To Build a Bridge

For the last 100 years, the southern end of Tomales Bay has been diked and used to graze cattle. Recently, the Point Reyes National Seashore (PRNS) purchased these 600 acres from the Waldo Giacomini family so that this area could be restored into wetlands. Since the end of 2007, the Seashore has been working towards total restoration of the wetlands. This includes tearing down the dikes and barns, and taking the cattle off the land.

The southernmost edge of the wetlands is skirted by Papermill Creek which plays host to countless species including the endangered red-legged frog, White-tailed kite, Northern Harrier, and Short-earred owl, river otters, sturgeon and salmon during spawning season. The Seashore hopes that the removal of the cattle will promote the growth of native plant species that will provide habitat for the animals that populate the wetland region.

Walking trails through the marsh have long surrounded Papermill Creek. The creek parallels the section of Sir Francis Drake Blvd. that connects Inverness Park to Point Reyes Station. Paths on the south side of the creek run from Inverness Park to the center of the levee road. So, in order to walk to Point Reyes from Inverness Park, one has to walk the last half along the narrow shoulder of a dangerous roadway. Children who walk or ride their bikes to West Marin School are forced to endanger their lives daily if they want to avoid being shuttled by automobile.

Whether or not PRNS should extend these trails and create a bridge across Papermill Creek to make possible travel from Inverness Park to Point Reyes without walking or biking on the roadway has become a major controversy among Pt. Reyes citizens and the Park. The major points of the conflict include:
--those who want “To provide a safe route to school and our town services…a pathway apart from the road” (Lisa Luzzi, Inverness Park, in a letter to the editor of the Pt. Reyes Citizen 3/27/08)
--“those who feel the new bridge and trail would seriously undermine the restoration…dogs and bikes would flush birds and scare wildlife. A thoroughfare through such a sensitive area creates a much wider impact zone than the path itself occupies.” (Ellery Akers, Point Reyes Station, in a letter to the editor of the Pt. Reyes Citizen 3/27/08)

One proposed alternative is to widen the shoulder along the levee road to provide more room for bicyclists and pedestrians. Although this plan might help, it will not completely eliminate the danger of cars, nor will it satisfy the community. As Nancy Stein puts it in a guest column in the Pt. Reyes Citizen entitled: Build the Bridge, “The levee road could be improved for bicycles but it will never serve the needs of the handicapped, the elderly, and people with strollers or children on bikes, and it will never meet the need of those who would like to take a quiet stroll to town.”

At 9:30 am on Sunday, March 31, nearly 100 activists on both sides staged a walk along Papermill Creek to show their strength in numbers and solidarity. Local photographer Art Rogers recorded the event. The Park Service has scheduled an event at the Point Reyes Dance palace for May 15 and it is expected that some sort of agreement will be made. According to a document written by park officials, “Engineering analysis of the section of road near White House Pool showed that the creek is actively eroding towards Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, and repairs should be completed before constructing facilities to accommodate public access.” If this park holds this opinion, it is unlikely that the bridge will be built in the near future if at all. Many people feel that if a bridge were built it would scar the natural beauty of the Giacomini Wetland. Still others feel that it would allow them to be close to nature and enjoy its beauty. This issue, it seems, will be resolved slowly as there are many good reasons for the bridge to be built, and many good reasons why it shouldn’t be.