Sonoma County Gazette

Storm-Watershed Café Public Input Meeting

2012-01-24T21:01:00.000-08:00

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.

“Our surveys show that many people don’t understand that junk dumped into storm drains goes directly to creeks and eventually into the Russian River and the ocean,” said Rohnert Park Councilman Jake Mackenzie, who is chairman of the RRWA. “The soap and grease from washing a car in the driveway and the trash that kids leave on high school campuses often end up in creeks and streams, where it can harm or even kill fish and other wildlife.”

Past RRWA surveys have found that 53 percent of residents in the Russian River watershed understand that storm drains lead directly to creeks. RRWA is seeking to increase public awareness, potentially through the use of techniques and messages generated by participants of the Storm-Watershed Café. Speakers kicking off the event include Christine Culver, former Director of the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition; Annie Esposito, former News Director at KZYX and presently Co-Publisher of the newsmagazine Mendocino Country Independent; and Connie Cloak, Partner, and Hugo Mata, Director of Media and Bilingual Outreach, at C2:Alternative Services.

The RRWA is comprised of governments that must comply with state and federal storm water regulations, including the cities of Ukiah, Healdsburg, Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park and Cotati; the Town of Windsor; Mendocino and Sonoma counties; and the Sonoma County Water Agency. Public outreach and education is one requirement of the storm water permits issued by the State of California to government agencies. Through the RRWA, its member agencies meet this requirement through an annual high school video contest, production and distribution of materials and products (including grease scrapers and storm drain stickers), and monthly columns on storm water pollution prevention.

Gazette Sonoma County-Wide Distribution sites

2012-01-18T22:53:00.000-08:00

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!

CLOVERDALE
Hamburger Ranch *
Piacére Ristorante Itaiano
Eagle's Nest Cafe
Local Folkal
Vino de Amore
Cloverdale Senior Center

Downtown SQUARE by the Post Office *

Cloverdale Chamber of Commerce
Cloverdale Library
Ruth McGowan’s Pub
Cloverdale Food Center
Cloverdale Arts Alliance
Underground Coffee
Antiques & Uniques *
Picks Drive-In *
Ray's Food Place *
Mary's Pizza
Cloverdale Market
Owl Café
Starbucks So. Cloverdale Blvd.
Shell Gas *
Cheveron Gas*

GEYSERVILLE
Mercury Wines *
Café Diavalo *
Geyserville Vintage & Bike
Geyserville Mudd *
Vintage Home Collective
Bosworth & Son General
Isis Oasis
Geyserville Market & Deli

HEALDSBURG
Healdsburg Nursery
Healdsburg Lumber Company
Raven Performing Arts
Bear Republic Brewing Co
SQUARE – West *
SQUARE – North *
SQUARE – East *
Moustache
Healdsburg Center of the Arts
Center Street Deli
Flying Goat Coffee
Newsstand Coffee
Healdsburg Library
Shelton's Natural Foods *
Bean Affair
Big John's Market
The Wine Shop
Kendall Jackson
Healdsburg Chamber
SingleTree Café
Agave Mexican Restaurant
Seven - 11
Round Table Pizza
UPS Store
Mountain Mike's
Starbuck's Coffee
UPS Store
Raven Film Center
Downtown Bakery
Café Gratitude
Oakville Market
Park Point Health Club

WINDSOR
MacDonald’s Restaurant
Café Noto
Starbuck's Coffee
Patterson's Pub
Windsor Chamber
Pohley's Market *
Windsor Parks & Rec
One Stop Market @ Windsor Palms Plaza
Round Table Pizza @ Windsor Palms Plaza
El Farolito Mexican Rest. @ Windsor Palms Plaza
Castaneda's Food Store @ Windsor Palms Plaza
High Tech Burrito
Anytime Fitness
Les Schwab Tire Center
Chevron Station Store
Windsor Library
Ana's Café & Espresso
Windsor Market
Chevron Market
Starbuck's @ Airpot Blvd.
Kafe Mocha
Mark West Marker
Airport Health Club
Starbuck's Coffee @ Lakewood Center
21st Century Health Club @ Lakewood Center
Fast & Easy Mart @ Lakewood Center
Peet's Coffee @ Lakewood Center
Mary's Pizza @ Lakewood Center
UPS Store @ Lakewood Center

FULTON
Fulton Post Office *
Friendly Feed

LARKFIELD
Wells Fargo Center
Anytime Fitness
Mulberrys Market *
Bungalow Coffee & Tea
Bad Ass Coffee *

SANTA ROSA

Video Droid

Haven Café

Gaia's Garden

Community Market *
My Friend Joe Coffee Shop
Community Media Center
Odd Fellows Hall
Benton Market
El Coqui
Holy Roast Coffee Shop
Franco's Ristorante
Hall of Justice *
Permit Resource Dept
SoCo Sheriff
SoCo Administration *
SoCo Regional Parks
DAAC - Outpatient Services
Flamingo Hotel
Pearson & Co. Café
Pacific Market *
Dr. Hostetter's D.C
SoCo Coffee *
Sonoma County Library
Santa Rosa Public Library
Santa Rosa Post Office *
Russian River Brewing Co *
The ShareExchange
GoLocal Sonoma County
La Rosa Tequileria & Grille
Treehorn Books
Hot Dog City
4th & D SE Corner *
4th & D NW Corner *
Courthouse Square *
Mac's Café *
Stanroy's Music
Railroad Square. SE *
Aroma Roasters *
Western Farm Center
KRSH - Wine County Radio
Riley Street Art Supply
Santa Rosa Treatment
Coddingtown Library
Redwood Credit Union
Whole Foods Coddingtown
Redwood Credit Union
Sam's Foreplay Café
Social Advocates for Youth
Redwood Empire Food Bank
Johnny's Java Marlow @ Piner
Mary's Pizza @ Marlow @ Piner
Love Your Neighbor Thrift
Cookie’s Coffee @ Marlow Ctr.
Round Pable Pizza @ Marlow Center
Starbuck's & Fulton Center.*
Gourmet Pizza *
Village Café
Four Paws Pet Ranch
Bellview Market and Deli *
Starbuck's @ Bellview
Santa Rosa Fish Store
Illumination Lamps
Willie BIrd's Restaurant
Anytime Fitness on Santa Rosa Ave.
Sonoma Valley Bagel
Chubby's Restaurant
Friedman Bros. *
Tower Market & Gas
Coco's Restaurant
Lucky's at Montgomery Village
Copperfields Books @ M. V.
UPS Store
Bae's Rincon Video Rentals
St. Francis Shopping Center *
Rincon Valley Library
Olivers Market Mission Blvd.*
CVS Pharmcy*
East West Cafe on Summerfield Rd.
Summerfield Cinemas
Mary's Pizza on Summerfield Rd.
Whole Foods on Yulupa Ave.
Muffin Street Baking Café *
Chevron Market @ Middle Rincon Rd.
7-11 Market @ Middle Rincon Rd.

OAKMONT
Wells Fargo Bank
Café de Croissant
Oakmont Village Market
Oakmont Medical Suites
Oakmont Activity Center
Oakmont Gardens

KENWOOD
Kenwood Farmhouse & Vittoria Gifts
Kenwood Market

GLEN ELLEN
Glen Ellen Village Market*
Garden Court Café
Glen Ellen Grocery
Pic & Pay Market

BOYES HOT SPRINGS
Boyes Hot Sprgs Post Office*
Sonoma Mission Inn Cafe
Sonoma Mission Inn
Taqueria La Hacienda*
7-11 Convenience Store
Barking Dog Roaster Coffee

SONOMA VALLEY
Fresh
Anytime Fitness
Fast and Easy Mart
Rancho Viejo
Mary's Pizza Shack
Lucky Supermarket
Park Point Health Club
Breakaway Café
The UPS Store
Community Café
Cheveon Convenience Store

SONOMA
Sonoma Hills retirement
Merrill Gardens
Sonoma Market *
Sonoma County Library
Black Bear Diner
Barking Dog Coffee House
Whole Foods
Round Table Pizza
Seven-11
Vintag eSenior Living
Historic Plaza Liquors
Sonoma Valley Hospital
Sonoma Post Office*
Hot Shots Coffee Stand
Friedman Bros. Home Improvement
Broadway Market
Newsstand Broadway @ Napa Streets*
Vineburg Deli
Sonoma's Best
Sonoma Valley Visitor's Ctr.
Reader's Books
La Haye Art Center
Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream
The Briar Patch
The Ice House
Sunflower Café
SQUARE – West *
SQUARE – North *
SQUARE – East *
Cheese Factory
Studebaker Cheesecake
Palms Grill Restaurant
Mary's Pizza

FORESTVILLE
Berry's Market
Russian River Pub
Orchid Inn
Korbel - RR Visitor's Center
Cottages on River Road
Speers Market *
Fast & Easy Market
Forestville Pizza
Tahoe Chinese
Forestville Post Office *
Fred's Liquors
Frame of Mind Gallery
Quicksilver Mine Co. Gallery
Bank of the West
Nightingale Breads *
Forestville Pharmacy *
Forestville Laundromat
Sarah's Forestville Kitchen
Aioli Delicatessen
Off the Track Coffee *
La Rosa's Taqueria
Scissorhands Pet Grooming
The Shipping Station
Forestville Club
Carr's Drive-In *
Forestville Elem. School
Corks at RR Vineyards
Kozlowski Farms
Forestville Veterinary
Almost Home Doggie Day Care
Henweigh Café
Mom's Pies *

GRATON
Bridgeway Gas *
Harmony Nursery *
Bill's Market
Willowood Café *
Graton Gallery
Graton Market
Graton Post Office *

SEBASTOPOL
Andy's Market *
Apple Blossom Mini Mart
Sebastopol Veterinary
Sandy's Paints
Mary's Pizza @ Redwood Marketplace
Redwood Marketplace/Lucky's *
Super Suds
VNA Thrift Store
Exchange Bank
Pacific Market
Sebastopol Hrdwr Pet Center *
Farm House Restaurant/Redwood C.U. *
Sotheby's Real Estate
Dee's Diner
El Tarasco Restaurant
Papa Murphy's Pizza
Village Bakery *
Safeway*
Sebastopol Senior Center
Sebastopol LIbrary
Miller Oil/Shell Gas *
Basso Building @ Cultivate Home
Art and Soul *
Copperfield's Used Annex
Global Village *
Gypsy Café
Copperfield's Books
People's Music
Incredible Records *
Washing Well Laundromat
Honeymoon Ice Cream/Yogurt
Exchange Bank
Sushi Hana
Holy Cow Coffee & Tea *
West America Bank
Cornerstone
Jasper O'Farrell's
Wine Emporium
Sprint Copies
Main Street Bar
Infusions Tea House
Whole Foods
My Friend Joe
Sebastopol Plaza (north side of street) *
Grab n Grow Soil Products
Benedetti Tire
Peace in Medicine
Coffee Katz *
Coldwell Banker
Coaches Corner Gym*
Sebastopol Liquors *
Seb Center for the Arts
Screaming Mimi's
Bus Stop near Post Office *
Sebastopol Chmbr of Commerce
Grateful Bagel
Lucca's Market
Big O Tires
Starbuck's *
Woodruff's Deli-Market
Palm Drive Physical Therapy
Fircrest Market *
Sequoia Market
Sequoia Burger
Hardcore Coffee *
Food for Thought Antiquess
Antique Society
Snapdragon Bakery
Grow Garden Nursery
Bee Kind Honey Store *
Papas and Pollo
Viva Mexico*
Aubergine After Dark *
Sebastopol Specialty Center
Palm Drive Hospital
Frizelle Enos
Hop Monk Tavern
Hydro Logic
Seven - 11 (Pleasant Hill SS) *
Westside Café
Buddies Pizza
Burbank Gardens
Bill's Farm Basket
Pony Espresso
Rose and Thorn

FREESTONE
Freestone Country Store
Osmosis Day Spa
Enduring Comforts
Freestone Vineyard Wine Center

OCCIDENTAL
El Mariachi*
Howard's Station *
Verdigris
Occidental Library
Hand Goods
Sonoma Fine Wines
Bohemian Market *
Gonnella's Market
Union Hotel
Negri's of Occidental
Barley & Hops
Occidental Hardware
Bistro des Copain
Occidental Vetrinary
Occidental Ctr for the Arts
Occidental Video
Occidental Post Office *

CAMP MEEKER P.O.

