What's New?

A chronological listing of new information added to this site.

Protecting streamflow: Is it still possible new 4/27/08
to preserve the flows that salmonids need?
Thursday, May 15, 2008, 7:00 p.m.
Gualala Community Center
47950 Center St., Gualala

Friends of the Gualala River presents a public program featuring Matthew Deitch, Ph.D. from the Center for Ecosystem Management and Restoration.

"If the steelhead and coho that were once abundant in coastal California are to have any chance of recovering in the 21st Century, agencies and stakeholders alike need to re-think how we evaluate water use . . ." Read more →

Gravel Mining in the Gualala River updated 4/27/08
Sonoma County Supervisors have postponed a hearing on a new permit; the lead federal agency has already denied the permit application. Gravel mining proceeded in 2005 and 2006 without county or federal permits.

Exploring the changing banks, beds and bars new 4/15/08
of the Gualala River Lagoon
Friday, April 18, 2008, 6:30 p.m.
Gualala Community Center

The Gualala River has a distinctive, intermittent type of estuary with an unstable but self-repairing natural dam - the barrier beach at Gualala Point.

Learn more about the habitats and vegetation formed by the interplay of the barrier beach and river with Dr. Peter Baye, who specializes in the flora and ecology of coastal plant communities, particularly sand dunes, beaches, and tidal marshes.

This program is co-sponsored by Friends of the Gualala River and the California Native Plant Society. Refreshments will be served, and admission is free.

Retaining wall: Coastal Commission hearing updated 4/15/08
The Coastal Commission will schedule a de novo hearing on the proposed retaining wall project at a date to be announced later.

Cease and desist fireworks! updated 4/15/08
The Bureau of Land Management released a report on seabird and marine mammal monitoring at Gualala Point Island. The species most affected by the fireworks was Brandt's cormorants. The Coastal Commission intends to issue a cease and desist order.

Gravel Mining in the Gualala River updated 4/15/08
Gravel mining proceeded in 2005 and 2006 without county or federal permits. Sonoma County Supervisors will consider a permit on May 13; the lead federal agency has already denied the permit application.

Retaining wall above the estuary? updated 3/29/08
Destroying coastal bluff, native vegetation and the Gualala Bluff Trail for a project that hasn't even been reviewed makes no sense, and violates California law. The Coastal Commission will review the proposed project on April 11.

Advice puts Eel River diversion plan on shelf Wild & Scenic Gualala River, estuary new 3/29/08
A recently revived proposal to divert water from a protected portion of the Eel River near Dos Rios has been quietly shelved following a negative legal opinion.

Natural history presentation at Horicon School new 2/19/08
Friends of the Gualala River presented a natural history digital slide show of the Gualala River and its watershed, wildlife, and vegetation, to the kindergarten through fourth grade classes of Horicon School in Annapolis.

Vineyard conversions in Annapolis new 1/18/08
A Revised Notice of Preparation: Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Annapolis Area Timberland Conversions Project states that the Martin project has been revised to include a 1.5 acre irrigation reservoir.

Downed old-growth redwood logs new 12/20/07
Also known as buckskins, downed old-growth redwood logs provide highly important habitat structures for terrestrial and aquatic wildlife.

bluff above Gualala River estuary / lagoon, with location of proposed retaining wall Retaining wall above the estuary? new 11/10/07
A proposed 285 foot long concrete block retaining wall above the scenic Gualala River estuary is unnecessary and would be a visual eyesore. Less harmful alternatives should be considered.

Gravel Mining in the Gualala River new 11/1/07
Friends of the Gualala River is not opposed to well-regulated gravel mining. However, Sonoma County must prepare a rigorous Environmental Impact Report, one that enacts state-of-the-science mitigation and monitoring. - Letter to the editor.

Gravel Mining in the Gualala River update 10/24/07
In October, 2007, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors postponed a decision on a permit for gravel mining in the Gualala River. Gravel mining proceeded in 2005 and 2006 without County or federal permits.

Cormorant nests abandoned after fireworks new 10/24/07
The Bureau of Land Management released a preliminary report on seabird and marine mammal monitoring at Gualala Point Island. The species most affected by the fireworks was Brandt's cormorants. Ten nests, representing 11 percent of those on the island, were abandoned.

Appraising the value of park & open space land new 10/24/07
California taxpayers may be getting fleeced by an unreliable system to appraise sales price for park and open space land.

Aerial Photo Tour of the Gualala River new 10/22/07
Over 1,100 aerial photos taken by Ken Adelman and Jamie Hall in October, 2007 from a helicopter flying at an altitude of ~500 feet, with an interactive Google Earth interface.

