June 2019 Newsletter - Resilient Shore

China Camp State Park – a History

Point San Pedro and the area we now know as China Camp were originally inhabited by Miwok peoples. They established many villages all over modern-day Sonoma and Marin counties and lived peacefully for centuries until the Spanish missionaries and settlers arrived in 1775. Over the next century the Miwok population was nearly wiped out by disease and later genocide. The gold rush attracted Chinese immigration, which increased dramatically during the construction of the transcontinental railroad in the 1860s. As the first wave of railroad construction was completed in the west around 1880, Chinese laborers were denied other opportunities for work. They set up camps along the shoreline of San Pablo Bay and fished for shrimp. Over two dozen little fishing camps were established, but only China Camp State Park remains.

Residents of China Camp sought the remote location to avoid widespread anti-Chinese sentiment. By the 1870s, white laborers, feeling the effects of a national economic downturn, blamed the Chinese for taking their jobs, and most Chinese were denied work. Villagers turned to fishing to support themselves for several decades. The shrimp they caught in the San Francisco Bay waters were dried and shipped back to China until the export of shrimp was prohibited in 1905. In 1910 the Chinese style bag fishing nets were also banned, effectively stifling the industry. Desperate for income, villagers moved away in search of work, and the population of China Camp fell to almost nothing in a short few years. Only a handful of families remained, and the village became a ghost town.

By the late 1960s, most of the land was purchased by a land speculator who negotiated to sell the land to Gulf Oil, which proposed massive development all over Point San Pedro. Residents caught wind of the proposed development and formed a group to protect the area and keep it wild. The “Save San Pedro Peninsula” group was founded by Louise Kanter Lipsey, Tina Ferris, and Sandy Hanson, all residents of the Peacock Gap area. Eventually the name of the group changed to Friends of China Camp (FOCC).

These three women worked tirelessly to raise awareness, gain support, and acquire funding to prompt the California State Park foundation to buy the land in 1976 and ensure its protected status as a state park. For many years afterwards, the land was secure, until the 2008 economic downturn.

Then-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed closing 220 of 278 California State parks including China Camp in an attempt to balance the state budget. In 2011 then-governor Jerry Brown also proposed closing 70 state parks including China Camp but was also blocked. In 2012 FOCC entered into an agreement with the CA State Parks to operate the park.

In order to maintain China Camp State Park, FOCC has created several ways of supporting their mission of keeping the park open. First, they have expanded membership from 50 to 800 people who support the park in a variety of ways. Volunteers maintain hiking trails, donate funds for operating expenses, lead tours, and more.

China Camp Today

Today, FOCC works with local environmental, community, educational, and historical groups to keep the park in the public awareness and to raise funds to ensure its continued existence. They offer special programs and events designed to highlight the cultural value of the park, and are persistently working on reducing expenses, and rely on park use fees, memberships, and donations for operations.

One of the biggest threats currently facing the entire coast of San Rafael, and specifically China Camp State Park is sea level rise. More specifically, we need to determine how to respond to flooding of San Pedro Road. This road goes through the park along the shore, crossing the salt marsh in several locations. In the event of an earthquake, fire, or other emergency, it’s the only alternative road to 101. However, during king tides and major storms, sections of the road are covered with water and inaccessible.

Many local groups including the National Estuaries Research Reserve, Marin Public Works, CA State Parks, FOCC, and local fire departments are trying to come up with solutions. Nothing has been put into action yet, but there are seven proposed options for road adaptation currently being evaluated:

1. Raise the road in its current position using solid fill and bridges.
2. Raise the road in its current location using a pile-supported causeway
3. Relocate the road along a low-elevation contour that is above long-term sea level projections
4. Relocate the road higher up the hillside, within existing watersheds of CCSP
5. Relocate the road over Point San Pedro Mountain using existing residential and fire roads
6. Create a floating roadway – details TBD
7. Do nothing, allow the road to naturally disintegrate and do not replace it.
Additionally, China Camp Village has received funds to do a preservation assessment of the buildings that comprise the village. Eventually they will all be underwater due to sea level rise. Investigations are underway to determine options based on feasibility and cost of cultural preservation of these historic buildings.

