Hailer

I live very near the Deer Park Creek which runs through a culvert under my front sidewalk. My father's house on Dominga has that same creek running behind it and my in-laws live along it in San Anselmo. My brother and I, with our friends, played in it as children. We used to catch guppies and crawdads at Creek Park in San Anselmo. My children now play in the creek at Deer Park and I want the legacy to continue for my grandchildren. I am delighted that our creeks still provide habitat for native species and want to protect this habitat.

My vision includes continued support from the Council on the issue of Watershed Quality. While this is admittedly not my area of expertise, I will support efforts of the community to protect the Watershed and listen to their needs from me as a council member.

Bragman

This past summer, I helped do a steelhead rescue in Cascade Creek in conjunction with SPAWN. As the creek dries up small holes develop which trap the young fish and leave them vulnerable being trapped or becoming prey. The rescue involved netting the fish and moving them downstream to a portion of the creek that remains watered all year. We saved over 105 steelhead. Not only was this a lot of fun, it was an amazing illustration of the actual vitality of our watershed.

Over the next four years, I would like to assist SPAWN in mapping the creek system and surveying other steelhead breeding grounds. I also want to establish a Fairfax Open Space Committee to work cooperatively with the San Anselmo Open Space Committee. This type of project will not only preserve these sensitive undeveloped lands and reduce erosion of spoils into the watershed; it will reduce the number of contentious fights that the community faces with potential purchasers of such properties. We also need to have a community meeting in regard to the potential extension of our Town sewer system into the Outer Cascade neighborhood. This extension will open the area to further development and traffic. There are other less intrusive and expensive ways to resolve the septic waste issue in this area and we need to have a thorough study of the alternatives to increased development.

Tremaine

Our watershed is home to endangered species and must be protected and preserved. This starts with the restoration of our creeks and the preservation of our ridge tops. I worked with creek activists to win Fairfax a 600,000 grant for creek restoration and flood control in the area between Olema Rd. and Sir Francis Drake Blvd. We are currently working on a similar grant that would restore the creek between Elliott Nature Preserve and the Canyon Rd. Bridge. I have defended our ridgeline ordinance and worked to stop ridge top development. I also worked to stop development of a project that would have built a house and septic system in Northern Spotted Owl and Steelhead Trout habitat.

Prum

Our creeks are an important asset for our community and we must protect them. I believe that one of the best ways to preserve the quality of our water is to educate people about the dangers of misusing the creeks. It is important that people not take them for granted, as well as learn how best to keep them safe. Education is a key part of any conservation effort, as I believe most people truly wish to do the right thing, but may not realize that they aren't.

Weinsoff

My work as an environmental lawyer has, to a significant extent, focused on protection of watershed quality. During the past 3 years I have filed citizen suits under the federal Clean Water Act to restrict dairies from discharging polluted storm water into the creeks and streams of western Sonoma County, litigated against a Contra Costa developer for violations of the California Fish and Game Code, and recently brought legal action against a landowner for failing to comply with the California Coastal Act and illegally discharging significant amounts of pesticides into the waters off the coast in Malibu. In tandem with my legal work, I am a member of the adjunct faculty at Dominican University, where I have been able to share with the next generation of local environmental activists how federal and state environmental laws are critical tools in the effort to protect our land, air, and water resources.

I am optimistic that the next four years will reveal considerable success as a result of our community's efforts to promote watershed quality. In my visits during this campaign to the communities sharing the creeks, homeowners speak of their personal commitment to protecting their part of the watershed. I think this groundswell of interest and attention reflects the successful work of local and regional creek protection groups. Their sustained and dedicated work, ranging from creek cleanups to water quality sampling, demonstrates that we have the tools to ensure protection of the resource. Putting additional information about creek protection into the public's hands, either by mail or through an enhanced Town website, will deepen the public's interest and attention to protection of our watershed.