JENNER
Sizzling Tandoor
Jenner Store & Gas *
Jenner By The Sea (Inn)
River's End
Sea Shell Gfts *
Café Aquatica *

DUNCANS MILLS
Gold Coast Coffee
News stand by Post Office *
Blue Heron Duncans Mills
Courtyard
Weavers and Dreamers
Pig Alley
Cape Fear
General Store
Wine and Cheese Tasting

CAZADERO
Post Office *
Raymond's Bakery *
Cazedero General Store

MONTE RIO
Bia Café @ Northwood Center *
Monte Rio Post Office
Northwood Restaurant
Northwood Golf Clubhouse
Sophie's Cellars *
Fern's Market
One Stop General Store *
Sam's Holey Cow Diner *
Don's Dogs Café *
Highland Dell Lodge
Bartlett's Store
Village Inn

GUERNEVILLE
Guerneville Gas
Country Tire
Stumptown Brewery
Creekside Inn
Applewood Inn
Sonoma Nesting Co
Trio
River Inn Grill
Frank Howard Allen
Andorno's Pizza
Russian River Visitors Center
Russian River Realty
Armstrong Woods Rd @ 116 *
Twice Told Books
Coffee Bazaar
Creation Salon
Herth Real Estate
Guerneville Library
Community First Credit Union
Flavors Unlimited *
Guerneville Gas
Guerneville Post Office *
M D Market
River Reader
Russian River Gallery
Guerneville Liquors
Prudential Real Estate
Withywindle Gallery
My Glass Images
Patrick's Restaurant
Pat's Restaurant & Bar
Rose’s River Jewelery *
West Sonoma Inn
Buck's Restaurant & Bar
3 R Bar & Grill
Rainbow Cattle
West America Bank *
Main Street Pizza
Rose's River Jewelers*
Union 76
Mi Casitia Mexican Restaurant
Food For Humans
Dawn Ranch Lodge
Higher Ground Espresso
Taquera La Tapatia
Fern Grove Cottages
Garden Grill
Hideaway

RIO NIDO
Rio Nido Roadhouse *
Rio Nido Post Office *

BODEGA
Bodega General Store *
Colleen's Coffee
Hamilton Antiques
Artisan's Co-op
The Casino
Landmark Gallery
Bodega Post Office
Sonoma Coast Villa

BODEGA BAY
Bodega Coast Inn
Bodega Bay & Beyond
Coffee Cove
Lucas Wharf
Island Style Deli
Tides Wharf *
Gourmet au Bay
Diekmann's General Store *
Pelican Plaza Market
Sand Piper (at Pelican Plaza)
Bodega Surf Shack
Local Color Gallery
Terrapin Creek Café
Road House Coffee

VALLEY FORD
Valley Ford Store *
Valley Ford Hotel
West County Design
Estero Café

PETALUMA
Boutique in Petaluma Hotel
Seed Bank
Pelican Art Gallery
Della Fattoria
Starbuck’s Downtown *
Petaluma Pie Co.
Food Bar
Vine & Barrel
Fregenes Pizza
Chelsea Antiques
Calabi Gallery
Jungle Vibe & Café
Lala's Creamery
Riverfront Gallery
Viva Cocolat
Water Street Bistro
McNear's Restaurant
Fruit in Motion *
Bovine Bakery
Great Petaluma Mill/AppleBox *
Copperfield's Books *
Punjabi Restaurant *
Heritage Salvage
Aqus Café *
Petlauma Coffee & Tea
4th and C Bus Stop *
Mail Depot
4th St Post Office *
Petaluma Market *
Ray's Deli
Petlauma Arts Center
Petaluma Visitors Center
Mary's Pizza on Washington
Whole Foods
Steele Bear Deli
One Club Fitness
Park Deli Café
Jack in the Box
CVS Pharmacy
Petaluma Library
Inspired Fitness
Starbuck's on Lakeville
Heaven Scent Café
Seven-11
Chevron Mini Mart
Round Table Pizza
Springfield Place
Two-Niner Diner
Petaluma Community Center
Petaluma Hospital
Anytime Fitness
Marina Bean
Petaluma SRJC Campus
Starbuck's on Sonoma Mountain Parkway
Chunky's Taqueria
Flamez Bar and Grill
Laganitas Brewing
Orchard Supply Hardware
The UPS Store on N McDowell
I HOP Restaurant
Starbuck's Coffee on N. McDowell
Petaluma Valley Hospital

PENNGROVE
Mack’s Bar & Grill
Penngrove Pub
Frizelle Enos
JavaMore *

COTATI
Cotati Coffee
Redwood Café
Redwood Hwy @ Henry *
North Light Books
Oliver's Market *
Johnny's Java on Old Redwood Hwy
Redwood Market *
Tubby's Restaurant
Stabuck's Coffee on East Cotati Ave.
A & L Market
Charlie Brown's Café
Sonoma State University Library
Dash Market - E. Cotati Ave.
Washoe House

ROHNERT PARK
Rohnert Park Public Library
Anytime Fitness
Kwik Pic Convenience Store *
RP Chamber of Commerce
Post Office @ Mt. Shadows Ctr
Big Daddy's Diner
Doubletree Hotel
Double Decker Lanes
Fox Tail Golf Club
Mary's Pizza on Golf Course Drive
Golden Bean Coffee House
Michael's Sourdough Sandwiches
Chevron on Rohnert Park Expressway
Black Bear Diner
Starbuck's Coffee on Commerce Blvd.
Rohnert Park Senior Center
New York Bagel
Starbick's Coffee on Commerce Blvd.
Merrill Gardens
Callinan Sports & Fitness Center
Spreckel's Performing Art Cntr
Mountain Mike's Pizza
Moxie Java Cafe
49er Pet Store
Kaiser Permanente
Burger City
Les Schwab Auto
Rohnert Park Dental
Starbuck's Coffee on Rohnert Park Expwy
University of Sports
UPS Store on Commerce Blvd.

Updated January 18, 2012

Sonoma County's Rare Cedars get Recognition from SFGATE

2012-01-17T13:33:00.000-08:00

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.

That's because it's almost impossible to get there - yet it is a land rich with possible answers to many scientific questions, and it could be a source of information for climate scientists searching for a way to fight global warming.

Recently, a Chronicle reporter and photographer rode in a caravan of four-wheel-drive vehicles that crossed Austin Creek seven times as it wound its way over thickly forested hills and past dilapidated homesteads to reach what conservationists agree is a remarkable landscape that must be preserved.

A conservation easement was purchased on some of the land, and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management now owns 2,000 acres in the center, but the vast majority of this important geologic region is private property, subject to the whims of the owners.

Privately owned lands

Seventy-seven percent of the rugged hills and woodlands are owned by ranchers, outdoorsmen and homesteaders, whose parcels range in size from 40 to 700 acres. The core area, where the mineral deposits and odd calcium carbonate formations can be seen, is 8 miles as the crow flies from the nearest parking area and accessible only via a winding dirt road that is often impassable.

"There is no legal access, which means we have to work collaboratively with the owners and partners to develop a plan for the area," said Roger Raiche, a botanist and landscape architect who, with his partner, David McCrory, just completed the sale of 500 acres in the main canyon that the BLM will control.

"Easements are limited to docent-led tours or scientific study," said Raiche, who is actively working with several nonprofit land-preservation groups to protect the rest of the 35,000 acres that conservationists have named the Cedars Conservation Region.

The tour of the canyon illustrated why so many are so eager to preserve the land. The rocky, mineral-rich oasis is essentially a giant block of the igneous rock known as peridotite that was squeezed up through the Earth's crust over the past 200 million years. The giant upwelling relieved intense pressure inside the Earth and allowed the exposed rock to expand.

The steep, crumbling cliffs are the result of that expansion. They are also, geologists say, one of the best examples in the world of a rare metamorphic transformation - the peridotite from the Earth's mantle is changing before our eyes into the signature green rock known as serpentine.

"I see this as a kind of Shangri-la, a hidden treasure," said Ralph Benson, executive director of the Sonoma Land Trust.

The ongoing metamorphic process has caused a chain reaction of geologic wonders. Spring water filled with white calcium carbonate bubbles through fissures in the rock, creating large crystalline formations that line pools and form undulating patterns along Austin Creek, including a spectacular 5,000-year-old snow-like sheet that flows over a waterfall.

The deposits are an example of carbon sequestration in nature, experts say, a potential source of information for scientists fighting global warming.

"Here is nature (sequestering carbon) for us," said McCrory, who co-owns a landscape design business with Raiche. "Geology and geo-chemistry experts are really interested in these springs."

Unique plant species

NASA scientists are particularly intrigued, McCrory said, because the highly alkaline springs harbor uniquely specialized microbes that may offer clues to how life could form on otherwise inhospitable planets.

The weathered hills, which are high in magnesium, iron and chromium, are also home to five species of orchid and at least eight plant species that don't exist anywhere else, including the Cedars manzanita.

Images

View All Images (15)

Although remote, the Cedars region was known to early homesteaders who first moved into the area in the 1880s. The central portion, known then as Red Slide, was considered uninhabitable and was, for the most part, ignored until World War I, when a chromium mine was established.

The area was officially named the Cedars sometime in the 1940s, a name that some locals had used for decades on the mistaken belief that the abundant cypress trees were cedar, Raiche said. The mines were abandoned after World War II ended and America no longer needed domestic chromium.
Raiche said he first visited the property in 1981. He and McCrory bought the 500 acres in 1999 and have sought to preserve the area's unique features ever since.

The Sonoma Land Trust joined the effort to preserve the area six years ago. The trust purchased 45 acres in 2007 and, in December, used $160,000 from the Resources Legacy Fund to pay for a conservation easement prohibiting development on 160 acres of privately owned property in the area.

Guided tours

Save the Redwoods League brokered the $600,000 purchase of the Raiche-McCrory land this past fall and transferred title to BLM, which already owns 1,500 acres in what conservationists call "the core serpentine zone."

The bulk of the money for the purchase came from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the California State Coastal Conservancy. Raiche and McCrory still own 20 acres where the mines used to be.

The land trust is working with the owners and other partners to set up guided tours of the property, but unlimited public access may never be possible.

"We need some time to balance research with public access and come up with the institutional arrangement for it," Benson said. "The role of the land trust is to preserve the larger Cedars region in cooperation with the land owners and protect the ecology of the region for a long time. The value of this is in the flora and fauna here, the mineral springs and the biology, which is delicate.”

E-mail Peter Fimrite at pfimrite@sfchronicle.com.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/01/16/MNIM1MNAG8.DTL

Sonoma County Water News

2012-01-16T22:39:00.000-08:00

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.

A majority of rain falls within our reservoir's watersheds between January and March. Another key time period for rainfall is in mid-spring, such as April, before the summer heat begins and urban water demand increases.

Another good piece of news is that overall water demand from Water Agency contractors, the cities and water districts that receive drinking water from the Water Agency, decreased significantly from levels of a few years ago. This is in large part thanks to the successful conservation efforts implemented by homeowners and businesses in our community. The bottom line is - the less water that is consumed, the more water we can keep in our reservoirs.

