Audubon Canyon Ranch
The Audubon Canyon Ranch was founded as a non-profit organization in 1962 to save the Great Blue Heron and the Great and Snowy Egret nesting colonies at the Bolinas Lagoon Preserve. The organization’s mission is to preserve, protect and manage three preserves as sanctuaries for native plants and animals and to educate children and adults about the environment and the need to protect it.

Herons and egrets return each spring to nest in the tops of the tall redwood trees within Picher Canyon in Bolinas Lagoon Preserve. The number of nests in this colony varies from year to year, but usually totals more than 100 pairs, with Great Egrets making up the majority in recent times. It is possible to view the nesting birds from a designated spot on the hill overlooking the nesting area.

Bolinas Lagoon Preserve is open to the public during the nesting season, the third weekend in March through the second weekend in July, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, weekends and holidays. From mid-March to mid-July the Preserve is open to the public by appointment only from 2:00pm to 4:00pm, Tuesday through Friday.
Information: To schedule an appointment call 415-868-9244 or visit www.egret.org.


Bay Model Visitor Center
The Bay Model Visitor Center is a fully accessible education center administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It allows the public to view a three-dimensional working hydraulic model of the San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta System. The 1.5 acres model is capable of simulating tides and currents and is the only one of its kind in the world.

The Bay Model Visitor Center offers an exceptional opportunity for teachers and students to learn about the geography, topography, ecology and the human and natural history of San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

The Visitors Center, located at 2100 Bridgeway in Sausalito, is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. From June through Labor Day the Center is also open on Sundays from June through Labor Day. Group tours may be arranged with advance reservations.
Information: 415-332-3871 or www.spn.usace.army.mil/bmvc


Bear Valley Visitors Center
Before exploring the Point Reyes National Seashore, a visit to the Bear Valley Visitors Center is in order. The Center provides an orientation to the park’s roads, trails and general history. It also offers ecological and historical exhibits including a seismograph, weather station and auditorium for films and educational programs.

Just a short walk from the center is Kule Luklo, a replica of a Coast Miwok Indian Village. (See description under Historical Attractions.) The Woodpecker Trail is a short loop trail that explores the local forest and meadows with interpretive signing. The Earthquake Trail is a paved loop pathway that explores the San Andreas Fault Zone. Interpretive signs explain the geology of the area.

Reservations and permits for back-country camping can be obtained at the visitors center. It is located off State Highway 1 in Olema. Open all year, Monday-Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm and on weekends from 8:00am to 5:00pm. The visitor center is closed on Christmas Day, December 25th.
Information: 415-464-5100 or www.nps.gov — Bear Valley.


Corte Madera Ecological Reserve
(http://www.dfg.ca.gov/lands/er/region3/cortemadera.html) This reserve is a bird watcher’s paradise. It is a feeding and nesting area for migratory meadowlarks, snowy egrets, avocets and sandpipers. The Reserve is located along the San Francisco Bay front, east of Highway 101, with the Corte Madera Creek to the north and the Village Shopping Center to the south. Highway 101 to Corte Madera. Exit at Lucky Drive.
Information: www.dfg.ca.gov/lands/er/region3/cortemadera.html


Marin Art and Garden Center
The beautiful Marin Art and Garden Center, located at 30 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in Ross, houses organizations and activities that support the ongoing development of the cultural and natural assets of Marin County. The Marin Garden Club, started in 1931, was a founding member of the Marin Art and Garden Center.

Other organizations include the Garden Society of Marin, the Marin Bonsai Club, the Marin Society of Artists, the Rose Society of Marin and Laurel House Antiques. The Ross Historical Society is located in the Center’s historic Octagon House. The Ross Valley Players, an amateur theater group, performs in the Center’s historic barn. Visitors may walk through the 14 acre site to enjoy the gardens at any time.
Information: 415-455-5260 or www.maagc.org
Event Rentals: 415-454-1301


Marin Agricultural Land Trust
The Marin Agricultural Land Trust was the first land trust in the United States to focus on farmland preservation. Founded in 1980, MALT acquires agricultural conservation easements on farmland in voluntary transactions with landowners. So far MALT has protected 38,000 acres of land on 57 farms and ranches.
Information: 415-663-1158 or www.malt.org.


