NEWS
Duxbury Reef petition denied
A state commission has rejected a bid to expand fishing restrictions at Duxbury Reef, closing a chapter that both galvanized and strained West Marin environmentalists and fishing advocates for over a year. Last Friday, the California Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously to deny a petition from the Environmental Action Committee of West Marin to…
Marin approves new ICE policy
The Board of Supervisors has passed a policy aimed at limiting the ability of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to use county resources, property, or information without a judicial warrant. Community members say the move is insufficient. On Tuesday morning, a sea of educators, physicians, advocates, and others filled the board’s chambers, urging the supervisors to…
Black Mountain Ranch proposes farmworker homes
Earlier this year, Marcel Houtzager, the owner of Black Mountain Ranch, had his eye on a standout ranch hand in the Point Reyes National Seashore who had just lost his job. The man needed housing for himself and his wife, who worked at Palace Market, and their two children. “We would have had him in…
Man drowns at South Beach
For the second time this year, a visitor to the Point Reyes National Seashore was swept out to sea in the strong undertow and rip currents off Great Beach. Saturday was an unusually hot afternoon, with temperatures breaking 80 degrees, and a man who ventured into the water with his friends never emerged. High surf…
West Marin Chamber of Commerce returns
The West Marin Chamber of Commerce has relaunched after years of dormancy, with a renewed focus on supporting longstanding businesses while building a more inclusive and unified local economy by welcoming new ones. “The goal is really to get the Chamber of Commerce restarted and to activate it across West Marin,” said Madeline Hope, the…
Contaminated runoff in Olema halts oyster harvest
Sewage-tainted runoff behind the Olema House hotel and Due West restaurant prompted a precautionary shutdown of oyster farming in Tomales Bay for five days last week, but operations returned to normal on Sunday after shellfish testing showed no public health threat. Rangers from the National Park Service discovered the contamination during routine testing of Olema…
Village association, eyeing change, seeks new recruits
With a leadership election on the horizon, the Point Reyes Station Village Association is mulling ways to expand its membership, become more diverse, and increase its heft with the county. Under the group’s bylaws, membership is open both to property owners and residents of Point Reyes Station and to representatives of businesses and nonprofits based…
FEATURES & OPINIONS
Photo I.D. required
It was a routine Wednesday morning when I dropped off my youngest child at Inverness School. I drove through the neighborhood, past the fire station, then pulled into the post office to pick up packages I knew were waiting for me. After sorting through the familiar stack of mail, I carried the slip to the…
In the Fields, October 22, 2026
How do you build a thrilling Halloween hay maze? For years, Dominic Grossi sketched out the adventure on paper. But with 1,200 hay bales, the task was tedious. Now he designs it in the field, across from Stafford Lake. Starting at the maze’s exit, he builds several routes toward the middle. Then, bale by bale,…
