May 2026

Contents

• Opening Message: Timeless Origins. Enduring Future

• Roots in the Sand; A Seadrift History Part 1

• South Shoreline Restoration Project: Your Voice; Our Shoreline

• FixIt Marin

• Stinson Beach Post Office Plans: Stinson Beach Post Office Plans

• Seadrift Annual Meeting: Saturday, May 16, 2026 10:00AM

• New Gate Operator Arm

• Stinson Beach Fire Dept Donor Update

Timeless Origins. Enduring Future.

I was honored when Ellen McElhinny agreed to write a history series for my newsletter. While our community is young, if I do say so myself (incorporated some sixty years ago), it is built upon a landscape with a deep geological and layered cultural history. Today’s newsletter features the start of Ellen’s series on Seadrift History. Her narrative bridges that gap, looking at how our recent years fit into the much older story of the land, and perhaps even how that legacy gives us insights into our future.

Alongside the excitement of Ellen’s series, I was privileged to help organize the biennial State of the Bolinas Lagoon Conference, which returned from its post-pandemic hiatus. We are so fortunate to live adjacent to this magnificent natural wonder, and I am deeply grateful to the stewards of its beauty, history, and future. The conference, which was held on May 7th, was an inspirational event—a collaboration of more than 14 partner agencies representing lifetimes of expertise and commitment to the Lagoon.

From the Archives: "Call It Home"

Seadrift has long played a vital role in local preservation. I recently stumbled upon a 2008 film, Call It Home, which the Seadrift Association sponsored over a decade ago. Featuring familiar faces who have championed the Lagoon’s integrity, the video outlines essential strategies for environmental adaptation. It is a riveting production, especially for those passionate about our natural environment. Watch it here. 

Completed in 2009, the film was featured in numerous festivals and the KQED documentary series Truly CA. It captures the core debates that have defined conservation in our region, highlights the pioneers of those efforts, and serves as a launching point for our work today.

The Here and Now: South Shoreline Restoration

One of Seadrift’s most exciting current efforts was highlighted during the keynote at the Seadrift Social Club party on May 2nd. This wonderful event connected neighbors while linking the legacy of Lagoon conservation to the present day. Dr. Wendy Kordesh, a leader in environmental restoration with the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, provided an update and hosted an engaging Q&A on the South Shoreline Restoration Project along Seadrift’s own Dipsea Road.

Our lagoon is a unique ecosystem and a site for world-class restoration, including the Bolinas Wye and the South Shoreline initiatives. It stands as a beacon for sea-level rise adaptation, proving that local success can serve as a global model. Our action today matters for the future. As Wendy reminded us, Seadrift played a lead role in the seed funding for this vital restoration work that is coming to fruition today. 

Now, to start where it began, the first in Ellen’s series…

Roots in the Sand; a Seadrift History

Part 1

May 2026

The history of Seadrift—a housing community built along a mile-long sandspit—is a fascinating story that many of us have yet to discover. Because it is a fairly recent development (dating from the 1950s onward), there are many people in our community who still hold firsthand memories and stories of its evolution. The Seadrift Association also maintains thorough records that help piece this narrative together.

As a cultural geographer who built a house here 30 years ago, I have always been interested in why landscapes look the way they do and how they develop over time. When Jean Gould asked me to write a few chapters on the development of Seadrift for the newsletter, I was happy to dive in. It has been endlessly interesting to talk to neighbors about the original gate, the early beach houses, the dredging and expansion of lots, our major storms, and the installation of the riprap along the beach.

Because of how Seadrift is situated, I refer to the direction of the office as "East." I welcome new stories and, of course, any corrections!

Ellen McElhinny

It all Started Here  

The sandspit known as Seadrift today has had an interesting and somewhat complicated history. In many ways, it mirrors events in California over the last 150 years; in others, it tells the story of the beautiful, unique place many of us call home.