Marin County Open Space District
Marin County is know for its vast acreage of open space and recreational areas. The County of Marin, through its Open Space District, manages 33 ecological preserves that can be accessed by visitors for hiking, bird watching, and observing nature. Lists describing the preserves along with maps are available on their website.

Visitors can also obtain field guides listing Marin County’s 269 species of birds, 76 categories of butterflies, 67 varieties of mammals, and 28 categories of reptiles and amphibians. The Open Space District also hosts interpretive naturalist walks, which can be accessed through its website.
Information: www.marinopenspace.org

Marin Organic
Marin Organic is an association of organic food producers in Marin County. Founded in 1999, Marin Organic’s mission focuses on the environmental soundness and economic viability of farming and ranching in Marin County. Programs include: Salmon Safe Certification, a farmer education workshop series, an Organic School Lunch program and others.

Information: 415-663-9667 or www.marinorganic.org.

Marin Recycling Center and Marin Resource Recovery Center
Marin Sanitary Services operates two leading-edge environmental centers: Marin Recycling and Marin Resource Recovery Center.

In 1980, Marin Sanitary designed and built the Marin Recycling Center, initiating the first countywide curbside collection program in the country. It has become a processing facility to handle large volumes of recyclable material and transform them into quality market-ready end products. Over the past decade their collection and educational efforts have increased Marin County’s recycling to 74 percent.
Information for Marin Recycling Center:
415-453-1404 or www.marinsanitary.com/mrc.html.

The Marin Resource Recovery Center is an indoor facility the size of approximately three football fields. All types of non-hazardous commercial and residential solid waste are accepted here. A customized system of screens, conveyors, blowers, magnets and hand-sorting separates dirt, sand, metal, wood, concrete, paper and other materials for recovery. Visitors from around the world come to observe this state-of-the art facility.
Information for Resource Recovery Center:
415-453-1404 or www.marinsanitary.com/mrrc.html

To arrange for tours of both operations call 415-458-5537 or visit:
www.marinsanitary.com


Marine Mammal Center
The Marin Mammal Center is a unique non-profit organization that rescues and humanely treats ill, injured or orphaned marine mammals. Their mission is to rescue, rehabilitate and return healthy animals to the wild. Their educational programs for children and teens teach young people about the value of marine mammals. Research into marine mammals and ocean health is also a large part of their operation.

Currently the center’s hospital is undergoing major renovations and is closed to visitors until work is completed. It is expected to be reopened to the public in the fall of 2007. However, the Marine Mammal Center has opened a new visitor center and gift store inside a historic World War II mess hall building in Fort Cronkhite, in the Marin Headlands. The new visitor center is designed to educate the public about the work done at the center as well as about marine mammals and ocean health.

The Marine Mammal Visitor Center is open daily from 10:00am to 4:00pm, except Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. The visitor center is located within the Marin Headlands, at Fort Cronkite. There is no admission fee.
Information: 415-289-7325 or visit www.tmmc.org

To arrange tours for groups of 10 or more call: 415-289-7330.


Muir Woods National Monument
Just 12 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge on Highway 1 grows an ancient coast redwood forest named Muir Woods. It is among the last uncut stands of old growth redwood in the world. Within this isolated forest visitors from all over the world continue to marvel at 1000 year old giant redwood trees that tower 260 feet high.

William and Elizabeth Kent bought 295 acres of this magnificent forest in 1905 and donated it to the United States government for protection. In 1908 President Theodore Roosevelt declared it a national monument. The forest was named for conservationist John Muir.

Visitors can stroll along the forest floor on marked paths viewing interpretive displays in this magnificent natural setting. Hiking trails wind through the forest, but no dogs, bicycles, picnics or camping are allowed. Bird watching, nature walks and interpretive programs are part of the activities within Muir Woods.

