The result of a settlement agreement reached late last month with Marin Audubon Society, the Marin County Open Space District will launch a five-year pilot program this spring that involves seasonal nighttime closures at 10 different road and trail locations to benefit sensitive wildlife, such as northern spotted owls. The county will also install passive infrared technology and bluetooth data retrieval to study visitation trends at the 10 spots, which include locations in the Gary Giacomini, Camino Alto, Baltimore Canyon, Blithedale, White Hill and Cascade Canyon Open Space Preserves. Marin Audubon sued the county in October 2016 over the the 2014 road and trail management plan. Citing the California Environmental Quality Act, the group claimed the district failed to properly consider the effect that a handful of new trails in the Gary Giacomini Preserve—which included two abandoned logging roads and three unsanctioned trails—could have on the spotted owl. Max Korten, who directs the district, said that prior to the lawsuit, it was standard to complete a consistency assessment with a 2014 environmental impact report that encompassed the entire trail revamp project for each new trail project. As another outcome of the settlement, the county will now include a 30-day comment period following that consistency assessment and before it issues a notice of determination for CEQA. Barbara Salzman, president of Marin Audubon, was pleased with this formalized opportunity for public comment. “As part of our settlement, we will be able to tell if there is any increased use on the trails as the result of the management plan and also if people are respecting the nighttime closures, which are especially important for the owls that hunt at night,” she said.