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

Guerneville, CA – Coastal forest activists from Sonoma County unveiled their own vintage product in front of the “Pinot on the River” gathering in Guerneville on Saturday, October 30, 2004. They called attention to the continued pressure for conversion of coastal redwood forests to vineyards by some “bad actors” in the wine industry. An eight-foot high wine bottle bearing the …

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 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 …

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

Water temperature is a critical limiting factor in the lives of many fish and amphibians. According to recent scientific research, air temperature is the most important factor influencing stream temperature. Redwood forests provide shade and cool the air, which in turn cools the stream below. Clear-cutting those forests raises stream temperature, condemning cold water fish like coho and steelhead to …

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 …

The Critical Habitat Project of the Center for Ethics and Toxics (CETOS) has completed the first-ever inventory of pesticide usage in the Gualala River watershed.Using the most current data available from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, researchers at CETOS discovered 1,250 pounds of pesticide active ingredients were used in forestry and vineyard operations within the Gualala River watershed during …

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 …

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.

Governor Gray Davis signed Assembly Bill 1168 on July 23, 2003, adding segments of the Gualala and Albion Rivers to the California Wild and Scenic River system as “recreational” rivers.Wild & Scenic Gualala River, estuary photo credit: PT Nunn, 2004  Assemblymember Patty Berg (D-Eureka) introduced the bill to protect the two rivers after Alaska Water Exports, Inc. attempted to divert …

© 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 …

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

Friends of the Gualala River is organized to protect the Gualala River in Northern California.

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 …

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.