You can stay up-to-date on water supply levels by visiting our website. This page is updated on a weekly basis and is your best source for monitoring water supply levels in our reservoirs. Read More…

Dry weather presents possible threat to coho salmon
Dry weather over the past month has reduced water levels in tributary streams in the Russian River system presenting an additional hazard for over 100 coho salmon known to be in the river. Low water levels limit access to breeding sites in streams and may expose the fish to the risk of being caught by anglers steelhead fishing in the Russian River. If the dry weather continues there will likely be impacts on coho smolts and juveniles this spring and summer if flows in tributaries become disconnected with the Russian River prematurely. The coho now in the Russian River are among the first returns from the Coho Broodstock Program, a nearly ten-year effort to rescue the Russian River coho from near extinction.

The Water Agency is working with the California Department of Fish and Game and several other agencies on an effort to educate the sport fishing community on accurate identification of the protected coho so they can be released if caught. Approximately 20,000 water resistant cards that graphically display the differences between steelhead and coho have been printed and are being distributed to anglers at locations where fishing licenses are sold and at popular fishing spots.

View the fish cards here. Read More…

Water Agency breaches Russian River Estuary
The Water Agency manages the barrier beach that periodically forms at the mouth of the Russian River near Jenner when water levels increase and threaten low-lying properties with flooding. The Estuary Management Project, which would change the Water Agency's historic approach in the summer months to enhance habitat conditions for threatened steelhead while minimizing flood risk, includes continuing to artificially breach the barrier beach the remainder of the year.

The mouth of the Russian River closed on January 4, 2012, and an artificial breaching event was scheduled for January 9 as water surface elevations were forecasted to approach flood stage. High swells predicted for that evening moved in early, making attempts to open a pilot channel unsuccessful. The high swells were also making it dangerous for workers and equipment. The breaching was rescheduled for Wednesday, January 11, when conditions were forecasted to be more favorable. Water Agency crews successfully breached the barrier beach on January 11 with water surface elevations at 9.2 feet at the Jenner gage. For more information about the Estuary Management Project, visit the Water Agency's webpage. Read More…

Math Education at Sonoma County Schools

2012-01-16T15:03:00.000-08:00

Math Education Gets Extreme

Makeover inRegional Schools

By Jean Wasp

Does math education need an extreme makeover?

Just ask Education Professor Kathy Morris fromSonoma State University.

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

She is guiding a team of K-12 teacher leadersfrom five northern California counties as they learn to supportteachers in their region with the implementation of the new CommonCore Standards. The next weekend teacher leader training is Jan. 13-14.

"This time we have chance to get itright," says Morris, who is excited about the opportunity to provide newmath education approaches to K-12 teachers beyond the current"skills and drills" approach that is seen in so many Californiaclassrooms.

"We are now in the world of the $1calculator yet we still spend most of our instructional time training childrento do what that cheap tool can do."

Morris is not advocating abandoning the mathcomputational skills but changing the emphasis to incorporateapplied mathematics for a more rigorous, and conceptual approach.

"The new Common Core Standards forMathematics emphasize student development of a higher order ofcritical thinking, and a capacity to understand and use mathematics.This approach will better translate in to both college and careerreadiness," she says.

The new Common Core State Standards are theresult of a nationally coordinated, state-led effort to establish ashared set of clear standards for mathematics, English language arts,and science. They replace California's existing standards andare different enough to warrant new teacher professional developmentprograms.

The grant is used to work with teacher leadersfrom Sonoma, Lake, Mendocino, Del Norte, and Humboldt counties whowill develop regionally tailored professional development that willsupport their colleagues to learn about and effectively implement thenew state standards.

The plans addresses the unique needs ofteachers in rural areas of the counties, as well as those in the moreurban areas.

Based on the work Morris will do with theseleaders, county teams will be able to help the teachers intheir communities work toward a common goal: student success from elementaryschool through college.

"Implementing these new standards wellwill require districts to provide teachers with adequate support tolearn about the changes, in order to be able to implement themthoughtfully," she says.

If we fail to provide these, we won't be ableto realize the potential benefit from these new, rigorous andresearch based standards. And it won't be the students' or theirteachers' fault."

The grant to SSU supporting these five countiesis one of 14 awarded in the state for teacher professional development.

It involves partnerships with faculty fromHumboldt State University, the Sonoma County Office of Educationand Konocti Unified School District.

Math Professors Ben Ford is the co-principalinvestigator on the project and Brigitte Lahme is one of theinstructors for the teacher leader institutes.

Professor Kathy Morris can be reached at morrisk@sonoma.edu.

Public Speaking Workshop at ShareExchange

2012-01-16T14:36:00.000-08:00

Joy of Public Speaking Workshop

WednesdayJanuary 25, 2012

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

at TheShare Exchange

531 Fifth St., Santa Rosa

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

Led by Elaine B, Holtz, MA Edu., this informal workshop will reviewtools and tips to become comfortable and a confident public speaker, weather injust returning a phone call, talking at a party, or providing a presentation atwork. Learn how to clearly andconfidently speak your message, a crucial tool for community activists tomake their point!

$10 minimum donation to theShare Exchange

About the presenter:

Elaine has a strong background in sales, marketing andpublic speaking. She is the author of several books, and is the producer andhost of the award winning program, Women'sSpaces" on Santa Rosa's Public Access TV andonline at www.womensspaces.com

Elaine holds an AADegree from Los Angeles City College, a BA Degree In Sociology from SonomaState University and a MA Degree in Education from San Francisco StateUniversity.

She is co-founderNortonHoltz Business Solutions www.nortonholtz.net

About the Share Exchange:

The Share ExchangeInnovation and Incubation Center is Sonoma County’s first coworkingspace. We offer an affordable place towork during the day and hold community events in the evening.

In addition to having aphysical cowork and event space, we are big proponents of LOCAL and SHARING.Often these things can save money and resources. As such, we are home to thefirst Made LocalMarketplace where everything in our store is made here inSonoma County. We represent almost 200 local artisans!

If you are short onmoney, you'll be interested in the Sonoma County Time Exchangewhich is an hour-for-hour exchange of services.

SMART Train Opponents vs. Supporters

2012-01-13T19:34:00.000-08:00

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.

Twice in the last ten years the voters have awarded the project substantial majorities. The petitioning to ask citizens to vote yet again is adding significantly to project costs and delaying the award of some contracts that would provide more jobs. The anti-SMART folks have offered no alternatives to the project and are now paying hired guns to gather signatures for them.

The anti-SMART folk have been trying to portray themselves as just good citizens, public watchdogs over government excess and bureaucratic mismanagement. “I voted for the project,” many of them insist. But if you take the time to go back and listen to the audio recordings of SMART Board meetings, a very different image emerges. Residents of Novato became enraged over misinformation that had been fed to them by no-growth and anti-tax zealots—misinformation about 2200 low-income or transit-oriented housing requirements that Metropolitan Transit Authority was supposedly going to impose at each SMART station. The information was false, but the opposition remained. Opponents insisted to the SMART Board and wrote to the newspapers that “SMART will ruin Marin”; that “Highway 101 congestion is Sonoma County’s problem and not Marin’s”; and that SMART has no plans to ever extend the line to Cloverdale and Larkspur. All completely false; but SMART’s opponents know that if you throw enough stuff against a wall, some of it is bound to stick.

The campaign against the train and pathway has already added $17 million to the cost of financing the project—funds that could have been used to upgrade track, build stations, install crossing gates, replace bridges, and so forth. Moreover, SMART staff has had to take time away from building a project to defend its back side against any and all opponents—whether or not their causes have merit and irrespective of whether they are telling the truth about their motives. If the repeal makes it to the ballot, several million additional taxpayer dollars will be taken from the project to pay for ballots, public information, and the legal challenges that are certain to follow. Even worse, if Measure Q were repealed, we taxpayers would be left owning an unfinished and non-operable railroad and an obligation to pay millions of dollars in cancellation penalties for rail car and construction contracts. And our chances of seeing an alternative to driving Highway 101 in our lifetime will most likely vanish along with our tax dollars.

SMART now has a great team in place and is moving forward with purpose and efficiency. Sure times are tough. All the more reason to make this critical infrastructure investment in our future, which will give a boost to our local economy through much needed jobs and acting as a catalyst for attracting more businesses. Ignore Anti-SMART paid minions and walk past their petitions.

Jack Swearengen
Chair, Friends of SMART
3324 Parker Hill Rd
Santa Rosa, CA 95404
527-5633

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TRAIN & PATHWAY SUPPORTER

STEP UP PUBLIC EDUCATION EFFORT
SMART RIDERS COALITION EXPANDS

Supporters of the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) Train & Pathway are stepping up public outreach efforts to protect the project from a small but vocal group working to repeal the sales tax measure that funds SMART.

The SMART Riders Coalition is a group of individuals and union, business and environmental organizations formed to support SMART. Responding to news that SMART opponents are using paid signature gatherers, the SMART Riders Coalition seeks to balance the public debate by leafleting in busy locations in Marin and Sonoma Counties.

“We know SMART continues to have broad-based public support,” says Chris Snyder of Operating Engineers Local 3. “At the same time, SMART opponents are spreading a lot of misinformation to confuse voters. With more than 1,000 jobs at stake in 2012 alone, we’re not taking any risks – we’ll be out there to spread the truth about SMART.”

Those leafleting for the SMART Riders Coalition will be trained and required to adhere to a written code of conduct.

“We’ve been working to educate the public about the benefits of SMART throughout the life of the project – and the public spoke loudly by approving Measure Q in 2008,” says Sonoma County Conservation Action Executive Director Dennis Rosatti. “It’s a real shame that a handful of detractors are seeking to undo the clear voter mandate for the SMART Train & Pathway project. I hope our efforts will help clear up the confusion.”

SMART Riders Coalition expects to leaflet through January 27^th, the deadline by which the repeal SMART campaign must file its petitions.

The SMART Riders Coalition now has more than 30 organizational members, and dozens of individual endorsers, including many local elected officials.

Additional information about the SMART Riders Coalition can be found at www.smartriders.wordpress.com. A roster of member organizations can be found at www.smartriders.wordpress.com/about.

---------------------------------------------------

Shift into high gear to protect

SMART Train & Pathway

Big wins this week, but your help is needed to defeat repeal

A huge “hooray!” for the SMART Train & Pathway

On Monday, the Sonoma Marin Area Transit (SMART) Board of Directors awarded a $103.3 million contract to the firms that began construction on Tuesday. According to the contractor, Stacy & Witbeck, this construction phase will provide at least 1,000 jobs.

This contract is for the first phase of construction on the Initial Operating Segment (Santa Rosa to San Rafael) and will provide backbone construction for the train from the North Santa Rosa Station (which has been added back to the initial segment) to Marin Civic Center (including Atherton, which has been added back in.

The contract for the second phase of construction on the Initial Operating Segment is expected to be awarded later this year, and will include theMulti-use Pathway and building out the rest of the train infrastructure to Downtown San Rafael.

This project phasing is in-line with what the SMART Board approved in Spring of 2012, when it decided to build the project in phases.

The SMART Riders Coalition applauds SMART for making good on its promises.

At the same time, SMART is more threatened than ever

The SMART Riders Coalition discovered last weekend, and the Repeal SMART movement declared publicly yesterday, that it has hired paid signature gatherers to circulate its petition.

This is a very serious change in strategy, and the SMART Riders Coalition needs your help this Saturday to help make sure the Repeal campaign fails in its mission to destroy our North Bay Transportation Future.

Please join us this Saturday (January 14^th, 2012) morning at 10:00 a.m. in Rohnert Park for a brief training/dispatch meeting. At the meeting you will be trained how to offer educational materials to counter paid and volunteer signature gatherers, you will receive signs and flyers supporting SMART, and you will be dispatched with a partner to a location in Marin County. We are asking you to commit 6-8 hours this Saturday to protect the North Bay’s transportation future.

RSVP as soon as possible to vanguard51@sbcglobal.net or call 707-478-9663. You will receive location details upon RSVP.

