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The Coastal Program in California partnered with the Tomales Bay Foundation, PCI Ecological, Marin County Parks, and the California State Coastal Conservancy (CSCC) to restore wetland habitat at Chicken Ranch Beach in west Marin County, California. The beach got its name from the historic chicken ranches that occupied the area in the early 20th century and has been a public beach since the 1970’s.
Planning for the project started in 2003, by the Tomales Bay Foundation, Marin County Parks and CSCC but project implementation did not start until the summer of 2025 and construction was completed in Fall 2025.In 2023, the Coastal Program provided support to the project to help with permitting and planning, and applying for a National Coastal Wetland Conservation (NCWC) Grant.
Chicken Ranch Beach was historically a coastal wetland complex and lagoon that was filled with dredge spoil.A resulting stagnant ditch that captured runoff degraded the aquatic habitat and caused poor water quality that impacted both public health and fish and wildlife habitat. Chicken Ranch Beach has frequently experienced bacterial contamination, with levels exceeding the Department of Public Health standards for recreational water contact.
The $1.3 million project was supported through a NCWC Grant, and funding from the California Coastal Conservancy, and the Marin County Measure A tax. The goal of this project was to restore components of the original natural lagoon wetlands and to improve water quality for beachgoers, as well as fish and wildlife. Restoration of this coastal wetland habitat will provide benefits to numerous sensitive species such as the Federally endangered tidewater goby, Federally threatened California red-legged frog and northwestern pond turtle, and species of special concern, including the California giant salamander, and saltmarsh common yellowthroat birds.
The wetland and channel construction began in Summer 2025 . The restored wetland complex created approximately an acre of riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.
Learn more about riparian and wetland habitat, a passive wetland treatment and filtration area, and three shallow pools. Invasive vegetation such as ice plant, velvet grass, poison hemlock, and scotch broom were removed from the existing marsh and wet meadow. Replanting is ongoing and is taking place this winter with salvaged native vegetation including bulrush, horsetail, rushes, Santa Barbara sedge, and salt grass being used.
