From the Sheriff's Calls: "POINT REYES STATION: At 6:01 p.m. a woman who had volunteered at a Geography of Hope event at Toby's Feed Barn over the weekend said another female volunteer had thrown a rock at her." Almost sounds like The Onion.

http://www.ptreyeslight.com/sh...

An update from Scott McMorrow from the Green Bridge retrofit meeting: " I attended this meeting last night, and spoke with the engineer who designed the four options. He stated that the current bridge is seismically deficient, and invited me to get underneath it and look up. He said that the current bridge is supported by what amounts to angle iron. This is considered very unsafe in an earthquake. There is also significant damage to the abutments. He felt that a new bridge would be designed to withstand a 6.7 "“ 7 magnitude quake (a 1000 year event).

A question was raised about "Why now? Why not wait for "˜big one' and get a new bridge then." My take on that is that if there is a Bay-area wide quake that causes extensive damage, we will be at the end of the line for a replacement. Larger population areas will be given priority. With this currently proposed project, we are at the front of the line. There is a proposed one-lane temporary bridge to handle traffic during construction. Traffic will be controlled by traffic lights on the one-laner, and emergency services vehicles will have the ability to override the traffic signals to gain priority access. There will be inconvenience during construction, for sure.

Yet, image the inconvenience if we lose the current bridge during an earthquake. Those of us on the West shore will have to drive the platform bridge route to get to PRS. Emergency vehicles will add 16 or so minutes of response time from PRS to the West shore and Bolinas."

Thanks Scott.

Photo from Dave Mitchell's blog post: http://www.sparselysageandtime...

So sad. "A kayaker died in Tomales Bay on Wednesday after twice falling into the water, first from his own boat and then from the boat of a friend who tried to save him. The incident happened in the afternoon after the two kayakers had paddled from the Nick's Cove area to Dillon Beach, Pittman said. As they were heading back, one man looked back to see that his friend had fallen from his boat in the rough conditions. He hoisted the victim into his own boat because the other was taking on water, but the victim fell back in again and was lost."

http://www.marinij.com/general...

http://abc7news.com/uncategori...

6:16pm - "@abc7newsBayArea: JUST IN: Marin County Sheriff's say 1 kayaker has died during a rescue at Dillon Beach & others are being rescued."

5:07pm - Kayakers in distress off of Dillon Beach. Search teams and a helicopter have been scrambled. Hopefully it all works out.

From Dave Mitchell's blog: "Caltrans plans to hold a public meeting from 7 to 9 p.m. this Thursday, March 9, at West Marin School to discuss replacing the Green Bridge which carries Highway 1 over Papermill Creek in Point Reyes Station.Caltrans, which wants to spend $1.58 million replacing this bridge, says it has come up with four designs for a new one. The public will have a chance Thursday to comment on them."

The whole post is really worth reading, some great info on other local bridges: http://www.sparselysageandtime...

A Bald Eagle was spotted yesterday flying above SFD right by White House Pool with a huge clump of seaweed in its mouth. Keep your eyes open and on the sky (and the road)!

"A St. Patrick's Day solar storm will send a torrent of green-hued northern lights across much of the United States on Tuesday evening, as a fierce solar storm impacts the Earth's upper atmosphere. If it's clear where you are, go outside. You won't want to miss it. At its current intensity, San Francisco, Dallas, and Atlanta could see a glimpse"”even as far south as northern Florida." Midnight on Mt. Vision anyone?

http://www.slate.com/content/s...

Found this posted on a "Lost Marin" FB page. Labeled as Pt Reyes Hotel 1906. The statue was on the roof before the earthquake.
Is this really the Grandi Bldg ?

Seeing whales never gets old (especially with calves!), from the PRNSA: "150+ Gray whales counted this past weekend at the #PointReyes Headlands." I heard there are lots of dolphins out there too.

One of my favorite stories: "During an appearance last week at the Loyola Marymount University, Clint Eastwood talked about the "stark terror" he experienced during the 1950s when, as a soldier flying from visiting his parents in Seattle to Ford Ord in California, the Navy bomber on which he traveled crashed into the ocean near Point Reyes.

"What was going through my mind was just a stark fear, a stark terror, because (in the) first place, I didn't know anything about aviation at that particular time -- I was just hopping a ride," he said.

Depending on the source, Eastwood and at least one other soldier swam anywhere from a mile to three miles to shore."

http://www.mercurynews.com/cel...

(This is not Clint's plane, but one like it)

Via Paul Rampel: "Recently an exchange took place on the West Marin Commons' soapbox forum, between Jim Kravets and Tess Elliot, regarding Jim's of an acquisition discussion between Pt. Reyes Light and West Marin Citizen. My post regarding this exchange is as follows: (go to http://www.westmarincommons.or... for the entire thread)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tucked away in their rebuke of Jim for "jumping the gun, Linda, Tess & David ask all our help to make their deal happen. Fair enough: I agree we should all have a better understanding of the Point Reyes Light ownership - issues touched upon in Jim Kravet's blog before we endorse anything to do with this proposal.