It is critical to our success to have as many people out as possible in order to spread the truth about the SMART Train and Pathway.

Let’s work together to win this fight!

Annie Dobbs-Kramer

Sonoma County Conservation Action

KYN Coordinator

707-571-8868

annie@conservationaction.org

Sonoma County Septic Regulations AB 885 Update

2012-01-08T21:07:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: AB 885

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

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

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

AB885 goes back to the drawing board….

In 2008 the State issued proposed regulations that includeda one-size-fits-all list of requirements, including mandatory inspections. After thousands of people protested vociferously,the State subsequently took their proposal back to the drawing board. The new version provides septic policy thattakes a risk-based approach, allowing many areas “off the hook”, but notproperties located in fragile river environments, such as our own. High water tables, porous soils, steepslopes, and generally small lot sizes, makes conventional septic installationthat meets all current requirements virtually impossible for many local parcels.

The revised policy has now entered a new hearing phase. On November 2, 2011, the State locally unveileda new version of the proposed septic policy. The new version has tiered requirements to fit specific high risk circumstances. (More detailed information can be obtained ontheir website at: http.//www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/owts/)

New, identified tiers include…..

Tier 0: System is ingood working order and only needs to be maintained.

Tier 1: New and replaced Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems(OWTS) must meet siting and design criteria for a standard OWTS.

Tier 2: New and replaced OWTS must meet siting and designcriteria of local agency management program that may allow for alternativesiting and design and treatment systems.

Tier 3: (MOST LOWER RIVER PROPERTIES WILL COME UNDER THIS TIER) Demonstrate that the OWTS is not contributingto the pollution of the impaired water body, or provide supplemental treatmentto reduce or remove the loading from the OWTS to the affected water body.

Tier 4: requires replacement of failing OWTS. The means of compliance will depend uponwhich tier the replacement OWTS will be constructed under.

New policy tied to Regional Board TMDLs……

Total Daily Maximum Loads (TMDLs) will determine whichseptics are required to meet new regulations and deadlines for compliance. Recently,Catherine Kuhlman stated publicly that it is likely the policy won’t beimplemented until the “TMDLs” are complete, at least a few years from now. What are these and how will they impact thelower river community?

Under the Clean Water Act there is a process (called 303(d))for listing water bodies for specific impairments. Currently, the Russian River is listed forsediment and temperature impairments throughout the river, and bacteria/pathogens,nutrients (Laguna de Santa Rosa), mercury, dissolved oxygen, in specificsections.

The area between Guerneville and Monte Rio is listed asimpaired for bacteria, (meaning there are too many excessive readings) but theRegional Board is conducting extensive monitoring to see if that designationshould be expanded. If the whole lower river were to be so designated, then AB885 would be in force for all properties along the river and thetributaries. (You can get an idea ifyour property would be affected by going to: http://gispublic.waterboards.ca.gov/webmap/owts/owtsmap.html)

Determining where bacterial pollution comes from…..

The TMDLs (total daily maximum loads) are actually studiesto determine where the pollutant is coming from (in this case bacteria), whenit is occurring, what is causing it, and what impacts it has on beneficialuses. Subsequently, allocations are designated for identified contributors inorder to protect all beneficial uses. (Forinstance, if Santa Rosa’s wastewater discharges contribute to the problem,discharge permit requirements will force them to to mitigate and/or cease theircontribution.)

Last year the Regional Board hired UC Davis scientists toconduct a winter study of pathogens. They discovered that urban runoff during rainy periods is a hugecontributor. The bacteria running offurban areas during large rain events, can then bind with sediments in thewaterway and be reintroduced into the water column far downstream during thesummer months. Regional Board is currently implimenting a storm water programto address these issues.

There are many other bacterial contributors such as cattleand dairy cows, horses, wild animals, failing septic systems, recreationists, wastewaterdischarges from sewer treatment plants, agricultural practices, etc. The goal of current monitoring is todetermine how much of the pollution is from human sources, and when and fromwhere it is originating. They will notbe able to assess individual septic systems, but they can assess general areas.

Apart from tmdls, old septics may still be polluting….

Going on the assumption that old septics installed more thantwenty years ago cannot possibly meet current standards, the Agency has developedmaps of the Monte Rio and Summerhome Park areas that indicate all propertiesthat have not been permitted during that time period. Approximately 75% or more have not beenofficially upgraded. It is assumed thatremedies for these old systems will need to be addressed in the coming years.

During 2009, which was a very low flow year, we saw some of theworst bacteriological pollution. Thereis special concern for the impact of “low flow” on exacerbated pollutantcounts. When there is less water in theriver, the sun heats it up more, algae grows, and bacteria proliferate. Many beaches were posted with warnings in2009, whereas in 2010 and 2011, which were much cooler and flows were higher,there was very little problem. It willcritical to incorporate these factors into the analysis and it is why webelieve that the State’s promise to reduce minimum flows permanently is of suchgreat concern.

Regional Board is just beginning their process. It may be years before new regulations getenforced, but it’s important to stay informed. Monte Rio and Summerhome Park areas willreceive the greatest scrutiny in the short term. We recommend your attendance at Monte RioWastewater Task Force meetings, usually held at the Monte Rio CommunityBuilding on the third Monday of the month at 6:30 pm.

For more information, you can also contactthe Regional Board at 576-2220. Requestto talk to a staff person about AB 885 and the pathogen/bacteria tmdl process.

---------------------------------------

Brenda Adelman is Chair of Russian River Watershed ProtectionCommittee, a nonprofit corporation. Shecan be reached at rrwpc@comcast.net You can visit their website atwww.rrwpc.org

LETTERS to The Sonoma County Gazette January 2012

2012-01-06T20:52:00.000-08:00

“I’ve heard some concerns about traffic – in our view heavytraffic is a sign of success and vitality…a busy and sometimes congesteddowntown 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 Commissionhave both voted down the CVS/Chase application to move their facilities fromGravenstein North where they are now, to the second busiest, traffickedcrossroads in the heart of our downtown. – the corner of Petaluma Ave (Hwy 116)and Sebastopol Road (Hwy 12).

The Design Review Board has found the plan does not adhereto DRB guidelines or the General Plan. DRB meetings attracted a couple of hundred community members whoexpressed deep concerns about the proposed project.

This denial is being appealed to the City Council. Now isthe time for you to attend the City Council meeting and voice your support ofthe DRB and PC, and it is time for your City Council to say NO, too!

Sincerely,

Helen Shane for the

Committee for Small Town Sebastopol

--------------------------------------

Well my little magician - yes indeed we all do read theGazette cover to cover and I am another one pleased that it has spread the goodand needed info throughout our county and even further.

Thanks Vesta for your wonderful creation and nurturing thruall of these many years. You and the staff are an asset to this planet.

Here’s to 2012 May it bring peace, health and happiness toall

Lots of Love

Arleen Zuniga

----------------------------

I would like to thank Deborah Padrick for her continuouswork in guiding the Forestville School Children with the holiday windowpainting. For many years, my children took part in the painting of the windows.Now years later, I walk through town with my grandson and we enjoy looking atall the wonderful artwork. Thank You, Deborah

Lori Todd

Forestville

-----------------------------------------

In your article about small local shops, you really shouldhave included P&G (Putto and Gargoyle) in Sebastopol. They aretotally wonderful and totally local. Peter and Geri make all their ownbrilliant indoor and outdoor ceramics. Geri’s mom does lots of wonderfulwatercolors. Peter does haircuts two days a week (for $20). Check it out. Prices are more than reasonable and finding stuff foryourself or for people on a gift list is....almost too easy.

Susan

------------------------------------------

Dear Vesta,

This is an Open Letter of Gratitude.

A day or so after Christmas a friend’s older brother passedaway. Per tradition, my friend madearrangements to move the body some 300 miles for burial in the sacred ground ofHome. Upon finding just how costly sucha process is, the family humbly asked for help – the company who would handlemoving him required a sizeable deposit. This was Wednesday; the funeral was scheduled for Friday.

It was nearly five p.m. when I got the message and it took afew minutes to phone my friend. By thetime I had his account number, I had 25 minutes to make the 35 minute drive toWells Fargo in Sebastopol. Praying through my teeth, I carefully observed allthe speed limits – somehow pulling into the bank’s parking lot just as KCBSannounced “six p.m.”

The funds were needed this evening and my heart sank as Itried the bank’s front door - locked. Icould see no other customers inside – only staff - busy at their terminals,closing out the day.

Hope against hope, I tapped on the glass and one of thebank’s female employees responded non-verbally, shaking her head “No” while shemouthed the words, “So sorry – we are closed.” Desperate – I clasped my hands together and silently pleaded with her.

She paused and then - to my amazement - she crossed the lobby. My heart sank again as I realized sheprobably only came to the door so I could hear her kindly phrased and patientexplanation. Trying not to weep, I tooka deep breath and - hoping she could hear me as well as I heard her - asked herif there was any way she could help me send my friend the money his family sourgently needed.

A heart beat later and she was locking the door behind meand directing me to a window where I handed her my friend’s name and accountnumber. In short, this kind and graciousperson made an exception to what I can only imagine is a very firm rule.

Now sure my little transaction took less than five minutesand sure, as Lead Teller, she has the authority to give a regular customer abreak now and again – oh and sure, if there are people in line at closing time,it is quite customary to help all of them even though the bank “officially”should be shutting down its systems…..

But no. I am not aWells Fargo customer. I was not in lineinside. And while I hope my littlecontribution helped my friend’s family in their time of need, it’s not like Iwas “saving the farm” with a last minute mortgage payment. My “problem” was so completely NOT herproblem and just how much simpler might her evening routine have been if shehad chosen to wave me away??

No - Community, this was a case of sheer HumanKindness. Thank you, Ms Hanson. I am grateful to have met you and hope thatin 2012 I can show others the same level of warm consideration you extended tome.

(Name withheld by request)

P.S. to Occupy Protestors: Please remember that the workersare not the bank. I hope my experiencewill help you separate how you treat them from whatever point you wish to makeabout the institution’s policies.

--------------------------------------

Dear Vesta,

Every year, the town of Guerneville celebrates the WinterHolidays by putting on a wonderful parade, the Parade of Lights, and this yearwas no exception. However, the event does not happen without the dedication andhard work of a few folks. Most of these folks are behind the scenes people who,year after year, help to make things happen.

The Parade would never take place without the efforts ofRussian River Chamber Staff who make sure that all permits and press deadlinesare met, parade entries obtained etc. The paperwork is extensive and there aremany details to be worked out. Kayte Guglielmino, Office Manager and ValerieMunthe, deserve a big round of applause for working extra hours, including someon their own time, to ensure that things run as smoothly as possible.

Beth Rudometkin was the Chair of the Parade Princess Contestand Dinner. The monies raised by our young teens help to fund the Parade ofLights. Thank you Beth and our two princesses this year, Hayley Wright andJessica VanRillaer. An added plus this year is the willingness of Hayley andJessica to help with other town efforts. Thank you - we are very proud of you!

A special mention this year to the parade’s Grand Marshal,John Schubert. John is our area historian and is someone who is always willingto help, with a smile and (yes, often) a joke! John, we are proud of you too!

There are many people who help the Chamber Staff and Boardof Directors with the events connected with the Parade of Lights. A job welldone to Valerie Hausmann, Parade Chair. Thank you to the many people whovolunteer to help in many ways, including: Barbara Hoffman, Barbara Seymour,Cary Ostrof, Scott Mitchell, Clifford of Larks Drugs, Robbi Ernst, the entiregroup of Parade Judges who turn up every year. A special mention and thanks toDiana Nolan, although ‘retired’ as Community Services officer, Diana helpedagain this year. Yay!

Sincere thanks to everyone who has helped, throughout theyears to make this event so special. Opal Pullarov- a very special Thank You foryour many years of help with all events.

