Point Molate, Richmond -- San Francisco Bay shoreline

I discovered Point Molate a few years ago while looking for shoreline along San Francisco Bay that's easy (relatively) to reach, yet off the beaten path. It has since become a place I visit to enjoy the water's edge for a quiet (relatively) escape from the city, and to express gratitude and love for nature by picking up trash.

There's a lot of human history here, including Native Ohlone sacred sites, a naval depot from World War II, a Chinese fishing camp, wine-producing complex from the early 20th century, and more. Buildings are mostly unused for now (read the end of this post to learn of varied degrees of development being planned--and fought). Today there's a public park where families picnic and can stroll the shore, plus other areas to pull over and enjoy the view or take a walk.

I come here to enjoy the animals and plants that populate this relatively undeveloped 2-mile shoreline. I make sketches and write notes about what's going on in the natural world. Here are a few pages scanned from my journals (even though they're messy and quickly made!).

Above: The view looking west across San Francisco Bay toward San Rafael, as incoming fog obscures Mt. Tamalpais in the distance.

Below: The same location with so much life!

Some of the common, larger animals that I've seen at that one spot (the north end of Stenmark Drive):

Canada Geese

American Wigeons

Mallards

Canvasbacks

Scaups

Buffleheads

Ruddy Ducks

Double-crested Cormorants

Eared Grebes

Western Grebes

Clark's Grebes

Brown Pelicans

Western Gulls

Least Sandpiper

American Coots

Turkey Vultures

Ospreys

Cooper's Hawks

Red-tailed Hawks

Anna's Hummingbirds

California Scrub Jays

American Crows

Common Ravens

Black Phoebes

House Wrens

White-crowned Sparrows

California Towhees

Harbor Seals

Western Fence Lizards

California Ground Squirrels

. . . and more!

Above: I always learn something new here, such as the sound that Western Grebes make when they pair up and "dance" on the water.

Whenever I come to Point Molate, I pick up trash. I do it to honor the community of animals that live along this little outpost of un-urbanized shoreline. I've met other people doing the same. There is a depressing amount or garbage, and the trash cans are often overflowing, too. This area suffers from people littering and dumping trash, and from debris that washes ashore out of the bay.

It feels incredibly rewarding to collect this horrid stuff and get it out of the ecosystem! It's especially thrilling to remove some of the worst items, such as styrofoam, fishing line and hooks, plastic bags, tangled rope, bits of balloons and their ribbons, and ring-shaped trash that could get stuck on an animal's neck.

Even ten minutes of picking up trash improves the environment.

Above: So much trash, mostly plastic and styrofoam. These items will not biodegrade. They will be here until someone picks them up -- hopefully a human will, and not an animal that mistakes them for food or swallows them by accident.

Above: I came upon a gull's wing -- without the rest of the gull -- among the washed-up eel grass and kelp. I sketched it, amazed at its design and arrangement of feathers. A man and his son were on the beach nearby, and they had discovered the wing, too. We talked about how remarkable birds are.

A diversity of people visit the shore at Point Molate, finding respite from the press of traffic and development that hems much of the Bay. I've enjoyed conversation with people with varied stories and walks of life, many of whom I would not likely have met. We all feel lucky to have this place to visit.

But that may change.

Point Molate is the center of active debate, as stakeholders with an interest in this special area have very different visions for its future. Plans are underway for a mega-housing complex and commercial development, but many people want the landscape left alone; others want something in between those extremes.

The Point Molate Alliance is a citizen group advocating for a solution that benefits everyday citizens of Richmond. The vision statement begins, "As citizens of Richmond, California, of the San Francisco Bay Area and of the world, we call on the city leadership of Richmond to respect the will of the people to protect and restore Point Molate for all," their website explains.

To learn about the debate and much more about the wonders of Point Molate, visit: https://ptmolatealliance.org