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A petition from the campaign to

Stop the Extinction of Endangered Coho Salmon!

2,398 people have helped this campaign

Progress

2,398 signed
2,602 more needed

Sign the Petition to

Marin County Board of Supervisors: Kate Sears ([email protected]), Steve Kinsey ([email protected]), Katie Rice ([email protected]), Susan Adams ([email protected]), Judy Arnold ([email protected])

We strongly oppose revising the Marin Countywide Plan, which would be a dangerous precedent, potentially weakening hard-won environmental protections critical to the future of Marin’s wildlife, including endangered species.

Coho salmon have lived in Marin’s streams and creeks for millennia. But damaging development and pollution pushed the Coho to near extinction. The species is listed as endangered by both the United States and the State of California. Marin’s streams and creeks are the Coho’s last refuge.

California’s Coho belong to all of us. We each have a responsibility to future generations to help the Coho survive. Millions of our tax dollars dedicated to federal, state, and county efforts to restore stream habitats will succeed only if these streams are adequately protected. Marin must put public good ahead of private profit if the Coho are to have a fighting chance to survive.

Decisions by the Marin Board of Supervisors will determine the fate of California’s Coho.

Therefore, we the undersigned, petition the Board of Supervisors to adopt science-based stream protections necessary to the survival of the Coho.

Signed,

Turtle Island Restoration Network

This petition closed almost 3 years ago

How this will help

Coho salmon are already critically endangered in Lagunitas Creek, California, but a new stream ordinance coming up for a vote in the next few months could bring them even closer to extinction.

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Coho salmon are already critically endangered in Lagunitas Creek, California, but a new stream ordinance coming up for a vote in the next few months could bring them even closer to extinction.

The Lagunitas Creek coho population in Marin County is the largest, most important population of this species in Central California. However, the newly drafted stream conservation area ordinance promotes real estate development without requiring any meaningful mitigation measures to protect this iconic endangered species. In fact, instead of supporting salmon restoration, it likely makes their survival more tenuous.

While Central California Coho salmon have disappeared from streams spanning their historic range, the San Geronimo Creek Sub-Watershed at the headwaters of Lagunitas Creek supports one of the strongest remaining populations of this species in their endangered range. Despite the need to protect this vital watershed, the Marin County Planning Commission's proposed rules will allow the equivalent of two WalMart stores (more than 500,000 square feet) of new construction inside the so-called 100-foot Stream Conservation Area on already-developed parcels. Additionally, the draft ordinance also allows another 500,000 sq ft of new construction on undeveloped parcels!

The annual spawning runs of Marin's coho salmon have already declined by 90% from historic levels.

A strong science-based stream ordinance may be the last chance to save this legacy species from what federal biologists have termed "an extinction vortex." We can't continue to promote real estate development without considering how we can support and restore our important population of coho salmon before it's too late.

We must take action now. Sign this petition and let the Marin County Board of Supervisors know we want them to write an improved SCA ordinance that protects Marin County's critically endangered coho salmon from further habitat loss.

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