News

by Guy Kovner, The Press Democrat, May 1, 2018 [excerpt:] . . . At Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve near Guerneville, the 308-foot Colonel Armstrong tree stands so tall that earthbound admirers can’t see the behemoth’s uppermost 100 feet. But it and the other old-growth redwoods of equal majesty are essentially relics, comprising a mere 7 percent of the 1.6 …

Community members who are interested in the future of the Gualala River will want to hear hydrologist, Greg Kamman, speak on the current state of water flows in the river at his presentation: “Water is Life! A Hydrologist’s Eye on the Gualala River” Thursday, May 3, 2018 5:30 to 7:00 pm Gualala Arts Center   Greg Kamman started studying the …

by Mary Callahan, The Press Democrat, April 19, 2018 [excerpt:] A controversial plan to log miles of Gualala River floodplain, including nearly century-old redwood trees just outside Gualala Point Regional Park, is back on track, setting the stage for a showdown in court or perhaps among the trees themselves. Charll Stoneman, forest manager for Gualala Redwood Timber, which owns the …

Tongass is the world’s largest intact temperate rainforest, with trees more than 1,000 years old. But a pro-logging effort could uproot them by Brendan Jones in Sitka, Alaska Published by The Guardian, March 22, 2018   [Excerpt:] At south-east Alaska’s last industrial-scale sawmill, wheel loaders stack debarked logs two storeys high on the frozen ground. A bumper sticker on a …

Here are some events sponsored by the California Native Plant Society’s Dorothy King Young Chapter, which are focused on the wealth of local native plants, taking place in the Gualala River watershed during California Native Plant Week (April 15-22, 2018). Wednesday, April 18 at 1 pm Riparian walk (river bed and banks) on the Gualala River Wheatfield Fork near Haupt …

Love Locally! Please consider a year-end donation to Friends of Gualala River Your year-end support of Friends of Gualala River (FoGR) on local issues will make your dollars go the farthest and have a direct benefit for your local community. In this brief end-of-the-year outreach for your support, FoGR thanks you for what you have done this past year to …

We are sorry to report that Gualala Redwood Timber (GRT), has decided to resubmit the Timber Harvest Plan called “Dogwood,” located in the floodplain of the Gualala River — the one we have been protesting and fighting for two years. We knew that winning in court didn’t save the Gualala River floodplain. The judge, in essence, told GRT they had …

We are very sorry to report that Gualala Redwood Timber (GRT), owned by the Burch family, has decided to resubmit the Timber Harvest Plan called “Dogwood,” the one we have been protesting and fighting for two years. We knew that winning in court didn’t save the Gualala River floodplain. The judge, in essence, told GRT they had to take into …

Friends of Gualala River Forest Unlimited California Native Plant Society MEDIA RELEASE Date: September 26, 2017 The lawsuit to stop logging the Gualala River floodplain redwood forest tract in the “Dogwood” timber harvest plan (THP) is over. CAL FIRE was ordered by Sonoma County Superior Court to vacate (revoke) the Gualala Redwood Timber Company timber harvest plan on April 18, …

Thursday, September 14, 2017 6:30 to 8:00 p.m Gualala Arts Center 46501 Old State Highway Join us for a FREE community presentation by Chris Kelly on The Conservation Fund’s 14,000 acre Gualala River Forest and 21,000 acre Buckeye Forest (formerly “Preservation Ranch”). Discussion Topics Include: Public Access Carbon Credits and California’s Cap-and-Trade Program Sustainable Forestry vs. Conventional Forestry Chris Kelly, …

← Previous: Gualala River in May Next: Gualala River in July (coming soon)→                         All photos used with permission. Our sincere thanks to all of the photographers for sharing their photos with us!

← Previous: Gualala River in April Next: Gualala River in June →                         All photos used with permission. Our sincere thanks to all of the photographers for sharing their photos with us!

← Previous: Gualala River in Winter Next: Gualala River in May → Springtime brings new life in and around the Gualala River by Jeanne A. Jackson After the winter rains, the Gualala River usually is closed off from the Pacific Ocean by a big sandbar. When the river closes, the water backs up into the lagoon and upriver, bringing perfect …

Friends of Gualala River Forest Unlimited California Native Plant Society MEDIA RELEASE Date: June 29, 2017 After halting logging in the environmentally sensitive mature floodplain redwood forest of the lower Gualala River, Judge René Chouteau of Sonoma County Superior Court awarded $162,000 in attorney’s fees to the successful parties in environmental litigation over CAL FIRE’s approval of the Dogwood Timber …

by Mary Callahan, The Press Democrat, June 20, 2017 [excerpt:] A disputed 2-year-old plan to log along several miles of the Gualala River floodplain remains in limbo five months after a Sonoma County judge nullified its approval and sent it back to state forestry officials for revision and additional public review. Acting on a lawsuit brought by environmental groups, Superior …

by J.D. Morris, The Press Democrat, May 7, 2017 [excerpt:] Deep in northwestern Sonoma County’s thickly forested mountains, about 10 miles from the coast and a world away from the bustle of any population center, Mike Young walked beneath a towering canopy of redwood and Douglas fir trees he’s come to know well over the past several decades. He was …

← Previous: Gualala River in Fall (coming soon) Next: Gualala River in April → Winter rains fall on the vast watershed of the Gualala River. When the land can no longer absorb more water, the rain flows into the tributaries of the Gualala River. The river changes daily. Big storms brings churning waters down the river, racing to the ocean. …

by Will Parrish, North Bay Bohemian, February 15, 2017 [excerpt:] Here in the North Bay, a controversy over timber industry damage to the Gualala River in northwestern Sonoma and southeastern Mendocino counties has been raging since 2015. First came the Dogwood plan, a 320-acre timber harvest plan filed by Gualala Redwoods Timber company (GRT). It involves tractor-logging hundreds of stately, …

Tuesday, February 28, 2017 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Free of charge Gualala Arts Center 46501 Old State Highway Gualala, CA 95445 Sponsored by Friends of Gualala River Friends of Gualala River present a community education program with Dr. Kimberly Rodrigues, Director of the U.C. Hopland Research and Cooperative Extension Center on Tuesday, February 28, 2017, at the Gualala Arts Center, …

Friends of Gualala River Forest Unlimited California Native Plant Society MEDIA RELEASE Date: January 28, 2017 The “Dogwood” Timber Harvest Plan (THP), an environmental review of the first major logging of the mature redwood forest on the sensitive floodplain of the Gualala River, has been sent back to CAL FIRE for a full revision. The plan is bound for a …