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Friends of Gualala River Unveils New Website

Redesigned GualalaRiver.org provides instant access, expanded capabilities and increased connection Friends of Gualala River is excited to announce the launch of its newly redesigned website, located at the same web address as always: https://gualalariver.org The new site’s homepage welcomes visitors with a clean, contemporary design and with featured content focused on our mission to protect the Gualala River watershed and …

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Permit and EIR Killed for Controversial Smaller Cousin of Preservation Ranch

A version of this appeared in the Sonoma County Gazette By Peter Baye Annapolis, California Artesa Winery’s Annapolis vineyard project has apparently hit the wall. Initiated in 2001, in the early years of Preservation Ranch, this smaller cousin actually completed its long, circuitous permit and CEQA process in 2012 after more than a decade of stalls and reverses. But in December …

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Redwoods for Red Wine

Eight minute video produced for the America Tonight news broadcast on Al Jazeera America. Update: Unfortunately, this video is no longer available. Redwoods for Red Wine (rough cut), produced by Blackbeard Films. For additional information, see: Artesa Sonoma forest-to-vineyard conversion CAL FIRE has approved the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for Artesa Winery’s controversial plan to clear-cut 154 acres of coastal …

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Interactive Map of Sonoma County Vineyards

Interactive Map of Sonoma Area Wineries

The Press Democrat analyzed land records on 3,171 vineyard properties obtained from the Sonoma County Assessor’s Office, which were updated in August 2013. The locations of the vineyard parcels were mapped using GIS data from the Sonoma County Information Systems Department. Click on the image below to visit the interactive map on the Press Democrat’s website: Interactive map of Sonoma …

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Interview with Friends of the Gualala River

The Friends of Gualala Team on the Radio

KGUA Radio “Peggy’s Place” January 7, 2014 Listen to the interview on: SoundCloud. KGUA 88.3 FM is a full-powered non-commercial radio station established to educate, entertain and inform. KGUA 88.3 FM will give voice to the people and issues that affect all the coastal residents of the southern tip of Mendocino County and the Northern tip of Sonoma County. KGUA …

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Aerial view of the Artesa Sonoma property

A fly-over of the Artesa Winery / Codorniu proposed vineyard area. Sonoma County Superior Court has rejected the environmental impact report for the project, however Artesa has not withdrawn the application despite widespread public outcry. For additional information, see: Artesa Sonoma forest-to-vineyard conversion Cal Fire approved the environmental impact report for Artesa Winery’s controversial plan to clear-cut 154 acres of coastal …

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Judge Rejects Vineyard’s Environmental Impact Statement

by Chris McManus December 13, 2013 © Independent Coast Observer Reprinted with permission Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Elliot Daum has sent a plan to clearcut 154 acres of forest near Annapolis back to the drawing board, saying the Environmental Impact Report prepared by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) violates the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) …

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Court Blocks Sonoma Vineyard Planting – December, 2013, Wine Spectator

Judge rules that winery needs to review environmental impact; Artesa argues land is zoned for farming by Kasey Carpenter December 13, 2013 Wine Spectator [excerpt:] The battle over more than 300 acres of undeveloped land on Sonoma’s coast owned by Artesa Vineyards and Winery isn’t over, but environmental groups have won a key round. A county judge has rejected several …

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Ruling deals setback to Artesa’s disputed vineyard plan

by Brett Wilkison December 6, 2013 Santa Rosa Press Democrat [excerpt:] Environmentalists are hailing a court ruling this week that deals a significant setback to a hotly disputed vineyard project in northwestern Sonoma County. If it stands, the decision could serve as a bulwark against the push of vineyards into a mostly untilled swath of the region’s coast range, blocking …

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Court Rejects Plan to Clearcut California Redwoods for Vineyard: Press Release

