Storm-Watershed Café Public Input Meeting

Public Input Sought at “Storm-Watershed Café

The Russian River Watershed Association (RRWA) is hosting a 

“Storm-Watershed Café” on Thursday, January 26, from 10 a.m. 

to noon at the Foss Creek Community Center in Healdsburg (details below).

The purpose of the event, which is modeled on the popular World Café meetings, is to seek input on how to better educate Sonoma and Mendocino county residents on storm drain pollution prevention.

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Gazette Sonoma County-Wide Distribution sites

Below is a list of WHERE to pick up a copy of the print edition of the GAZETTE - at more than 800 locations COUNTY-WIDE. This list is expanding every month as we discover more cafes, restaurants, coffee shops and stores, and as we add more street-box newsstands and our custom-made indoor newsstands (thanks Mark) (marked with an *) across Sonoma County.

Please support these businesses - and our ADVERTISERS who bring the Gazette to your for FREE reading. When you go to find a copy of the paper. Purchase a cup of coffee, sit down for a meal, buy a little something. These businesses are kind enough to support our paper and deserve support in return. And please...respect every publication on display, make sure you leave the stacks tidy - THANK YOU!

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Sonoma County's Rare Cedars get Recognition from SFGATE

Photo: Brant Ward / The Chronicle

Visitors, top, walk past the headwaters of Austin Creek in the Cedars in Sonoma County. Landscape architect Roger Raiche, left, explains geologic features, such as the calcium carbonate formations, far left, in the area.

'Tis a wonderful thing when Bay Area media sees the splendor of Sonoma County and let's others know what we have to offer. Here's an article and link to SFGATE.com from the San Francisco Chronicle - the Bay Area's BEST large newspaper! Take heed that this land needs to be protected!

Sonoma County's Cedars

Peter Fimrite, Chronicle Staff Writer

Monday, January 16, 2012

  At an old mining camp in the mountains above Cazadero in Sonoma County is a Mars-like panorama of steep crumbling red slopes, bizarre mineralized formations and green serpentine rock.

The 11-square-mile area, called the Cedars, is a mysterious land of one-of-a-kind geological phenomena next to the Austin Creek State Recreation Area and Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve that almost nobody in the Bay Area knows anything about.

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Sonoma County Water News

Sonoma County Water Agency 

NEWS Update

January 2012

Bring on the rain!
The weather forecast for next week includes rain! Water Agency officials are cautiously optimistic that next week's rainfall will help keep tributaries to the Russian River flowing. Water supply levels at Lake Sonoma and Lake Mendocino, our two primary water supply reservoirs, are approximately 80 percent of water supply capacity. Both Lake Sonoma and Lake Mendocino rely primarily on rainfall to fill. Lake Sonoma is large enough to store a few years worth of rainfall, but Lake Mendocino is about one third the size of Lake Sonoma and highly dependent on year-by-year rainfall to fill. 

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Math Education at Sonoma County Schools

Math Education Gets Extreme 

Makeover in Regional Schools

By Jean Wasp

Does math education need an extreme makeover?

Just ask Education Professor Kathy Morris from Sonoma State University. 

Morris is looking at a "fabulous opportunity" to provide better and far more coherent mathematics education, thanks to a recent $250,000 grant from the California Postsecondary Education Commission (now part of the California Department of Education).

She is guiding a team of K-12 teacher leaders from five northern California counties as they learn to support teachers in their region with the implementation of the new Common Core Standards. The next weekend teacher leader training is Jan. 13-14.

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Public Speaking Workshop at ShareExchange

Joy of Public Speaking Workshop

Wednesday January 25, 2012

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

at The Share Exchange

531 Fifth St., Santa Rosa

If your New Year's Resolution was to get over your fear of public speaking or need help on becoming a clear and concise speaker, then this is the workshop for you!  Public Speaking is an important skill that can be learned.

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SMART Train Opponents vs. Supporters

SMART Train UPDATE

Just so you know -  I haven't heard from the ANTI-SMART Train people, so what you see here is the PRO SMART Train people who have submitted material. - Vesta

Dear Editor:

Critics insist on spreading half truths and outright falsehoods about the SMART Train and Pathway project in a misguided effort to stop it. With the deck stacked against new taxes by having to jump through a two-thirds threshold, the critics seem to be upset because they may not be allowed to have a tiny minority make all of us go through an expensive election all over again.  That’s not democracy, that’s minority rule.

