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About Friends of Gualala River

Mission

Friends of Gualala River (FoGR) is an independent non-profit, grassroots watershed protection organization formed to share common concerns and research regarding the welfare of the Gualala River, its estuary and habitat. FoGR’s goal is to protect the Gualala River watershed and the species living within it.

Friends of Gualala River needs your support, as members and volunteers. Our Join page can help you get started.

Wild & scenic Gualala River
Wild & scenic Gualala River

Location

The Gualala River enters the Pacific Ocean approximately 110 miles north of San Francisco, marking the border of Mendocino and Sonoma Counties. Just past the mouth of the river lies the town of Gualala, a three-hour drive from San Francisco over narrow, twisting roads and stunning ocean and mountain views. Tourism and logging are the primary local industries.

Gualala River watershed map

FoGR Officers

Nathan Ramser, President
Ethan Arutunian, Vice President
Jeanne Jackson, Secretary/Treasurer

Presidents Emeriti:

2018 – 2022  Charles Ivor
2010 – 2017  Chris Poehlmann
2005 – 2010  John Holland
2004 – 2005  Ursula Jones
1992 – 2004  Tom Cochrane

Contact Us

For more information about FoGR and its current activities, please send email to info@gualalariver.org.

You may also send US mail, including donations, to:

Friends of Gualala River
P.O. Box 1543
Gualala, CA 95445

Donate

Friends of Gualala River is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization recognized by the IRS (EIN# 83-4233346). Your donation may qualify as a charitable deduction for federal income tax purposes. Consult with your tax advisor or IRS to determine whether a contribution is deductible.

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 – or –
Send a check to:
Friends of Gualala River
P.O. Box 1543
Gualala, CA 95445

Mailing list

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Privacy notice:

Friends of Gualala River will not share your name or email address with any other organization.

Photos

Archives

History

Friends of Gualala River (FoGR) was formed in 1992 by a group of local residents in response to timber harvesting near a popular, heavily wooded campground on the north bank of the river. From the time the group was formed until 2019, FoGR was affiliated with the Redwood Coast Watersheds Alliance (RCWA), a California non-profit, public benefit corporation, which acts as an umbrella organization for community watershed protection associations in Mendocino County.

The group was reinvigorated in 2002 by public outrage over the proposed waterbag scheme. Tom Cochrane’s article in the Independent Coast Observer“Public urged to help save river”, announced FoGR’s renewed energy as an advocate for the defense of the watershed. Ursula Jones was one of the first to begin organizing to respond to the waterbag threat to the Gualala & Albion rivers and communities.

In 2019, FoGR  applied for, and received, recognition from the IRS as an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

What’s the difference between FoGR & GRWC?

People sometimes confuse Friends of Gualala River (FoGR) and Gualala River Watershed Council (GRWC) –two very different organizations. Who do you support?

Acknowledgements

Independent Coast Observer mastheadICO Press Articles are provided courtesy of the Independent Coast Observer, Gualala, CA.