From a local salmon fishing report yesterday: "We saw a great white kill and eat a small porpoise off McClures." Wow. I thought they didn't come back until September. (artist rendition of the shark)

Someone scored a pretty sweet ride. #oldschool #boat

This isn't a very fun article to read, but if you were hoping (like I was) that El Nino was going to rescue us from the drought, I would update your expectations.
http://www.economist.com/blogs...

From the police reports this week. Wild baby pig? Lost baby pig? Dangerous baby pig? Reminds me of rabbit sketch from Monty Python's The Holy Grail:
Sir Robin: What's he do? Nibble your bum?
Tim: He's got huge, sharp... er... He can leap about. Look at the bones!
King Arthur: Go on, Bors. Chop his head off!
Sir Bors: Right! Silly little bleeder. One rabbit stew comin' right up!

Another cat in the neighborhood of Walnut Place has been taken by a Coyote who is regularly casing the neighborhood. Please - Protect your pets.

Levee road in #pointreyes is backed up to whitehouse pool. Plan accordingly.

The Far West Fest in #pointreyes in full effect. The Crux rock the main stage.

Car commercial time on Lucas Valley Road at the reservoir. Expect delays. #hollywood

It's going to get wild today! We've got the Farmer's Market in the morning, then Far West Fest in the afternoon and an after party at the Old Western Saloon. Plan your travels around town accordingly and we'll see you out at Love Field! More information here: http://farwestfest.org/

"Allies of Drakes Bay Oyster Co. announced Friday they had secured an agreement with the National Park Service to give the embattled Marin County oyster farm 30 days' notice before ordering it to shut down operations in the Point Reyes National Seashore.
The agreement "ensures the status quo," enabling oysterman Kevin Lunny's company to continue harvesting oysters until a competitor, Tomales Bay Oyster Co., can get its case before a federal judge, possibly in September, said Stuart Gross, a San Francisco attorney representing Tomales Bay."
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/n...

Car commercial time on Lucas Valley Road at the reservoir. Expect delays. #hollywood

Update on the warm water situation: "Wondering why our local ocean temps are so warm? Hint: not #elnino! Lack of upwelling the reason." Water temps are dropping fast right now. - via NWSBayArea
https://twitter.com/NWSBayArea...

Marin County authorities are warning hikers to beware of a man claiming to be a park ranger who in the past month has kicked dogs, taken photos of women with a cell phone and given out false information about dog rules. (thanks Sharron)
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/...

Local legend Banana Levinger is playing at the Station House tonight from 5pm to 8pm.

Tree and power lines and AT&T lines down Lower Roberts Drive off Drakes View Drive
(Thx Richard)

Tree and power lines and AT&T lines down Lower Roberts Drive off Drakes View Drive

The Community Land Trust Association of West Marin (CLAM) is holding their annual meeting tonight with a special discussion about the Coast Guard property in Point Reyes. Please attend and be a part of the conversation. 6:30pm at The Dance Palace.

Planned Feralhood has been tracking a few new cats that have arrived in PRS around the affordable housing area. One of them had four kittens which Kathy caught last night. Mom is being spayed and cared for. It took two weeks to track her to her kittens. Please be alert and contact us with any information on new cats in the neighborhood. If you would like to foster and tame kittens to get them ready for adoption, please contact me here or at 663-8497.

The salmon was selling like hot cakes in downtown #pointreyes tonight. (thx Suzanne)

The new Black Mountain Circle Film Series starts tonight with a screening of the Sundance award winning film, "A River Changes Course" at 7:30pm at the Point Reyes Presbyterian Church. A Q&A with the filmmakers follows the screening.
Point Reyes Books created the series, it is curated by West Marin filmmaker Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee and Sausalito Film Festival Co-Director Allison Faust. More info here:
http://www.ptreyesbooks.com/ev...

A new lawsuit has been filed by a number of local businesses led by the Tomales Bay Oyster Company, Margaret Grade, Stellina and the Saltwater. Apparently they're seeking a temporary restraining order and injunction to stop the closure of the DBOC before July 31. The filing is here, that's an impressive list of defendants:
http://dockets.justia.com/dock...

