Bahia Purchase

Congratulations to the coalition of environmental groups, local officials, and state agencies led by the Marin Audubon Society for the successful campaign to purchase the 214-acre bayside blue oak forest in northeast Novato known as Bahia. This extraordinary property also includes 398 acres of diked salt marsh, 18 acres of seasonal wetlands, and 6 acres of seasonal streams. The $15.8 million purchase begins a new chapter in the 20-year effort to protect Bahia from development. The parcel sits at the mouth of the Petaluma River and provides critical habitat for endangered clapper rail, salt marsh harvest mouse, and other endangered species as well as more than 125 species of birds. To learn more about the Bahia purchase or Marin Audubon, visit www.marinaudubon.org or call Barbara Salzman at (415) 924-6057.