Save Tiburon’s Estuary and Ocean Science Center

I am writing in response to the article published Feb. 22 with the headline “Tiburon marine research center to close amid budget cuts.”

Sixty years ago, environmental experts agreed that the San Francisco Bay was in terrible shape due to runoff from hydraulic mining in the Sierra Nevada and the filling in of 70% of wetlands for development.

When I was a youngster in the 1960s, a landfill in San Rafael was right along the bay. People dumped TV sets, light bulbs, paint and more — right along the bay. We set the stage for dangerous materials to seep into the water. As the only research facility on the bay, the Estuary and Ocean Science Center at San Francisco State University’s Romberg Campus in Tiburon has helped restore bay health and enabled critical estuary research and monitoring.

It’s part of our local and essential trifecta of science and management with the Bay Conservation and Development Commission and the San Francisco Estuary Institute.

It is experimenting with different types of sea-level rise seawalls and actively planting eelgrass for carbon sequestration and improved habitat. This work is supported by great organizations like Save the Bay. As a result of this teamwork, San Francisco Bay is fairly healthy now, with otters and harbor porpoises finally back.

It is also a cross pollinator of research, as the National Estuarine Research Reserve System, the Smithsonian Institute and my organization, Marine Applied Research and Exploration, are co-housed there. Interacting with graduate students and other researchers spawns new ideas and collaborations, while training the next generation of scientific problem solvers.

With secure funding, the center could attract others doing this work. Please reach out to SF State and the California State University system in support of the center and bay health.

— Dirk Rosen, Sausalito

All who consume dairy should support ranches

In his recent Marin Voice commentary (“Pt. Reyes settlement reflects changes in how we eat, farm,” Feb. 21), Jack Gescheidt writes, “Poor ranch workers are like coal miners forced out of a climate-killing industry.” I find that statement to be heartlessly hyperbolic.

While he might like for all of us to stop consuming dairy products, he is in a tiny minority worldwide. I support an individual’s personal decision not to eat meat or dairy, but the fact remains that most consume them. You can bet that pediatricians won’t be recommending we stop providing our children with cow’s milk to drink as they grow. And, since most of us do drink milk and eat dairy, we should support local ranchers who understand and care for the land (rather than those who run “factory farms” in the Central Valley).

Marin values local, organic food sources. For example, Straus Dairy has been a nationwide role model for responsible ranching for decades. The loss of organic milk from the closing historic ranches (which helped supply Straus and other well-known providers) is considerable. I believe that local food sources will become even more important as the world becomes increasingly unstable.

Where will the roughly 90 individuals who live and work on the ranches go? They won’t be working (or spending money) in the clinics, restaurants, shops or other service organizations of West Marin. Many of those businesses will lose revenue, weakening communities and affecting the tourist economy. School enrollment will be reduced, which affects teachers and others.

None of these impacted folks were meaningfully consulted by the Nature Conservancy in its closed-door deal.

— Kathleen Gaines, Marinwood

San Anselmo Historical Museum is worth a visit

I am writing to recommend a visit to the San Anselmo Historical Museum. It is open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There is no cost for admission.

This one-room museum is well organized. It is located on the lower level of the San Anselmo Library. Dick Miner is one of a handful of volunteers who rotate as host. Miner also hosts walking tours through downtown, where one can learn about the historic San Anselmo Hub downtown area, the role of the railroad industry’s impact and details about architecture on San Anselmo Avenue.

The museum houses a large collection of photographs and a smaller collection of artifacts pertaining to the people and history of the town. There is a wonderful model of what the town looked like back when trains came through.

This is not to be missed.

— Alan Rossi, San Anselmo