"ªPower pole being replaced on Rt1 north of Point Reyes after a car hit it this afternoon, expect delays."¬ (Thx AW)

There is some sort of bike vs no bike clash happening in the Shell Beach parking lot in Inverness. Anyone know what's going on? First there was a spray painted message that said "read no bikes". Then someone changed it to "read more bikes". Now the bike icon on the sign is crossed out. How can you be righteous about bikes on trails then go around making a spray painted mess on public property?

An extremely sad message from The Station House Facebook page, they will close for good on June 1, 2020. Friday night dinners there have been a part of our family and friends for years. We will miss you all. Thank you for all of the good times.

"Dear Friends near and far -

Today we have an announcement to make that is harder than you can imagine.

After nearly a month of diligence, Station House Cafe secured disaster relief funding through the first round of the federal Paycheck Protection Program (P.P.P.) and we were able to bring back much of our workforce- this was cause for celebration and our future looked a little brighter.

We HAD this. The funding was designed to help businesses sustain the loss of imposed restrictions during shelter-in-place orders and it would have successfully done so but another factor was introduced that changed the course of survival for Station House Cafe.

Our lease was due to renew on June 1. The proposal received by our landlord would have raised our rent more than 300% from $8372 per month to $28,000 per month, under the current lease, with no option to renew after one year. The landlord also offered an alternative lease, with new, restrictive and onerous conditions, that would extend the term to four years at $21,000 per month.

Under the best of economic conditions, the Station House Cafe could not have sustained such an increase. In our current economic crisis, it is unfathomable.

After 46 years in Point Reyes Station, and 15 years under current ownership, Station House Cafe will be closing permanently on June 1, 2020.

Throughout this month, we will be open for take-out Thursday through Monday and local delivery on Saturdays and Sundays. Our hours of operation are 11am-7pm; closed Tuesday-Wednesday.

We are open to finding a new location and hope that we can all be together again one day soon.

It's such an awkward time to say good-bye. No parties, no social gatherings, nothing we know as "normal" in the hospitality world is possible at this time.

And to you, the reader, our patrons, we owe so much gratitude. Thank you for the years of laughter, kind words, celebrations and continued support. We are so fortunate to have prospered for so long in this beautiful community of West Marin.

Stay safe and be well."

FB Post: https://www.facebook.com/stati...

It is Friday. Local restaurants and services are open this weekend with pick up, so if you're local, support your local businesses, here is a comprehensive list of what's available: https://docs.google.com/docume...

Its also Pulitzer Prize winning poet Gary Snyder's birthday today.

And from Sir and Star: "This Friday we will be offering another SHELTER SUPPER: THE EVENING PICNIC

The menu is on our website www.sirandstar.com. Orders are gladly taken by phone (663.1034) from noon on Friday. For pick-up, between 5 and 7 at a chosen time, you will simply pull up to our back kitchen door, which opens onto our parking lot.

The world has changed and in many ways so have we. Our commitment remains unchanged: offering delicious foods, thoughtfully sourced, prepared with particular care, for your pleasure and ours."

The Marin County Commission on Aging has their monthly meeting today at 10:00am on a zoom call if you are interested. The mission of the Commission is to promote the dignity, independence and quality of life of older persons through advocacy, information, programs and services. You can find the agenda for the meeting and the link/password for the call here: https://www.marinhhs.org/sites...

Hog Island on the front page of the SFGate today. "Hog Island Oyster Company, one of the most beloved shellfish companies in the world and a pioneer of the farm to table movement in San Francisco, is reckoning with its future. In early March, Hog Island temporarily closed its San Francisco, Napa, and Marshall locations, furloughed 250 of its 300 employees and reduced management salaries, saving a skeleton crew to operate the recently opened Larkspur restaurant and its oyster farm."

FULL STORY: https://www.sfgate.com/food/sl...

Sounds like there was a lot of police activity at Rt.1 and Levee Rd. right now, anyone know what's going on? An arrest?

Please help a local community member if you are able:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/get...

"On June 22, 2019 Jaciel was driving home from work when he was hit from behind by a large truck, traveling at over 50 miles per hour. He was airlifted to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital where he was stabilized and treated for a broken cervical spine.

