Friends of Gualala River Protecting the Gualala River watershed and the species living within it

by Roger CoryellSeptember 7, 2026 The Mendocino Voice [Excerpt:] Dutch Charlie Creek drops over moss-covered rock west of Laytonville, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021. The state has spent more than $1 million since 2012 pulling legacy roads out of the watershed to keep fine sediment off the gravel where coho spawn. (Philip McGarvey/Friends of Dutch Charlie Creek via Bay …

The North Coast Water Board has changed the date of the adoption hearing for the Gualala Roads Assessment Order. Previous announcements indicated that Order adoption would be proposed at the December 2026 meeting of the North Coast Water Board. To provide North Coast Water Board ‌‌staff sufficient time to meaningfully consider the significant volume of public comments received from landowners …

The Gualala River Stream Team will be heading out into the Gualala River Estuary to monitor water quality and you can join us! When: Saturday Sept. 19th, 9AMWhere: Meet at the Kayak Launch (below Highway1)What To Bring: Bring personal items for a 2 hour outing (water, snack, sunscreen, hat, water shoes, etc). Training will be provided. The data collected provides …

Standing Up for the Gualala River Friends of Gualala River (FoGR) is working hard to protect our watershed from a new round of logging proposals and complex regulatory shifts. From challenging timber harvest plans (THPs) in court to tracking regional water quality rules, our small team is bringing every tool to the table to defend our local ecosystem. In this …

Sunset at the Gualala River on July 21, 2026 Photo courtesy of Michael Coustier

Gualala Redwood Timber’s 167-acre Card Timber Harvest Plan (THP 1-26-00021-SON) is located in the floodplain on the west side of the South Fork Gualala River, from confluence of the North and South Forks, down past Buckeye Creek. The plan was submitted to Cal Fire on February 20, 2026, but Cal Fire determined that the plan was unacceptable due to required …

HRRR = Harold Richardson Redwood Reserve The 129-acre HRRR Timber Harvest Plan (THP 1-26-00099-SON) is located between Tin Barn Road and Haupt Creek in the Haupt Creek watershed of the Gualala River basin. The majority of the acreage (102 acres) is designated “fuel break / defensible space.” The plan was submitted to Cal Fire by the Save The Redwood League on …

From the San Francisco Estuary Institute, via Maven’s Notebook July 10, 2026 [Excerpt:] San Francisco’s rain gardens—the unassuming patches of greenery and mulch designed to soak up rainwater alongside urban roadways—may improve the environment in more ways than realized. A new SFEI-led study shows that rain gardens substantially reduce levels of 21 contaminants in stormwater before that water ends up …

The North Coast Water Board has developed a draft Water Code Section 13267 Informational Order Directing Applicable Landowners in the Gualala River Watershed to Submit Technical Reports Pertaining to the Inventory, Assessment, and Prioritization of Ownership-Wide Road-Related Sediment Discharge Sites (draft Gualala Roads Assessment Order). The draft Gualala Roads Assessment Order and related attachments are now available for public review. …

by Sonoma Resource Conservation District January 31, 2026 The primary purpose of this report is to create a baseline of watershed conditions to support the Gualala TMDL Action Plan Implementation program. The program will utilize this report to then develop a framework for prioritizing subwatersheds based on their contribution of sediment loading within the Gualala River Watershed, and the creation …

In June, 2026, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission awarded $750,000 to the Western Rivers Conservancy (with Kashia Band of Pomo Indians) through the Priority Conservation Area (PCA) Grant Program, to protect 298 acres of river corridor and redwood forest, supporting habitat restoration and Tribal cultural uses. [Excerpt:] Western Rivers Conservancy is working to conserve the 298-acre South Fork Gualala property, which …

Gualala Redwood Timber’s 269-acre Little Pepperwood Timber Harvest Plan (THP 1-26-00076-SON) is located in southern Mendocino and northern Sonoma Counties, approximately 3 miles east of the town of Gualala. Surface flow from the THP drains into Big Pepperwood Creek, Little Pepperwood Creek, and several tributaries to Big Pepperwood and Rockpile Creeks. The plan was submitted to Cal Fire on June 16, …

by Peter Baye published in the July & September, 2017 issues of The Calypso, newsletter of the Dorothy King Young Chapter of the California Native Plant Society reprinted with permission Part 1 – Wigeongrass and Sago pondweed Last April (2017), our local public radio station (KZYX) ran an excellent “Ecology Hour” program interviewing world-renowned oceanographer John Largier from University of …

Gualala River estuary / lagoon at sunset, April 27, 2026. Photo courtesy of Efi Benjamin, River Bend Kayaks.

This article is a brief overview.See all of the articles from the Water Quality campaign. Adult coho salmon; photo by NOAA Fisheries Historically, the Gualala River was home to abundant coho salmon and steelhead trout populations that numbered in the tens of thousands. Today, the endangered coho salmon are all but gone and threatened steelhead are struggling to survive in …

If we have ever taken a walk anywhere in our area and come back home without being able to name or describe a single tree, this article will make you think anew about the trees that surround us. Here we learn why attending to trees and their differences makes us ever aware of local resources, some ancient, others quite recent. …

Location The Gualala River enters the Pacific Ocean approximately 110 miles north of San Francisco, California. Just past the mouth of the river lies the town of Gualala on CA Highway 1, 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. Land area The Gualala …

GUALALA ROADS ASSESSMENT ORDER Recent Public Meetings North Coast Water Board staff and the Sonoma Resource Conservation District (Sonoma RCD) recently hosted two community meetings to provide information on the developing Gualala Roads Assessment Order. Presentations addressed components of a typical road assessment, paths to completing assessments required by the order, and updates on the technical work conducted by the …

Are you ready to learn more about how beaver coexistence can build capacity for land managers and owners in California? Join the California Beaver Coexistence Training and Support Program on June 10, 2026 from 9-11:30am for an informative webinar featuring coexistence experts and practitioners. By the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center – visit their website to register for the webinar …

by Kenyon RupnikA version of this article was published in the Independent Coast Observer on April 10, 2026 Chad Watts volunteered his labor and his 40-foot bucket truck to help replace a dead battery in the weather station atop the Gualala Point Regional Park Visitors Center. Visitors looking up at the Gualala Point Visitors Center will see a weather station …