Prodded by a decade of litigation, Marin County spent years negotiating safeguards to protect the fragile San Geronimo Valley watershed, a key habitat for coho salmon.
Last summer, county officials approved a plan intended to monitor homeowners whose construction projects might endanger fish and their habitat. They contracted with a 24-hour answering service to field anonymous complaints from citizens who might spot suspicious activity near creek beds. And they set aside money to keep…