Kent Island Project

Kent Island forms a barrier island in the interior of Bolinas Lagoon that provides dune habitat for plant and animal communities, and facilitates the transport of water, sand, and sediment throughout the Lagoon. Historically, plant communities on Kent Island adapted to salt water inundation, sand burial, and erosion that altered the island due to wind, wave, and geologic factors. In recent years, invasive plants have colonized the island, altering native dune habitat, trapping sediment, and causing the island to grow. In 2010 Marin County partnered with the sanctuary and Greater Farallones Association (GFA) to restore roughly 23 acres of Kent Island through a volunteer led Kent Island Plant Removal Project. An effort implemented directly from the Locally Preferred Plan, this project provides several important benefits to the lagoon, including: 1) removal of invasive plant species; 2) restoration of coastal dune habitat for native and rare plants; 3) strengthen resiliency to future earthquakes and storm surges, and; 4) improve hydrologic function and sediment transport throughout the Lagoon. For more information read the project's draft Initial Study/Environmental Assessment (3.13 MB PDF) released in August, 2012.