The Latest from FoGR

Investigative reporter Will Parrish: “The North Coast Wine Industry: Draining Our Rivers Dry”

Thursday, March 3, 2011 7:00 p.m. Gualala Arts Center Investigative reporter Will Parrish will discuss his controversial recent series for the Anderson Valley Advertiser on the ecological toll of California’s wine industry, with a special emphasis on rapacious vineyard development in the Gualala River watershed. Summary In the past two decades, as the regional economies of the North Bay, North …

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Transition Town Movement

Transition Town Movement Thursday, March 31, 2011 7:00 p.m. Gualala Arts Center Featuring a talk by Mendocino Transition Town Movement leader Charles Cresson Wood. The purpose of the event is to explore the Transition Town Movement – how it has expanded in neighboring communities, around the US, and around the world – in light of starting such an effort on …

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“Psst… Groundwater and Surface Water Do Mix” – New York Times

by FELICITY BARRINGER © New York Times February 3, 2011 [Excerpt:] “An article published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters this week describes a new and simple way of measuring groundwater’s contribution to small streams on the surface. . . Groundwater, they found, tends to be cooler than surface water in summer and warmer in winter; the infrared devices record …

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Gualala River Steelhead Studies

A fish and wildlife biologist, retired from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has been conducting systematic studies of the population status of steelhead in the Gualala River since 2001. Annual spawning surveys focus on an 18 mile reach of the Wheatfield Fork selected as a population-indexing reach. GualalaRiverSteelhead.info Over the years, he has compiled a wealth of detailed information …

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Wave energy project off the Gualala coast?

Federal Agency Cancels Permits to Study Wave Energy on the Sonoma Coast The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has canceled permits issued to the Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA) to study power generation from wave energy at three coastal sites on the Sonoma coast. SCWA was unable to raise the millions of dollars needed to study the sites, including one …

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Public Trust Policy

The Legislature has given the California State Lands Commission authority over California’s sovereign lands – lands under navigable waters. These are lands to which California received title upon its admission to the Union and that are held by virtue of its sovereignty. These lands are also known as public trust lands. The Commission administers public trust lands pursuant to statute …

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Measuring Redwood Giants – KQED Quest

QUEST on KQED Public Media. Duration: 6:17 Original Air Date: Friday, Dec 17, 2010 Forest ecologist Steve Sillett is leading a team of scientists as they climb and measure every branch of some of the last and tallest old growth redwoods in California. Their goal is to learn how these ancient giants have historically responded to climatic shifts and to …

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Gualala River opens after rainfall

The Gualala River lagoon was full to its brim after a large amount of rain this weekend. Around 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, a small breach opened in the sandbar about 200 meters south of its north end, directly across from the north viewing area of the Gualala Bluff Trail. This sequence of photos, taken by Bob R., begins at 10:49 …

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Pomo elders speak out about vineyards

Violet Parrish Chappell and Vivian Parrish Wilder Where we used to live, no one can see anything now. It is time we open our mouths. Those vineyard people are interfering with our ancestors’ area. Wherever our villages were, wherever we picked our food, those places are blessed places. When we had to live in two worlds, we had to get …

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2010 fundraising letter

Dear Friends and Neighbors,   I am writing to ask you for your financial support. Please join our efforts in protecting the Gualala River and its watershed. The Gualala River watershed is not only the source of our drinking water, but is also home to countless species of birds, fish, and other wildlife. Our beautiful river really makes this a …

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