Egrets

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Audubon Canyon Ranch was founded in 1962 to save one of the largest heronries on the west coast and to prevent intensive commercial development in the pristine area surrounding the colony. Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets are the largest of California's wading birds, with up to six-foot wingspans. Years ago, there were dozens of colonies of egrets nesting in the tops of trees around San Francisco Bay. They gradually disappeared as trees were cut down and their tideland feeding grounds were filled. Despite logging of old growth redwood during the period following the California gold rush, the heronry along Bolinas Lagoon in Marin County existed in 1960 in relative isolation. Bolinas Lagoon is a small salt water estuary, and is a wintering and feeding ground for these birds. In 1961, the federal government had no plans to preserve this unspoiled estuary, nor it's "sister" to the north -- Tomales Bay. At that time, Marin's political climate was pro-growth. The 503 acre dairy ranch, which is now part of ACR's 1000 acre Bolinas Lagoon Preserve, was already being subdivided for development. The redwood grove where herons and egrets nest was to be logged. The lagoon where they feed was to be dredged and developed as a marina, and a 4 lane freeway was to be built between the nesting site and feeding ground. As president of the Marin Audubon Society, Dr. Martin Griffin, Jr. met with the owner of the property known as "Canyon Ranch" which included the nesting grove of redwood...

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