June 2021 EAC and Marin County Parks Intertidal Ecology Training

In early 2020, EAC and local Bolinas resident and Marin Marine Protected Area (MPA) Watch volunteer, Kent Khitkian, met with Marin County Parks and Open Space and presented a report on increased visitation concerns at Duxbury Reef that applied data collected by our MPA Watch volunteers.

Our report focused on the ecological significance of Duxbury Reef’s intertidal area and concerns that visitation and poaching activities could be irreparably harming the reef species and habitats. We proposed a partnership between EAC and Marin County Parks and Open Space to create an on-site volunteer docent program to provide the visiting public with information and resources about the rocky intertidal habitat at Duxbury Reef.

We are thrilled to announce, after more than a year delay due to COVID-19, we have officially kicked off our Duxbury Reef Docent program!

The program is intended to activate community advocates who live near the village of Bolinas in Marin County to undergo training to become a community docent. Trained docents will provide education to the public visiting Agate Beach and Duxbury Reef in light of increased visitation and poaching activities.

Our goal is to get boots on the ground as soon as possible with a phased approach that balances the delays and complications of the pandemic:

Phase I: Completed in June 2021: Provide training to the Marin County Park Rangers
on MPAs and rocky intertidal ecology at Duxbury Reef, enabling them to more knowledgeably engage visitors on the reef.
Phase II: In Progress: Recruit and train a small group of local volunteer docents fall 2021 who will be able to provide docent services through the winter and into the spring months of 2022 when visitation is high.
Phase III: Pending: Conduct a large-scale training to a broader base of interested volunteers to provide docent services throughout the year that will take place in 2022.

Our trained volunteers will take a deep dive into coastal ecology and will be knowledgeable of the marine life that inhabits Duxbury Reef and the dynamics of oceanic and environmental conditions that influence the reef. We will coordinate docent presence during low tides and for school field trips. Volunteers will have the opportunity to use that knowledge as they help educate visitors about Duxbury Reef, including how visitors can help protect the rich biodiversity.

This project has been made possible by the committed individuals and organizations listed below. Thank you for working with us to realize this shared vision to protect Duxbury Reef now and into the future!

Kent Khitikian for his commitment to Duxbury Reef, inspired advocacy, planning, and ecology expertise as we partner together to bring this program to life.
Friends of Fitzgerald Marine Reserve for their generous support of our docent program and sharing their experiences and materials, so we can build a strong program.
EAC’s Coastal Advocate interns Kate Carpenter, Lauren Goetz, and Dhalma Suarez for helping to develop our training materials and assisting with training Marin County Park Rangers.
Joe Mueller for his dedication to marine science, education, his support of this project, and efforts to bring the College of Marine Biology Lab to life and conduct a study to document the historic transects of the late Gordon Chan provides critical scientific information on the status of the reef and will inspire a whole new generation of marine biology stewards.
Ben Becker, National Park Service, and Rebecca Johnson, California Academy of Sciences, for their continued support of a docent program and supporting pathways for community stewardship and engagement.
Marin County Parks and Open Space for their collaborative support and partnership.
Marin County District 4 Supervisor, Dennis Rodoni, for his support of this project and commitment to protect the irreplaceable habitats of coastal Marin.
MPA Collaborative Network for their coordination and support to protect our intertidal habitats.

LEARN MORE:

EAC Youth Field Trip to Duxbury Reef with partner Kent Khitkian, California Academy of Sciences Rocky Shore Intertidal Naturalist