In a matter of hours, Jaciel went from being an independent, mobile person, working full time for National Park Services at the Point Reyes National Seashore, to a dependent, immobile, bedridden individual with a diagnosis of quadriplegia.

After 11 months of being in a hospital and rehabilitation center, Jaciel is about to go home!!! However, he needs $19,000 to get a power wheelchair that will raise him up to a standing position, allowing him to access more activities of daily living and release pressure of his bottom to avoid skin breaking(pressure ulcers). This is a feature that the insurance company will not cover.

In the next week, Jaciel will be discharged from the Kentfield Rehabilitation Center, to start the next phase of his life. Knowing his friends, family, colleagues, and greater community, we can all take part in donating to help improve his quality of life.

El 22 de junio de 2019, Jaciel iba manejando después del trabajo cuando lo chocó por detrás una camioneta que viajaba a más de 50 millas por hora. Fue trasladado en helicóptero al Hospital Memorial de Santa Rosa, donde fue estabilizado y tratado por una ruptura en la columna cervical .

En cuestión de horas, Jaciel pasó de ser una persona completamente independiente y móvil, que trabajaba en el Parque Nacional en Point Reyes National Seashore, a ser un individuo dependiente, inmóvil con un diagnóstico de cuadraplejia.

Después de 11 meses de estar en un hospital y en un centro de rehabilitación, ¡Jaciel está a punto de irse a casa! Sin embargo, necesita $ 19,000 para conseguir una silla de ruedas eléctrica que lo eleve a una posición de pie, lo que le permitirá acceder a más actividades de la vida diaria y liberar presión para evitar futuras rupturas en la piel (llagas). Esta es algo que el seguro no cubre.

En la próxima semana, Jaciel será dado de alta del Centro de Rehabilitación de Kentfield para comenzar la próxima fase de su vida. Conociendo a sus amigos, familiares, colegas y su gran comunidad, todos podemos participar en mejorar la calidad de vida de Jaciel."

From Gavin Newsom: "CA is led by data and SCIENCE.

Based off our progress, we'll begin to gradually move into Stage 2 this FRIDAY.

Some sectors where there's a lower risk of transmission will be able to adapt & re-open with modifications.

This will include some retail and manufacturing/logistics."

Video from Marin about phases (which only has three phases)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Zoltan Istvan, a transhumanist presidential candidate from Mill Valley, stirred up some controversy this week when he had an op-ed published in The New York Times about surfing and COVID. "A few days ago, a county sheriff's officer stood outside his vehicle in the parking area of the beach in Bolinas, waving off visitors and telling surfers to go home. Like many other surfers, I avoided him by parking on a side street. I suited up and after making sure he was looking the other way, sprinted to the water. I caught my first wave of the day a minute later.

I understand that quarantine rules must apply to everyone or the plan to flatten the curve doesn't work. But I doubt that surfing alone jeopardizes the health of society in any statistically meaningful way, especially because all the surfers I've seen have been careful to practice social distancing in and out of the water. The physical, mental and spiritual benefits to surfing outweigh the tiny chance a surfer might become infected or infect someone else."

FULL STORY: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/0...

People have seemed to have honed in on the parking lot behind the Inverness Store as a gathering spot. Apparently local law enforcement not happy about it. Is it private land? How does that work? (Thx SP)

A great story: "A little-known, 6-year-old project with nursing students at Marin County's Dominican University has come in handier than ever. The college pairs students with older people in West Marin for home visits each semester, and because they can't now come in person for fear of spreading the virus, they are doing their visits by phone.

Video wouldn't work with this crowd. The clients are all in their 80s or above, and with some living so far back in the woods, they're lucky to get a phone connection, let alone internet. But it turns out jawboning on the phone several times a week with enthusiastic student nurses, who are all in their early 20s, is more than just fine.

The program was started by Ellen Christiansen, a Dominican University professor of public health, in conjunction with West Marin Senior Services. This semester she has 27 students working with 48 senior citizens, most of whom can't drive and live on fixed retirement incomes."

(Ruth Fleshman is legally blind and lives alone in Point Reyes Station with her dog, Zac. A former nursing instructor, Fleshman says she enjoys sharing her knowledge with the students.)