A round of applause to everyone who enters the Parade, welove it! Your hard work gives so much pleasure.

There are two parades held along Main St in DowntownGuerneville, one in December and Stumptown Parade in June. Those wishing tohelp are very welcome to contact Kayte at the Chamber office. We will bepleased to let you know when the workbegins for the Parades.

Sincerely

Margaret Kennett - On behalf of Russian River Chamber ofCommerce

-----------------------------------

Hi Vesta,

Earlier this year you posted our Free Reiki Clinic in thecalendar section. I just wanted to follow up and express how thankful I was forthis inclusion in the Sonoma County Gazette. As a result of that posting, Ireceived inquiries to the Clinic each month and shared the gift of Reiki withmany people who had never heard of it before.

Others were thrilled to be re-acquainted with Reiki. It wasa lot of fun! I love the Clinic. The questions that come up from people whohave never experienced energy healing always connect me back to the root of myhealing practice.

I offer the Reiki Clinic monthly as a service to thecommunity. People can come as often as they want, as long as I have space. I don’t take money for it, and there are nostrings attached.

I stand by “first Saturdays” as being a space where peoplecan be present with their healing regardless of income and without financialstressors.

The Reiki Share will not be happening in January, but itpicks up again in on February 4th and goes for 1st Saturdays (1pm-5pm)throughout the rest of the year. Many thanks, and holiday blessings!

Dailey, Healing Heart Reiki,

www.SantaRosaReiki.com

707-322-9637

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Dear Vesta,

I have a conservative Republican friend who has been out ofwork for two years. I mention thisbecause she has taken it upon herself to study, through the news and readings,what is happening politically in our country. Having been a Republican all her life, her findings have led her to thebelief that it is the Democrats, not the Republicans who are looking out forthe average American, trying to protect civil rights and provide fair taxation.She sent me several articles, which I want to mention here briefly and letreaders Google for more information

The first is a speech Bill Moyers gave to a group called PublicCitizens 40th Gala. He outlines thehistory of our political system. What ismost fascinating to me is that in 1971 a wealthy corporate lawyer by the nameof Lewis F. Powell Jr. wrote a letter to wealthy Republicans in this countryoutlining a plan to put the wealth of this country in “the hands of the few atthe cost of the many”. I have researchedthis, one can go on line to verify that this letter indeed was written and anentire plan to implement this goal has been in place since that time. It is my opinion that that plan is now comingto fruition unless Americans become aware and support the Democrats in fightingit. In my opinion this is the 1% versusthe 99%.

Secondly, there is a group called the PatrioticMillionaires. They have their ownwebsite and one can read it for their mission statement, their cause and theirproposal. They agree that the wealthiestAmericans should be taxed to equally support the economic stability of thiscountry. During the Depression, thewealthiest were taxed at 68%. They lista trend of taxation throughout following years with the current tax at35%. They state that 44% of Congressmenare millionaires.

Thirdly, there is an economic term called “starving thebeast”. Readers may want to Google thisand read up. I have asked a localeconomist if this is indeed the fiscal approach the Republicans aretaking. It would appear from all I haveread that this is their approach. BothReagan and George W. Bush are quoted using the term. One report by economistsstated this economic practice doesn’t work.

It doesn’t make sense to me. Reading to educate oneself and make decisions based on these readings, Ibelieve, is critical to determining which course our country will take in2012..

Sincerely, Cathy Mabry

-------------------------------------

Important Occupy Meeting in January

January 9th, 7:00 to 9:00 Sebastopol United Methodist Churchacross from Safeway

If you are interested in what is happening with variousOccupy efforts throughout the region, want to connect with people who shareyour interests, goals and actions, come for an evening of information andcontinue creating next steps. Together we will quickly develop an agenda inwhich all are invited to host or attend a discussion on a regional Occupy topicthat matters to them. Participate in as many or as few topics as you wish.

-----------------------------------------------

Community Leaders Target Wells Fargo Bank

Organizers Cite Foreclosure Policies and Investments inImmigration Detention Centers

By Jesus Guzman

On Friday, January 6,2012 at 12:00 noon, a diverse group of community and civil rights organizationswill come together to expose Wells Fargo Bank’s racist, anti-community policiesand to call for customers to close their Wells Fargo accounts. The day will begin with a rally at the oldAlbertson’s parking lot on Sebastopol Road in Santa Rosa.

This will start a day of action against Wells Fargo by OccupySanta Rosa, Graton Day Labor Center, the D.R.E.A.M Alliance of Sonoma County,the Committee for Immigrant Rights of Sonoma County, and the MEChA chapter (MovimientoEstudiantil Chican@ de Aztlán) at Santa Rosa Junior College. After the rally, the group will march on thedowntown Santa Rosa branch of Wells Fargo Bank.

“We are protesting Wells Fargo for investing billions ofdollars into for-profit detention centers which imprison immigrant workers,while receiving billions in taxpayer bailouts and continuing with their illegaland fraudulent foreclosures,” say the organizers. Wells Fargo took $25 billion in taxpayerbail-out dollars, while paying CEO John Stumpf $19 million in 2010. The bank also holds more than $5 billion instudent debt.

In addition, they are heavily invested in two private prisoncorporations, Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) and the GEO Group, whichcontract with the federal government to run immigrant detention facilitiesaround the country.

In 2009, some 380,000 immigrants were held in detentioncenters at a cost to taxpayers of more than $1.7 billion. These prisons have been the source ofnumerous reports and complaints of rape, child abuse and abysmal medicalcare. GEO recently was ordered to pay$40 million in the wrongful death of a prisoner in its Raymondville, Texasfacility.

For more information, please call Jesus Guzman at707-483-2874, or write him via jesus.guzman07@gmail.com. Visit the Occupy Movement online athttp://www.occupysantarosa.org.

OCCUPY PETALUMA

Solidarity Working GroupCritical Mass Bike Event inSolidarity with Occupy Santa Rosa

“Pedal for Justice” January 6, 2012

to Wells Fargo Protest

Occupy Petaluma is excited to announce its first CriticalMass Bike Event, “Pedal for Justice” on January 6th. All are welcome to join ina ‘peaceful protest on wheels’ departing from Petaluma and arriving in SantaRosa to support Occupy Santa Rosa’s January 6th march on the downtown SantaRosa branch of Wells Fargo Bank.

Consider breaking out of the mundane to be empowered, makenew friends, be inspired and make history. Taking part in a simple butchallenging event reaffirms that anything is possible – putting one foot infront of the other and investing in the hard work that rebuilding our democracydemands. In the words of “Pedal for Justice” organizer Jessica Strasen, “OccupyPetaluma believes that frustrations with our current system can be channeled inpeaceful and creative ways. We seek to inspire others to rediscover the abilityto occupy our own lives, and be a part of creating our shared future.”

Occupy Petaluma’s 13.5 mile ride is part of a day of actionagainst Wells Fargo Bank to expose Wells Fargo Bank’s racist, anti-communitypolicies and to call for customers to close their Wells Fargo accounts.Organized by Occupy Santa Rosa, Graton Day Labor Center, the D.R.E.A.M Allianceof Sonoma County, the Committee for Immigrant Rights of Sonoma County, and theMEChA chapter of Santa Rosa Junior College, this protest will begin with arally at the old Albertson’s parking lot on Sebastopol Road in Santa Rosa. “Weare protesting Wells Fargo for investing billions of dollars into for-profitdetention centers which imprison immigrant workers, while receiving billions intaxpayer bailouts and continuing with their illegal and fraudulentforeclosures,” say protest organizers.

Participating “Pedal for Justice” riders will meet in theKohl’s parking lot (1363 N. McDowell Blvd) at 9:00am on Friday, January 6th,and depart at 9:20am, traveling up Petaluma Hill Road via Old Redwood Highway.There will be car support and Petaluma cyclists will arrive at the SebastopolRoad rally no later than 12:00pm. All riders are responsible for their ownsafety and must arrange for their return.

Signs will be worn on the backs of riders, and then used atthe Occupy Santa Rosa demonstration. Occupy Petaluma is hosting a sign makingparty at Clearheart Gallery (368-B Petaluma Blvd North, Petaluma) on Thursday,January 5th at 8:30pm. All are welcome. Cyclists, activists, curious, andcreatives unite!

For more information on Occupy Petaluma’s “Critical MassBike Event– Pedal for Justice”

Contact: Jessica Strasen 707-364-7306 orjastrasen@gmail.com

More information available at www.occupysantarosa.org.

OCCUPY PETALUMA

www.occupypetaluma.com

a diverse group of concerned citizens standing ground forthe 99%

Alexander Valley Vineyards Recipe Contest

2012-01-05T21:12:00.000-08:00

Alexander Valley Vineyards

Announces CYRUS RecipeContest

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

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

Cyrus Alexander was a 19th century adventurer, Californiarancher, gold miner, community leader and the namesake of Northern Sonoma'sAlexander Valley. Since 1995 he has also been the namesake of AlexanderValley Vineyards seamless cabernet based blend - CYRUS. Known as"The First Growth of Sonoma", CYRUS is a celebration of AVV's estategrown grapes and the renowned Alexander Valley. Over the years, the winehas won numerous accolades, highlighted by the March 2011 Houston LivestockShow and Rodeo Wine Auction where a bottle sold for $210,000.

Submit your original unpublished recipe featuring CYRUS inWord format via e-mail to avv@avvwine.comby January 31, 2012. AVV Family Partners Harry Wetzel and Katie WetzelMurphy will judge the submissions, test the recipes and select the winners.

First place will receive two tickets to the annual CYRUSdinner held at AVV in March and the recipe will be published in the AVV MarchWine Club shipment and on the AVV website.

Second place will receive two tickets to Alexander ValleyVineyards Spring Bash and the recipe will be published on the AVV website.

Third place winner will receive a bottle of 2008 CYRUS andthe recipe published on the AVV website.

Winning recipes may be used in other AVV promotions,marketing and point of sale materials.

Visit http://www.avvwine.com for additional information or send an e-mail to: avv@avvwine.com for complete contestrules. Offer void where prohibited by law.

Alexander Valley Vineyards (www.avvwine.com)is a family-owned and operated winery located in the heart of Sonoma’sAlexander Valley, on the historic property originally settled in the 19thcentury by Cyrus Alexander, the valley’s namesake. For 35 years,the Wetzel Family has been producing an array of estate wines that reflect theunique character of the property. AVV’s vineyard practices were initiallyrecognized by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance in March 2006 andagain in 2010 when named a Sonoma Green Business.

Sonoma County Entrepreneurs Create Jobs - Their Own!

2012-01-04T20:08:00.000-08:00

Want a Job?

MAKE one...

By Vesta Copestakes

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

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

In Sebastopol, a group of entrepreneurs have formed theSebastopol Entrepreneurs Project where people who have “been there and donethat” help others who are just getting started. One of the most commonmotivators is food…people who love to cook are starting a catering business,restaurant or becoming a food vendor. They rent commercial kitchens and get towork. Here’s one that might inspire more…

Phil McGauley has been a chef for over 30 years, starting asa young man working under John Ash. Heworked for John for 8 years and also worked for Bruce Weizeman for a few years. He has been the Executive Chef at Korbel for19 years.

Deb McGauley has always liked to cook. She too works at Korbel (that’s where theymet, and eventually were married in 2006) in Marketing and is the CorporateDonations Manager. Deb has worked atKorbel for 25 years. Her children wentto school K-8 at the Guerneville School which is why she thought to use theircommercial kitchen for 3/P’s.

3/P’s has been an active “thought” for the two for about ayear, and in mid-September Deb decided to put up a facebook page. What happened next startled them both! In two months they produced and sold over 300pot pies! They are continuing to developnew pot pies based on customer comments.

The shellfish pie is $8.75 and the others are $7.50. All pies are in 12.5 ounce tins and are freshfrozen. Frozen pies will last in thefreezer for up to 6 months. They areperfect for freezer storage as they are stackable so they don’t take up toomuch room.

