Friends of Gualala River Protecting the Gualala River watershed and the species living within it

Letter submitted to the New York Times in response to “Making Wine in a Hostile Climate on Sonoma’s Coast” written by Eric Asimov, and published by the Times on January 18, 2006 January 21, 2006 Eric Asimov’s “Making Wine in a Hostile Climate on Sonoma’s Coast” extolled the passion and swashbuckling spirit of those “not in their right mind” seeking …

1/28/2006   Chris “FoGR’s recent public presentation featuring the talented local photographer Jeanne Gadol drew a large turnout. The crowd was treated to a beautiful collection of photographs accompanied by a muscial score.The result of years of outdoor work in the Gualala watershed, the images were grouped by location, starting on the coast and working through the many ecological niches …

1/26/2006   Jeanne 1/26/06 Storm on Gualala Point Beach; photo credit, Jeanne Gadol“I was driving south from Gualala towards the bridge around noon on a very stormy January 26th when I noticed the waves flowing over the sandbar. I grabbed my camera and settled in along the bank just below the pullout south of the Breakers. There was a small …

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

1/21/2006   Chris “An Associated Press article, ‘Environmentalists Fight Vineyards’ Spread,’ published in the Washington Post, LA Times and dozens of other newspapers in January, 2006, focuses attention on the destruction of forestland to plant vineyards in the Gualala River watershed.”

As part of Friends of the Gualala River’s continuing community outreach efforts, several awards are given each year for student art projects.The most recent award was presented to the students of Point Arena High School for their exhibit at the High School Art show at the Gualala Arts Center in May 2006. FoGR steering committee member Donna Lane presented a …

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

FoGR BLoG Friends of the Gualala River’s web log of river sightings and commentary on the Gualala River watershed. FoGRBLoG is open to everyone in our community. Send your photos and observations to:blog@GualalaRiver.org. Please keep comments and photos focused on the Gualala River watershed and its natural environment . Click on the individual entries below Willows hold their ground 6/13/2006   …

“The South Fork of the Gualala River at the confluence with the Wheatfield Fork, at Valley Crossing, has changed configuration of its channel and bar.” June 2006 March 2006 “The lowered bar was “split” during winter and spring high flood flows, and now the main low-flow channel has stabilized in the middle of the broad gravel bar (above left). It …

“Leaving something behind is not a mitigation for environmental harm” PAUL V. CARROLL Attorney at Law 5 Manor Place Menlo Park, California 94025 telephone (650) 322-5652 telecopier (same) February 2, 2006 Sonoma County Board of Supervisors 575 Administration Drive, Room 100A Santa Rosa, CA 95403-2887 Re: General Plan and Zoning Code amendments regarding timberland conversions Dear Supervisors: I write on …

“Here also the entire riparian zone was submerged and part of the channel, with rapid currents among alders. The high water level (mud with ripples, debris lines) went up to the edge of the loggingroad parallel with the river on the N side….highest I’ve ever seen. A thick deposit of silt (over 20 cm deep) covered the extensive ground that …

 12/31/2005   Britt “In the hours after we received our second significant storm of the ’05/’06 winter, I made my way to the main stem of the Gualala River to photograph the full and flooding river in conjunction with the 6.9 foot high tide. I first attempted to reach the green bridge where the North Forks join the main stem. …

 12/2/2005   Jim “Hiking in Gualala Point County Park gives a fine view of the Estuary. It is especially fine as the sun is setting and the shadows lengthen, heightening the peaceful colors of a clear early December afternoon.”

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 Environmental Art exhibit at the Gualala Arts Center in September 2005. Vivian Green presents award to Joost RomeuCongratulations to local artist Joost Romeu for his award-winning work “The Five Natures,” which can still be seen on the Forest Trail at Gualala Arts.

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. …

Section 1.1. (p. 1-9), Introduction and Overview, Continuing Challenges to RecoverySome areas of the North Coast have seen rapidly increasing agricultural activity, particularly conversion of grasslands or woodlands to vineyards. Such agricultural activities have typically been subject to little agency review or regulation and can pose significant risk of chronic sediment inputs to streams. Associated with development and increased agriculture, …

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 …