News Archive 2009
A chronological listing of information added to this site.
[Where What's New
items go when they're no longer new.]
11/27/09 new
Logging old growth redwoods?
The Bower NTMP plans to cut down the last remaining stand of old growth redwoods in the northern part of the Gualala River watershed. Deadline for public comments: Wednesday, December 16.
11/19/09 new
Lawsuit Imminent Over Water Diversions
The Center for Biological Diversity, Northern California River Watch and Coast Action Group intend to sue the State Water Resources Control Board for authorizing water diversions that harm federally protected salmon and steelhead trout in the Russian River and Gualala River watersheds.
10/12/09 new
Foundation Grant Boosts Fundraising Effort
Friends of the Gualala River has embarked on a drive to raise$35,000 to engage scientific and legal experts in its efforts topreserve the quantity and quality of water in the Gualala River. Thefund-raising received a welcome boost with the award of a $5,000grant from the Rose Foundation.
10/7/09 new - Extended movie trailer
Rivers of a Lost Coast
Rivers of a Lost Coast is a new documentary that looks at our relationship to nature through the eyes of the most fabled angling community in American history.
This surprisingly touching film was recently labeled a must see by the San Francisco Chronicle and Seattle Times. Narrated by Tom Skerritt.
10/7/09 new
North Coast Stream Flow Campaign
The Gualala River, once famous for steelhead and coho salmon fishing, is now choked with sediment from logging and depleted of flow by expanding wineries.
update 10/7/09
"Preservation" Ranch - letter from NMFS
A comment letter from the National Marine Fisheries Service
on potential impacts of the so-called "Preservation" Ranch project
on endangered salmon and threatened steelhead.
10/1/09 new
"Preservation" Ranch?
A radio interview with
Chris Poehlmann & Peter Baye
on Fred Adlers' "Coastal Interviews"
The Tide, KTDE 100.5 FM, Gualala
Sunday, October 4 at 9:30 a.m.
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9/19/09 new
"Climbing Redwood Giants"
National Geographic EXPLORER
Tuesday, September 29 at 10:00 p.m.
on the National Geographic Channel
9/12/09 new
Mega-vineyard begins quest for permits
"Preservation Ranch" is the largest conversion of coastal forestland to vineyards ever proposed in California. If approved, it would transform the rugged and remote landscape of northwestern Sonoma County.
8/23/09 update
Wave energy project off the Gualala coast?
The Sonoma County Water Agency will hold a public meeting inGualala to discuss the Sonoma Coast Hydrokinetic Energy Projectand to receive public input on Wednesday, September 9, 2009,
6:00 p.m. at the Gualala Community Center.
8/23/09 new
"California should ban clear-cutting"
If California is serious about reducing its greenhouse emissions, it must address the carbon dioxide emissions resulting from clear-cutting our forests.
- Center for Biological Diversity
new 8/11/09
Eliza Gilkyson
with Nina Gerber
Friday, September 18, 2009 at 8:00 p.m.
Arena Theater, Point Arena, CA
a benefit for Friends of the Gualala River
Eliza Gilkyson with Nina Gerber
will perform at the Arena Theater on Friday, September 18 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $20. The event will benefit Friends of the Gualala River.
"Gilkyson's signature as an artist is her courage. She lays it all bare, in song and on stage."
new 8/11/09
Community Benefit for
Friends of the Gualala River
Saturday, August 22, 2009
1:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Annapolis Winery, Annapolis, CA
Celebrate summer,
savor the beauty of Annapolis Winery's handcrafted wines and
contribute to the efforts of Friends of the Gualala River -
"protecting the Gualala River watershed and the species living within it."
update 8/8/09
Artesa ("Fairfax") vineyard conversion EIR
Many comment letters on inadequacies of the Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR), submitted by:
the Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Gualala River, Redwood Chapter Sierra Club,
biologists Peter Baye and Pat Higgins, foresters Tom Gaman and Dave Hope, hydrologist Greg Kamman, environmental planner Richard Grassetti and archaeologists Miley Holman and Peter Schmidt.
new 7/20/09
Multinational Targets the Gualala River
What if the third largest winery in the world, based in Spain, chose the recovering Gualala River watershed for a large vineyard project?
update 7/20/09
Unauthorized diversion by N. Gualala Water Co.
Settlement Agreement: Water Company will pay a fine of $11,600, avoid making new service connections until it has submitted a revised water supply contingency plan and a revised streamflow measurement plan, and petition for change in the existing bypass term or apply for additional water appropriation.
new 7/20/09
Luxury wine sales decline
Sales of luxury wines are declining, according to reports from
the Wall Street Journal and Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
new 6/29/09
The Gualala River needs YOUR help
Join our effort to protect the Gualala River and its wildlife by making a generous donation to Friends of the Gualala River.