FULL STORY: https://www.sfchronicle.com/ba...

Spotted on the Point Reyes/Petaluma Road today. (thx SP)

"With traffic congestion eased by the sheltering orders, the California Highway Patrol has reported an 87% increase of speeders in excess of 100 mph around the state.

From March 19, when the state's stay-at-home orders began, to April 19, the CHP issued 2,493 citations statewide for speeding more than 100 mph, compared to 1,335 citations for the same time period last year.

In Marin County, the CHP ticketed 274 speeders from April 1-24, and 14 were driving at 100 mph or faster, Officer Andrew Barclay said. For the same period last year, the CHP wrote 807 speeding tickets in Marin, with only five motorists driving faster than 100 mph."

STORY: https://www.marinij.com/2020/0...

If you are sheltering in place here and looking to support local businesses and figure out what stores and restaurants are open and when, Natasha Berry has put together an excellent guide to West Marin resources: https://docs.google.com/docume...

"West Marin Mass Care Volunteer Guidelines

West Marin has a long and well-deserved reputation for being independent and able to dig deep to help those in need. Many of you are already engaged in helping your neighbors and community organizations weather this storm.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created special problems and opportunities for volunteering. As the outbreak grows, some of our community groups and organizations may lose their usual volunteer support or need more volunteers than usual. As a volunteer for West Marin Community Services (WMCS) I am keeping a list of potential volunteers for the area served by WMCS. We will be posting "requests for volunteers" as new needs and tasks come up. The tasks might include delivering food to shut-ins, helping with food distribution, staffing a phone bank to get information out, or other tasks that the community might need.

The Coronavirus pandemic is a unique situation. Unlike other disasters where volunteers have been key to supporting our community, this disaster requires us to stay home and limit contact and congregations of large and/or outside groups. The key to managing the COVID-19
pandemic is physical distancing, so the groups and community organizations you will be volunteering for in person will be diligently enforcing physical distancing practices and screening volunteers.

We will be doing most of the coordination by email. We may schedule through a website If the contact list grows large, so you will need to have web access and a phone.

There will be requests for tasks that can be done from home, but some will have to be done in person. Please use the following questions to see if you should volunteer in person.

1. Are you 65 years of age or older?
2. Do you live with someone who is 65 years of age or older?
3. Do any of the following apply to you or someone you live with: heart disease, asthma,
diabetes, undergoing treatment for cancer, respiratory/lung disease, immuno-supressed or weakened immune system.
4. Are you sick or have you been sick in the last 14 days?
5. Have you been around anyone who is sick or has been sick in the last 14 days?
6. Have you been in contact with anyone who has been tested and diagnosed with COVID-19?
7. Have you traveled within the last 14 days?

Thank you for your desire to support your community.

Roy Pitts, WMCS volunteer volunteer@westmarincs.org
For WMCS Staff and Socorro Romo"

"Nobody in Bolinas tested positive for the coronavirus last week in a rare, privately funded study that aimed to test all of the town's residents, according to Marin County public health officials. Nearly 1,800 people were tested in the secluded town last week, according to Dr. Bryan Greenhouse, a UCSF infectious disease specialist and one of the study's leaders.

"This is a sign to me that we really did get in front of this and interrupt transmission," he said, noting there have been no confirmed cases in Bolinas since the first Marin County diagnosis was reported on March 9.

Sawyer hopes that similar widespread testing efforts will be implemented in other communities, though she acknowledged that not all communities have the benefit of wealthy donors to make such a venture possible."

FULL STORY: https://www.mercurynews.com/20...

Point Reyes Books posted this video on Twitter and it went viral with over 627,000 views (and counting). Long live books. And bookstores.

https://twitter.com/rs_sparks/...

BREAKING: "The Bay Area's shelter-in-place order will be extended through May, officials said Monday, with the current restrictions largely remaining in place.

Seven jurisdictions that banded together on the previous orders "” Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties, plus the city of Berkeley "” will release details of the latest order this week, officials said in a joint statement, to replace the current order that expires May 3.

The latest mandate will allow for the "limited easing of specific restrictions for a small number of lower-risk activities," the statement read, but it's not yet clear what those activities include."

