or CD copy of the Plan or if you have any questions, please contact Sharon Silver at ssilver@co.marin.ca.us or 415-499-7874. Paper copies will also be made available at all local libraries

Santa Margarita Valley and Lucas Valley Community Briefed on the 2005/2006 Barbed Goatgrass Removal Project
Residents Encouraged to Assist in Goatgrass Removal

Approximately forty interested residents from the Santa Margarita Valley/Lucas Valley community recently attended a Community IPM (Integrated Pest Management) Goatgrass Workshop. The workshop begins the 05-06 public/county planning process to devise safe and effective methods for the removal the invasive barbed goatgrass from the open lands above and near the Santa Margarita/Lucas Valley community.

Representatives from the Marin County Open Space District and the Marin County’s Agricultural Commissioner gave a power point presentation on the controlled burn that took place a few months ago in the Santa Margarita / Lucas Valley area. The burn was mostly effective, but some patches remain and must be eradicated. The County’s Open Space ecologist, Mischon Martin, illustrated the exact locations of large and small currently established patches of barbed goatgrass in the Santa Margarita /Lucas Valley open spaces.

Stacy Carlsen, the County’s Agriculture Commissioner provided several examples of non-native invasive plants that are now found in Marin County, including the barbed goatgrass. Commissioner Carlsen also described the urgent need to remove this invasive plant. Stacy was especially concerned that if we ignore the slow proliferation of barbed goatgrass we risk the chance that the grass seeds will find their way into the pasture lands of West Marin. Grazing animals can be highly susceptible to the nasty results of ingesting the barbed goatgrass. The barbs get caught in the animal’s throat which results in severe swelling and can lead to the demise of the animal.

Residents of the Santa Margarita/ Lucas Valley area are now being urged to become a volunteer goatgrass removal expert. By mid-year ’06, the open space district and those who volunteer will become part of a drive to find ways to effectively eradicate goatgrass from the hills of Terra Linda especially the Santa Margarita Valley and Lucas Valley area.

If you would like additional information regarding goatgrass, or other invasive species in Marin, please contact Mischon Martin at: 507-2056, or go to Mischon’s email address: mmartin@co.marin.ca.us

To sign up to be a volunteer goatgrass eradicator please call Marin County Open Space @ 499-6979. Ask to speak to Greg Reza, Marin County Open Space volunteer coordinator. Email Greg at greza@co.marin.ca.us

The eradication of goatgrass will now include dedicated neighborhood volunteers. Do not allow this evasive grass to take over your open space and spread seeds
throughout our county. If we work together, we can get the job done.

Board of Supervisors Meetings Online
Audio& Streaming Video

Did you know you don’t have to leave your home to view and hear the Board of Supervisors meetings? Just sign on to the Marin County Website and you can view the online Board of Supervisors meetings or utilize the online archives to review previous meetings. You can also review complete agenda items at this site. Take a moment on a Tuesday board meeting day and follow this link to the Marin County BOS website:

http://www.co.marin.ca.us/depts/BS/main/index.cfm

Then click on “Live Video Broadcast”. You can view live broadcast or previous Board of Supervisors meetings.

Take a Walk with a Naturalist
Fall 2005 Nature Walks Are Now Available

Marin’s open spaces offer an incredible variety of flora and fauna for the residents of our fair county. The Marin County Open Space District now offers several non-stressful hiking opportunities that come with a naturalist. This is the classic two-for-one opportunity. You can get some exercise for the body and the mind.

David Herlocker, Interpretive Naturalist for the Marin County Open Space District, has developed his Fall-2005 Naturalist Walk Program. Those who have participated in one or more of David’s are usually delighted by the experience. Participants always increase their knowledge of the natural world around them.

Whether you are interested in the spiders of Pt. Reyes, or the birds at the Las Gallinas Ponds, David’s programs feature something for every curious person out there.

If you want to see the nature walks that are now scheduled for the Fall, simply log go to the web site featured below:

http://www.marinopenspace.org/pdf/MCOSD-Naturalist-Walks-Fall-2005.pdf

New Orleans Provides Hard Lessons
The Big One is Coming. Are You Prepared?

Recent events in the Big Easy, and much of the Gulf Coast, should give every Marin County resident time to pause and think about our own preparedness for a major catastrophic event. It is a certainty that sooner or later one or more of our known fault lines will shift. The fault line shift, commonly know as an earthquake, could be dramatic and cause enormous damage to our communities and the county’s infrastructure.

Are you and your family ready to survive for at least 72 hours without any outside assistance? Do you have enough water, food and other necessary material stashed away and ready to use in an emergency? To create your own emergency survival kit please log on to www.oes.ca.gov

The State of California Office of Emergency Service’s web site is loaded with enough information to get you prepared for an emergency situation. However, there is also Marin County Office of Emergency Services at http://www.co.marin.ca.us/disaster geared to prepare existing neighborhoods for an eventual catastrophic emergency.

And to get involved locally. Contact the San Rafael Fire Department and register for one of their Disaster Area Response Team classes. DART teams are established in most of our 1st District neighborhoods. Go to this website and check out the programs available. http://www.srfd.org/

District One Green Tip
Put this on the Frig

Having fun increasing the giant oil corporation’s yearly profit? Keep waiting for gas prices to hit five bucks a gallon.

There is something that you can do to increase the gasoline mileage on your favorite vehicle. All you need to do is make sure your tires are properly inflated. You can increase your fuel savings by 5% per fill-up. Less air=more drag=lower gas mileage. American drivers could save up to $ 2 billion per year if they would simply keep those tires properly inflated….and at the same time, reducing the fossil fuel emissions that lead to greenhouse gasses and global warming.

Increasing your fuel economy takes a couple of minutes, four deep knee bends, hot air, and an accurate pressure gage. Take that, OPEC!

Supervisor Adams Goes to Washington
Meeting With Legislators and U. S. Army Corp of Engineers

Supervisor Adams was in Washington on September 20th through September 25th

for the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors. While attending this conference she met with Senator Diane Feinstein’s office, Senator Barbara Boxer’s office, and Representative Lynn Woolsey’s office. She also met with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers to discuss how we could modify language to allow our District 1 levees to be included in appropriations bills that have been exempted due to specific flow issues. In light of the disasters from hurricanes Katrina and Rita, we may be in a position to attain funding for levee repairs and other wetlands projects. Stay tuned.

Roger Ahlenius Trail Dedication
Circumvents Santa Margarita Island

Friends and relatives of neighborhood activist Roger Ahlenius who passed away in 2004 gathered on Santa Margarita Island on Friday September 30th to dedicate a trail in his memory. Roger was one of the firebrands who doggedly pushed to save Santa Margarita Island from development. Today the island stands as part of Marin County Open Space District.

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