News Archive 2006
A chronological listing of information added to this site.
[Where What's New
items go when they're no longer new.]
Benefit for Friends of the Gualala River
new 12/3/06
For the fourth year, the Iseum of Mary/Isis invites the community to join in a Winter Solstice Celebration on Friday, December 22 at 7:00 p.m. as a benefit for Friends of the Gualala River.
Expand Gualala Point Park
new 11/5/06
The choices we make now and the actions we take will determine what
type of river our grandchildren and their grandchildren will inherit.
Stream & Wetlands Protection Meetings
new 11/5/06
Public workshops and CEQA scoping meetings on the proposed North Coast Stream & Wetlands Protection Policy:
- November 27 in Eureka
- November 28 in Yreka
- November 30 in Santa Rosa
Annapolis Area Timberland Conversion Project
new 10/27/06
An Environmental Impact Report is being prepared for
the proposed Roessler & Martin vineyard conversions in the Annapolis area.
Written comments are due October 31 by 4pm.
new 10/7/06
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Annapolis Area Timberland Conversion Project EIR Scoping Meeting Thursday, October 19, 6:00 p.m. Multipurpose Room, Horicon School 35555 Annapolis Road Annapolis, CA 95412 |
The proposed Roessler & Martin vineyard conversions (aka "Annapolis Area Timberland Conversion Project") may have a significant effect on the environment, and are therefore required by law to prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The CA Department of Forestry is holding a meeting in Annapolis to hear from the public on which issues should be included in the scope of the report.
new 10/2/06
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Success Stories of the Open Space District Saturday, October 7, 3:00 p.m. Del Mar Center The Sea Ranch, CA 95497 |
Andrea Mackenzie, Executive Director of the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, will discuss "Success Stories of the Open Space District" at The Sea Ranch Forum on Saturday, October 7, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Manchester School receives FoGR grant
new 10/2/06
Friends of the Gualala River awarded Manchester School its first grant to help develop
a system of nature paths and outdoor classrooms on the school campus.
The nature trail is a significant component
of the playground and community park being built on the school property.
FoGR award at Environmental Art exhibit
new 10/2/06
Friends of the Gualala River (FoGR) sponsored an
award at the Environmental Art exhibit at the Gualala Arts Center
in September 2006.
Congratulations to local artist Jane Reichhold for her award-winning piece,
"It Pays to Pick Up Litter."
Commercial harvest of old-growth redwood logs,
new 9/17/06
a vital component of our watershed's old-growth forest legacy, also occurs in the Gualala River watershed.
FoGR is concerned about the cumulative effects of losing these irreplaceable forest floor structures that provide essential habitat to declining amphibian and invertebrate species that depend on them for part of their life-cycles.
Gualala River Park - Historical Proposals
new 8/30/06
In 1955, the Sonoma County Planning Commission proposed a major park along the Gualala River
mainstem and South Fork. In 1999, the Sonoma County Local Coastal Plan included a proposal
to construct and operate a
loop trail paralleling the Gualala River.
FoGR award at Art in the Redwoods
new 8/30/06
Congratulations to artist Marylou Schingler for her award-winning oil painting,
"Lyell Fork - Late Summer."
County can regulate location of conversions
new 7/18/06
FoGR urges Sonoma Supervisors to reconsider the County's general plan
amendments regarding forestland conversion to vineyards, in view of the recent landmark
decision by the California Supreme Court.
Fireworks over the Gualala River lagoon?
new 7/7/06
FoGR questions lack of permits for the commercial fireworks display over the
coastal lagoon at the mouth of the Gualala River.
Supreme Court upholds county logging rules
new 6/30/06
How logging is done falls under state law, according to the state
Supreme Court ruling; where it's done is up to the locals.
Willows hold their ground blog 6/13/06
"The new channel and bar alignment at Valley Crossing has shifted the
main channel into the willow grove planted by Matrix of Change..."
Court upholds jurisdiction over Water Co. wells
new 6/4/06
Appeals Court rules that the State Water Resources Control Board has jurisdiction over the subterranean water flows under Elk Prairie, where the North Gualala Water Comapny's wells are located.
Gualala River Steelhead Studies
new 6/4/06
Retired fish and wildlife biologist begins publishing reports of his
systematic studies of steelhead - a State and Federally-listed threatened species -
in the Gualala River watershed.
FoGR Environmental Art award
new 5/15/06
Point Arena High School wins FoGR sponsored art award at
Gualala Arts Center exhibit in May 2006.
FoGR Environmental Art award
new 4/30/06
Horicon Elementary School wins FoGR sponsored art award
for their stunning mural entitled "Fish and Their Habitat."
New vineyards + herbicide spray blog 3/20/06
"All the big new vineyards on
Annapolis Road have recently been sprayed with herbicides...
The old Annapolis vineyard and new olive plantations are managed for weeds
by non-chemical means..."
Changes at Valley Crossing blog 3/17/06
"...the big gravel bar at the confluence of the south fork has split into two channels...
The willows planted by Matrix of Change have weathered the floods well..."
Harbor seals at the river mouth blog 3/17/06
"...nine small harbor seals were hauled out on the back of the spit, near the edge of the muddy freshwater outflow of the Gualala River..."