For Immediate Release: December 6, 2013 Contact: Chris Poehlmann, Friends of the Gualala River, (707) 886-5182 Victoria Brandon, Sierra Club Redwood Chapter, (707) 994-1931 Justin Augustine, Center for Biological Diversity, (415) 436-9682 x 302 SANTA ROSA, Calif. — Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Elliot Daum has rejected a plan to clearcut 154 acres of Northern California redwoods to plant vineyards …

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Protect California Redwood Forests From Winery Development

This is the text of a Petition on ThePetitionSite.com It was posted in November, 2013 and signd by more than 41,000 people. Petitioning: Artesa CEO Keith LaVine Created by Michael Taylor A Spanish winemaker wants to level 154 acres of coast redwoods and Douglas firs to make space for new grapevines in the California’s Sonoma County. The majestic Redwood only …

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Codorníu contra las secuoyas de California

Por: Alana Moceri November 25, 2013 El Huffington Post [excerpt:] Los árboles más altos del mundo tienen raíces poco profundas. Las secuoyas costeras (coastal redwoods) no son solitarias como los robles sino que crecen sobre una base de raíces entrelazadas en una red de apoyo mutuo. Solo llegan al cielo con el soporte de su comunidad. Me parece imposible pasar …

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Artesa: Forest, or not a forest? You decide.

The Proposed Artesa Vineyard

Artesa claims there is no forest on their property. Below are some recent photos of Artesa’s property in northwestern Sonoma County. Take a look and decide for yourself: Forest, or not a forest? Click to enlarge any of the photos below Artesa’s property in foreground, forested ridges in background. Dense grove of redwoods with ferns in foreground. Long-axis views up …

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Misinformation?

The Forest

In the middle of the second-growth redwood forest Artesa plans to clearcut. Artesa’s spokseman, Sam Singer, posted the following tweets alleging that Friends of the Gualala River is misinforming the public: “@gualalariver made many false statements about Artesa Sonoma vineyard, changing its story every time. Wonder why they cant get facts right?” “@gualalariver knowingly spreads misinformation about #artesa. Read the …

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Video: Changing Wine Back Into Water

At a recent Friends of the Gualala River event, we satirically change Artesa wine back into water and put it back into the ground from which it came. For additional information, see: Artesa Sonoma forest-to-vineyard conversion CAL FIRE has approved the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for Artesa Winery’s controversial plan to clear-cut 154 acres of coastal redwood forest to plant …

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Don’t destroy redwood forest for vineyards: Petition on Change.org

The Proposed Artesa Vineyard

This is the text of a Petition on Change.org It was posted on November 4, 2013 and signd by more than 5,000 people. Petitioning: Keith LaVine, President, Artesa Vineyards & Winery Created by Friends of the Gualala River Artesa Winery’s planned vineyard development is the only project in California proposing deforestation of coastal redwoods. Allowing this would set a precedent …

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Starhawk: Redwoods are the cathedrals of this land / we need our wild places

Third excerpt of Starhawk‘s talk in Annapolis, emphasizing the uniqueness of the redwood ecosystem, our need to learn to live in harmony with the land, and to cherish the wild places. Starhawk is author of many works celebrating the Goddess movement and Earth-based, feminist spirituality. She is a peace, environmental, and global justice activist and trainer, a permaculture designer and …

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Starhawk: Redwoods are the cathedrals of this land / we need our wild places

Starhawk speaks about proposed Artesa Winery deforestation Starhawk visited an area in Northern California near Annapolis that is slated to be clear cut of more than 150 acres of redwood trees by the Spanish owned winery Artesa. Nurturing the land or extracting profit? Another excerpt of Starhawk‘s talk in Annapolis, contrasting the way the Pomo lived on the land with …

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The Time is Now to Protect Our Trees in Sonoma County

The Forest

by Kimberly Burr October, 2013 Redwood Needles Sierra Club Redwood Chapter newsletter “Exporting Wine to China” was the title of a recent conference in Napa, one of many promoting sales of California wine to virtually unlimited markets. This is an indication that the making of local wines is being overtaken by big business with its characteristic disregard for the web …

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