News and Events
from One Tam

Hello!

Dear Friend,

I hope you’re savoring the last few days of fall and looking forward to a new season of brisk mornings and winter light on Mt. Tam.

Reflecting on this past year, I can't help but express pride in our accomplishments, such as the restoration of Roy’s Redwoods, the release of our 10-year forest health strategy, community science programs like the soon-to-launch Marin Wildlife Watch, and inspiring many young people through internships and special programs. We look forward to celebrating 10 years of One Tam in the new year, and to all we’ll do together in the next 10.

None of this would be possible without our generous supporters—our One Tam members, our One Tam Circle members, donors, and volunteers. Your generosity and belief in our work helps the mountain thrive and helps increase access to all it has to offer.

If you aren’t yet a One Tam member, I invite you to join us this season! Now through December 31, your gift will be doubled thanks to a matching fund of $45,000 from your fellow supporters. You can make a gift online, through the mail, or by donor-advised fund. Membership makes a great holiday gift! Reach out to me for assistance or questions at SLincoln@ParksConservancy.org 

Warmest wishes and see you on the mountain this winter!

Best,

Sarah Lincoln, Associate Director, Individual Giving 

MEMBER's Mushroom Walk - January 12

Are you as excited for mushroom season as we are? In this photo we see smoky-gilled hypholoma, or conifer tuft, mushrooms, which grow on decaying wood. Photo: Lisette Arellano/Parks Conservancy

Join us on Friday, January 12 to walk and talk about mushrooms! We’ll meet at Lake Lagunitas for a stroll with David Greenberger, One Tam’s Conservation Management Program Manager, where we’ll learn about the watershed’s unique vegetation and if conditions are right, uncover some mushrooms! This event will book up fast and is for One Tam members only. 

REGISTER >>

Not yet a member? JOIN >>

It’s Back! Marin Wildlife Watch Opens to New Volunteers in 2024

We’re back! We’ve been busy reworking this program and are ready for you to volunteer with us! These images come from Marin Wildlife Watch, a program of the One Tam partnership that uses motion-activated cameras to study wildlife on Mt. Tamalpais. While the images are data, they can also offer glimpses into daily lives, or even beautiful portraits, like this bobcat.

Starting in January, we are excited to welcome new volunteers to Marin Wildlife Watch! This program, formerly known as the Marin Wildlife Picture Index Project, studies Mt. Tam’s mammal populations and gives us insights that will help us protect them. Volunteers provide critical support, helping identify the animals in the millions (millions!) of images taken by motion-activated cameras placed across the mountain. 

The new Marin Wildlife Watch will have all the wildlife you love, with an updated volunteer experience:

• Volunteers will be able catalog at home (or wherever!) using a new cloud-based platform.
• Trainings will have in-person and online options to optimize convenience and fun!
• Volunteers will be asked for a quarterly commitment and can pick how much (or how little) to catalog depending on their time and interest.

• Marin Wildlife Watch info session: January 12, 2024, 6:30-7:30 pm. We will share a recording with registered participants only. REGISTER >>

Winter Volunteer Opportunities

You can join our efforts to enhance monarch butterfly habitat this winter. This work was supported in 2023 by Nicole Parra, Community Science Intern (and artist!) Thank you, Nicole! Artwork: Nicole Parra/Parks Conservancy

Winter is a glorious time to get outside and enjoy what only this season can bring. Why not give back to the places that give us these wonderful wintry experiences?

Milkweed for Monarchs:

Let's plant some milkweed for monarchs! Join us as we help enhance patches of native milkweed at Marin breeding sites to support monarch butterflies. The milkweed we plant now will be available for migrating monarchs as they leave their coastal overwintering sites starting early spring, to look for breeding habitat.

• Saturday, December 16, 10:00 am-2:00 pm
• Saturday, January 13, 10:00 am-1:00 pm
• Saturday, January 20, 10:00 am-1:00 pm

Head to our calendar to choose your date and register >> 

Healing habitat through broom removal: 

Help Marin Water improve oak woodland and grassland habitats near Phoenix Lake by removing invasive French broom. This work helps uncover healthy plant communities that support a high diversity of wildlife, ultimately bolstering the ecological health of the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed—where the majority of our local water is sourced.

