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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 Sonoma County Superior Court has rejected the environmental impact report for the project, however Artesa has not withdrawn the application despite widespread public outcry.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 …

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) …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Friends of the Gualala River protects the Gualala River watershed in Northern California and the species living within it.

Excerpts from Eric Wilder, Starhawk speeches Annapolis Winery, August 24, 2013 Eric Wilder, Kashaya Pomo artist, grandson of Kashaya tribal spiritual leader Essie Parrish I knew that I was walking on the land my people have been walking on for thousands of years. That is a feeling not everyone can experience. It’s a source of pride. We have village sites …

Who do you believe about Pomo Indian heritage protection? Vineyard developer Artesa, or traditional Pomo elders and a Professor of Archaeology and Anthropology with expertise on Kashaya Pomo? Artesa says their vineyard development site is not culturally significant and has no important cultural or archaeological impacts.Pomo elders who still live in the area and were taught how to harvest food …

KGUA Radio‘s Peggy Berryhill reports on Friends of the Gualala River’s August event, “Gualala River Alchemy: Turning Wine into Water,” followed by an interview with Dave Jordan, recorded on October 24, 2013. KGUA shares interviews gathered at an August rally with the Friends of the Gualala River addressing the issues about the proposed Artesa Winery project. The development of this …

by Beth Buczynski October 25, 2013 Care2 [excerpt:] When do trees become a forest? According to a California winemaker who wants to clear cut 154 acres of redwoods and Douglas firs to make way for grapevines, not until they’re more than 50-years-old and 100 feet tall . . . The winery claims that because the area was clear-cut more than …

Another excerpt of Starhawk‘s talk in Annapolis, contrasting the way the Pomo lived on the land with the plans of the giant corporation, Codorniu (which owns Artesa Winery), to extract profit from the land. 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 …