Our watershed is facing imminent threats from several large-scale developments. We have assembled a scientific and legal team that is ready to do what is needed to protect the river and watershed, but we can only set our plan in action with your immediate support.
new 6/17/09
Rivers of a Lost Coast
A Documentary narrated by Tom Skerritt
Monday, July 13
Arena Theater
More information . . .
update 5/31/09
Artesa ("Fairfax") vineyard conversion EIR
The Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) claims that the proposed destruction of 171 acres of forest to plant a vineyard will have no significant environmental impacts.
Public hearing: June 27, 2009.
Deadline for public comments: July 28, 2009.
update 5/22/09
"Preservation" Ranch scoping issues
To aid public review of the "Preservation" Ranch project proposal,
Friends of the Gualala River (FoGR) has prepared an
introduction to scoping issues
and is adding letters on scoping as we receive them.
Deadline for comments: May 25, 2009.
update 5/22/09
Unauthorized diversion by N. Gualala Water Co.
NGWC has pumped water from its wells near the Gualala River
during low flow periods in violation of its permit for many years,
which could reduce critical habitat for threatened coho and steelhead,
according to the State Water Resources Control Board.
Hearing scheduled for May 27, 2009 has been postponed.
new 5/21/09
April showers bring May flows
The low flow winter drought conditions that prevailed on the Gualala River were erased by late April rainfalls that scoured the gravel beds and flooded bars and floodplains.
new 5/21/09
"Vineyard development is a real threat"
to recovery of Gualala steelhead, according to Craig Bell, and is "the last thing I'd want in my watershed." He argued that vineyard threats are cumulative impacts, not due to single vineyards in isolation, but the aggregate effect of many of them in the same watershed.
new 5/5/09
Garcia River Restoration
Garcia River Watershed Coordinator Craig Bell will give a talk on Garcia River restoration efforts on Monday, May 18, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. at the Gualala Arts Center.
new 4/23/09
Wave energy project off the Gualala coast?
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
has accepted applications by the Sonoma County Water Agency
for investigation of wave energy projects off the Sonoma Coast,
including one offshore of Gualala and the Sea Ranch.
Deadline for comments: June 2, 2009.
new 4/20/09
"Preservation" Ranch scoping issues
To aid public review of the "Preservation" Ranch project proposal,
Friends of the Gualala River (FoGR) has prepared an
introduction to scoping issues,
including excerpted highlights of important items in the Initial Study plus our own critical questions. Deadline for comments: May 25, 2009.
update 4/6/09
Gualala River Steelhead Studies
"By late August 2008, JSH [juvenile steelhead] densities had declined dramatically... a likely result of widespread dewatering, related elevated water temperatures, and lack of stream connectivity needed for JSH to escape lethal conditions and move to cool-water refugia."
- 2008 GRSS Annual Report Summary
new 3/31/09
update 4/6/09
"Preservation" Ranch
EIR Scoping meetings
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
4:00 - 6:00 p.m.
PRMD Hearing Room
2550 Ventura Avenue, Santa Rosa
Saturday, May 2, 2009*
1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Horicon Elementary School
35555 Annapolis Road, Annapolis
The so-called
"Preservation" Ranch
is a 19,300 acre development in
the heart of the Gualala River watershed. Premier Pacific Vineyards
plans to destroy and fragment coastal redwood forest to plant grapes
on the ridgetops - and call that "preservation."
Sonoma County will prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to assess the project's potential to result in adverse impacts and to consider feasible mitigations and alternatives. The County will hold two scoping meetings for the public to express their views regarding the scope of the environmental issues to be addressed in the EIR.
*Annapolis scoping meeting has been re-scheduled to May 2.
Protecting steelhead & coho:
new Gualala gravel mining permit
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
7:00 p.m.
Gualala Community Center
47950 Center St., Gualala
John McKeon, staff fish biologist with National Marine FisheriesService, will discuss how steelhead and coho conservation occurs throughthe federal permit process - including its limitations and assumptions -
using the
Gualala River instream gravel mining permit
as a recent example.
new 3/9/09
Unauthorized diversion by N. Gualala Water Co.
NGWC has pumped water from its wells near the Gualala River
during low flow periods in violation of its permit for many years,
which could reduce critical habitat for threatened coho and steelhead,
according to the State Water Resources Control Board.
Hearing scheduled for May 27, 2009.
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