Tomales Bay State Park Forest Health and Wildfire Resilience
Background
In 2019 California State Parks initiated a forest inventory to assess the health of the forests within Tomales Bay State Park. The forest inventory documented the need for ecological restoration due to the high levels of tree disease and mortality in declining populations of Bishop pine, tanoak, and coast live oak. The report demonstrated that ecological restoration was needed to sustain the Bishop pine and hardwood forests due to the lack of regeneration. This document is available for download on the Inverness Association website at this link: Microsoft Word - Tomales Bay State Park Forest Inventory101719.docx (squarespace.com)
California State Parks worked with our One Tam partners on both the Marin Fine Scale Vegetation map and the Marin Forest Health Strategy, foundational data sources for the planning of the project. The Marin Fine Scale Vegetation Map is a comprehensive dataset of the County’s vegetation, and that data is available for download here: https://pacificvegmap.org/data-downloads/. The Marin Regional Forest Health Strategy data includes layers such as fire history, ladder fuels, treatment feasibility, and more. The Marin Regional Forest Health Strategy is available here: https://www.onetam.org/forest-health#Marin-Regional-Forest-Health-Strategy, and the web map is available here: https://parksconservancy.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/media/index.html?appid=283456ad496e4a999e74f9501468261c.
In November 2022, California State Parks initiated the compliance and permitting process for the Tomales Bay State Park Forest Health and Wildfire Resilience Project. A virtual community meeting for the project was held on December 14, 2022. A recording of the meeting can be viewed here: Tomales Bay State Park Forest Health and Wildfire Resilience Project – Virtual Community Meeting - YouTube
On December 18, 2023, California State Parks released a Draft Tomales Bay State Park Forest Health and Wildfire Resilience Public Works Plan (PWP) for a six-week period of public review and comment. On January 10, 2024, California State Parks hosted an in-person public hearing on the Draft Public Works Plan (PWP) at Buck Hall, located at the Lodge at Marconi. The presentation given at the January 10, 2024, public hearing is available to view here https://youtu.be/OH8AJEC99hI.
The Tomales Bay State Park Forest Health and Wildfire Resilience Public Works Plan was submitted to the California Coastal Commission and effectively approved on May 9, 2024. The Public Works Plan establishes a framework for comprehensive planning, reviewing, analysis, and approval of qualifying public projects in the Coastal Zone, including ecological restoration and forest resilience projects. The Tomales Bay State Park Forest Health and Wildfire Resilience PWP was developed to function in tandem with the California Vegetation Treatment Program (CalVTP) and its associated Program Environmental Impact Report (Program EIR).
The Tomales Bay State Park Forest Health and Wildfire Resilience Project-Specific Analysis (PSA) and Addendum to the CalVTP Program EIR was approved by California State Parks and the Notice of Determination was filed on July 8, 2024. The PSA/Addendum is available and at the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection (BOF) website https://bof.fire.ca.gov/projects-and-programs/calvtp-homepage-and-storymap/environmental-documentation-for-approved-projects/
On October 10, 2024, the Coastal Commission approved the Notice of Impeding Development for the Project. California State Parks (CSP) filed a Notice of Impending Development (NOID) for the Tomales Bay State Park Forest Health and Wildfire Resilience Project in Marin County on August 22, 2024. The NOID is available for download. Such notice must be submitted to the California Coastal Commission (Commission) before a public agency proposing a public works project pursuant to a certified Public Works Plan (PWP) may commence with implementation of the Project.
For further information please contact bayareanaturalresources@parks.ca.gov
Project Documents:
Tomales Bay State Park Forest Health and Wildfire Resilience Public Works Plan
Project-Specific Analysis and Addendum to the CalVTP Program Environmental Impact Report (EIR)