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Sonoma County Septic Regulations AB 885 Update

UPDATE: AB 885

Septics, AB 885, and Total Daily Maximum Loads (TMDLs)

Now that a new year has begun, some of you may be wondering where things stand with new proposed septic regulations that are likely to have a major impact on our Russian River community.

AB 885 was authorized by the State Legislature in 2000 and called for the establishment of more stringent regulations on septics, especially on those located near impaired water bodies (i.e.: containing excessive pathogens and nutrients).

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LETTERS to The Sonoma County Gazette January 2012

“I’ve heard some concerns about traffic – in our view heavy traffic is a sign of success and vitality…a busy and sometimes congested downtown is a sign of success. Cities are a concentration of human activity. Having traffic means people want to be there…success.”

~ Planning Director

Come Say NO to

CVS/CHASE

Attend the City Council Meeting

Monday, Jan. 23rd, 6:00 pm

Sebastopol Community Center

390 Morris St.

Sebastopol’s Design Review Board and Planning Commission have both voted down the CVS/Chase application to move their facilities from Gravenstein North where they are now, to the second busiest, trafficked crossroads in the heart of our downtown. – the corner of Petaluma Ave (Hwy 116) and Sebastopol Road (Hwy 12). 

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Alexander Valley Vineyards Recipe Contest

Alexander Valley Vineyards 

Announces CYRUS Recipe Contest  

Are you a foodie with a talent for creating recipes with perfect wine pairings?  If so, read on.

Alexander Valley Vineyards is conducting a recipe contest to discover the best pairing for their premium red wine - CYRUS.   Both amateur and professional chefs are invited to submit original, unpublished recipes featuring the limited production, proprietary red wine.

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Sonoma County Entrepreneurs Create Jobs - Their Own!

Want a Job?

MAKE one...

By Vesta Copestakes

Sounds easy - and quite honestly - it’s easier than you think. The key ingredients are motivation and self-discipline. Without those two elements you will fail. With them, you can do anything. I know…I’ve been self-employed most of my adult life.

Many people are creating their own businesses doing what they love. That’s key. There are some jobs - like sales - where money can be a big enough motivator to get you going every morning. But if money doesn’t get you excited beyond paying bills, you have to explore your heart to find what will give you the drive to push forward, day after day, until you succeed.

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SMART Train on Track for Train & Bike Trail

Photo of Cloverdale Depot - Northern Terminus
of SMART Train by Calder Frenaye-Hutcheson

SMART is on Track Now

By Ben Boyce

Accountable Development Coalition

This last week, a lively rally to support the SMART train and bike pathway drew over a hundred folks at the San Rafael city hall. We were there to celebrate the sale of nearly $200M in bonds that will permit construction to begin early next year, creating over 900 jobs.

The train has now left the station. For more than two decades the transit community has been working with local government to stand up a multi-modal, integrated transit system for the North Bay. The challenge of the 21st century will be to rationalize and regionalize our basic life-support systems: land, water, energy resources sustaining eco-systems, housing and transportation. SMART is the natural next step in building the transportation infra-structure for a sustainable future in the North Bay region.

  

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Sonoma County Coffee Shops

Before I delve into this article - I want to apologize to the coffee shops left out of the print edition. There's one thing about publishing that teaches you the Serenity Prayer to “accept the things I cannot change.” Once that file is sent off to the printer, there's no turning back! That's the beauty of the web. Here I can update this list as people send me corrections and additions. I have added comments and web sites - just let me know what you want added...and I will! Your comments are welcome.

In the mean time, please enjoy holding my paper edition in your hands...please support my advertisers so I can keep supporting our home with articles Written by Readers - and we'll all be happy! Enjoy this resource guide to Sonoma County Coffee Shops, and e-mail me with any corrections or additions: vesta@sonic.net.

Sonoma County Coffee Shops

By Vesta Copestakes

The smell of coffee has been part of my life since I was a small child. Back then it was percolated on the stove. The distinctive sound of water being drawn up the center tube, splashed into the glass bulb at the top of the percolator (fun to watch), then filtered through grounds in the basket – over and over and over - until someone decided it was done. We don’t torture coffee that way anymore. Preparing coffee has become quite sophisticated.

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ANIMAL CARE: The Family Pet

We conclude our review of miserable little parasites with everyone’s favorite, the heartworm!

Dirofilaria immitis is a mosquito-borne nematode that lives inside the heart and pulmonary arteries of dogs and other animals, including people. These little nastys are quite large (think angel hair spaghetti) and become so numerous that they impede circulation, ultimately causing death similar to heart failure. It is often unappreciated that a dog infected with heartworms may have BAZILLIONS of microscopic larvae in their bloodstream, just waiting for a mosquito to bite and transport them to the next victim.

