Press

by Alastair Bland, Nation Public Radio’s “The Salt,” November 18, 2019 [excerpt:] After California wine industry mogul Hugh Reimers illegally destroyed at least 140 acres of forest, meadow and stream in part to make way for new vineyards sometime last winter, according to a report from state investigators, state officials ordered the Krasilsa Pacific Farms manager to repair and mitigate …

by Mary Callahan, The Press Democrat, November 4, 2019 [excerpt:] A 112-acre swath of land just inside the mouth of the Gualala River, including 13 acres of river frontage adjacent to Gualala Point Regional Park, is on its way to permanent preservation for public recreation and habitat conservation. Long sought by the community to improve public access to the river …

by W. W. Keller August 9, 2019 © copyright 2019, Independent Coast Observer, Gualala, CA reprinted with permission In a letter dated July 31, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection or CalFire approved the third controversial Dogwood timber harvest plan stating, “You may begin timber operations proposed in the plan.” But while the letter says that property owner …

by Tempra Board Soundings, Summer, 2019 © copyright 2019, The Sea Ranch Association reprinted with permission Friends of Gualala River (FoGR) has been in the news lately for its efforts to compel state agencies to protect sensitive Gualala River watershed habitat from the latest in a series of Timber Harvest Plans (THPs) proposed by the Gualala Redwood Timber (GRT) company. Get …

and 3,000 signatures oppose third Dogwood logging plan by W. W. Keller news@mendonoma.com May 31, 2019 © copyright 2019, Independent Coast Observer, Gualala, CA reprinted with permission The Gualala River Park Coalition, a grassroots environmental organization, has collected more than 1,100 signatures from people who would rather turn the Gualala River floodplain into a public park than see its redwoods …

by Mary Callahan, The Press Democrat, April 25, 2019 [excerpt:] Provoked by a new round of scrutiny over hard-fought plans to harvest timber in the Gualala River floodplain, a contingent of North Coast residents has launched a petition drive to use the land for expansion of a public park instead. It’s the stuff of fantasy for the moment, given the …

Letter to the Editor, published in the Independent Coast Observer December 21, 2018 I have always regarded California as being in the forefront of environmental awareness and protection. However, after moving to Gualala 5 years ago and seeing the repeated attempts at logging in the floodplain of the Gualala River, I have been saddened by this disregard for the health …

Letter to the Editor, published in the Independent Coast Observer December 7, 2018 We would like to add our voices to those who are calling for the expansion of the regional park into the Magic Forest along the Gualala floodplain. There are so many reasons why this visionary plan would create the greatest good for the greatest number. From an …

Letter to the Editor, published in the Independent Coast Observer November 30, 2018 The Gualala River needs our help. The other rivers in Mendocino and Sonoma Counties have their floodplains — and much more — protected. But our Gualala River’s floodplain still could be logged by the Burch family that owns it. Indeed, they have tried twice to log it …

A sonnet, included in a letter to the Editor, published in the Independent Coast Observer November 30, 2018 And were you there two hundred years ago, small green island set in wide mouth of our Gualala River that now is shallow and slow? “No,” answer those slim young redwoods that tower above its banks. “This river then was mighty, a …

Letter to the Editor, published in the Independent Coast Observer November 16, 2018 With the exciting news of the Mill Bend property in escrow to a conservation buyer, we see a golden opportunity to further protect the Gualala River for the benefit of everyone. The vast stretch of flat land along the south side of the river, from Gualala Point …

Listen to hydrologist Greg Kamman, who was interviewed by Hope McKenney on KZYX on May 15, 2018. “A controversial plan to log miles of the Gualala River floodplain, is back on track, after being on hold for a number of years. Opponents of the plan previously thwarted attempts to log the area by convincing a judge the timber harvest plan …

by Mary Callahan, The Press Democrat, April 19, 2018 [excerpt:] A controversial plan to log miles of Gualala River floodplain, including nearly century-old redwood trees just outside Gualala Point Regional Park, is back on track, setting the stage for a showdown in court or perhaps among the trees themselves. Charll Stoneman, forest manager for Gualala Redwood Timber, which owns the …

by Will Parrish, North Bay Bohemian, February 15, 2017 [excerpt:] Here in the North Bay, a controversy over timber industry damage to the Gualala River in northwestern Sonoma and southeastern Mendocino counties has been raging since 2015. First came the Dogwood plan, a 320-acre timber harvest plan filed by Gualala Redwoods Timber company (GRT). It involves tractor-logging hundreds of stately, …

by Will Parrish © 2017 Anderson Valley Advertiser January 12, 2017 [excerpt:] First came the “Dogwood” plan: a 320-acre timber harvest plan (THP) filed by Gualala Redwoods Timber (GRT) in 2015. It involves tractor-logging hundreds of stately second-growth redwoods that line the lower Gualala River, which straddles the Sonoma-Mendocino county line on the coast, in areas spared from axes and …

by Mary Callahan, The Press Democrat, September 16, 2016 [excerpt:] A Sonoma County judge has halted logging operations tied to a disputed timber harvest plan in the Gualala River watershed until a court challenge against the project can be resolved. Superior Court Judge Rene Chouteau granted a preliminary injunction Wednesday, affirming an earlier tentative ruling in which he said environmentalists …

by Glenda Anderson, The Press Democrat, August 9, 2016 [excerpt:] North Coast environmental groups have followed through on their threat to sue Cal Fire over its approval of a 400-acre logging operation within the floodplain of lower Gualala River. The lawsuit, filed last week by Forest Unlimited and Friends of Gualala River, alleges state forestry officials failed to meet mandated …

by Will Parrish, North Bay Bohemian, July 27, 2016 [excerpt:] . . . In this story, we highlight several timber-industry fights playing out in the North Coast. These sorts of struggles will shape the long-term well-being of rural economies, the health of local ecosystems and the well-being of indigenous cultures. . . . LOGGING THE GUALALA FLOODPLAIN Last year, Gualala …

Environmentalists argue a California agency approved a 330-acre logging project that could damage sensitive floodplain habitat. July 15, 2016, by Taylor Hill, copyright © 2016 TakePart [excerpt:] This time, it’s not iconic old-growth redwood groves facing the ax along California’s northern coast, but the trees that are slated for logging are nearly as environmentally important, conservationists contend. Last week, Cal …

by Associated Press, Thursday, July 14, 2016 [excerpt:] Opponents of a logging plan that includes century-old redwood trees have notified California forestry officials that they plan to sue unless the state rescinds its approval of the project. . . . The groups says the “Dogwood” timber harvest plan along the lower Gualala River will degrade floodplain habitat for plants and …