For starters how about explaining the current structure of the Pt. Reyes Light ownership: The first sentence suggests that MMI will not be involved in the purchase - but this is hard to understand on its face. If MMI is the owner of the "Point Reyes Light Publishing Company L3C LLC" (PRL LLC"), and PRL LLC is the acquirer how can this not involve MMI, at least as a fiduciary, if not an active participant? MMI and PRL LLC are themselves opaque operations - since the founding of PRL LLC (see http://investigativereportingw... the role of Cory Goodman appears to be a constant in the operation as a recent check of the online records of the Secretary of State of California still show Goodman as the agent (see http://kepler.sos.ca.gov/) yet there is no mention of Cory Goodman's role in this deal.

Reports have also appeared that state Mark Dowie is a part owner of the Light. This involvement appears to extend the role of Dowie beyond that of contributor, editor, and publisher into a new realm of involvement. (Citizen Dowie?) We should also be asking to understand the money - where exactly does the purchase price for the Citizen come from? Is this a payout based upon future expected cashflow of the combined operations, perhaps based upon unrealistic expectations of excess cash realized from "operating efficiancies" and increased (combined) advertising revenues, or is a separate investment being contemplated, and if so, from whom? For example, reports have previously circulated that Phyllis Faber was a major backer of MMI and PRL. Its time that we understand who the money players are. Yet, Tess et al suggest that the discussion is amongst Linda, Tess and her partner David.

This seems to be at best, incomplete disclosure - not a promising basis for an organization that is intended to provide a public service to the community.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the TWMF 'secret treasure' contest two weeks ago. The mystery bridge is a new bridge Nick Whitney put in next to the tennis courts in second valley. Go check it out, and the secret treasure is still hanging from below it. While you're there, be sure to wander up the trail and see the amazing new stairs the Inverness Association has built. It's a great walk and a great way to see Inverness.

Congratulations to Kerry Livingston who found the treasure first and to Dave (and Prarie) Press, Felipe and Mike Durrie/Catherine Lucas who all found it. Nice work! More to come...

Here is the original contest post:
https://www.facebook.com/54364...

"Seemingly doomed to dismiss teachers at the end of this school year as a result of budget problems, West Marin's Shoreline Unified School District avoided layoffs by negotiating five teacher retirements instead."

http://www.marinij.com/social-...

9:14pm - One lane still closed on SFD just before Inverness due to truck in ditch. Everyone is ok.

9:00pm - Accident on Sir Francis Drake right before Inverness, car in ditch, one lane open. Drive carefully. (thx YP/AP)

Sunrise this morning.

One of my more hazardous duties.... Searching the streets and downtown Point Reyes for a 12 year old yellow lab named Daisy who according to the owner walked away from home. I assured she doesn't bite but this is one fugitive I hope to locate tonight!

Via Jim Kravets: "A tragedy is unfolding in West Marin. A community resource built by hundreds of people is quietly but hastily shutting down. It's happening so suddenly that without this notice you almost certainly wouldn't have learned about it until it was gone.
After some 400 issues and more than 8,000 pages spanning eight years, the community's newspaper, the West Marin Citizen, will cease publication when the owner signs over rights any minute to the Point Reyes Light.
Follow this link to learn more:
http://westmarincitizensos.blo...
Please forward this email to others who may care about West Marin's collective intellectual, cultural and spiritual prosperity."
---
I found this image on Dave Mitchell's blog in a post that describes the last time the Point Reyes Light and the West Marin Citizen had a close call.
http://www.sparselysageandtime...

Greenbridge Gas says CHP has pulled over 3 people in the last 10 minutes. Be careful, as we should be!

Point Reyes and the Tule Elk are the cover story in The Bohemian this week. "Tule elk were thought extinct by 1874, when a wealthy rancher spared a few survivors he discovered while draining one of the Central Valley's once-vast marshlands. All of the approximately 4,000 tule elk in 22 herds on public and private land are descended from those."

http://www.bohemian.com/northb...

You are warmly invited to the upcoming Inverness Almanac release party! On Friday, March 13th at 7 PM we will be hosting a Local Music Restoration Project show at the Dance Palace Church Space.
There will be readings by Almanac contributors as well as music by Mountain of Glow, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, and Dylan Squires. Come on out and celebrate with us as we release this project into the wilds of West Marin. Almanacs will be available for purchase and if you have already pre-ordered a copy you can pick it up.

$10-20, sliding scale.

In case you haven't heard, the Almanac is a new local print publication celebrating the land, art, and stories of West Marin. In addition to attending our upcoming event, please also consider making a donation to help us bring this project to our community.

donate.invernessalmanac.com

The Almanac is also available for pre-sale on our website.