• Saturday, December 16, 9:00 am-12:00 pm 
• Friday, December 29, 9:00 am-12:00 pm

REGISTER for one or both dates >>

MLK Weekend of Service:

Join us in January to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a "day on" not a day off! We'll be celebrating the Civil Rights leader’s life and legacy all weekend with volunteer projects from Friday, January 12 to Monday, January 15.

See all events and REGISTER >> 

Fungus and Friends Bioblitz on Mt. Tam:

Join us for a nature and science adventure on January 5! A bioblitz is a quick, intense survey of the species present in a place. Hone your observation skills, learn about forests, and look for mushrooms & more! We will collect mushrooms (with our scientific collection permit) and take them to the Mill Valley Recreation Center to be displayed at the MycoMarin Fungus Fair (January 6). Nature-curious folks of all ages and experience levels are welcome. Space is limited to 10 participants. 

REGISTER >>

Did you miss the Marin Wildlife Watch announcement above?

See above for important dates!

Celebrating Migrations in Marin

One Tam supported several Día de los Muertos events this fall in Marin and San Francisco, and featured the monarch butterfly. Photos: Zaira Sierra/Parks Conservancy and Yolanda Molette/Parks Conservancy

What migrates through Marin? Turns out that Marin is a place where the migrations of many living things—birds, butterflies, humans, and more—come together. Reflecting on the many migrations we witness in the fall and winter seasons, questions come to mind such as, why do living things move? How does thinking about migration help us reflect on human stories, our own stories? 

Our Parks Conservancy colleagues have been highlighting such incredible journeys through diverse programs like the following. This fall, hundreds of visitors witnessed the fall migration of raptors, monitored every year by the Parks Conservancy in the Marin Headlands for 40 years and counting. We highlighted the migration of living things both raptors and humans, plus learned to identify these amazing birds of prey. Next, partnering with Marin City Library on their monthly movie nights, we screened Birders. The film provided a platform for the audience to talk about migration as well as preservation of green space and how interconnected those two are to health.

Lastly, One Tam partner staff supported several Día de los Muertos community events, with the help of our monarch conservation and enhancement grant from the Wildlife Conservation Board. At the Albert J. Boro Community Center, the celebration included art workshops, live music, dance performances, and a gym full of beautifully decorated altars. It was also an opportunity to talk about the monarch butterfly through art and educational materials. Intergenerational groups gathered to work side by side, sharing stories of their loved ones and asking questions about butterflies, while creating expressive art. We also co-hosted two Día de Los Muertos events in the Presidio of San Francisco in support of increasing access to parks. We enjoyed celebrating our ancestors through the storytelling and art lens of multiple generations of monarch butterfly with seniors, young children, Latino Outdoors, and the Boys and Girls Club.

What migrations will you witness this season? Keep an eye out for animal friends that you can see moving through the region, such as salmon, monarch butterfly, shorebirds, varied thrush, and gray whale. And keep an eye on our calendar for more special experiences like these.

Prescribed fire on Mt. Tam Watershed benefits fuel reduction, forest restoration efforts

An area near Rock Spring trailhead recently received a prescribed burn to promote ecological health. Photo: Marin Water

In coordination with Marin Water, the Marin County Fire Department completed a prescribed fire on the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed in October. Prescribed fire is one of many strategies that contribute to Marin Water’s proactive approach to addressing fire fuel management and a more resilient, ecologically healthy watershed. Prescribed fires are also an element of One Tam’s Marin Regional Forest Health Strategy, which was recently published and outlines guidance to ensuring Marin’s forests remain resilient in the face of threats from wildfire, invasive species and disease.

