Marin Islands National Wildlife Refuge

Marin Islands National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1992. It is located in San Pablo Bay off the coast of San Rafael in Marin County, California. Two islands (East Marin and West Marin) form the core of the refuge; surrounding submerged tidelands also are part of the refuge.

West Marin Island, rises 85 feet above the bay's waters and supports the largest heron and egret rookery in the San Francisco Bay area. Nesting species include great egrets, snowy egrets, great blue herons, and black-crowned night herons. East Marin Island, a former vacation retreat, now supports a variety of introduced and native plants and provides critical nesting material and rest sites for the nearby colony. Submerged tidelands support a variety of resident and migratory water birds such as surf scoter, black oystercatcher, diving ducks, and osprey. Refuge objectives are to protect migratory species, including the heron and egret nesting colony, protect and restore suitable habitat for the colony, and protect the tidal mud flats and unique island ecosystem.

Management Activities

Current management is limited to protecting the rookery from human disturbance and conducting annual surveys to record nesting success.

Plans call for removing all artificial facilities from East Marin Island, removing exotic vegetation and restoring native vegetation, supplementing nesting trees with additional native trees and establishing a protective buoy system in the tidewaters around the Islands to better protect the rookery and feeding sites from human disturbance.

Getting There . . .

The refuge is closed to the public. Both islands consist of steep hills and sheer cliffsides and are covered in poison oak. They are closed to the public for safety purposes. Call San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge at 707-769-4200 for more information.

The office for Marin Islands NWR is located in Petaluma.
Directions to the office from Sacramento:
Travel west on I-80, and exit Hwy 37 W towards San Rafael. Go past Hwy 121. At the next light at Lakeville Hwy, make a U-turn and head back on Hwy 37 east. Go past the weigh station and within 100 yards turn Right into the driveway. You will see a sign for Sonoma Land Trust and the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

Directions to the office from San Francisco:
Travel north on Hwy 101, and exit Hwy 37 East towards Vallejo. Pass Lakeville Highway and go past the weigh stationvand within 100 yards turn. Right into the driveway. You will see a sign for Sonoma Land Trust and the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

Coordinates to the office: N 38.140338 W 122.463694

E-mail: don_brubaker@fws.gov
Phone Number: 707-769-4200

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