NEWS
Bridge to be replaced on Levee Road
West Marin residents bracing for the Green Bridge replacement in Point Reyes Station can add another traffic worry to their checklist. Shortly after that historic span is replaced, the county’s Department of Public Works plans to replace a less noteworthy bridge that crosses Olema Creek on Levee Road. The bridge is 99 years old, and…
Firefighters offer a smoke-filled demo
On a recent Wednesday morning, white smoke billowing out of a stack of shipping containers on Point Reyes Station’s Commodore Webster Drive carried a sweet, unexpected scent. The smoke wasn’t real smoke but burning sugar and glycol—a harmless mix that is used to simulate the disorienting conditions of a structure fire. From a safe distance,…
Winds temper marine heat as El Niño unfolds
The Pacific Ocean off the California coast was experiencing record-high temperatures well before the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declared the onset of El Niño this month. The El Niño, now stirring offshore, will collide with the marine heat wave to create a rare convergence of warming conditions—the most powerful in decades, and one whose…
What you never knew about Dillman
Before he could even ride a two-wheeler, Richard Dillman was fascinated by radios. He rode around his Long Island neighborhood on a tricycle with a peach basket tied to the back, salvaging old AM-FM receivers and other gadgets from the trash. He’d bring them home, take them apart, and try to put them back together…
Deadline near on Bo homes
Applications close on July 1 for eight affordable townhomes under construction in Bolinas, where future residents will swap a traditional cash down payment for sweat equity. The partnership between the Bolinas Community Land Trust and Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco seeks to combat displacement by bringing permanent wealth-building through homeownership to local families. Funding…
Valley pug saved from hole
After five days, the Gardner family was wondering whether Shadow, their beloved five-year-old pug, would ever return to his Lagunitas home. Grim possibilities arose: Was he hit by a car? Snatched by a coyote? Maybe even dognapped? It wasn’t like him to wonder off for long. But after they posted on Nextdoor and Instagram, neighbors…
Duxbury set for fall vote
A petition to expand restrictions at Duxbury Reef, the largest shale reef in North America and a defining feature of the Bolinas coastline, will head to a final vote by the California Fish and Game Commission in October. But exactly what the commission will vote on this fall is unclear to residents who have spent…
FEATURES & OPINIONS
How to design a visioning process for West Marin’s future
Commonweal was founded 50 years ago in Bolinas by Michael Lerner, a visionary pioneer in integrative cancer care, environmental health, and the emerging understanding of the global polycrisis—the convergence of climate disruption, democratic erosion, economic instability, social fragmentation, technological risk, and environmental degradation. At a recent anniversary gathering, the organization’s executive director, Oren Slozberg, framed…
Nature Notebook, June 25, 2026
This month’s full moon rises Monday, June 29 and continues a pattern of early-morning very low tides. It’s always a good idea to check for beach hazard warnings before setting out. This year has been particularly dangerous along the California coast. Never turn your back on the ocean. Summer is truly here with the return…