By mimicking the natural effects of low-intensity wildfire, the carefully planned burn of overgrown vegetation is a safe and efficient way to restore forest health, improve open-woodland conditions for wildlife habitat and create fuel breaks that help protect our water quality, water system, Mt. Tamalpais and the surrounding community. Funding from Marin Water’s CAL FIRE Forest Health Grant award helped support burn site preparation work for this project. 

The recent prescribed fire activity near the Rock Spring Trailhead was paired with a self-guided hike and conversation with Marin Water staff and AmeriCorps members, who shared information about this important tool, which is incorporated with other fuel reduction and restoration efforts—including mechanical removal, manual pulling, and others—to build a more resilient, ecologically healthy watershed. 

Roy’s Redwoods Restoration Update

Roy's Redwoods is home to spectaular old growth redwood trees (1) and is is on its way to a healthier future through One Tam's restoration project there, including creating a new trail system (2-4) and caring for forest floor flora (5). Photos: Marin County Parks and Michela Gentile/Parks Conservancy

We were thrilled to break ground this summer to restore health to Roy’s Redwoods. The first construction season is coming to a close, and we’re sharing a sneak peek at the progress! Highlights, pictured above, include:

• The Marin County Parks Trail Crew and Conservation Corps North Bay began constructing a new, more accessible and easy-to-understand trail system, complete with new stone steps!
• Sword ferns from the location of the new trail were salvaged. These ferns will be cared for in the Marin County Parks nursery until replanting next winter and returning to their forest floor home.

Please understand that some areas remain closed to the public during construction—visit Marin County Park’s website for updates. We hope to complete work in late 2024, weather depending, and will continue to share updates.

Learn more about the Roy’s Redwoods project >> 

Need Holiday Gift Ideas?

Support the mountain with these gift ideas!

If you’re in need of a holiday—or any occasion!—gift for a Mt. Tam lover or outdoor enthusiast, consider the following ideas that support the mountain! Your loved one and the mountain will appreciate your thoughtfulness.

• Gift a One Tam membership. Give your loved one access to member benefits and the knowledge that their gift supports the places they love. Contact Sarah Lincoln at SLincoln@ParksConservancy.org for details.
• NEW! Plants of Mt. Tamalpais by Robert Steers. The just-released guide to the incredible plant life on the mountain, now available for purchase and full of color photos. 
• Mt. Tam swag is always in style. Check out the Mt. Tam-themed section of the Parks Conservancy’s online store. Purchases support the Parks Conservancy, One Tam’s nonprofit partner and fiscal sponsor. 

Wildlife on the Move in Marin

It’s overwintering time for monarch butterflies. Starting in November, the butterflies seek out groves of trees along the coast to settle in till spring, and are known to choose both native and non-native tree species. Artwork: Nicole Parra/Parks Conservancy

Let’s highlight some of the season’s sightings and show how One Tam partners are helping them along their journeys.

Monarch butterflies migrated to Marin were observed during this year's Western Monarch Count! We were excited to hear that about 1000 individuals were observed overwintering at each of three sites in Bolinas, and about 50 at Stinson Beach. At Fort Baker a few flyers and overwintering clusters were observed. We hope milkweed planted by volunteers this winter at inland sites like Mt. Burdell will welcome next year's breeding population! The next community science count will be at the turn of the year. 

Coho salmon were released in Redwood Creek to help the diminished population there—4,000 young ones which will will hopefully survive to make their oceanic journey late next spring, and 50 spawners to join this year's breeding season! This comes as the second year of salmon habitat enhancement in the creek was completed this fall.

How are fish doing on the other side of the mountain? Lagunitas Creek is experiencing a very strong year for coho—check out the latest reports here and sign up for Marin Water fisheries updates here. More good news—Marin Water was awarded a $6.4M grant from the California Department of Fish & Wildlife to enhance fish habitat and protect the endangered coho salmon population in the watershed! Best wishes to the fishes! 

Black bear sightings continue in the county. ICYMI check out our recorded webinar about living with bears and get more resources. Let’s help build a bear-aware, and bear-friendly, culture in Marin!