No last oyster yet. Lawsuit filed around midnight last night by Tomales Bay Oyster Company and our local businesses! BUSINESSES THREATENED BY CLOSURE OF DRAKES BAY OYSTER COMPANY FILE EMERGENCY SUIT TO STOP ITS CLOSURE ON JULY 31
SAN FRANCISCO, July 18, 2014 "“ Late last night, West Marin businesses and others that directly depend on the continued operation of the Drakes Bay Oyster Company filed an emergency action to stop its closure by the federal government on July 31st .
The Tomales Bay Oyster Company, a plaintiff in the case, stated in papers filed in support for a Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction that the company stands to lose between $250-$400 thousand a year if the Drakes Bay Oyster Company is shut down.
Charles "Tod" Friend, owner of the Tomales Bay Oyster Company, stated, "I've been involved in the West Marin oyster farming for thirty-five years. This is a close-knit community. We depend on each other. If they close down Drakes Bay, it is not only the Lunnys and all of their hard-working employees who will suffer." Mr. Friend explained that Tomales Bay Oyster Company grows oysters itself, but depends on Drakes Bay Oyster Company when customer demand at their retail operations on shores of Tomales Bay outstrips what they can grow.
These sentiments were echoed by longtime West Marin resident and manager at Drakes Bay Oyster Company, Loretta Murphy, also a plaintiff. "Drakes Bay Oyster Company and the oyster farm workers are an integral part of the community fabric. If the oyster farm is forced to close and the oyster workers lose their housing and move to other areas it will be a large negative impact on the local school, the local church, and countless businesses, shops and restaurants. The loss of these jobs will mean upheaval for over 40 family members and there will be much collateral damage from such a large change in such a small town."
The list of restaurants joining Tomales Bay Oyster Company and Loretta Murphy as plaintiffs read like a who's who of the West Marin farm-to-table culinary scene, including Margaret Grade of Sir and Star, Osteria Stellina, Saltwater Oyster Depot, and Café Reyes.
Luc Chamberland, owner of the Saltwater Oyster Depot in Inverness, emphasized the importance of Drakes Bay oysters in the ability of his restaurant and others to deliver what their clientele has come to expect. "I and the other West Marin restaurateurs have built our reputations on providing an exceedingly fresh farm-to-table experience in a location that is remarkably close to one of the most urbanized places in the country. Closing Drakes Bay Oyster Company threatens our ability to do that."
Stuart G. Gross of Gross Law, lead attorney for the plaintiffs. explained that the suit is fundamentally about ensuring that government agencies follow the law. "The Secretary of the Interior explicitly declared himself exempt from all legal requirements in deciding whether to close Drakes Bay Oyster Company. This was wrong. There are laws that he was required to follow, and he didn't. This suit seeks to compel his compliance."
Drakes Bay Oyster Company provides between one third and half of all oysters grown in California and as much as 70% of the oysters grown in Marin County. The nearest other growers to the San Francisco Bay area are hundreds of miles away. The suit alleges that the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service ignored their responsibilities under the National Aquaculture Act and the Coastal Management Act and disregarded the public trust rights of the people of California and California's enforceable policies against conversion of coastal areas from agricultural use.
Also joining as plaintiffs are Alliance for Local Sustainable Agriculture (ALSA), Dr. Jeffrey Creque, founding member of ALSA, the Hayes Street Grill, and its co-owner and local food advocate, Patricia Unterman. Also named as a defendant is an office of NOAA.
With Stuart G. Gross of Gross Law, also representing plaintiffs are former U.S. Congressman Paul "Pete" McCloskey of Cotchett, Pitre, & McCarthy, LLP and former California state assemblyman Bill Bagley of Nossaman, LLP.
Gross Law is located at Pier 9 on The Embarcadero in San Francisco, California. Gross Law represents clients in natural resource, environmental, commercial, and business practices litigation throughout the United States.
The lawsuit is titled, Tomales Bay Oyster Company, et al. v. U.S. Dep't of the Interior, et al., No. 14-3246, and was filed in the District Court of the Northern District of California.

CHP SUV back in business on Lucas Valley Road today. Drive safe.

Anyone know what the helicopter over Point Reyes was all about today? 2:00PM-ish.

(I had this happen on a webpage. Was convincing until I thought about it.)
PRESS RELEASE
MARIN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
ROBERT T. DOYLE, SHERIFF-CORONER
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: 07/16/2014
Released By: Sergeant N. Snyder nsnyder@marinsheriff.org
FRAUD Warning:
Residents of Marin County have been receiving fictitious telephone calls about outstanding arrest warrants
due to missed jury service, red light violations, failure to pay a parking ticket, or they owe money to the
Internal Revenue Service (IRS). These telephone scams are occurring nationwide and one should be
suspicious of any caller identifying themselves as a law enforcement official or government employee
demanding a "fine" be paid immediately over the telephone via credit/debit card or pre-paid cards (i.e. :
Green Dot cards). These callers are reportedly intimidating and threatening when demanding fines be paid
immediately. Law enforcement officials do not call people and demand that fines be paid immediately over
the telephone.
If you receive a telephone call from someone impersonating a law enforcement official and have caller I.D.,
record the telephone number. Ask the caller for their name, badge number, agency they are employed, their
call back telephone number, and the court or ticket number they are calling about. Tell them you will call
their agency and hang up. Do not provide any credit/debit card, or pre-paid debit card information to these
callers. Also, do not provide any of your personal identity information. Be vigilant in protecting your
personal identity information from both telephone and email scams.
Even if you have committed an infraction that could result in a fine, law enforcement officials do not contact
you by telephone to collect payment. Law enforcement officials do not require anyone to provide sensitive
information in a telephone call, including requests for credit card numbers. It is a crime for anyone to falsely
represent himself or herself as a law enforcement official.
If you have additional questions regarding protecting yourself and your family from telephone or email
scams, visit a federal, state, or local law enforcement website for educational materials on how to protect
your personal identity information from criminals:
www.IRS.GOV More info on scams, click on "Tax Scams" under "News/Events."
www.stopfraud.gov Federal Government Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. This website will point
you to what agency you need to report your fraud. They will have a link for tax fraud, insurance fraud,
identity theft, and many more. The website also contains information on how to avoid different scams.
www.fraud.org is from the National Consumer League and is a website designated to provide you
information on current fraud scams and how to obtain information.
www.BFI.GOV The Federal Bureau of Investigations will investigate common fraud scams, investment
related scams, internet scams, and Senior Citizen scams. For internet related scams specifically please go
to www.IC3.GOV The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center to file a report.
www.OAG.CA.GOV State of California Department of Justice Office of the Attorney General which has
information on identity theft crimes and will provide resources for e-crimes.
Persons wishing to give crime tips are encouraged to call the Sheriff's Office at 415-473-7233.
To remain anonymous and possibly become eligible for a cash reward call Bay Area Crime Stoppers at
800-222-TIPS.

A lone surfer contemplates his good fortune in West Marin.

She could have been chased and is just traumatized and hiding. Sometimes they disappear for a week, but if she is injured she may need help, so we need to get the whole neighborhood on board to look in all the thickets. Look for little tunnels at the base of the thickets where she could enter, and call for her. It is too soon to give up.