FULL STORY: https://www.mercurynews.com/20...

Sounds like a bad car accident on Platform Bridge Road in Tocaloma. Anyone have any details?

Via NWA Bay Area: "Tuesday will be one of the warmest days so far this spring. Early season warm weather can be especially taxing for sensitive groups such as the elderly, very young, those unable to be in AC or on certain medications. Heat Risk image is attached, mainly in the Low Risk for Tues."

This is Shaun, he is 11 and is learning to play the guitar. Every night he participates in howling with his neighborhood at 8pm while SIP and then plays part of a song into the valley in Inverness to enlighten his neighbors and they are always cheering him on. His neighbors below him usually live stream themselves howling at 8pm. Shaun surprised them when he found out one of them was celebrating his birthday. They have never met in person. It is just a sweet sweet video of how we can lift each other up and bring smiles to each others faces. #ShelterInPlaceInInverness

An inspiring evening of poetry with Xerxes Whitney and M.C. Yogi tonight via Zoom or Facebook Live tonight at 5:30pm (PST). Join either on FB or at this Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8448...

"On behalf of the Stinson Beach & Bolinas, Briones Lions Club, we regretfully announce the cancellation of this year's Annual 4th of July Celebration, and its events, in Bolinas, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions." - Louisa Newcomb, President

Hi. So the West Marin Feed is me, Christian Anthony. I live in Inverness with my wife and two children. We were just informed that we have been in contact (in a socially distanced manner) with someone who has a family member in Inverness Park who has tested positive today for COVID-19.

The person we had contact with has been tested and is waiting for the results. The person who tested positive is an elder community member who was following all of the guidelines and had limited interaction within the community. This person has contacted everyone they were in contact with. They feel fine for now, but they are being monitored closely. We are self quarantining and waiting for all the results to come back.

The reason I am posting this is because it has been a very sobering moment for myself, my family, and the community of people I know and love here in West Marin. COVID-19 is here. Among us. Now. It is not the flu. It travels easily. You do not want it. I do not want it. We do not want it to spread through our community. So please continue to shelter in place, wear your masks, wash your hands. Do not take chances.

Thank you. Be safe. We will get through this together.

Just got a report from Stinson Beach that there are a lot of cars there. Point Reyes was pretty crowded today. A lot of traffic on SFD. Shelter in place is hard to do for this long and with nice weather. Please respect the people on the front lines in our stores and our communities. Wear a mask. Stick to the essentials. Stay local. We're not through this thing yet.

Extensive fire damage to Forester's Hall in Point Reyes Station today. Apparently it was a propane tank on a porch. Fortunately no injuries, thanks to all the firefighters who quickly responded.

Fire at Forester's Hall in Point Reyes. Sounds like fire department on it and under control.

From Elisabeth Ptak "Just a week ago, I mentioned on Facebook that I was concerned that staff at the Point Reyes Station and Inverness post offices were working behind jury-rigged plastic sheets for coronavirus protection at their customer counters. Headed by Suzanne d'Coney, an ad hoc group of townspeople decided to do something about it. We consulted with the Inverness and Point Reyes Station postmistresses as well as the buildings' owners to find a solution. On Wednesday, a polycarbonate shield was installed in Inverness, and on Thursday, one will be installed in Point Reyes Station. Each one was designed and fabricated to suit the sites' individual needs and to provide a greater degree of protection for both postal staff and customers. Special thanks go to Suzanne d'Coney, Marshall Livingston, and Carol Friedman!

Some folks mentioned that they would like to help, so we're appealing to the community to help cover the cost of materials and labor, estimated to be about $1500. Any amount is welcome. You can send checks payable to Carol Friedman to Box 644, Point Reyes Station 94956. Contributions can also be made online via Venmo to: @SuzanneDconey; or via PayPal to: suzannedconey@gmail.com.

Contributions in excess of the amount needed will be donated to West Marin Community Services for its ongoing efforts to assist those impacted by the pandemic."

