Tamalpais Conservation Club in Marin County

A History:
From the 1890s, when the little community of Mill Valley and its railroad spur were established at the southerly base of Mount Tamalpais, hikers flocked to the mountain to partake in the pleasures of vigorous hiking on its many trails. Most hikers came by ferry from San Francisco and Oakland. Many did day hikes, while others camped overnight on the mountain.
At that time, farmers were using the lower slopes and valleys for grazing dairy cattle. With increasing numbers of hikers, tempers between hikers and the farmers flared up. Hikers had a tendency to leave gates open, allowing cattle to wander off. Camp sites and picnic spots became littered with trash. Deer were poached near hiking trails. And there was always a concern that the careless camper would inadvertently start a wild fire in the dry chaparral and grasses, or pollute the free-flowing streams that ran down the mountain slopes.

Mount Tamalpais is located in Marin County, California, just north of San Francisco. The Tamalpais Conservation Club's primary purpose is to protect the natural features of the mountain, and its slopes and spurs. The club is known as the Guardian of the Mountain in recognition of its activities to preserve the wild and scenic character of Mount Tamalpais. The club supports retention of these lands as a public park and nature preserve, and aids in the acquisition of open space.

Back in 1912, the year the club was founded, the world was changing rapidly. Horse-drawn carriages were being replaced by automobiles. The population of Marin County was growing rapidly as a result of the San Francisco earthquake and fire six years earlier. The Mt. Tamalpais & Muir Woods Railway took increasing numbers of people on excursions to the mountain's summit. The first Mountain Play was being rehearsed. It was in this setting that the first meeting of the Club took place.
Since all lands on Mount Tamalpais were privately owned, many hikers became concerned that landowners would deny them access to the trails that crossed their farm lands, unless the conflicts were resolved. In 1912, a group of hikers representing various Bay Area hiking clubs got together to solve the problem. As a result, the Tamalpais Conservation Club (TCC) was formed, and all hikers were invited to be members. The new club was an immediate success. In its first year of existence, 1300 enthusiastic members joined, including Alice Eastwood, Ernest J. Mott, and Gifford Pinchot.
The TCC board of directors was comprised of representatives from other hiking clubs, and thus became an effective coordinating force that worked toward the preservation of Mount Tamalpais as a hiking and recreation area. the members considered themselves to be "The Guardians of the Mountain." The TCC published a newsletter, California Out of Doors (now called the Tamalpais Guardian), which reminded members to keep the mountain free of trash and fire, and to respect private property, and which gave updates on upcoming activities of the TCC and other hiking groups.
At that time, the TCC assumed responsibility for building and maintaining the many trails, campsites bridges, springs, and trail signs, with regularly scheduled trail maintenance days. They even hired a full-time trail maintenance man, and built a cabin for him at Bootjack Camp.

In the late 1920s, residential developers began building on the southerly slopes of Mt. Tamalpais. The TCC successfully thwarted this threat by starting a campaign that led to the creation of Mount Tamalpais State Park in 1930. The state park, however, controlled only a small portion of the mountain. The, shortly after World War II, developers made another assault on the mountain. An influx of people resulted in new homes being built along streets that were being carved up the slopes. Again in 1957, the club, along with other organizations, rose to the challenge by helping secure funds for purchasing land that resulted in the park much as we know it today.

Through the years, four regulatory agencies were created to protect open space on and surrounding Mt. Tamalpais. With foresight, the Marin Headlands came under the jurisdiction of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The Marin County Open Space District acquired lands surrounding Mt. Tamalpais for public use. In addition, the Marin Municipal Water District, which controls a larger portion of the mountain than the state park, established guidelines for land use, while keeping in mind its primary goal of providing safe drinking water. And finally, Mount Tamalpais State Park greatly expanded its responsibility for the affairs of the mountain, including trail maintenance. Each agency has rangers who patrol, administer, and maintain their respective lands.
The club works closely with the four regulatory agencies, helping purchase open space, developing wise use policies for the land, and reviewing and responding to requests for land use changes. Some examples have been the recent purchase of 42 acres of Warner Ridge, removal of the Air Force buildings from West Peak, persuading agencies not to build additional facilities or parking lots, and promoting the reduction of the number of antennas on West Peak.
The TCC still promotes better trail maintenance, trail signing, and cleanup through regularly scheduled trail days each month. The club also supports efforts for better control of invasive exotic plants such as broom, pampas grass, eucalyptus, and ivy. The TCC is a strong supporter of recreation, including hiking, biking and equestrian use on the mountain provided these activities are practiced in an environmentally sound and socially responsible manner. However, the TCC adamantly opposes the use of mechanized vehicles, specifically bicycles and other recently introduced wheeled modes of recreation, on all hiking trails and foot paths. The TCC initiated and is one of the sponsors of Youth Day, which promotes environmental education and actual trail work on the mountain by high school students. Today, with the Bay Area's increasing population, Mount Tamalpais needs its guardian more than ever.