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KATE ON CARS: Those Winter Squeaks & Rattles part 2

THOSE WINTER SQUEAKS AND RATTLES - PART 2

By Kate Jonasse

A quick note before we start: I want this column to be fun, interesting and relevant. To do this I'd like my readers' feedback. Please send your thoughts, comments, car questions, and ideas for future columns to me via email at info@ktechautomotive.com. Please put “Gazette Reader” in the heading. Thanks for reading.

It seems that every day I hear at least one car driving down the road with a belt squeal. You've probably heard it – often sounds like a large bird trapped under the hood. What causes this?

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SENIOR MOMENTUM - You Remember What?

Senior Momentum:  A Series Of Situations

You Remember WHAT?

In that fuzzy abyss of things partially (and erratically) remembered, dwell some amazing tales.  There is something about holidays with their family gatherings that can get you on a roll, with one remembrance triggering another and another.

When my gang gets together, part of my enjoyment is just watching and listening. I am intrigued by who recalls what, what seems funny to one but not the other, which stories seem to coalesce, and which inspire instant challenge and debate!   And, in my own mind I am looking at how I recall whatever story is on the table.

Family reunions late in life often reveal that some memories are to cherish, some are best forgotten, and some apparently may never have happened!

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Around Bodega Bay - January 2012

Winter in Bodega Bay is an interesting time.  As the traffic on Highway 1 dies down, the boat traffic in the channel picks up with crab season in full swing.  Even if we need the rain, we savor the sun-filled days and clear, windless nights.  It’s a great time to stargaze on the beach.  This year, we are enjoying a relatively dry winter (so far).  And typically, it’s warmer at the coast than it is just 5 to 10 miles inland.  We’ve learned not to pay any attention to the weather channels predictions of temperature, as their information comes from a station several miles away from the coast.  It’s a locals paradise this time of year.  No waiting, no crowds and plenty of crab.  If you still think of the Sonoma Coast as a place that is constantly fogged in, then it’s high time you got out here in the winter months.

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BARRISTER BITS: How to Protect Heirs from Inheriting Debt

DEAR READERS: Do you have a legal question that is burning on your mind?   If so, please email me.  Names will remain confidential.  Every inquiry may not be published, although we will publish as many as possible.   This Q & A Legal Column is intended as a community service to discuss general legal principles and does not create an attorney-client relationship. 

Q:  I am “underwater” on my house loan by about $60,000 but do have about $120,000 in my IRA (and no other possessions worth much value).  At 55 years old, should I have a will so my grown kids are protected and do not inherit any debt?

                                                            Signed:  Lance Landowner

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Our County by Efren Carrillo January 2012

Gratitude

As I write this on the last day of 2011, it is with gratitude for the crystal blue sky and brilliant morning, which will be enjoyed by many (while we hope for the rain needed to recharge our water supply).  December is always a bittersweet time, as we pause to reflect on the triumphs and disappointments of the passing year, and lay plans to tackle the work and challenges ahead.

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Ask EcoGirl - Standing up for the EPA

Standing Up for the EPA

Dear EcoGirl: Some presidential candidates have said that, if elected, they’d abolish the EPA. Do you think that’s a good idea? Signed, Concerned Voter

Dear Concerned Voter: Thank you for your question. Well, generally I don’t comment on candidates during an election, because I want my eco-information to serve folks with a wide range of beliefs. However, I will comment on the environmental aspect of your question, because I want to encourage our support of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a unique and crucial ally for protecting our health and well-being.

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SONOMA Style - January 2012

Sonoma Style

By Debra Costner

Welcome to 2012! Hope you all had a lovely holiday and have fully recovered from the celebrations. As is the Sonoma Style, just because the holidays are over, doesn’t mean we slow down. During this chilly season there is still plenty to do in the Valley. So let’s begin the New Year with a heart full of love and gratitude that we get to live in such a wonderful place!

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WINE BANTER - Cederquist Wine Co.

Spotlight: Starfish Pinot Noir, 

Cederquist Wine Co.