See ya there,

Ben, Jordan, Katie, Nina, Jeremy

Inverness trying to be Santa Cruz? Do you know where this is and what a kook is?

Local nature photographer extraordinaire Carlos Porrata took this photo of a Peregrine Falcon in Point Reyes yesterday. Bonus Bird Question: Do you know what's happening here? Hint: Even educated fleas do it.

You can see more of his work in the lobby of The Dance Palace until March 16th.

https://dancepalace.org/events...

Is there a Recycle Circus coming this year? Can't find any information on it for 2015.

Tonight's full moon is the smallest full moon of the year. We've heard it called the micro-moon or mini-moon.

http://earthsky.org/tonight/mi...

Point Reyes National Seashore is mentioned:
http://theplate.nationalgeogra...

The full story of the cliff rescue this weekend, everyone involved are true heroes. There are good people in this world. "Joel Deering, 27, and Cody LaMonte, 26, hiked to the beach below the cliff and swam 30 meters to a rock outcropping where the injured man lay. They used a first-aid kit to splint the man's broken bones and bandage his lacerations. They used blankets to keep him comfortable and held his head stable for 2 1/2 hours until a rescue team arrived in a helicopter.

http://www.modbee.com/news/loc...

Anyone know why there are 1000s of sand dollars 1/4"-1" in diameter for 3 days now at Limantour...?

An incredible rescue yesterday at Arch Rock in Point Reyes after a man fell 60 feet off a cliff and two others scrambled down to help him.

"CHP Officer James Andrews said a 24-year-old Gilroy man was hiking with a church group from Gilroy near Arch Rock when either the ground gave way or he slipped, falling some 60 to 80 feet to the rocks below.

The man hit the rocks and ricocheted into the surf, but Andrews said he was able to pull himself out of the water and onto a rock outcropping.

Two good Samaritans ran down a narrow goat trail to the beach and then swam to the rock to assist him, Andrews said. The surf was coming in quickly, stranding the three people on the rock, Andrews said."

Full Story:
http://patch.com/california/sc...

Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Tomorrow, Sunday, March 1, a benefit gathering for Javier Rodriguez takes place from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Dance Palace Community Center, with food, oysters and more. Donations will help support Mr. Rodriguez's family.

Secret Spot of the Day: This beautiful bridge built by Nick Whitney. I hid something beneath this bridge today. The first person to correctly tell me what it is gets a special t-shirt I just designed, the next three get a hand screened print. DO NOT put your answer in the comments here (that will spoil it for others), go to this page and let me know: http://thewestmarinfeed.com/an...

Good luck!!!

Laughty found this on a local beach and posted on her FB page. There are some fantastic theories as to what it is (go check them out, Llewylln's in particular). Anyone have a guess? (thx LN)

https://www.facebook.com/laugh...

Some visitors demonstrate how not to interact with wildlife this evening out at Drake's Beach. Ugh. (Thx AN)

Fire on the mountain in Point Reyes this morning.

Must be West Marin month in the media. Marshall Store made the cover of Sunset magazine. Stellina mentioned inside.

http://westphoria.sunset.com/2...

SFGate calls Drake's Beach in Point Reyes one of the cleanest beaches in the Bay Area in 2014.

http://www.sfgate.com/travel/s...

7:55pm - A helicopter has been going back and forth over Tomales Bay all evening, anyone know what's going on?

1:01pm - Both lanes of Sir Francis Drake closed at Tocaloma due to accident. Use alternate routes. (Thx BE)

It's 'blast from the past' day. This 1969 West Marin School footage was found on YouTube today. Does anyone recognize any of these people? Why this is being paired with music from an indie Philly band? So many questions. (thanks WS!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

"The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has confirmed that several turkey vultures have been poisoned from the veterinary euthanasia drug pentobarbital in Marin County. Pentobarbital-poisoned birds appear to be dead. They have no reflex response and breathing can barely be detected. The birds appear intact, without wounds or obvious trauma. Anyone finding a comatose vulture should call WildCare's 24-hour Hotline at (415) 456-SAVE (7283) immediately."

https://cdfgnews.wordpress.com...

A ghost ship in the lingering morning fog on Tomales Bay.

"Two suspected antler poachers in the Point Reyes National Seashore were detained Wednesday after rangers spent much of the day tracking their activities. The suspects were spotted loading antlers into a boat near Tomales Point and then hauling them across the bay to the Dillon Beach area. Federal park rangers and sheriff's deputies intercepted the men."

http://www.marinij.com/environ...

I've heard about this happening, but first time I've read about an actual operation going down. Dang.

Just saw Batman on Nicasio Valley Road by the reservoir. Really!

