Coho salmon became a little bit safer with a donation of an undeveloped parcel inside Marin’s Stream Conservation Area along Redwood Drive near Woodacre Creek to SPAWN, the Salmon Protection And Watershed Network. This is the fifth creekside parcel SPAWN has acquired through its C-SALT, or Coho-Salmon Land Trust initiative.
The owner had inherited the parcel and was happy to donate it to help protect endangered species and the environment. The owner is also eligible to receive a tax-deduction for the value of the parcel, appraised at approximately $35,000.
“This is one more tiny piece of wildlands along Marin’s coho migration, spawning and nursery corridor that we can restore and protect in perpetuity– giving the critically endangered coho a little more of a fighting chance to recover,” said Todd Steiner, biologist and executive director of SPAWN.
This acquisition marks another important step forward in efforts to protect spawning habitat in the Lagunitas Watershed. In 2005, TIRN acquired 5 parcels totaling 2.5 acres in Lagunitas, and in 2011 announced plans for the formation of its land protection program, the Coho SAlmon Land Trust (C-SALT).
“The acquisition mission of C-SALT currently has two focal points: undeveloped land, which we can protect in perpetuity, and properties with distressed or uninhabitable structures, that we can return to a more natural state. We hope to add conservation easements to our conservation toolbox in the near future,” added Steiner.
“Landowners want alternatives to McMansion development in the Valley. C-SALT gives them a way to protect a beloved or family-legacy property from becoming just another building lot.”
C-SALT will use donor funding to acquire parcels that possess particularly high conservation value, and will accept certain other property as donations. Anyone interested in learning more about land conservation and potential donation strategies can call for more information at 415/663-8590.
SPAWN, the Salmon Protection And Watershed Network, headquartered in Marin County’s Lagunitas Creek Watershed, works to protect endangered coho salmon, steelhead through restoration, advocacy, education, strategic litigation, land acquisition and monitoring. SPAWN conducts habitat restoration and operates a native plant nursery in the Lagunitas Creek Watershed, offers spawning coho creek walks, conducts spawning surveys, provides docent training, sponsors forums, maintains an educational website (www.SpawnUSA.org), and publishes a newsletter and action alerts.
For more information about C-SALT please read the Op-ed and article in the Marin Independent Journal here and here.