People have been asking me questions about things in West Marin that I can't answer, maybe someone here can. Did anyone hear about a car chase with Lamborghinis on Rt. 1 on Tuesday with a helicopter involved? Yesterday a helicopter tried to land for an emergency airlift, but I think was turned around because of fog. And today I've heard reports of low flying planes? I see lots of contrails in the sky but haven't seen any planes. Weird times.

Support our local businesses if you are able:

Check it out! Hog Island is offering local delivery in Marin and Sonoma Counties through their online store. Purchase, oysters, clams, meal kits and more and choose local delivery at check out. Use code THANKYOU15 at check for 15% off oyster orders!
LINK: https://hogislandoysters.com/

Earth Day pop up Market on Wednesday!
Visit Osteria Stellina between 3-6pm to stock up on fine local goods while simultaneously supporting local farms and businesses at a time when it is needed most.
LINK: https://www.facebook.com/searc...

Sign up here for Brickmaiden Bread's email to get their pick up menu: http://brickmaidenbreads.com
Take Away Only - Thursdays, Fridays & Sundays 8am -2pm
Order 48 hours in advance

Station House Open FRI/SAT/SUN 12-6PM for pickup & delivery!
INFO: https://www.facebook.com/stati...

The MarinIJ weighs in on the free Bolinas covid testing project. "In the 1970s, Bolinas gained a measure of notoriety when the quirky characters who lived here successfully halted new development and became the subject of the book, "The Town that Fought to Save Itself."

Now, nearly 50 years later, the remote seaside village is fighting to save itself once again "” this time from the threat of coronavirus. Starting Monday, a privately funded guerrilla-style operation will be underway to test the entire town of 1,680 people for the deadly virus. It's an extraordinarily rare privilege at a time when most of the country is desperate to get a handle on the extent of infection, but hamstrung by a lack of available tests.

But this time, instead of counterculture hippies taking the lead, it's the high-tech multimillionaires "” including a venture capitalist whose wife founded Flickr, a biotech entrepreneur and the founder of Zynga games "” who either live or have weekend homes in the reclusive West Marin community."

FULL STORY: https://www.marinij.com/2020/0...

"We just found this dog this evening on Sir Francis Drake between Laurel St. and the Inverness Park Market. If you could help put the word out, we'd appreciate it!" - Alexi Erenkov

On April 17, Marin County Public Health announced a new public health order requiring the use of face coverings when completing essential activities. The new order will go into effect at 12:00p.m., Wednesday, April 22. Everyone is asked to wear a face covering when they are interacting with others who are not members of their household in public and private spaces. Specifically, the order states that people must wear face coverings when:

- Inside public spaces or waiting in line to enter public spaces
- Seeking health care
- Waiting for or riding on mass transit or other shared transportation
- In common areas of buildings, such as hallways, stairways, elevators and parking facilities.
- Workers at businesses physically open and in areas where the public is present, likely to be present, or at any time when others are nearby.
- Workers in any space where food is being prepared and/or packaged for sale.
- Drivers/Operators of public transit.

LINK: https://coronavirus.marinhhs.o...

A open letter from Dr. Whitt, who practiced medicine in Point Reyes Station for decades: "Disturbed by the number and behavior of cyclists in the Palace Market and on the sidewalk by the Bovine, in violation of the statewide order to shelter at home, I contacted Supervisor Rodoni and he told me that "the Bay Area Health directors are the people in charge of this order and from the beginning they allowed travel by bike essentially freely". I then wrote Dr. Lisa Santora and expressed my concerns. She replied: "The intent has always been support the optimization of social distancing. And as you know, we have strengthened county orders to reduce possible transmission in West Marin from nonresidents. We will review with our team."

Traveling between communities by any means and mingling with residents not only violates the order but cannot be justified epidemiologically and risks spreading the virus to West Marin residents. I wrote back and stressed there could be no scientific basis for excluding cyclists from the sheltering in place order and asked her to immediately extend the order to include cyclists. Neither Supervisor Rodoni or Dr. Santora has responded to my emails since. I did, however, notice in the IJ yesterday (4-15.20) that the shelter at home order had been extended to May 3rd. No mention was made that cyclists were now included in that order and would be subjected to the same fines as drivers.

As a doctor in this community for almost 50 years, the presence of cyclists from over the hill in West Marin communities presents a clear and present danger."