Diverting water from a Wild & Scenic River? Wild & Scenic Gualala River, estuary new 10/12/07
Mendocino County studies a plan to divert water from the Wild & Scenic Eel River. If they succeed, the Wild & Scenic Gualala River would also be threatened.

Harvesting old growth redwood logs logging in Annapolis new 9/28/07
Manufacture of expensive old-growth redwood furniture and other forest products in the marketing guise of forest "restoration" in Annapolis.

Logging above the town of Gualala new 9/28/07
The Robinson Terrace logging plan covers 74 acres, half of which are to be clear-cut, directly above the town of Gualala, in an area zoned Gualala Planned Development. The plan was approved September 28, 2007.

Protecting Sonoma County's riparian corridors new 9/28/07
Letter from the Sonoma County Water Coalition (of which FoGR is a member) on protection for riparian corridors in the Sonoma County General Plan Update.

2007 Friends of the Gualala River flyer
The Gualala River needs YOUR help new 9/20/07
Please donate generously to protect the quality of our water and ensure the continued existence of healthy redwood forests, wildlife and salmon.

Fluctuating water levels? 8/19/07 Wheatfield Fork Gualala River below Clark's Crossing, view upstream to Annapolis Rd Bridge. new 9/19/07
This summer (2007), water levels in the Gualala River adjacent to "vineyard alley" in Annapolis have been fluctuating up and down dramatically, killing young steelhead.

Gravel Mining in the Gualala River update 9/11/07
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on a permit for gravel mining in the Gualala River on October 23, 2007. Gravel mining proceeded in 2005 and 2006 without County or federal permits.

Gualala Redwoods seeks development partner new 8/28/07
Gualala Redwoods, Inc. is seeking a joint venture development partner for its 58 acre "Gualala Village" tract.

'The Yellow Hat' by Bruce Jones FoGR award at Art in the Redwoods new 8/28/07
Congratulations to local artist Bruce Jones for his watercolor painting, "The Yellow Hat," which was chosen for the sixth annual Environmental Award presented by Friends of the Gualala River.

Planting forests is better for climate than biofuels new 8/25/07
Reforestation and habitat protection will do more to mitigate climate change than using biofuels, say two British researchers in the AAAS publication Science (August 2007).

Gravel Mining in the Gualala River new 8/16/07
The Sonoma County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on a permit for gravel mining in the Gualala River on September 6, 2007. Gravel mining proceeded in 2005 and 2006 without County or federal permits.

CalPERS vineyard venture attacked new 8/6/07
A $100 million investment in vineyards by the California Public Employees' Retirement System is sour grapes to environmentalists, who claim the project violates the pension plan's own campaign against global warming. - August 5, 2007, Sacramento Bee

Robinson Terrace Timber Harvest Plan Logging above the town of Gualala? new 7/8/07
The Robinson Terrace logging plan covers 74 acres, half of which are to be clear-cut, directly above the town of Gualala, in an area zoned Gualala Planned Development. The Gualala Town Plan calls for extensive public participation in the development process.

CCC requires permit for Gualala fireworks new 6/15/07
To protect nearby seabird roosts and rookeries from disturbance, among other reasons, the California Coastal Commission requires a permit for fireworks over the mouth of the Gualala River. There is not enough time to complete the permit process this year (2007).

Field Trip: Gualala River lagoon
Saturday, June 9, 2007, 10:00 a.m. new 6/6/07
A field trip to the beach, dunes, lagoon and wetlands of the Gualala River mouth. Dr. Peter Baye, coastal plant ecologist, will show the difference between typical tidal estuaries and the cycles of coastal stream mouth lagoon formation behind barrier beaches like Gualala Point, and how the vegetation, plant species, and wetland/aquatic habitats adapt to lagoon cycles.

Meet at the parking lot closest to the beach at Gualala Point Regional Park (west of Highway 1), near the visitor's kiosk.

Sponsored by the California Native Plant Society - Dorothy King Young Chapter and Friends of the Gualala River.

Gualala River Steelhead Studies new 5/13/07
A robust spawning return for 2007 shows that the steelhead population is still quite resilient... [but] solutions to the river's habitat problems must begin soon or population viability will eventually be compromised, possibly sending steelhead down the same path as the river's coho salmon.

"Worse than a Clearcut" new 5/8/07
The Redwood Chapter of the Sierra Club has just released a short video designed to educate the public and decision-makers about the proposed Preservation Ranch vineyard development project.

Archived news...