"Paddling ethics" may become the guiding policy for boaters on Bolinas Lagoon, as environmentalists try to avoid using regulatory muscle to persuade kayakers and canoeists be more careful around the lagoon's wildlife.

Members of the Wildlife Disturbance Subcommittee, a subgroup of the Bolinas Lagoon Technical Advisory Committee, said on Friday they aim to teach the paddling public how to steer clear of the lagoon's harbor seals and waterfowl.

Several environmentalists have suggested that banning boats all together is the only way to adequately protect wildlife. However, such a measure may be too harsh and likely wouldn't gibe with the lagoon's management plan, said Ron Miska, planning manager for the county's Open Space District and a member of the wildlife-disturbance subcommittee. Such a ban might even be illegal, he said.

Hence the call for "paddling ethics" - wildlife appreciation `a la Emily Post.

"There are ways to enjoy the lagoon without disturbing its wildlife, such as by posting these ethics on signs [at launch sites] and distributing maps of suggested kayaking routes," said Maria Brown, executive director of Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association.

Folks need this sort of education, she said, because a year-long study conducted by her colleagues has shown that one out of every four kayakers inadvertently disturbs the seals, which use the lagoon as a haulout site.

Canoeists also disrupt the seal population, although more rarely, she said.

Brown said she hopes to promoting the campaign with the help of Bay Area Sea Kayakers (BASK), a group with several hundred members from Monterey to Marin, along with local kayak companies.

Also supporting the cause is Scott Tye, owner of Off The Beach Boats in Stinson Beach.

"Our goal is cohabitation," Tye said, adding that he believes kayakers can co-exist harmoniously with wildlife. "We need to establish some guidelines that have never been codified before."

Tye said he has urged West Marin kayaking companies, such as Blue Waters Kayaking in Inverness, Tamal Saka in Marshall, Sea Trek of Woodacre and Sausalito, and BASK, to distribute educational material about the lagoon each time they rent out a boat.

Kayakers by inclination are sensitive to the needs of wildlife, he said. "They just need some more guidance. All the education they've received so far has been handed out on an informal basis. We need to come together as a group to get a systematized program of education."

Both Tye and Brown agreed to work with the Technical Advisory Committee to set ethical standards for the lagoon.

The group's wildlife-disturbance subcommittee has outlined several recommendations, Miska said, which include:

Putting up informational signs at key locations, including launch sites.

Starting a voluntary commercial kayak ID system.

Starting a docent/outreach program to lead kayaking outings and educate individuals and groups.

If these measures don't help to reduce wildlife disturbance, Miska said, sterner measures may be taken, such as:

Creating a volunteer kayak patrol.

Implementing a permit system for individual and group kayakers.

Imposing use restrictions by season, area, and/or equipment.

Prohibiting the use of certain areas on the lagoon.

Members of the overall lagoon committee will choose which recommendations they wish to adopt at their next meeting on March 12.

Brown said she feels that creating a paddling-ethics code was a "positive" way to curb wildlife disturbance. "We'll be training kayakers, and these benefits will cross over into other environmentally sensitive habitats [used by kayakers], such as Richardson Bay and Tomales Bay."

Point Reyes Light Cover | News | Coastal Traveler