While Starfish Pinot Noir may be a relatively new pinot noir in Sonoma (first released in September 2006), winemaker Dan Cederquist is a winemaker who knows his way around Sonoma County. Dan began his winemaking career at Stag’s Leap and was the head winemaker at De Loach Vineyards. Dan has also been the consulting winemaker for Hook and Ladder and Balletto Vineyards. Dan’s many contacts and experience in Sonoma County has allowed him to buy a high quality fruit to produce his own Russian River Valley pinot noir.  Not only does he get to buy his fruit from high-end Russian River Valley growers, but he often visits the vineyards and helps to determine when to pick the fruit, essentially taking a proactive role in the vineyard management.  Dan has moved his winery to the Mayacamas Mountains on the borders of Napa and Sonoma where he has planted his own vineyards on site.

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Graton - January 2012

Resolutions and Solutions!

Have you resolved this year to take better care of yourself and our only planet?  If you haven’t, perhaps you should because there is an easy way to do both - by signing up with Spiral Foods.  Sonoma County’s Spiral Foods Cooperative is building a market that showcases local food with minimal packaging. You can help create this innovative village-center (hopefully to be headquartered in Graton!) designed to strengthen our food system through cooperative ownership.  

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Fire Department News - January 2012

CHRISTMAS TREE DISPOSAL

Thirty seconds is all it takes for a dry Christmas tree to be consumed by fire. Many people will leave their trees up through the New Year — but fire doesn't take a holiday. The Sonoma County Fire Prevention Officers Association urges everyone to dispose of their tree as soon as possible, once it begins to show signs of drying out. According to the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA), one-third of all Christmas tree fires occur in January. The first rule of tree disposal: Never put the tree or branches in a fireplace or wood burning stove! Sonoma County Waste Management has made it easy to recycle this traditional holiday symbol with four options:

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Gail's Garden - Winter Gardening 2012

Happy New Gardening Year!  

Winter Pruning

Yes, it’s rose pruning time!  Make a resolution to get started on the next sunny day, so that you can finish all your roses by the end of month.  People often say: “But my roses are still blooming!”  Be brave and prune away: use those blossoms for a nice mid-winter bouquet in the house.  (I put a lovely group of buds and blossoms  pruned from my white “Crocus Rose” in a low bowl on the kitchen table, with a red pillar candle in the center providing a holiday touch.) 

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Forever Forestville - January 2012

Happy 2012 to all of you! I trust that your Holidays have been merry and bright. This year marks the end of my second year writing this column and I am sad to say that this will be my last installment. I have found that I have been juggling just a few too many balls in the air and I desire to simplify my life this year so that all I do can be its very best. It has been a true joy being part of this paper’s family and I thank you for all of the encouragement I have received. It is my hope for you all that you will continue to support our community and participate in all it has to offer. Don’t miss out on the many opportunities to meet others, provide a helping hand, be entertained, and enjoy delicious foods and creative products. We are so fortunate.

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Cloverdale Comments - January 2012

OUR AWESOME BOYS & GIRLS CLUB!

It’s been many decades since I was an unsupervised kid with long, often lonely, hours to fill after school and during summers. Yet, touring our welcoming, activity-rich Club, the passage of all those years couldn’t stop me from feeling a sharp pang of regret that so many of us growing up on tough, tempting city streets never got to enjoy and benefit from a similarly safe, uplifting and affordable refuge from the often life-altering troubles streets can bring to the young. 

Thankfully, our small city is very different from my first hometown. Still, even Cloverdale’s youth can get into everything from simple mischief to drugs and worse--especially during the “Danger Hours“, from 3p.m. to 7p.m., before hard-working parents or guardians get home. 

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Camp Meeker - January 2012

Happy New Year!    

As we now breathe a sigh of happy relief that the holidays are once again behind us, it’s time to contemplate January. January doesn’t get the cultural respect we accord the flashy and colorful lights of December, but it’s one of my favorite months. Strange, I know:  it’s cold, the days are short, there is a feeling of getting nose back to grindstone, and it’s probably raining. But still; but still. There is a feeling of contemplation and peace in the air. We have touched base with our loved ones near and far, and we still feel connected. There is nothing on the calendar but staying warm and planning the projects we will commence when it gets warm. This is a month for nestling under a blanket in our comfy chair by the stove, and cracking open the pages of a new book, perhaps one we found under the tree.

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Bodega Bay Beat - January 2012

Holidays are times of joy and of stress.  Families are wonderful; families are stressful.  Sumptuous meals are delightful; excessive caloric intake is stressful.  We struggle to allocate our time so that happy memories are being made.  Sometimes you won’t know for an entire generation whether or not you have succeeded.

Whether you celebrate the holidays before year-end, or wait for the wisemen and exchange gifts on January 6, as long as we remember Good King Wenceslas and pledge to help the poor this year, we can light the fire, sit back and relax with the good memories of 2011.

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