Paul in Guerneville School commercial kitchen

3/P’s uses only the freshest local Sonoma County productsfor their pies. Produce from ImwalleGardens, shellfish from The Tides in Bodega Bay, beef and chicken from Oliver’sMarket, Raley’s and Santa Rosa Meat & Poultry. All pies are freshly handmade, and are awholesome and nutritious personal serving.

Next up is a line of the same pot pies, but glutenfree. Deb is GF and really, really wantsto eat the pies! They’ve made a batch ofthe chicken pot pies GF, using Bob’s Red Mill GF flour. Super tasty, so that is next on themenu. They are currently approachingOliver’s Market to see about getting their products in their stores. The ultimate plan is to submit their pies tolocal Sonoma County markets

One issue they are facing at the moment is figuring outshipping frozen items. They have manyfriends and family out of state who are clambering for the pies already! It is costly to package and ship frozen foodand they are trying to source shipping options that will not cost theircustomers so much. They hope to be ableto offer shipping in January or February.

At this time, 3/P’s has pie pick up once a week, onSaturday’s, between 9:00 and 10:00 a.m. They are using the Guerneville School kitchen for pie production onweekends. For more info, check out theirfacebook page (Phil’s Pot Pies) or webpage athttp://www.3ps-philspotpies.com

---------------------------------------------

Sebastopol Entrepreneurs Project

Sebastopol Entrepreneurs Project (SEP) has been organizing for two years with an all-volunteercommittee of business professionals. They have been preparing a program thatincludes: offering business education classes, advising entrepreneurs and smallbusinesses, and will be offering meeting, conference and work space for economicalrates. SEP’s mission is to helpbusinesses start, grow, learn, and thrive. The project believes with proper planning and strategizing, businessescan achieve sustainability.

Thank you to everyone who has supported the SebastopolEntrepreneurs Project this year. Our recent Productology Class had a greatturnout, all there to learn about effective marketing. We will start our newclass schedule in 2012. Please contact us if you need any consultation aboutyour ideas or business. Our volunteer team of business professionals can helpyou with your questions.

If you need to be in some new surroundings for a change ofpace from your home or favorite coffee shop, come try out our co-work space.For $7 you will have a desk plus copy, print, scan, and fax services. Make yourown coffee - it’s all included. Pay by check or cash.

Several local entrepreneurs are currently working with SEPseeking advice, and taking advantage of the free classes. The classes will be held at the SEP officeat 500 North Main located in the Sebastopol Methodist Church across fromSafeway.

For questions and information,visit sebastopolentrepreneurs.org/, contact SEP, (707) 861-3390,sepent@sonic.net, or Council Member Kathleen Shaffer, 829-0669.

SMART Train on Track for Train & Bike Trail

2012-01-04T19:55:00.000-08:00

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

SMART is on Track Now

By Ben Boyce

Accountable DevelopmentCoalition

This last week, a livelyrally to support the SMART train and bike pathway drew over a hundred folks atthe San Rafael city hall. We were there to celebrate the sale of nearly $200Min bonds that will permit construction to begin early next year, creating over900 jobs.

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

All around us we can seethe effects and consequences of The Great Recession. It is not a surprise thatthe roll-out of SMART has been delayed by the Wall Street crisis. The new SMARTGeneral Manager, the estimable Farhad Mansourian, has pledged publicly that hewill deliver this project, in full. We will get the whole train line and theregional trail with it.

The SMART rail and trailis a classic example of a good long-term investment that will generate jobs andeconomic activity now, and will yield substantial benefits for generations tocome. This is exactly the kind of infra-structure investment that we need toget America back to work building for future generations.

SMART Supporters

CheerBond Funding

By Sandra Lupien,

Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition

Members of the SMARTRiders Coalition, a broad-based group formed in support of the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) Train & Pathway project are applauding news thatthe agency has successfully completed $191 million in bond financing. The bondsale nets $171 million dollars – an excellent return -- in funding to buildSMART’s initial operating segment from Santa Rosa to San Rafael.

“Selling the bonds at theright time for the right rates is just one more affirmation of SMART carryingout what the voters wanted in 2008 and still want today – passenger trains andmulti-purpose pathway in the North Bay,” says Cynthia Murray, President &CEO of North Bay Leadership Council. “This sale brings us much closer to getting900 new construction jobs and injecting almost $200 million into the localeconomy. This is the best present theNorth Bay could have received for the holidays!” Murray co-chaired the 2008ballot measure campaign which led to the voters passing the SMART sales tax

Tanya Narath, ExecutiveDirector of the Leadership Institute for Ecology & the Economy says thesale “is a huge step forward in our quest to bring more sustainable modes oftransportation to the North Bay region.”

The SMART Riders Coalitionheld a public rally December 21 at San Rafael City Hall in support of SMARTjobs. “This is outstanding news,” saysChris Snyder, with Operating Engineers Local 3. “SMART will put hundreds of ourlocal workers back on the job.”

The bond sale comes as asmall group of individuals is working to repeal the sales tax measure thatfunds SMART. “Despite a carefully planned attempt to derail the project,opponents of SMART got nothing but coal in their stockings,” says Ben Boyce,Coordinator of the Accountable Development Coalition. “The SMART rail and trailis a classic example of a good long-term investment that will generate jobs andeconomic activity now, and will yield substantial benefits for generations tocome. This is the exactly the kind of infra-structure investment that we needto get America back to work building for future generations.”

Additional informationabout the SMART Riders Coalition can be found atwww.smartriders.wordpress.com. Click“about” to view a roster of member organizations.

Sonoma County Coffee Shops

2012-01-04T13:47:00.000-08:00

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 hasbeen part of my life since I was a small child. Back then it was percolated onthe 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), thenfiltered through grounds in the basket – over and over and over - until someonedecided it was done. We don’t torture coffee that way anymore. Preparing coffeehas become quite sophisticated.

Stephen Powers opened Cheeko's 19 years ago

And coffee shops – did wehave coffee shops decades ago? I don’t know. I was a kid, but now, they’reeverywhere! I was talking with Stephen Powers at Cheeko’s Corner, a cart byPacific Market in Sebastopol’s Redwood Marketplace. Back when he started hisbusiness 19 years ago, he could count his competitors on one hand. I justlearned that Cheeko’s is where my Alan used to drop off banana bread he and hisson Alex would make in the wee hours of the morning…a way to get the boy makingmoney at a young age. Dad was not only transportation, he was baker andmotivation as well.

In my tiny town ofForestville…3 blocks long on one side…two on the other…we have two coffee shopswithin easy walking distance of each other. Off the Track is changing hands asI write, but the new owners, Anthony & Natalie, have every intention ofkeeping it a great place to spend time while enjoying coffee, tea, chai andsnacks. They have the indoor location. Sunshine Roasters next to ForestvillePharmacy, is a tiny hole in the wall with two tables outside – but – myfavorite coffee hands-down. Mike’s Light Roast has my vote for the sweetest,smoothest coffee around. I told him it powers the Gazette and is the onlycoffee I buy for home. Yum! They roast it right in town so our downtown burstswith the smell of fresh roasted coffee beans some times. I’m among those wholove that smell.

AND, since I totally forgot to list Nimble's coffee cart in the parking lot of Speer's Market, Bo's Brew, she gets special attention for being so understanding! What a sweetheart...in fact, she is so sweet, and has such loyal fans, that when her canopy fwas fading into threads, customers pooled their funds and surprised her one morning with a brand new, incredibly top-end canopy to shelter customers from sun and rain. Now that's customer love!

Aroma Roasters in Railroad Square

And while I’m onroasting….there are numerous places who roast their own beans, right onpremises. Gold Coast in Duncans Mills, Aroma Roasters in Railroad Square, SantaRosa, Barking Dog in Boyes Hot Springs, and Petaluma Coffee & Tea inPetaluma. I’m sure there are more, but these are the ones I see while stockingnewsstands. YEP - I just got a call from Bunfgalow Coffee in Larkfield - they roast as well right in the shop and told me that Flying Goat roasts up in Healdsburg as well. The paper has been in Sonoma County a mere 8 hours and corrections are coming in - THANK YOU! keep 'em coming! And recently I discovered a new roaster in Sebastopol – MelodyRoasters – that supplies many shops with beans.

This gets me into thesubject of where people get their coffee. The majority of coffee shops Ivisited specialize in shade-grown organic. That’s my preference so it’s what Iseek. Why shade-grown and why organic? Yes, the taste is sweet and softcompared with coffee grown in the hot sun. Very different. But having theplants under trees also supports song-bird habitat, so from the very first timeI learned this aspect of shade-grown coffee, I decided it’s the only coffee Iwill drink.

Coffee plantations havedestroyed forests to get higher yield in the sun. Those forests are the place song birds gowhen it’s cold up north. Without their wintering places, populations havediminished, and in some cases, become extinct. So when you hear those birdssinging to wake you up – pick up your mug of hot coffee and sing their praisesby supporting the place they go to spend the winter months. It’s only fair.

I got into a conversationwith Wally who owns Bad Ass Coffee in Larkfield, and although he does sell someorganic, he specializes in Kona coffee. It, too, is sweet and soft…perhapsbecause Hawaii is just so warm and sensual. What it comes down to is peoplechoose their coffees the way they choose beer and wine. After exploring theoptions, they settle into a favorite drink, coffee and place to spend time witha cup, their laptop, and friends.

So I’ll move on tolocation, location, location. Coffee shops are more than a place to purchase abeverage. They are places to spend time, meet friends and in cases likeentrepreneurs with no “brick & mortar” office, places to meet clients anddo business. I’m one of those, so I favor shops with a table big enough to seatseveral people, and far enough away from the espresso machine that you cancontinue talking when someone is making a latté. Those machines are loud!

SoCo Coffee features lots of meeting space

Several shops not onlyhave meeting tables, they also have lounges with sofas, set up like a livingroom away from home. Holy Roast on 7th at Mendocino is one of those places. Thebarista there was so enthusiastic I thought she was the owner – but no – she“just” works there. I ran into Ann Hancock of the Climate Protection Campaignbecause her office is right down the block. That’s the other thing aboutlocation. How close it is to your stomping grounds.

On the purely sociallevel, SoCo Coffee on the corner of 4th and Brookwood in Santa Rosa has all thebases covered. They have a place where little kids can play out of the trafficzone, the Hemingway table where groups like the Redwood Writers meet, and themain room with a wall of book shelves that absorb sound and clusters of tablesfor people to work on their laptops, etc.

If you want LOTS ofpersonality in your hang-out, I’d recommend Hardcore Coffee on the corner of116 & Bloomfield Rd. It’s a fair weather hangout because it’s basically acart under an awning, but they’ve been there for more than a decade and built amish-mash of shelters, have an assortment of used furniture, a huge play area,and lots of things to sell. It’s a gathering place for many.

Alexis loves color - ceiling to floor!

Another totally colorfulplace is my friend joe on Mendocino Ave. across from the Junior College. AlexisBauer used to own three coffee shops – two in Sebastopol and this one in SR,but has narrowed it down to what she can keep going and have a life as well.Her shop is resplendent with color and personality and fits well with thecollege environment. She’s very politically active so you can learn about who’sdoing what, where and when at her shop and get yourself connected to peoplewith social passion.

I can’t cover every coffeeshop in Sonoma County, so I’m going to finish up with two that just grab myheart. One is The Bean Affair in Healdsburg because groups meet there, playcards, share time in a room that’s totally separate from the bakery andbeverage area, so sound is not an issue and light pours in through the windows.The other is Café Aquatica in Jenner where you can take your mug and bowl ofclam chowder out on the deck and watch birds fly over the Russian River, andsit long enough for the sun to set. This is one of my favorite places on earth– spectacular.

