Activist's Corner » Watershed Related Concerns

Laguna Keeper Workday at Laguna Uplands

Larry — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:12:47 +0000

Stunning view from the Laguna Uplands.
Photo credit: Jonathan Glass, LandPaths

Laguna Keeper Workday at Laguna Uplands
Saturday, February 11, 9:00am-noon
Meet at the end of Palm Ave. in Sebastopol, near Palm Drive Hospital

Our annual Valentine’s Day visit to give the Uplands some TLC. A new task this year: wood chips on the path. We love wood chips! Lend a hand stewarding this beautiful District-protected property on the western edge of the Laguna de Santa Rosa. Be sure to wear shoes and clothes you don’t mind getting dirty. Only heavy rain cancels. Snacks are on us, but do bring gloves, water, and friends!

No RSVP needed, but if you have questions contact John Guardino: 527-9277 x108 or john@lagunafoundation.org Laguna Keeper workdays are once a month, September through May. See the full calendar here.

FOGR Presents 90,000 Signatures to Son. Co. Supervisors

Larry — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:39:27 +0000

Friends of the Gualala River

An affiliate of the Redwood Coast Watersheds Alliance

P.O. Box 1543, Gualala, CA 95445 GualalaRiver.org PRESS RELEASE January 25, 2012 – Gualala, California

Friends of the Gualala River and supporters will gather to present the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors with an 18 foot long copy of the 90,000-signature petition opposing the giant redwood forest- destroying vineyard conversion project, Preservation Ranch, in public comment session at the supervisor’s monthly public meeting on February 7th, 2012.

The event will start with a photo op in the courtyard in front of the BOS chambers entrance at 1PM. The 4 x18 foot petition, tree costumed people, and an 8 foot high walking “Chainsaw Wine” bottle complete with chainsaw will gather ahead of time and then present the petition indoors at the 2PM start of public comment.

Time: 1PM outside the Supervisor’s Chambers, 2PM inside the Chambers for presentation

Location:

Supervisor’s Chambers
Sonoma County Administration Building 575 Administration Drive, Room 102 A Santa Rosa, CA 95403

Directions:

http://supervisors.sonoma-county.org/content.aspx?sid=1001&id=1005

Background:

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors will have the final authority to approve the massive 20 thousand acre Preservation Ranch project after a review of the final Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The county is the lead agency in charge of the EIR effort. Being presented is a national on-line petition with over 91,000 signatures opposing the mass destruction of California coastal redwood forest for conversion to vineyards. Friends of the Gualala River (GualalaRiver.Org), in alliance with a broad coalition of local, state, and national environmental organizations is additionally requesting the public investment advisors that own and manage the struggling 20,000 acre Preservation Ranch forest-to-vineyard conversion project to withdraw it, and avoid unnecessary and unacceptable harm to the environment and public retiree investments.

Friends of the Gualala River (FoGR), a small local all-volunteer grassroots conservation advocacy group on California’s north coast, has appealed directly to CalPERS (California Public Employees Retirement System), the primary investor in the Preservation Ranch project. The unprecedented oversize Preservation Ranch project began its official environmental review and permit process in 2008, but has yet to advance one step in the permit process since, while national and international notoriety and opposition to the project has mounted following intensive national media coverage in summer-fall 2011 by the Associated Press, Los Angeles Times and New York Times as well as regional coverage in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, North Bay Bohemian,

Friends of the Gualala River January 25, 2012

Friends of the Gualala River

An affiliate of the Redwood Coast Watersheds Alliance

P.O. Box 1543, Gualala, CA 95445 GualalaRiver.org

North Bay Biz, and Anderson Valley Advertiser. Opposition to the project culminated in an on-line petition independently initiated by Marie Casias of Los Angeles, California, following Los Angeles Times coverage of the Sonoma County mega-vineyard and deforestation proposal. The petition exceeded 91,000 supporters by late January, 2012. http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-wineries-from-destroying-ca-redwoods-and-native- american-heritage

In December, 2011, FoGR and a coalition of environmental organizations contacted CalPERS investment directors after learning that CalPERS severed ties in October with Premier Pacific Vineyards, the Napa-based vineyard development firm that conceived of Preservation Ranch and recently posted major losses (nearly 40%) in the value of the $200 million CalPERS investment. FoGR appealed to CalPERS to re-evaluate the current financial prospects and risks for the project in view of escalating public opposition to the environmental costs, extreme slow progress of environmental review, risks of legal challenge, and the increasing risk of failure to provide a reasonable and timely return on public employee investments. FoGR and allies encouraged CalPERS to consider keeping the project lands forested, either selling off the forestry assets and reinvesting, or managing them sustainably.