The park is open from 8:00am to sunset, daily including holidays. The Muir Woods Café and Gift Shop are open from 9:00am to 5:00pm, September through May and from 9:00am to 6:00pm, June through August.

Parking is constricted during summer months, and vehicles over 35 feet long are prohibited. A free shuttle bus will serve the park on weekends and holidays between Memorial Day and Labor Day (download the PDF: www.goldengate.org/organization/c/NewsPDFs/Rt66Pamphlet.pdf). Summer visitors are encouraged to use the shuttle to avoid parking hassles and to spare the environment. For information on how to reach the park go to the National Park Service Muir Woods home page (www.nps.gov/muwo) and click on Plan Your Visit.


Old St. Hilary’s Historic Preserve
The land immediately surrounding historic Old St. Hilary’s Church in Tiburon was set aside as a historical landmark in the 1950’s, but it didn’t pass into public hands until the 1990’s. The slope below the church is called the John Thomas Howell Botanical Garden.

The only place to see the extremely rare Tiburon Jewelflower is within this 177 acre preserve. The flower has been named Streptanthus Niger because of its dark, almost black, maroon petals. It is usually seen in mid-May. Other featured species at this site are the Acmon Blue butterfly, the Barn Swallow, the Leopard Lily and the Two-toned Tidytips. Views from the top of the preserve are spectacular.
Information: 415-499-6387 or www.marinopenspace.org — St. Hilary’s.


Ring Mountain Preserve
Ring Mountain Preserve is a windswept ridge at the top of the Tiburon Peninsula. Its unique geology and microclimate provide a home for a number of rare plants. The soils on the ridge are heavily laced with serpentine, but a number of plant species have evolved to survive there.

One of the rarest is the Tiburon Mariposa Lily, which is found nowhere else on earth. Hikers to Ring Mountain are rewarded with spectacular views of San Francisco and the entire Bay Area.
Information: 415-499-6387 or www.marinopenspace.org — Ring Mountain.


Slide Ranch
Slide Ranch is a non-profit agricultural and environmental education center. It uses food to teach about sustainability and to demonstrate a vision of humans in balance with nature. The 134 acre ranch includes a garden, animals, hiking trails and tide pools, all of which are used to teach people the concepts involved in organic food production, resource conservation and recycling, animal husbandry and open space conservation.

Most of its educational programs are for children and families. Visitors may tour the ranch, observe programs and learn about its mission. The ranch is located at 2025 Shoreline Highway in Muir Beach.
To arrange a tour: 415-381-6155 or www.slideranch.org.


WildCare
WildCare, the Terwilliger Nature Education and Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, is unique in the Bay Area. The Wildlife Rehabilitation Hospital treats more than 4,000 wild animals each year. The Terwilliger Nature Education programs reach more than 40,000 children and adults each year, and the Living with Wildlife Hotline answers thousands of calls concerning wild animals.

WildCare’s courtyard and museum are from 9:00am to 5:00pm, seven days a week. Visitors may observe demonstrations with raptors 3:00pm to 5:00pm, Tuesdays and Saturdays. Pool feeding demonstrations are held at 12:30pm and 4:30pm, daily. WildCare is located at 76 Albert Park Lane in downtown San Rafael.
Information: 415-453-1000 or www.wildcaremarin.org.


Tiburon Audubon Center & Sanctuary
The Tiburon Audubon Center and Sanctuary is a local environmental education facility and a habitat preserve for migratory waterfowl and other wildlife. The 11 acre sanctuary is located on the edge of San Francisco Bay.

The Center’s 900 submerged acres are closed to boating and other recreational public use for six months of the year to provide a feeding area for migratory waterfowl as they travel along the Pacific Flyway. It is a wonderful area for bird watching. The sanctuary is also home to the Victorian Lyford House, which displays artwork by John James Audubon. It is available for tours by appointment only. The Center provides environmental educational programs for children and adults.
Information: 415-388-2524 or www.tiburonaudubon.org.