Take your time here and enjoy the view at Café Aquatica

See below for Coffee shops by town and let me know what I’m missing. I’ll add it - and your comments!

Enjoy the journey…sharetime over a mug and say “Hi” if you see me on the road distributing papers.

Coffee Shops by Town - these independently owned shops serve coffee and some baked goods - and some meals! Yes, Starbucks & Peets are not listed -there are too many of them! BUT – people love them – especially because it doesn't matter WHICH Starbucks or Peets you go into – the product is consistent…AND they are open late!. And I do understand that although they are not “locally-owned” they are a large benefactor to our local economy. I just want you to know about these entrepreneurs listed below! Please let us know if our list is not complete or has shops thatare no longer in business. I’m updating this list as I learn more and havetime. Send us your comments. Thanks! -Vesta (707 887-0253 vesta@sonic.net

Cloverdale:

Underground Coffee & Cafe

124 South Cloverdale Boulevard

(707) 894-1005
This shops is at the back of Antiques & Uniques so make a bee-line to get your coffee, then browse. Theres a wonderful used books store here as well so you have plenty to entertain yourself while sipping.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Underground-Coffee-Cafe/120530797961271

Panaderia el Palomo Mexican Coffee Shop& Bakery

122 First Street

707-894-1004
Mexican coffee and pastries share a cultural flavor that this place has captured and maintained. Very popular.

Geyserville:

Geyserville Mud

21001 Geyserville Ave

707-237-1771

Owned and operated by barista Valerie Blanchard. She serves Thanksgiving coffee made inFt. Bragg , plus Breakfast burritos , bagels, pastries, andlocally made almond toffee

http://www.geyservillemud.com/

Healdsburg:

Bean Affair

1270 Healdsburg Ave

(707) 395-0177

Locally owned; locally sourced beans and a decent menu ofmunch-upons to go. Wonderful front room for gatherings.

www.beanaffair.com

Downtown Bakery and Creamery

308 Center Street

(707) 431-2719

Locally revered for their stickybuns…

http://www.downtownbakery.net/

Flying Goat

324 Center St

(707) 433-3599

Considered the Buckingham Palace of Real Coffee and Comfortby many. VERY popular place to socialize or sit with your laptop.

www.flyinggoatcoffee.com

Moustache Baked Goods

381 Healdsburg Ave

707-395-4111

“All American classics with Character…on the Square…”

www.moustachebakedgoods.com

Café Newsstand

301 Healdsburg Ave.

(707) 922-5233

Nectar of the bean AND a brilliant selection of readingmaterial..

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Caf%C3%A9-Newsstand/154682054565888

Windsor:

Ana’s Cafe & Espresso

10333 Old Redwood Highway
707) 837-0680

Friendly folk to match the captivating cuppa.

Café Noto

630 McClelland Dr.

(707) 836-1830

SO not a global chain….SO terrific! Far from the Starbuckscrowd, a real comfortable place to sit quietly.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/CAFE-NOTO/173734176001800?sk=wall

Forestville:

Roasters Espresso Bar

6656 Front St, Forestville

(707) 887-1632

Infusing downtown Forestville with the heaven scent of shadegrown beans brought to their peak

www.sunshineroasters.com/roasters

Off the Track

6544 Front St

(707) 887-1400

Coming under new ownership so stay tuned – I'll be back withcurrent info. Breakfast Burritos, snacks and more

www.offthetrackcafe.com

Bo’s Brew Coffee Cart

7891 Mirabel Road
(707) 237-2769

Noble opens her cart bright & early at 6am. She has avery loyal following, in fact, so loyal that when she needed an new awning, hercustomers surprised her with a brand new structure – that’s love!

Russian River:

Jessica & hannah of Coffee Bazaar

Coffee Bazaar

14045 Armstrong Woods Rd., Guerneville

(707) 869-9706

Fresh baked goods, rockin’ sandwiches, wi fi and Twice ToldBooks just next door…very comfortable place to spend time - the whole front is open in sunny days - tables outside for fine weather.
www.mycoffeeb.com

http://www.facebook.com/CoffeeBazaar

Flavors Ice Cream & Coffee
16450 Main St., Guerneville
(707) 869-2927

Coffee is the favored beverage in winter, and fresh madesoft ice cream and yogurt custom-blended is the fave in summer.

Higher Ground

16626 Hwy 116, Guerneville

(707) 481-5967

A favorite hang-out over the years – very relaxedwest-county crowd. Used to be Kaya’s.

Bia Coffee

19420 Hwy 116, Monte Rio

(707) 865-9877
Right next to the post office and Cuts on the Green barbershop, this place used to be Mama Java's. Catherine Sheeran now owns Bia and features home made Irish bread...stop by for a slice and a cup of java! very homey and comfy here.
www.biacafemonterio.com

Don’s Dogs Café & Coffee

20396 Bohemian Hwy, Monte Rio

(707) 865-4190
Especially wonderful in warm weather, sit on the deck and make sure you enjoy on of Dons hot dogs - I know you came for coffee, but you have to try a dog! At night - slip into the theater - there is no other the movie theater like this - guaranteed!

Gold Coast Coffee

23577 Steelhead Blvd., Duncans Mills
(707) 865-1441

Beans roasted on site – taste tells! This is a very popular place for people rising their motorcycles to the coast to stop by on the way out or on the way home. Wood-fired ovens bake pizza and all kinds of baked treats from scones to cookies.

www.duncansmills.net/gccpage.html

Café Aquatica

10439 Hwy 1, Jenner

(707) 865-2251

Organic, locally roasted beans for a memorable mug – perfectwith their memorable chowder in this memorable setting…

www.cafeaquatica.com

Raymond’s Bakery

5400 Cazadero Hwy, Cazadero

(707) 632.5335

An oasis of freshly brewed coffee and award winning, freshlybaked pastries among the redwoods

www.raymonds-bakery.com

Graton:

Willowood Market Cafe

9020 Graton Road
(707) 823-0233

Top rated for its food, service, ambiance – oh – and itscoffee!

www.willowwoodgraton.com

Occidental:

Howard Station Cafe

3811 Bohemian Hwy

(707) 874-2838

Howard's is incredibly popular for breakfast on weekends, so get there either early or late. Fantastic baked goods as well as smoothies - yes - and just plain coffee if you go to the back of the room - take your mug outt onto the front porch. Ah! Occidental!

www.howardstationcafe.com

Union Hotel Café

3731 Main St.

(707) 874-3555

The Union Hotel & Restaurant is legendary and owned by the Gonnella family for generations. The cafe it u front and has that lovely old hotel atmosphere that makes you feel far from the current time zone. Enjoy!

www.unionhoteloccidental.com

Freestone:

Wild Flour Bakery
Bohemian Hwy - really small town!

OK – it's primarily a bakery that makes wood-fired bread,biscotti, sticky buns and more. But it has great coffee (Taylor Maid) and verygood Chai. And right next door is Enduring Comforts – say Hi to Thea!
http://www.wildflourbread.com/

On the Coast:

Colleen's Coffee Shop (formerly Brew)

17175 Bodega Hwy, Bodega
(707) 876-1810

Born from the love of good coffee...this little shop is THE place for coffee in town!

www.bodegabrew.com

Coffee Cove

555 S Highway 1, Bodega Bay
(707) 377-4182

Great coffee and delectable house baked pastries - opened last summer so look for the flags by Coldwell banker real Estate.

www.facebook.com/...Bodega-Bays-Coffee-Cove/12517719755544

David's Coffee & Ice Cream
next to the Dog House
573 Hwy 1 - but really on the road that slips by the post office and overlooks the bay. OK - I don't know it;s name - just that David owns it and sells ice cream and coffee. Incredible place to watch the light change on water.

Roadhouse Coffee

2001 N Hwy 1, Bodega Bay
(919) 866-8923

Come for the coffee, stay for the conversation! Home madepastries made by Jim Irving's daughter and I have her name written here somewhere! She;s a chip off the old block so enjoy the next generation after Jim. Love you Jim!

www.roadhousecoffee.com

Sebastopol:

Coffee Catz

6761 Sebastopol Ave

(707) 829-6600

Local hangout and meeting place. Science Buzz cafe meets here - so do many people! They have acoustic music events as well so stay in touch with their web site!

www.coffeecatz.biz

Hardcore Espresso

1798 Gravenstein Hwy So.

(707) 823-7588

Enjoy consistently excellent espresso in a hangout with LOTSof personality! This place is as eclectic as it comes! Ya gotta love it! Drive-thru as well as hang out for as ling as you want! merchandise for sale - lots of info on events.

www.facebook.com/pages/Hardcore-Espresso/111780445526484

Holy Cow Coffee

130 South Main St.

(707) 861-9050

Baristas that love their job and gluten free baked goods –Holy Cow!! Fairly new in town they're gathering a following! Get the Club card while you're there!

www.facebook.com/pages/Holy-Cow-Coffee.../155298994540393

Ninja Star Coffee Bar
992 Gravenstein Hwy So.
(707) 861-3834
Lovely small shop - tiny inside with umbrellas over tables in outside area carved from the parking lot next to the dry cleaner. Bruce lee is the manager and he says - we do coffee Ninja style - which quite honestly - I don't know what that means! It's owned by Aaron Parks who owns Café Aquatica in Bodega Bay so it has to be good!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ninja-Star-Coffee-Bar/188487484539299?sk=wall&filter=12

Sebastopol Cookie Co.

168 N. Main St.
OK - it's a cookie place that sells coffee - but oh those cookies! Buy them by the dozen and take them to your office!!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sebastopol-Cookie-Company/68856538640

Village Bakery

7225 Healdsburg Ave

(707) 829-8101

Chase your cup of coffee with one of their Scandinavianpastries. Incredible bread and baked goods, you'll find their products at lost of other coffee shops as well!

Westside Café

171 Pleasant Hill Rd.

(707) 823-1800
Sweet little cafe where they bake their own pastries, muffins, etc. Take some home with you!

www.facebook.com/pages/West-Side-Cafe/118101304869015

Santa Rosa:

1710 Coffee House

1710 Mendocino Ave

(707) 571-2216

Across from the Santa Rosa JC, is an oasis for students,professionals, and coffee lovers of all kinds. it also is an R House Inc.program providing vocational training for at-risk youth since2002. R House is a Sonoma County nonprofit organizationand has been providing a variety of programs for at-risk youth since1977. If you would like to know more about our nonprofit programs,please click to our website: www.RHouseInc.org

http://www.1710coffee.com/

A’roma Roasters

95 5th Street

707-576-7765

Coffee, tea and infusions in a lively, open café. Greatplace to sit with freinds or spend time studying by the window. This is agathering place. Live music on special evening.

www.aromaroasters.com

Atlas Coffee

300 South A St - Ste 4

(707) 526-1085

Featuring Ecco and Sunshine coffees. A little hard to finddown a side alley – but that gets you into their outdoor garden and indoor caféwhere musicians and artists enjoy an eclectic environment. Committed to findcoffee – and good music. www.facebook.com/atlascoffeecompany

Bad Ass Coffee

90 Mark West Springs Rd, #100

(707) 526-3434

Kona coffee is their specialty – soft, rich, sensual….Wallyis a total delight – always cheerful and welcomes his crowd with style. Greatplace to spend time with friends.

www.badasscoffee.com

Bungalow Coffee

540 Larkfield Center

(707) 546-8223

Eric and Shawna Rundstrom roast their own coffee coffee andblend their own tea – serve it at the café and sell it to fine restaurants.They even have a coffee and tea club on their web site…all this while raisingtwo small children, McKenna & Mallory (just born!). Tasty cookies as well!