Seadrift developed later than any of the other neighborhoods in West Marin: Bolinas, Point Reyes Station, Dogtown, and even Stinson Beach. It is helpful to understand the history of the area to recognize why it was so many years before the first structure was built on the spit.

The Bolinas Lagoon is a tidal estuary and a drowned section of the San Andreas Fault; Tomales Bay marks the northern end. The Point Reyes Peninsula moves north as the rest of California moves south. The fault runs primarily along Highway One from Point Reyes to Stinson Beach, cutting across Kent Island and the end of the sandspit before heading out into the Pacific. It skips San Francisco, coming ashore further south near Pacifica.

Our sandspit is a curved sandbar that developed along the Bolinas Lagoon. Sandspits form through a process called longshore drift: waves arrive at the shore at an oblique angle, carrying sediment or sand. One of the remarkable things about Stinson and Seadrift beaches is that they face south, rather than west like most of the California coast. The Bolinas coast, starting at Agate Beach, faces west; when the coastline sharply changes direction, the water’s energy decreases and it drops its sediment load. This builds up a sandspit growing outward from the land, which in turn provides a calm, sheltered area behind it—the Bolinas Lagoon.

Sandspits are considered highly unstable due to tides, storms, and changes in sediment load. (I’m a cultural geographer, not a physical one, but the spit appears to be somewhat of a temporary geological phenomenon. No worries.)

Until the development of Seadrift, the sandspit remained a mile-long, largely unvegetated, low tract of land with almost no change. High tides and winter storms regularly washed ocean waves over the spit and into the Bolinas Lagoon.

Coast Miwok people lived in the West Marin area for 3,000 years. They did not leave any visible marks on the sandspit. In 1836, Mexico issued a land grant called Rancho Las Baulines to Rafael Garcia; this included land stretching from present-day Dogtown to Stinson Beach and the sandspit, and from the Bolinas Ridge to the ocean and Bolinas. These lands were then deeded to Gregorio Briones in 1846.

In the 1850s, Briones sold land from his grant (including the sandspit acreage) to Capt. Isaac Morgan, who established an apple farm along the east side of the Bolinas Lagoon. Fifty years later, Nathan Stinson and James Wallace bought the 1,720 acres—including the sandspit—from Morgan.

California’s population boomed during the Gold Rush years, creating a demand for supplies including lumber and food. While the area that would become Stinson Beach remained undeveloped (it was simply too difficult to access), Bolinas grew thanks to its navigable harbor. Lumber from the hills and dairy and agricultural products from the ranches were shipped from there to burgeoning San Francisco.

That all changed with a new—albeit dirt—road over the hill from Sausalito and the promise of a new railroad. In 1870, the “Outside Road” (following much of today’s Highway One route) was built from Sausalito to Bolinas, running right through Stinson. This 12-mile road opened up Stinson Beach as a resort town; the sandspit, however, remained largely undeveloped and uninhabited for another 50 years.

South Shoreline Restoration Project: Your Voice, Our Shoreline

The South Shoreline Restoration Project is making significant strides. Having successfully completed the 30% design phase and now actively securing funding, the project team is once again seeking Seadrift homeowner input.

This is your shoreline—your feedback is essential.

Take Action:

• Watch: View this 16-minute webinar update produced by Dr. Wendy Kordesh and her team.

• Speak Up: Share your perspective in this 3-question survey.

Project Overview

This $4M–$5M initiative will be fully grant-funded, ensuring no financial burden on our residents. To protect local nesting habitats, construction is slated for the fall seasons of 2027 and 2028.

While the project team refines the restoration plan, the Seadrift Legal Committee remains hard at work on the agreements necessary to move the mission forward, diligently protecting Seadrift’s interests for the long term. 

Learn More

Visit the Project Website for access to previous webinars, survey results, and full project details.

Please participate in the survey today and help us shape the future of Seadrift. Below is an excerpt from the project website with further details:

The South End of Bolinas Lagoon is part of Seadrift’s common area and one of the last places where the shoreline still has room to adapt. We have an opportunity to protect it now, before rising tides, erosion, and invasive plants cause lasting change.

