The Latest from FoGR

Silva Ranch protected by Conservation Easement

Western Rivers Conservancy and the California Rangeland Trust successfully protected a critical stretch of the Wheatfield Fork Gualala River and a series of cold-water salmon and steelhead streams in Sonoma County, at the heart of wine country. The partners accomplished this by placing a conservation easement over the 4,440-acre Silva Ranch, an extraordinary California Coast Range property that contains a …

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Copper Top logging plan on Old Stage Rd. Approved

The Copper Top timber harvest plan (THP 1-24-00103-MEN) was filed by Gualala Redwood Timber (GRT) on July 17, 2024. The plan calls for logging redwood and Douglas fir trees in 163 acres adjacent to Old Stage Road, just north of the Gualala Arts Center. Agency review team, chaired by CalFire, recommended plan approval on September 5, 2024. Public comment period …

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Yellow-legged Frog in the Gualala River

Yellow-legged Frog in the Gualala River, photo by Amy Ruegg “Down by the Gualala River near the Hot Spot, we enjoyed seeing a variety of small aquatic creatures like water beetles, tiny fish, and a foothill yellow-legged frog! It was just a small one in the water blending in perfectly with the rocks. No more than an inch or so …

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A look at the beautiful and full Gualala River Lagoon, as photographed by Anthony Cuesta

Gualala River Lagoon, June, 2024, photograph by Anthony Cuesta, reprinted with permission “When the sandbar stops much of the river water from entering the Pacific Ocean, the mouth of the river floods beautifully into its natural floodplain. Anthony Cuesta photographed the Gualala River from Gualala Point Regional Park, showing Mill Bend. You can see a portion of the Gualala River …

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A Walk along the Wheatfield Fork

June 9, 2024 by a Friend of the Gualala River We walked the Wheatfield Fork of the Gualala River under the second twin bridge off Annapolis Road. What a beautiful and peaceful walk! We couldn’t photograph any birds as they were mostly in the canopy and quickly catching insects. However, we saw and heard the following: Black-headed grosbeak, red-breasted sapsucker, …

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Permit issued to replace failed retaining wall behind Surf Market

On May 16, 2024, the California Coastal Commission issued a permit to Bower Limited Partnership for replacement of the failed retaining wall behind the Surf Market and directly above the Gualala River estuary. The Surf Market building was built too close to the bluff edge in 1983, in violation of coastal development permit CDP No. NCR-80-P-75, which is why the …

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Saturday, May 18: Gualala River Stream Team Water Quality Monitoring Event

The Gualala River Stream Team will be kicking off the 3rd monitoring season tracking water quality conditions in the Gualala River and I hope you will join us! When: May 18, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. sharp! to 11:00 a.m. Where: Mill Bend, 46902 Old State Highway, Gualala, CA – turn right onto the gravel road 400 feet from Highway 1 (Running late? Meet …

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“Steam Donkey” Logging Plan Adjacent to The Sea Ranch Approved

The Steam Donkey timber harvest plan (THP 1-23-00099-SON) was filed by Gualala Redwood Timber (GRT) on July 31, 2023. The plan calls for logging redwood and Douglas fir trees in 824 acres adjacent to The Sea Ranch. CalFire rejected the initial filing on August 10, after reviewers (from CalFire, Fish & Wildlife, Water Quality and CA. Geological Survey) identified 65 …

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We stopped a logging plan in California, and you can too!

A presentation by Ethan Arutunian in February, 2024, hosted by the Forest Protection Forum of Sierra Club California’s Stop Clearcutting CA Campaign. In this talk, Ethan Arutunian describes how a grassroots campaign by Friends of the South Fork Gualala (FSFG) completely stopped the 283-acre Bootleg timber harvest plan (THP) in the Gualala River watershed. They defeated CALFIRE, and a wealthy …

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Rainbow over Gualala after severe storm

Rainbow over the Town of Gualala, with the Gualala River estuary, after severe wind storm; February 7, 2024 Rainbow over the Town of Gualala after severe wind storm; February 7, 2024 Photos courtesy of Jeanne Jackson

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There was drama where the Gualala River meets the turbulent Pacific Ocean!

After the storm on December 27, 2023, the Gualala River was running high and fast. The Pacific Ocean was roiled up with huge breakers and the river was full from the rains. Here’s a video of the action. See if you can spot the River Otter swimming in the raging river! Here’s what it looked like on Thursday morning, December …

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Federal regulators reject controversial pumped storage project proposed for Sonoma Coast

by Mary Callahan, The Press Democrat, December 19, 2023 [excerpt:] Federal regulators have denied a requested preliminary permit for a highly controversial hydropower facility on coastal land near Fort Ross, all but shutting down a proposal that aroused anger and opposition throughout the region. In a six-page decision issued Tuesday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission noted a wide range of …

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Rain falls, River rises, Mouth opens

Gualala River estuary, Dec. 20, 2023 Gualala River estuary – muddy water after ~6 inches of rain, Dec. 20, 2023 Gualala River breaches the barrier beach, Dec. 20, 2023 Gualala River flows to the sea, Dec. 20, 2023 Photos courtesy of Jeanne Jackson

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