News

In January 2002, the Independent Coast Observer broke the story about the proposed waterbag scheme. Ursula Jones was one of the first to begin organizing to respond to this threat to the Gualala & Albion rivers and communities. She organized the initial meetings of Save Our Rivers & Estuaries (SORE), attended by over fifty people. Seeing the need to raise …

A version of this article was published in the Independent Coast Observer on October 7, 2005. By Julie Verran Courtesy Independent Coast Observer, Gualala, CA SANTA ROSA – Sonoma County Supervisors on Tuesday continued their struggle to regulate loss of forests to vineyards. The regulatory path the Supervisors must tread is narrow and winding, with court cases on every side. …

A version of this article was published in the Independent Coast Observer on September 2, 2005. By Julie Verran Courtesy Independent Coast Observer, Gualala, CA Working timberlands producing redwood and Douglas fir are part of the coastal community here. On Tuesday, members of the Gualala River Watershed Council took members of the Gualala Municipal Advisory Council on a forest tour …

Friends of the Gualala River (FoGR) sponsored an award at the Art in the Redwoods festival in 2005, for the fourth year in a row.A cash prize of $100 contributed by the Friends of the Gualala River was given to the artist who best captured the ecology of the Sonoma-Mendocino coast, as determined by the festival judges. Congratulations to local …

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

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

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

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

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

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

Friends of the Gualala River (FoGR) sponsored an award at the Art in the Redwoods festival for the first time this year.The 41st annual Art in the Redwoods festival took place on Saturday, August 17 and Sunday, August 18. The event featured more than 400 fine art entries and experienced record crowds. The artwork will remain on display at the …

As reported by the Sierra Club Redwood Chapter: Peter Ashcroft Redwood Chapter Conservation Chair Private and corporate interests are targeting coastal redwood forestlands in Northern California for clear cutting to make way for extensive new vineyard projects. Once these redwood forests are destroyed, they will be lost forever. Conservation groups including the Redwood Chapter’s Vineyard Conversion Committee and Friends of …

Friends of the Gualala River (FoGR) sponsored an award at the Art in the Redwoods festival in 2004, for the third year in a row.A cash prize of $100 contributed by the Friends of the Gualala River was given to the artist who best captured the ecology of the Sonoma-Mendocino coast, as determined by the festival judges. Congratulations to local …

This article was published in the Independent Coast Observer on January 9, 2004. By Julie VerranCourtesy Independent Coast Observer, Gualala, CA   The Board of Forestry, meeting in Sacramento on Tuesday, upheld the Department of Forestry’s denial of a timber harvest plan on Haupt Creek, inland from Stewarts Point. The board heard three hours of testimony from Registered Professional Forester …

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

Friends of the Gualala River (FoGR) sponsored an award at the Art in the Redwoods festival for the second time in 2003.The 42nd annual Art in the Redwoods festival took place on Saturday, August 16 and Sunday, August 17, 2003. The event featured more than 400 fine art entries and drew record crowds. The artwork will remain on display at …

A version of this article was published in the Independent Coast Observer on July 25, 2003. By Julie VerranCourtesy Independent Coast Observer, Gualala, CA   SANTA ROSA – A strong local timber industry delegation opposed to county setbacks of logging from structures dominated the July 17 meeting of the Citizens Advisory Committee for the Sonoma County general plan update. The …

A version of this article was published in the Independent Coast Observer on August 8, 2003. By Julie VerranCourtesy Independent Coast Observer, Gualala, CA   SANTA ROSA – An old growth redwood grove south of Annapolis on Haupt Creek, a tributary of the Wheatfield Fork of the Gualala River, won a temporary reprieve on July 31. Anthony Lukacic, an official …

© 2003- The Press Democrat byline: Carol Benfell“Vineyards would be banned on hundreds of thousands of acres of Sonoma County timberland in a proposed change to the county’s planning blueprint that would be a victory for trees over grapes, and preservationists over growers…” Note: The full article is available in the archives of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. To access …

A version of this article was published in the Independent Coast Observer on July 4, 2003. By Julie VerranCourtesy Independent Coast Observer, Gualala, CA   SANTA ROSA – Many local people of all persuasions were present June 19, when the Citizens’ Advisory Committee on the Sonoma County General Plan revision tackled timberland conversions, which remove commercial tree species to make …