Kent Island is a small island in Marin County, California

Marin County, California

Marin County is a county located in the North San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. As of 2010, the population was 252,409. The county seat is San Rafael and the largest employer is the county government. Marin County is well...

. The island is included in the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary

Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary

The Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary is one of 13 marine sanctuaries in the U.S., found outside San Francisco's Golden Gate surrounding the Gulf of the Farallones-History:...

.

Location

The island is located within the Bolinas Lagoon

Bolinas Lagoon

Bolinas Lagoon is a tidal estuary, approximately in area, located at in the West Marin region of Marin County, California, United States. It is a part of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. The lagoon is a back bay of Bolinas Bay on the Pacific coast approximately 15 mi ...

, a salt water inlet of the Pacific Ocean. The island is opposite the town of Bolinas

Bolinas, California

Bolinas formerly Juggville is a coastal unincorporated community in Marin County, California in the San Francisco Bay Area. Bolinas is located west-southwest of San Rafael, at an elevation of 36 feet...

, near Stinson Beach, California

Stinson Beach, California

Stinson Beach is a census-designated place in Marin County, California, on the west coast of the United States. Stinson Beach is located east-southeast of Bolinas, at an elevation of 26 feet . The population of the Stinson Beach CDP was 632 at the 2010 census.Stinson Beach is about a 35-minute...

, and is surrounded by mud flats at low tide.

On April 18, 2008, Sage Tezak, Bolinas Lagoon Restoration Coordinator of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary stated in an Advisory Council Meeting that Kent Island's shoreline had historically been dynamic in that it would move, causing the island to change shape. He noted that the appearance of invasive plant species on the island in recent years has stabilized the shoreline, eliminating the gradual movement of the island.

Saving Kent Island

In 1964 development

Real estate development

Real estate development, or Property Development, is a multifaceted business, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of improved land or parcels to others...

 on the island was proposed by Bahia Baulines Inc., which had leased 100 acres (40.5 ha) of underwater tidelands

Tidelands

Tidelands are the territory between the high and low water tide line of sea coasts, and lands lying under the sea beyond the low-water limit of the tide, considered within the territorial waters of a nation. The United States Constitution does not specify whether ownership of these lands rests with...

. The plan would have begun by dredging mud from the northern end of the lagoon and depositing it on the island to give it more height and to increase the overall size. The construction phase would have included a hotel and restaurant, both with parking lots, as well as an office, a boat facility and marina

Marina

A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....

 for up to 1,500 watercraft

Watercraft

A watercraft is a vessel or craft designed to move across or through water. The name is derived from the term "craft" which was used to describe all types of water going vessels...

, and a helicopter pad.

The plan was terminated in 1967 when Audubon Canyon

Audubon Canyon

Audubon Canyon is a coastal valley in Marin County, California, United States, which is associated with a small stream. The canyon provides habitat for a variety of animals and plants...

 Ranch, the Nature Conservancy and the Marin Conservation League worked together to save the 110 acres (44.5 ha) island from the development. Funds were raised to purchase the island and give it to the county on the stipulation that the property remain undeveloped as a nature preserve. The Marin County Board of Supervisors

Marin County Board of Supervisors

The Marin County Board of Supervisors is the governing body for the unincorporated areas of Marin County, California in the San Francisco Bay Area's North Bay region...

 voted to accept the island into the public domain just hours before the Bolinas Harbor District would have acted to condemn the island in court to stop Marin County's conservation effort.

1980s to present day

The island became a part of Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary in 1981. In 1998 Bolinas Lagoon was declared one of 17 Wetlands of International Importance in the USA by UNESCO

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

. There are ongoing concerns that the waters around the island are gradually silting, having an impact on both human activity as well as the flora and fauna of the area.

In 2009, the Marin County Open Space District and County of Marin were funded through NOAA to remove invasive species and restore native vegetation to approximately 23 acres (9.3 ha) of tidal marsh and regionally rare coastal dune habitat, on and around the island. The project will restore nesting habitat for the endangered Snowy Plover

Snowy Plover

The Snowy Plover is a small wader in the plover bird family. It breeds in Ecuador, Peru, Chile, the southern and western USA and the Caribbean...

.

Wildlife on and around Kent Island

A wildlife sanctuary, the island is a haul-out spot for Harbor Seal

Harbor Seal

The harbor seal , also known as the common seal, is a true seal found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere...

s and their pups.
A study of seal behavior on the island showed that the animals were often disturbed by nearby human activity, with people rowing past the island in canoes a primary cause. Humans approaching the seals closer than 100 meters caused the animals to leave the sites much more often than activities by people at a greater distance.

The island is also a known roosting spot for the California Brown Pelican. Other avian life includes the Long-billed Curlew

Long-billed Curlew

The Long-billed Curlew, Numenius americanus, is a large North American shorebird of the family Scolopacidae. This species was also called "sicklebird" and the "candlestick bird". The species is native to central and western North America...

, Willet

Willet

The Willet, Tringa semipalmata , is a large shorebird in the sandpiper family. It is a good-sized and stout scolopacid, the largest of the shanks...

s, Ring-billed Gull

Ring-billed Gull

The Ring-billed Gull is a medium-sized gull.Adults are length and with a wingspan. The head, neck and underparts are white; the relatively short bill is yellow with a dark ring; the back and wings are silver gray; and the legs are yellow. The eyes are yellow with red rims...

s, Marbled Godwit

Marbled Godwit

The Marbled Godwit, Limosa fedoa, is a large shorebird. On average, it is the largest of the 4 species of godwit. The total length is , including a large bill of , and wingspan is . Body mass can vary from ....

s, American Avocet

American Avocet

The American Avocet is a large wader in the avocet and stilt family, Recurvirostridae.This avocet has long, thin, gray legs, giving it its colloquial name, "blue shanks". The plumage is black and white on the back with white on the underbelly. The neck and head are cinnamon colored in the summer...

s, and Black-bellied Plovers.