News

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 …

A version of this article was published in the Independent Coast Observer on May 2, 2003. By Julie VerranCourtesy Independent Coast Observer, Gualala, CA   Public agencies decided after intense debate at a Forest Practice Review Team Meeting in Santa Rosa on April 24 that they want to revisit an old growth redwood grove on Haupt Creek, inland from Stewarts …

This article was published in the Independent Coast Observer on April 11, 2003. By Julie VerranCourtesy Independent Coast Observer, Gualala, CA   An 800-acre upland grove of old growth redwood said to overshadow Headwaters Forest stands only a few air miles from Gualala. Its heart could soon be cut out. The second – and likely final – review of Timber …

“It’s Elementary” is an exhibition of art works by local elementary school students, sponsored by Celebrate Art in the Schools, and by the Art in the Schools program at Gualala Arts. The artwork is on display at the Gualala Arts Center through April 6, 2003. There is no charge to see the exhibit, which is open to the public from …

As reported by the Sierra Club Redwood Chapter: Linda Perkins Would it surprise and delight you to learn that there still exists in Sonoma County – just four miles northeast of Salt Point – an ancient redwood forest of over 800 acres that has never been harvested? A stand that rivals in magnificence and beauty any redwood forest found in …

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

Our sincere thanks to Surf Supermarket and Thanksgiving Coffee for donating a dollar to Friends of the Gualala River for each pound of Thanksgiving’s Guatemalan Vienna Roast sold between February 22 and April 30, 2003. They and their customers raised $90 for FoGR. The organic, shade-grown Vienna Roast coffee from Guatemala is certified by the Rainforest Alliance. Friends of the …

As reported by the Town Hall Coalition: By Tom Chorneau / The Press Democrat / January 3, 2003 Plans for the largest single vineyard planting ever undertaken on the North Coast have resurfaced, targeting 5,000 acres in the coastal foothills of Sonoma and Mendocino counties. The proposal is the latest version of a vineyard cultivation plan conceived four years ago …

By Chris Poehlmann,October, 2002It’s official. It is open season on the north coast forests. The California Department of Forestry (CDF) has just approved two of the many pending forestland to vineyard conversions in the Annapolis area. Clear cutting is presently taking place on many acres of conversions spearheaded by vineyard entrepreneurs. They hope to profit by permanently scraping an ancient …

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, 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. Gualala River watershed [click to enlarge] Land area …

By Chris PoehlmannRecent local events could lend credence to the expression “water flows uphill to money”. Just when we thought we had seen everything as far as environmental threats to our river, two more contenders have surfaced. The wildest is an application with the California Division of Water Rights by an Alaskan based international company to get appropriative rights to …

by Tom Cochrane, President, Friends of the Gualala River, March, 2002 We live in a threatened world with limited natural resources and the concept of sustainability seems far from our grasp. Sustainability involves using our resources with as little harm to our environment as possible, but maintaining a healthy economy while still providing for equity among the potential users. Last …

This article was published in the Independent Coast Observer on February 15, 2002. By Britt BaileyCourtesy Independent Coast Observer, Gualala, CA   In October, 2001, the California Department of Forestry denied the Cassidy Timber Harvest Plan which would have logged Redwoods in the floodplain of two of Gualala River’s tributaries. This decision was based on the recommendation by the National …

18th annual California Coastal Cleanup Saturday, September 21, 2002Saturday, September 21, 2002 is a special day for protecting our beaches, and coastal waterways, the 18th annual California Coastal Cleanup. Teams of cleanup volunteers will remove trash and recyclables from Mendocino and Sonoma County beaches, and in the Gualala area will also cleanup the banks of the Gualala River from the …

Friends of the Gualala River (FoGR) sponsored an award at the Art in the Redwoods festival for the first time in 2002. 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 …

This article was published in the Anderson Valley Advertiser in May, 1991. Reprinted with permission. By Bruce Anderson Courtesy: Anderson Valley Advertiser, Boonville, CA A horrendously damaging vineyard project is underway in the hills east of Boonville. A man named William Hill is scalping the hilltops of its vegetation to plant grapes. He owns about a thousand acres of land …