Protecting Open Space, Agriculture and enacting good environmental policy

By Susan L. Adams, R.N.

Protecting our open spaces and our natural environment has been one of the hallmarks of my time in service as your county supervisor.

After my election, San Rafael relinquished annexation rights to those properties and the county zoned the properties to a more appropriate unincorporated zoning with a maximum development potential of only 10% of what San Rafael had proposed. To this day, the cows are still grazing on those properties.

In 1972, the original planners of the county identified 3 corridors, the rural coastal corridor, the inland rural/agricultural corridor and the urban corridor along Highway 101. We now have 2 national parks, 6 state parks, approximately 16,000 acres of county parks and protected agricultural lands on small family farms. It is for this reason that 80% of Marin County is protected from development. In the 2007 county general plan, I pushed for full implementation of a 4th corridor, the Baylands corridor. This 4th corridor will be especially important as we grapple with the issues of sea level rise.

During my time in office I assisted the Dominican neighborhood in partnership with the City of San Rafael in the purchase of Gold Hill. That purchase protects those lands from development.

Most recently, I worked with the Santa Venetia neighborhood in the purchase of 650 North San Pedro Rd., now called Heron Hill. Those lands will be dedicated to permanent open space going forward and the heron rookeries are now spared.

I have also worked to enact key legislation that helps our lands and our environment.

1. I cast the deciding vote that launched the Marin Clean Energy program with the associated start up loan (which was all paid back with interest within the first year of the agency's existence).

2. I worked with community members to restructure the Marin County integrated pest management program so that toxic chemicals are rarely used in county public buildings and never in children's playgrounds in the unincorporated parks.

3. I supported the ordinance eliminating genetically modified agricultural products being grown in Marin.

4. I also worked with the late Supervisor McGlashan on the county single-use plastic bag ban and the ban on single-use polystyrene containers.

5. I worked closely with the Santa Venetia Community to launch a watershed approach to flood protection, allowing nature to help address flood risk. The county is currently working on plans to restore the McInnis Marsh using the concept of horizontal levees as a buffer for sea level rise.

6. As a director on the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, I am working with the agency to develop regulations that would allow Cap and Trade funds to funnel into the West Marin Agricultural Community for implementation of the Marin Carbon Project (please visit that web site).

7. I led the charge in converting our motor pool to hybrids, hybrid electrics and electric vehicles along with the charging stations at our county public buildings. The county has also installed solar on our Marin Center, County Maintenance Building, the Health and Wellness Campus and the new Public Safety Building.

8. I am currently engaged with the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce and members of the business community to restart Venture Greenhouse, an incubator/accelerator for new business start-ups with a heavy focus on green practices and sustainability.

Climate change and sea level rise is an issue of planetary concern. As a community, we have opportunities to make our contribution to the solution for addressing this issue locally. The above mentioned are just a few of the initiatives I have worked on as your county supervisor...there is more to do and I would like to continue my work with you on these and other programs.