Helicopter circling the waters off Dillon Beach, search lights in the water. They are targeting a small area north of the beach, off the cliffs of ocean Marin. Not sure what's going on but they are looking for something.

3:45pm - Truck stuck on Sir Francis Drake at Dream Farm Road, traffic backed up with no turn arounds. (Thx AP)

Just got back from an errand in Point Reyes Station. Long lines at our Highway One stop signs, at Bear Valley Road and here on Levee Road.

Wouldn't it be cool if the California Highway Patrol were posted at these intersections to direct traffic on holiday weekends like this one?

From yesterday: @MarinSheriff advises so many visitors to West Marin beaches and parks have led to local restaurants running out of food yesterday,

Just got back from an errand in Point Reyes Station. Long lines at our Highway One stop signs, at Bear Valley Road and here on Levee Road.

Wouldn't it be cool if the sheriff were posted at these intersections to direct traffic on holiday weekends like this one?

BIRD ALERT: A Brown Booby was spotted out by Chimney Rock yesterday. If you don't have one on your list, now is your chance. (thanks TinyLongWing)

This crew was putting out some good vibes on gorgeous day in Point Reyes today. Did anyone get their band name? They left before I could ask.

Lead story in the Point Reyes Light this week: "As the ranch's manager, Rodney Martinelli, tells it, a cow with a festering bullet wound to the head leapt a corral fence and led him and two friends on an hours-long chase that ended with the cow's death, and one man's broken leg." Photo by Dave Briggs.
http://www.ptreyeslight.com/ar...

Help yourself to some FREE love - Happy Valentine's Day

Lived in Inverness for 25 yrs, now in Seattle, biking back to visit in May. Anybody want to do a house/apt trade for May 6-12 or so? Or know of a cheap place to stay for four adult cyclists, who'll only be with me for two nights? Thanks. Mary Davies

12:47am - Busy day today. "Rescue helicopter Henry 1 rescues a surfer in distress near Dillon Beach." There is a large swell filling in today, please use extreme caution near the beaches and don't necessitate a Henry 1 visit.
https://twitter.com/FriendsOfH...

Thank you West Marin Feed for your help in getting information out to our West Marin communities! This service to your neighbors and those we serve is invaluable. Times are changing, people demand to have and know more information sooner than later and we at the Sheriff's Office are taking steps to meet those demands.

The West Marin Feed has been instrumental in helping us achieve this task for which, as the Spokesperson for the Sheriff's Office and the County during emergency of catastrophic events, I appreciate greatly!

This mornings example of you getting info out to our residents in Woodacre and San Geronimo Valley is exactly the kind of communication we need to continue to promote between the Sheriff's Office (and Govt) and those we serve.

Keep up the good work work!

Doug Pittman,
CMDR - Sheriff's Patrol Divison

8:23am - @MarinSheriff deputies have located 2nd suspect in Woodacre search, no other subjects wanted, suspect in custody.

8:15am BREAKING NEWS : Man on the run from sheriffs department wearing an orange traffic vest, jeans and missing a shoe. Call 911 if you see him. Sheriff just told me this at bottom of Redwood Canyon. CHP aircraft now on-scene aiding in search effort in Woodacre. @SanRafaelPolice K9 also assisting. One female suspect caught after CHP car chase and crash, male suspect fled on foot.

http://www.marinij.com/general...

A suspect is at large in the hills of Woodacre on Thursday morning after a chase in which a speeding car crashed into a creek and erupted in flames.

A woman who also fled the vehicle following the incident at 6:26 a.m. was held for questioning.

Authorities said a California Highway Patrol officer tried to stop a car for a speeding violation, triggering a chase that ended when the fleeing vehicle crashed into San Geronomio Creek near Redwood and Carson avenues. The car burst into flames.

New Printmaking Workshops for 2105 - Stop by and find out what's in store for Visiting Artist Workshops (papermaking, encaustic, photo-etching)

7:44am - @marincountyfire: Hy 1 down to one lane between Tomales and Nick's Cove. Large tree in the roadway.Unknown time for complete opening.

A kind woman called into "The Vicarious Traveler" show this morning to share a story about one of my wildlife images. If you see this (or know who that might have been if you were listening), please drop me a line. I'd love to share something with you. :)

12:11pm - Lots of smoke across the bay right now, anyone know what's going on? Control burn? (Thx DW)

Some serious beach foam getting whipped up at Drakes Beach in Point Reyes yesterday.

6:06pm - Power lines touching trees caused some flames to appear in Inverness. Scary stuff, PG&E quickly turned the power off.

Keep clicking on California for more detailed views of the wind strength and directions in real time:
http://hint.fm/wind/

4:15pm - Sounds like power lines on tree on Balboa Ave. They're blocking road and waiting for PGE. Proceed with caution in area.

2:16pm - Power just went out on Escondido Way in Inverness. Anyone else lose power?