PPV originally promoted its proposed deforestation of nearly 1800 acres for vineyards as an environmental public benefit, “in order to make possible the preservation and restoration” of what it called “wounded lands.” The proposal’s environmental “preservation and restoration” conceit was received with responses from the conservation community ranging from disbelief to outrage. The proposal also drew skepticism from environmental scientists who doubted the premise that fragmentation and deforestation of 1600 acres of forest, with 90 miles of permanent roads (built in an area with 1700 active slope failures), 100 miles of wildlife fences, 40 reservoirs, reopened rock quarries distributed over 20,000 acres of remote, inaccessible northwestern Sonoma County, were actually offset by “restoration”. This restoration mostly translates to thinning tanoaks (already devastated by sudden oak death) and planting conifer seedlings (conventional industrial forestry practices) in forestland that already met or exceeded tree stocking standards in over 70% of the project area even in 2006.

For more information, go to the Friends of the Gualala River website at: GualalaRiver.Org Contact: Chris Poehlmann, President, Friends of the Gualala River, 707-886-5182,

Or: contact@GualalaRiver.org

Russian River Biological Opinion Hearing at SC Bd of Supes

Larry — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:14:43 +0000

Friends:

First, I thought you might be interested in this announcement below. Normally at this time of year, the Army Corps of Engineers is in charge of dam releases. Because this has been a dry year so far, they are playing it safe by keeping more water in the reservoirs for the time being. It seems as though it may be too early to declare this a dry year, but flows are high enough so that implementing low flows at this point in time should do no harm. This will get adjusted each month until May 31st. If we get a lot of rain, they will go back to normal. If not, we can be assured of low flow again this summer. It is ironic that right across the street from Santa Rosa’s Utility’s Office, the business park has been watering their landscape profusely in freezing weather. We have noted significant run off in that area and will have more to report about this at a later time.

Settlement negotiations continue on the Estuary Project legal challenge. I can’t say any more than that at this point in time, but you will know soon after if any agreement is reached. Our lawsuit has had an impact in another respect however, the Water Agency requested 13 year permits from State Parks, Coastal Commission, State Lands Commission, Fish and Game, Regional Water Board, and Army Corps of Engineers. (There are others, but these are the main ones.) State Parks gave them a one year permit, Fish and Game and the State Lands Commission gave three year permits only. The Coastal Commission is requiring a whole new permit process (rather than an amendment on their old one) which is currently happening, and the Regional Board and Army Corps are on hold. Our comments, along with those of many other groups, especially Surfriders, helped slow the permit process down as it was pointed out that the Water Agency doesn’t have a clear cut plan for managing the project and it is really an experiment at this stage. For the last two years, they have not been able to do the project at all because of high natural flows in the river and very few mouth closures in Jenner. We will keep you updated on this regularly.

IMPORTANT MEETING COMING UP on Biological Opinion on Feb. 9th at 9 AM at County Supervisor’s Chambers in Santa Rosa. See attached announcement. Hope to see you there.

Brenda

Presentation: Exploring the Laguna de Santa Rosa

Larry — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:10:44 +0000

Kayaking in the Laguna de Santa Rosa after the recent winter rains.
Photo credit: Indigo Bannister

Find out best times to hike its trails, enjoy bird watching, and kayak its 14-mile channel. Learn about guided outings, volunteer opportunities, and other ways you can get involved to help protect this valuable habitat.

If you register for this free presentation at www.rei.com/santarosa, REI will hold a seat for you until the scheduled start time. Seating may be available at the door, even if registration is closed.

Presentation: Exploring the Laguna de Santa Rosa

Larry — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:23:27 +0000

Kayaking in the Laguna de Santa Rosa after the recent winter rains.
Photo credit: Indigo Bannister

Presentation: Exploring the Laguna de Santa Rosa
Tuesday, February 7, 7:00-8:30pm
REI, 2715 Santa Rosa Avenue, Santa Rosa (free)David Bannister, executive director of Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation, will introduce you to the rich ecology of the Laguna and the variety of ways you can get out and discover its natural treasures.Find out best times to hike its trails, enjoy bird watching, and kayak its 14-mile channel. Learn about guided outings, volunteer opportunities, and other ways you can get involved to help protect this valuable habitat.

If you register for this free presentation at www.rei.com/santarosa, REI will hold a seat for you until the scheduled start time. Seating may be available at the door, even if registration is closed.

Celebrating the Return of the Salmon! Sunday, February 26th 3-6pm

Larry — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:48:35 +0000

Save the Date

Celebrating the Return of the Salmon! A Progress Report and …Community Social

Sunday, February 26^th 3-6pm

at the Salmon Creek Falls Environmental Center (Salmon Creek School)

Please join Gold Ridge RCD, Occidental Arts and Ecology Center, Prunuske Chatham Inc., and the Salmon Creek Watershed Council, as we host an informational me! eting and community gathering to report on the status of Coho Salmon recovery in the Salmon Creek Watershed. In addition, experts will share information on how landowners can improve salmon habitat.