Muddy river meets blue ocean blog 3/16/06
"New rains have recently joined the Gualala River taking with them all sorts of dirt and debris. As the river flows into the ocean you can vividly see how it is not an instant union."
North Fork after winter storms blog 3/8/06
"At the convergence of the North Fork and Little North Fork, the haul road is cutting away into the river due to the high flow from winter storms."
Mud Season blog 3/7/06
"Old-timers say that Annapolis has two seasons... dust and mud. Well, with several days of non-stop heavy rain, I have to say we are definitely still in the mud season."
Disregard for environmental regulations new 3/4/06
Local Mendocino newspaper (AVA) editorial account of a vineyard conversion
in 1991, "William Hill: Scofflaw."
An early precedent of William Hill, currently proponent of the
Preservation Ranch vineyard conversion project in the Gualala River watershed.
FoGR BLoG new 3/1/06
Friends of the Gualala River's web log of river sightings and commentary on
the Gualala River watershed. Send in your photos & observations!
Latest post: Jeanne Gadol's
"Storm on Gualala Point Beach."
Sustaining the Unsustainable in the Pomo Nations /
Russian River Cultural Ecoregion, 85,000 B.P. - 2500 A.D.
The Sea Ranch Forum
Saturday, March 4, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Del Mar Center Hall
Norm Hetland, Geographer from UC Berkeley and Vail Colorado, will show slides and hold forth on what he has been finding out about sustainability practices of the Pomo Indians - and/or their predecessors.
Gualala River Bulletin - February 2006 new 2/23/06
A short summary of news from Friends of the Gualala River. To receive our bulletins (monthly or quarterly or...), sign up for our mailing list.
new 2/21/06
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Our Watershed in Motion - a Geologist's Perspective Thursday, March 30, 7:00 p.m. Gualala Community Center 47950 Center Street, Gualala, CA 95445 |
Mike Lane, Ph.D., sorts out the geological jumble that underlies our unique Gualala River Watershed, explains where it came from, where it is going, and why it looks the way it does. As we approach the 100th anniversary of the San Francisco Earthquake, we will take a special close up look at the San Andreas Fault, courtesy of recent NASA laser photography.
Quick facts about bottled water versus
cleaning up the drinking water supply new 2/21/06
Members of the United Nations estimate that if the world took half of what it currently spends on bottled water and invested it in water infrastructure and treatment, everyone in the world could have access to clean drinking water.
FoGR BLoG new 2/18/06
Friends of the Gualala River's web log
of river sightings and commentary on
the Gualala River watershed.
Send in your photos & observations!
Reactive regulation or affirmative land use planning? new 2/18/06
Vineyard Conversions and the Fate of Coastal California Forestlands:
The rising popularity and prestige of Pinot Noir wine is causing unprecedented
and rapid changes of land use in Sonoma and Mendocino Counties.
Sonoma County General Plan Update
revised 2/18/06
Friends of the Gualala River supports the strongest possible protection for
Sonoma County's remaining forests. The current proposed ordinance is not
adequate.
Court upholds denial of floodplain logging plan new 2/17/06
The Superior Court of Mendocino County upholds the California Board of Forestry's denial of a timber harvest plan in the floodplain of the Gualala River because it was likely to cause harm to endangered coho salmon.
Protect the Forest new 2/12/06
Letter to the editor of the ICO, by a an owner of the
Annapolis Winery, supporting forest protection and asserting that "Zoning must be clarified to create a clear definition what land is appropriate for forestland and what land is appropriate for agriculture."
Leaving something behind is not
a mitigation for environmental harm new 2/5/06
Letter from an attorney representing FoGR to Sonoma County Supervisors
exposes flaws in proposed timberland conversion ordinance.
"To call this 'mitigation' is tantamount to saying that a developer can mitigate the destruction of a natural resource by not having plans to destroy all of it."
Chainsaw Wine new 2/5/06
Letter to the New York Times in response to a January, 2006 article in their Dining section,
"Making Wine in a Hostile Climate on Sonoma's Coast."
Timber regulations go to Sonoma Supes new 2/5/06
"Sonoma County has moved closer to regulating conversion of timberland to vineyards..."
- An article from the January 27, 2006 issue of the Independent Coast Observer.
See additional
articles on timberland conversion from the ICO and other publications.
Artesa vineyard conversion plan in limbo updated 2/5/06
The Department of Forestry told Artesa to prepare an environmental impact report
for their proposal to convert more than 160 acres of forest to vineyard near Annapolis
almost two years ago. The EIR is still nowhere in sight.
Gualala River receives national attention new 1/24/06
An AP article, "Environmentalists Fight Vineyards' Spread,"
published in the Washington Post, LA Times and dozens of other newspapers in January, 2006,
focuses attention on the destruction of forestland to plant vineyards in the
Gualala River watershed.
Letter to the Sonoma Planning Commission new 1/10/06
Sonoma County is considering an ordinance to protect the remaining timberlands and watersheds of Sonoma County from conversion. Unfortunately the proposed ordinance totally misess
the mark of this intent.
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Older news items, see: News Archive 2008 News Archive 2007 News Archive 2006 [this page] News Archive 2005 News Archive 2004 News Archive 2003 |
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