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FoGR comments on Sonoma County’s draft Well Ordinance

To:  Nathan QuarlesDeputy Director, Engineering and ConstructionPermit and Resource Management DepartmentCounty of SonomaEmail: Nathan.Quarles@sonoma-county.orgWell Ordinance Public CommentsSubmitted via email: PermitSonoma-Wells-PublicInput@sonoma-county.orgFrom:  Friends of Gualala River Board of DirectorsP.O. Box 1543Gualala, CA. 95445Email info@gualalariver.orgDate:  February 22, 2023Subject:  Friends of Gualala River comments on the proposed draft Well Ordinance_____________________________________________________________________________Friends of Gualala River (FoGR) is a grassroots nonprofit organization that has worked for over …

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Gualala River Stream Team Newsletter – February 2023

Page 1 of 6 Download the entire 6-page newsletter, including graphs based on data collected in 2022. Hello All! The Gualala River Stream Team is getting ready for the upcoming monitoring season and you can join us!   2023 Monitoring and training schedule: Please mark your calendars! April 22 – Annual / Refresher Training (more details to come) May 20 – Monitoring …

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The River versus the Ocean

Photo of the mouth of the Gualala River on January 5, 2023. At that moment, the sand spit appeared to be the loser! Mouth of the Gualala River on January 5, 2023

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Grand Fir, Lowland Fir, Stinking Fir
(Abies grandis)

Family: PINACEAE In many countries around the world, an evergreen tree is the symbol of the yule tide season, representing the spirit of hope in the deepest dark of winter. Among the species of conifers chosen as Christmas trees, grand fir stands out. Its lustrous dark green needles, citrus-like fragrance, and beautiful conical shape lend it an elegance that few …

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Friends of Gualala River’s Annual Newsletter for 2022: President’s Message

Dear Friends of Gualala River, We at FoGR have been enjoying this string of rainy days this last week of 2022. They are an absolute blessing, providing much-needed nourishment for the river and all the species that call it home. I am excited to introduce myself as the newest president of our organization. I have been involved with FoGR for …

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2022 Report from FoGR’s Treasurer,
Jeanne A. Jackson

Steelhead in the Gualala River by Rozanne Rapozo

Friends of Gualala River (FoGR) is an all-volunteer organization, so your donations are used expressly to help with our mission to protect the Gualala River, its watershed, and the plants and animals that live there. As you will read in our President’s message, we have had some legal setbacks. That said, in preparing for the Endangered Species Act (ESA) lawsuit, …

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Map of Real-time Weather Stations & Wildfire Cameras in the Gualala River Watershed

Friends of Gualala River invite coastal residents and visitors to visit our website and explore microclimates and wildfire camera views on our new Map of Real-time Weather Stations & Wildfire Cameras in the Gualala River Watershed: gualalariver.org/weather-wildfire. Click on the diamond icons to see individual weather station data including temperature, wind, rainfall and humidity. The stations are maintained by a …

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Mill Bend Preserve Conservation Plan

In September, the Redwood Coast Land Conservancy (RCLC) unveiled the Conservation Plan for the Mill Bend Preserve at a public meeting and celebration. This was a major achievement and the result of two years of collaboration between the environmental consultant, Prunuske Chatham, Inc., and a dedicated Working Group of RCLC individuals that included FoGR representation. The Abstract to the Conservation …

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Stream Team Monitoring

Friends of Gualala River is collaborating with The Stream Team and Redwood Coast Land Conservancy in a citizen science water quality monitoring project at the Gualala estuary. The Stream Team is a collective of volunteers from Chico led by Timmarie Hammill. The Team comes to the area for quarterly monitoring and training of volunteers in basic water quality monitoring techniques. …

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Logging trees during a rising need for forests

A local redwood logging project disturbs the quiet — and why these forests deserve better. by Robin Applegarth, Dec. 4, 2022 Reprinted by permission Coastal redwoods treetops, photo by Robin Applegarth SOMETIMES ONE HAS TO BEAR WITNESS when a situation seems impossible to stop.   So, I found myself sitting on a stump in the forest this month, listening to the …

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Local Artist Dustin Gaer-Smith wins Environmental Art Award

Sculptor Dustin Gaer-Smith receives the Environmental Art Award sponsored by Friends of Gualala River at the 2022 Art in the Redwoods Fine Arts Exhibit Coho Crowd Friends of Gualala River (FoGR) sponsored an award at the Art in the Redwoods Festival in 2022, for the twenty-first year in a row. A cash prize contributed by FoGR was given to the …

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Public Records Act Request Reveals Abuse of Environmental Review Process by CAL FIRE

by Tom Wheeler, Executive Director Environmental Protection Information Center July 18, 2022 EPIC has unearthed documents through a Public Records Act request that show that CAL FIRE has been secretly editing questions submitted by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife on timber harvest plans submitted for the Jackson Demonstration State Forest, which is managed by CAL FIRE, as well …

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Gualala River Stream Team Stewardship Project – Introduction

The Mill Bend property has been purchased by an undisclosed conservationist. Environmentalists hope to protect the river bed from off-road vehicles, which can damage wildlife. Photo by Bill Oxford.

The Coastal Commission recently awarded a Whale Tail Grant to the CA Urban Streams Alliance – The Stream Team. The grant is to initiate a stewardship engagement and watershed monitoring effort for the impaired, lower reach of the Gualala River and estuary, a habitat for endangered species such as young Coho salmon and steelhead. Redwood Coast Land Conservancy (RCLC) and …

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River sightings: freshwater mussel and magnesite-veined serpentinite

Floater freshwater mussel A live freshwater mussel was spotted in the Gualala River this month (March, 2022). Their shells have been seen in the river in some years, but only occasionally. This time a live one was found with its foot out, stranded in a pool off-channel. It’s a floater mussel, genus Anodonta. Species in flux right now – named …

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March 19-20: “Broken Top”
An Art Exhibit by Local Artist & Naturalist Liam Ericson

“Broken Top” An Art Exhibit by Local Artist and Naturalist, Liam Ericson Saturday-Sunday, March 19-20, 12-4 pm Birdsong Clinic and Tea Room The Sea Ranch Center, Verdant View off Annapolis Road For years, Annapolis resident, Liam Ericson, has explored the wilds of the Gualala River watershed, seeking out old growth redwood trees to photograph and document. The trees and the …

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Friends of Gualala River
Annual Newsletter for 2021

Wild & scenic Gualala River runs thorough Dogwood - 5416

Any way you slice it, 2021 was a tough year.  While Covid-19 raged across the world, a horrific drought brought the dangers of climate warming home to our watershed as we watched our beloved Gualala River dry up, leaving parched, bleached river beds.  Meanwhile, Gualala Redwood Timber (GRT) logged and logged and then logged some more from dawn til dusk …

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2021 President’s Report: Imagine

For the modern day fly fisher, occasions for the hope of catching a wild steelhead or salmon are still alive. If you hook more than one or two in a day, you are having a great day. There was a time when, if you were wading in the river, you might have fish bumping into you as they navigated up …

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