Brittany Heck, Executive Director

Gold Ridge RCD

P.O. Box 1064

Occidental, CA 95465

(707) 874-2907

brittany@goldridgercd.org

www.goldridgercd.org

36th Annual Sonoma County Environmental Awards Dinner, Saturday, March 3, 2012

Larry — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:54:23 +0000

Sonoma County Conservation Council and Sierra Club Sonoma Group’s

36th Annual Sonoma County Environmental Awards Dinner

Building Healthy, Just &

Sustainable Communities

IN THE FACE OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Paloma Pavel, PhD, President of Earth House Center

and Executive Director of Breakthrough Communities

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Sebastopol Veterans’ Auditorium, 5:30 – 9:00pm

282 South High Street, Sebastopol

MC: Leticia Romero, Vice-President, North Bay Organizing Project and

Community Organizer, Committee for Immigrant Rights Sonoma County

2012 Environmental Awards

Nominations open until 2/6 midnight: www.envirocentersoco.org/awards

Silent Auction and Raffle

Gourmet Dinner: A La Heart Catering

Tickets: $40, after 2/20: $50

Students with ID: $25, after 2/20: $30

Non-Profit Group Discount: 5 tickets for the price of 4, $160 until 2/20

Tickets: www.envirocentersoco.org

or send a check payable to SCCC to: PO Box 4346, Santa Rosa, CA 95402

Communicate With Water Words That Work, February 1, 2012

Larry — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:50:51 +0000

Communicate With Water Words That Work

February 1, 2012 || 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

835 Market Street, San Francisco

This workshop is designed for people who need to communicate with public audiences about water resources, coastal and watershed management, and land conservation.

Are you tired of struggling with environmental message design and delivery? Would you like to learn what words work when communicating about water and coastal issues? Then attend Communicate With Water Words that Work on February 1st and let communication expert Eric Eckl show you how to make a splash with your communications!

For those trained in different disciplines, environmental communications for everyday citizens can be a frustrating challenge, but the Water Words That Work message method makes it much easier to succeed. It’s designed to turn those blank stares into nodding heads — to turn passive “environmental awareness” into pro-environmental behavior.

Workshop Overview

8:45     Sign in and refreshments

9:00     Morning Session: Water Words That Work

Make a splash with your communications! Relearn the language that everyday citizens use and you’ll become more confident and successful as you set out to enlighten the uninformed and persuade the undecided to take a stand or take action on behalf of our rivers, lakes, and oceans. The Water Words That Work environmental message method is a four-step process for transforming professional language into action language that will help make your next fundraising, issue advocacy, and behavior change campaign a success.

12:15    Networking Lunch (provided)

1:15     Afternoon Session: Combat Communications for Conservationists

Conservation and controversy go hand in hand. Sooner or later, the mud will fly and your work and your reputation will be on the line. In this training, you will hone messaging skills you need to set the record straight and come out on top!

To register

Reserve your spot online:  http://www.sfbaynerr.org/ctp/programs/program_detail.php?PROGID=CoVYY2X . Registration closes on January 20th or as soon as space fills.

About the instructor

Eric Eckl has over 15 year experience planning and carrying out behavior change campaigns, fundraising and issue advocacy. His “Water Words That Work” approach is a highly successful workshop series, and he is a sought-after speaker for environmental, marketing, and technology conferences.

Participants in this workshop have said …
“Eric’s passion for people and communications is evident in the work he does, touching on issues that matter to most of us. He is a great teacher and presenter. Anyone who attends his workshop sessions will walk away excited and ready to implement what he has clearly explained, with an ‘I can do this’ attitude.”

For more information

Contact Marina Psaros, Coastal Training Program Coordinator at mpsaros@sfsu.edu

Mercury in the Water

Larry — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:40:39 +0000

Mercury has been a high priority pollutant in the Sac River Watershed for many years with TMDL’s and a number of cleanups. I’ve always wondered why the North Coast Board has not done likewise. The Russian River receives the contribution of the many abandoned mines in the Geyser’s District as well as that lovely relic on Sweetwater Springs. Is there any history of anyone looking at these and their legacy impacts? Oh yes, and we shouldn’t forget the Scaggs Springs district, now upstream of and inundated by Lake Sonoma. Thanks,

Ray

Not only the mercury in fog is of interest …

have a fine day,

Rue

The State Water Resources Control Board is developing a Statewide Mercury Program to reduce mercury in California’s waters. It is expected that the following two elements will be part of the program:

- New water quality objectives for mercury in the tissues of fish that humans and wildlife eat.

- A policy or plan to reduce mercury in our state’s reservoirs to attain the new water quality objectives and protect both humans and wildlife that eat reservoir fish. The policy or plan may include provisions for responsible parties to initiate actions to help address mercury reservoir problems.

Larry — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:18:55 +0000

I do not see the forests as a net user from evapotranspiration.

Depending the type of forest (rain forest, Temperate rain forest, etc.)
what percent of precipitation is taken up by evapotranspiration. I
imagine it depends on many factors (i.e. Slope, soils, frequency and
duration of hydrologic events, type of veg, etc.)

On thing for sure, there is degradation of water quality values related
to deforestation and/or vegetative cover loss. How are they measuring that?
This deals with one of the themes in our book.

True. Except CalFire says the Casper Creek study says different. I think they are misusing the study.

The role of roots for holding runoff on slopes so that it
percolates deeper is generally ignored. But all studies show that
forested slopes slow runoff and reduce the level of flooding
downstream.

Jane

Water and trees:

Stephen