News Archive 2007

A chronological listing of information added to this site.
[Where What's New items go when they're no longer new.]

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.

Court rules EIR required for vineyard conversion new 5/3/07
In Sierra Club and Friends of the Gualala River v. CA. Dept. of Forestry, the appellate court rules that "...there is substantial evidence to support a fair argument that the timberland conversion project may have a significant effect on the environment, thus requiring the preparation of an EIR [Environmental Impact Report]."

Fireworks over the Gualala River lagoon? new 5/3/07
The 2006 fireworks caused significant disturbance of seabird and other waterbird roosts and rookeries. We advocate re-location of the event to any appropriate alternative site that is less environmentally sensitive.

Coastal Ridges: Robinson Creek THP new 4/25/07
Several new letters regarding proposed logging on the badly cut-over Longview Tract, and the Department of Forestry's dificulties in following California's environmental laws.

Older news items, see:
News Archive 2008
News Archive 2007 [this page]
News Archive 2006
News Archive 2005
News Archive 2004
News Archive 2003