Project

This project is led by the Greater Farallones Association, in partnership with the Seadrift Association, Marin County, and Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.

We’re currently in the design phase, and your input is very helpful.

Why Now?

This stretch of shoreline is under increasing pressure. With your input, we can:

• Restore habitat for birds and wildlife

• Stabilize the shoreline

• Maintain trail access and views

• Reflect Seadrift’s values and stewardship

We want to understand how you use this area and what matters most to you.

FixItMarin

Marin County has launched a new tool for reporting non-emergency issues in our unincorporated areas. Residents can now submit service requests directly via a mobile app or computer.

To get started, watch this brief instructional video or visit the Marin County website to learn how to install the app. Reporting is as simple as snapping a photo, adding a description, and hitting "submit." Once reported, you can track the progress of your request in real time.

Stinson Beach Post Office & 108 Arenal: Project Updates

There is a great deal of conversation in town regarding the development plans at 108 Arenal Avenue. If you haven't yet reviewed the project, I encourage you to visit the Marin County website for a comprehensive overview.

The current proposal includes four market-rate housing units, two affordable units, and a new post office. During the March 6 Stinson Beach Village Association meeting, approximately 75 residents joined a lively dialogue with the development team.

Community members raised concerns regarding:

• Preservation of town character. 

• Equity issues.

• Traffic and parking impacts.

• Concern over continuity of postal service. 

• Environmental considerations.

In response, the development team shared updates on:

• Increased post office parking and ADA accessibility.

• Clarifications on plan elements.

• Long-term Post Office lease agreements and service continuity.

• Local control for the two affordable housing units.

The developer has recently submitted a revised plan set based on community feedback. These plans are currently under County staff review and have not yet been posted online. I will share updates from both the developer and the community when they become available.

A New Year for Seadrift

Join Us for the Annual Meeting on May 16, 2026

Please join us on Saturday, May 16, for the Seadrift Association Annual Meeting—the most important gathering of the year. This is a time to celebrate our collective achievements and look ahead to our future.

The Annual Meeting serves as a vital platform for homeowners to discuss community priorities, welcome our newly elected board members, and review the Association’s operations and fiscal health. Every voice matters as we continue to move Seadrift forward.

This is also the perfect opportunity to recognize our outgoing board members. They work quietly and diligently behind the scenes to protect our quality of life and ensure we remain operationally sound. On behalf of the staff and homeowners, we thank you for your dedicated service.

Seadrift Annual Meeting

Saturday, May 16 10:00 AM

Stinson Beach Community Center

32 Belvedere Ave

Stinson Beach, CA 94970

Gate Arm Upgrades: Faster, Brighter, and Better!

Some of you may have noticed a new evening glow at the entrance recently. After 25 years of faithful service, our old gate operators finally outlived their useful life. We’ve officially upgraded to a modern system to ensure the continued security and efficiency of our community.

The new red lights on the operator box cast a stylish air of authority at night, and there are some practical changes to the hardware that come with it. 

What’s New?

• Aluminum vs. Wood: The upgrade required a transition from the old wooden arms to a modern aluminum construction. While this improves performance, aluminum is significantly more expensive to repair and replace than the previous wood arms.

• Double the Speed: You will notice that the new arm cycles at about twice the speed of the old one, making for a much quicker (and quieter!) entry and exit.

Protecting Our Investment

Because these new aluminum arms are high-end components that usually require professional service to fine-tune after an impact, the cost of an accident has risen sharply:

• Replacement Costs: As has always been our practice, if a gate arm is damaged, the replacement is at the owner’s expense. Between the cost of the aluminum arm and the technical labor, the bill can now exceed $1,000.

• Tailgating: The fine for tailgating remains unchanged at $150.

• Trailers: If you are towing, please proceed with extra caution, as the gate operator may not recognize the towed item. Trailers pass through the gate at their own risk.

Let’s work together to keep the new gates in top shape—we certainly don’t want to have to send you a bill.