The typical solution for most structures in this situation would be to install taller pilings and raise the buildings up higher above the water. However, the buildings of China Camp Village were erected 150 years ago by hand with scraps and leftover materials from other sites. They may not be structurally sound enough to withstand the stress of an attempt to elevate them above the projected high-water line. An alternate solution needs to be identified, or these structures will be lost.

To aid in protecting our shoreline from sea level rise and the destruction it brings, Resilient Shore is raising funds to help identify feasible, affordable solutions for San Rafael. Please help us by donating here. Please reference Resilient Shore in your donation.

The Grace Quan at the pier at China Camp Village. She is a junk completed in the traditional design at China Camp and part of the San Francisco Maritime Museum collection of historic ships.

Letter from the Director

Resilient Shore is excited to announce we have initiated our 2019 fundraising campaign. After years of effort and the support of our strategic partners, we are poised to make exceptional progress. But we need your help raising $100,000 this year to protect San Rafael and improve our transportation infrastructure.

Challenges and Opportunities

San Rafael faces existential threats from flooding and sea level rise. A third of our population, 66% of our business activity, and critical regional infrastructure are at risk in the central San Rafael valley alone. We have limited time to respond because climate change is accelerating and the seas are rising faster than originally projected, but we can achieve our objectives by combining external funds with local resources and development fees.

Being Ready to Go

Resilient Shore’s primary focus is on helping the City of San Rafael secure funds for planning and prepare a Shore and Flood Resiliency Plan (Shore Plan).

Your contributions will enable us to:

• Act as an extension of city staff to draft Shore Plan policy and actions and include them in the city’s General Plan update currently in-progress.
• Provide leadership and organize support from elected officials, government staff, conservation organizations, neighborhoods and businesses to establish a Grant Program.
• Partner with the City to secure grant funding for the Shore Plan.
• Partner with the City in preparing a community-based Shore Plan.

Building Community Support

At the heart of any successful public endeavor is general consensus and support by the community. The Shore Plan must not only address the threats each community group faces but also create a shared vision of a better future.

Your contributions will enable us to:

• Get the story out. Help people understand what we have is worth protecting.
• Empower residents and business owners to get involved because their voices matter.
• Bring people together who will create a Shore Plan and provide necessary support to get their visions built.
• Publish our informative, community-building email newsletter, Shore News.
• Convene groups to learn and share ideas.
• Organize tours and events.
• Share our community needs, learn from others, and influence outcomes.
• Meet and advocate for our mission with elected officials, governmental resource agencies, business and conservation organizations.

Transportation Resiliency and Sustainability

San Rafael is the northwestern gateway to the Bay Area. Trips to northern counties, Wine Country, and the Redwood Empire all pass through our city. US 101, I 580, SMART railroad and the North South Greenway are all subject to flood risk and sea level rise in Central San Rafael. The freeways also isolate East San Rafael, making access very difficult. During a flood or earthquake, East San Rafael could be isolated for an extended time period, preventing escape and access for emergency services. Now is a critical time to help shape the 101/580 Connector project and make sure San Rafael’s needs are met.

Your contributions will enable us to:

• Actively participate in 101/580 Connector Project planning to advocate for San Rafael’s interests.
• Push for a new East San Rafael interchange.
• Present alternative concepts for the design and environmental review process.
• Present a long-term vision for a more robust and sustainable transportation network including freeway, rail, and multi-use pathway improvements.
• Advocate for efficient use of limited resources.
Help us secure our city and greater region’s future resiliency, quality of life and prosperity by contributing today to Resilient Shore’s 2019 $100,000 fundraising campaign today. To donate, click HERE.

Jeffrey D. Rhoads
Executive Director
Resilient Shore

ABOUT RESILIENT SHORE
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