For several years, developer Russell Shaw has been trying to build about 26 luxury homes on Oxford Valley in San Rafael, a fragile watershed that contains Miwok archeological sites. He recently withdrew his initial plan and submitted a single home construction plan for the site that many in the neighborhood viewed as an attempt at skirting California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requirements.

On February 23, the Marin Community Development Agency sent a notice to Shaw that his plan to build one house on the valley required environmental review. This was a temporary victory for activists trying to protect the land. Shaw had driven a bulldozer around the property a few weeks ago and continues to park it at the entry to the site. In Friday's Marin Independent Journal, Shaw published a giant ad warning that property rights were being threatened by Marin's proposed countywide plan for creek setbacks. Two seasonal creeks run through Oxford Valley that convey water to nearby Gallinas Creek, a known habitat for endangered species. Video