www.bungalowcoffeeandtea.com

Wolf Coffee

707-528-6100

Wonder what happened to Wolf? They no longer maintain coffeeshops – but blends, roasts and distributes artisan coffee – visit them onlineand order beans shipped directly to your home

http://www.wolfcoffee.com

Bliss Bakery

463 Sebastopol Ave., Roseland Area

707- 542-6000

Featuring gluten free sweet and savory baked goods

www.blissbakerygf.com

Cafe Des Croissants

3194 Coffey Lane, #404

(707) 526-3988

Coffee-Kaanapali

2097 Stagecoach Rd. – Suite 150

(707) 541-6823

Maui grown coffee expertly brewed and cheerfully served

www.kaanapalicoffee.com

Cookie’s Coffee

1791 Marlow Rd.

(707) 526-4087

Espresso shop known for its support of local art students - sells books by local authors, and has art exhibits that rotate. use your GoLocal rewards care here.

www.facebook.com/cookiescoffeeshop

Flying Goat

10 Fourth St. in Railroad Square

707-575-1202

Coffees roasted in small batches. This is another FG favorite hang-out right on Railroad Square.

www.flyinggoatcoffee.com

Highway Espresso

5505 Old Redwood Hwy.

(707) 576-9868

Drive through with very early morning hours for yourconvenience

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Highway-Espresso/116448435049550

Holy Roast

490 Mendocino Ave.

707-523-3137

Enthusiastic baristas serves it up right in this living roomaway from home. Comfy place to meet friends.use a Holy Roast travel mug and get a discount!

www.holyroast.com

Johnny’s Java

3080 Marlow Rd, #A5

(707) 528-0168

Coffee devotees love this place from its mugs to itsspecialty drinks

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Johnnys-Java/339636243376

Michoacana Ice Cream & Coffee

1546 Sebastopol Rd

(707) 526-6661

Featuring exceptional Mexican ice creams - hand made inhouse

my friend joe

1810 Mendocino Ave

(707) 843-4966

Make the college scene - great coffee, fun setting,newsworthy conversation! Alexis is right on top of political and social activism conversation and events so consider her shop a place to stay informed!

www.myfriendjoeonline.com

Princess Latté

3200 Dutton Ave

(707) 528-3112

Iced chai a specialty…

PJ’s Grindhouse

435 Santa Rosa Ave

(707) 479-1209

Family run (two sisters and their grown children) – carefully crafted specialty drinks and shakes.Walk up, drive thru, sit inside or out

www.Pjsgrindhouse.com

Sonoma Coffee Company (SoCo Coffee)

521 4th St, Santa Rosa

(707) 573-8022

Dependably good coffee and friendly, knowledgeable baristas. Great pace for meetings and groups or just a library ind of space to spend quiet time - very kid friendly with a play area!
http://www.sococoffeesr.com/

The Pink Box Baking Company

2700 Yulupa Ave.

707-331-3453

Owned and run by well respected pastry chef Stacy Willis –need we say more?

www.thepinkboxbakingcompany.com

Village Bakery

1445 Town and Country Drive

(707) 527-7654

Generations of locals swear by the coffee and theScandinavian pastries. Many coffee shops feature their baked goods!

Viola Boutique & Café

709 Village Court

707- 544-8830

High quality locally sourced meals, bakery items andcarefully crafted coffees

www.violapastryboutique.com

Rohnert Park:

Cafe Des Croissants

101 Golf Course Dr Ste A3

(707) 585-6185

Charlie Brown’s Café

1801 E Cotati Ave

(707) 664-3370

Full scale espresso bar on campus; meals and pastries

http://ds.sonoma.edu/cbc.html

Golden Bean Coffee Shop

101 Golf Course Dr

(707) 585-6185

100% organic Blue Bottle coffees, local art work….enjoy!

www.goldenbeancoffeehouse.com

Grateful Bagel Gorilla Coffee

1451 Southwest Blvd Ste 107

(707) 793-9990

Coffee and teas - and of course bagels

IL Barista Café

80 Raleys Towne Center

(707) 585-7415

Coffee made to order and exceptional salads, sandwiches andbreakfast sweets

Mocha Mamas Drive Thru

355 Southwest Boulevard

(707) 664-8688

Espresso Bar with the emphasis on convenience..

www.facebook.com/.../Mocha-Mamas-Drive-Thru-Espresso

Moxy Java

285 Snyder Lane

(707) 792-5004

Espresso concoctions with flair

http://www.moxiejava.com/

Sonoma Valley Bagel

1451 Southwest Blvd

(707) 793-9990

Great coffee and a variety of types of bagels, schmears andsandwiches to tempt you.

Sonoma Valley Bagel & Cafe

350 Rohnert Park Expy West

(707) 585-8095

For those who like a bagel with their coffee - featuring fresh bagels in every variety imaginable

www.facebook.com/pages/Sonoma-Valley-Bagel.../1447063455523

Cotati:

Johnny’s Java

8492 Gravenstein Hwy

(707) 794-0168
Your basic coffee shop with things to eat - JJ's vary by who runs each one.

Northlight Books & Café

550 E. Cotati Ave

707-792-4300

For many years a favorite hang-out for students, this is afull coffee shop, as well as well-stocked books store. It makes you want to bea student.

Cotati Coffee

8225 Old Redwood Hwy

(707) 794-9159
Tiny shop offering good coffee and coffee drinks with a few small noshes like fresh-baked muffins - very little space but good people.

Petaluma:

Acre Coffee
21 4th Street
(707) 772-5117
Preparing Flying Goat Coffee and sort of blowing away all other Petaluma coffee purveyors in terms of quality. Inherited an unfortunate room footprint with their location, but they are somehow managing to allow customer flow right through the seating area. Dunno how, but I don't feel rushed nor cramped while sitting down for a cup of coffee or pot of tea. (Thanks Tommy)
www.acrecoffee.com/

Bovine Bakery
23 Kentucky St.
(707)789-9556

THE Bovine Bakery from Point Reyes right here in SonomaCounty. Incredible pastries served with all our favorite hot beverages.
www.thebovinebakery.com/

Apple Box

224 B Street

(707) 762-5222

Right on the water by the pedestrian bridge that traversesPetaluma River.

Aqus Café in Petaluma for great coffee, music
and good, healthy food. Great place!

Aqus Café

189 H Street

(707) 778-6060

Major gathering place for people of several generations.Music, events, all kinds of things happening here – John makes this THE place tobe and spend time!
aquscafe.com/

Java Hut - Coffe Kiosk

100 Fairgrounds Dr.

(707) 763-5496

Heaven Scent Café
929 Lakeville Highway
(707) 789-0612
Friendly service and heavenly baked goods - great sandwiches, too!

Marina Bean

Baywood Dr, #145.

(707) 778-7543 775

Just like it says – out at the marina. Like boats and water?Favorite for people who work nearby.

Pepper’s Coffee Shop

335 So McDowell Blvd

(707) 775-4296

Petaluma Coffee and Tea

212 2nd Street, Petaluma
(707) 763-2727

Big open space – where they roast coffee on premises. It hasthat waterfront feel to it because it's in the formerly manufacturing end oftown near the Theater District and river.

Petaluma Mail Depot

40 4th St.

(707) 762-8150

This is a coffee cart next to the Mail Depot which is run bysome pretty amazing people who love to support young artists. Much admirationfor this couple.

Petaluma Market

210 Western Ave.

(707) 762-5464

This coffee cart parks right outside the market and nevermoves. Grab a cup before shopping! GRWAT grocery store!

Viva Cololat
110 Petaluma Boulevard North
(707) 778-9888
I don't consider this a coffee shop, but it is a great place for coffee drinks and amazing hot cocoa - and Lynne makes some of the most unique chocolates around - and she carries chocolates by famous chocolatiers. Plenty of opportunities to sit and eat - buy gifts and walk away feeling satisfied.
vivacocolat.com/

Penngrove:

Javamore

10101 Main St, #A

(707) 794-1516

Very comfy, down-home kind of place. Plenty of tables forsitting both inside and out. Very relaxed. The woman who owns this shop makes you feel like you are visiting her home.

Boyes Hot Springs:

Barking Dog Roasters

18133 Hwy 12

(707) 939-1905

Creekside Café

239 Boyes Blvd.

707-996-8062

Glen Ellen:

Garden Court Café

13647 Arnold Dr

(707) 935-1565

Sonoma:

Theresa manages Barking Dog in Sonoma

Barking Dog Coffee Roasters

201 West Napa St

707.996.7446

In the Marketplace shopping center. They roast their ownbeans, have locally baked goodies and host meetings, and gatherings – reserve aplace if your group is large. Very comfortable and friendly.

www.barkingdogcoffee.com

Basque Boulangerie Café

460 1st St E.

(707) 935-7687

Amazing bakery that sells coffee because you just have to.Lines out the door this place is that good! Seating inside and out.

basqueboulangerie.com

Break Away Cafe

19101 Highway 12

(707) 996-5949

Love the graphics on their web site. Dedicated to coffee - but a full cafe nonetheless. This is a very popularplace right next to the Parkpoint gym so go get thin - then eat!

breakawaycafe.com

Community Café

875 W Napa St

(707) 938-7779

More a café than just coffee shop but we though you mightlike to sit, eat and drink here as well. They sell Local Authors books!

El Dorado Corner Café

Inside the El Dorado Hotel

405 1st St

707-996-3030

Right off the Plaza the café sits inside the hotel by the ElDorado Kitchen – also known for it's fine food.

eldoradosonoma.com

Harvest Moon Café

487 1st St W

707) 933-8160

Hot Shots

711 Broadway

(707) 935-8480

Way cool drive-thru with a few seats outside. All yourfavorite coffee drinks.

La Haye Café

140 E Napa St

707) 935-6994

Maid At Home

122 West Napa Street

(707) 938-1700

Anyone know about this place? They sell whole beans and tea– but that's all I know! Their beans are Taylor Maid Farms – hence the Maid andthey also have a location in Sebastopol at 7190 Keating Ave. Strange that theydon't mention the Sonoma location! 707.824.9110 x 17

Sunflower Café has outdoor seating on the
sidewalk and out back in the garden

Sonoma's Best
1190 East Napa Street
(707) 996-7600
On the way out of Sonoma on the way to Napa as a convenient stopover point. They have a coffee bar - literally - a deli with fresh-made sandwiches, a wine bar and patio out back for garden sitting in fine weather. This is a lovely place to rest.
www.sonomas-best.com/

Studebaker Cheesecake

248 W. Napa St. #A

(707) 933-9224

http://www.studebakercheesecake.com

Sunflower Caffé Espresso

421 First Street West

(707) 996-6645

Started out as just coffee then evolved over the years to acafé and even wine bar. They keep changing! Very friendly staff – a favoritefor locals and tourists – sit outside in good weather.

http://www.sonomasunflower.com/

The Briar Patch
464 First E Street #H
(707) 996-7573
Highly recommended by Jonathan, a Sonoma reader who says it's his absolute favorite. E Street is kind if a street - kind of an alley off the Plaza, lined with shops and places to eat. Find it!

ANIMAL CARE: The Family Pet

2012-01-03T23:55:00.000-08:00

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.

All dog-like animals, including foxes, coyotes, and wolves can be infected with heartworms. Non-canids, such as raccoons, ferrets, muskrats, sea lions, and California gray seals may also be parasitized. Heartworm disease in these animals is very similar to that seen in dogs.

Cats are often infected by heartworms but do not support the worm’s entire life cycle. A cat will generally have only two to five worms in the heart and few if any larvae circulating in the bloodstream. Feline heartworm-associated respiratory disease (HARD) is an inflammatory lung disease similar to severe asthma. These kitties may be lethargic, lose weight and often cough so severely that they vomit – or look perfectly normal. HARD is a frequent cause of sudden death in young, apparently healthy cats.

Humans can also be infected by heartworms, but rarely develop problems. The worms die early in their development to adults, but dead worm tissue may cause enough irritation to generate a small granuloma (an inflammatory “tumor”) in the pulmonary artery. These granulomas typically disappear in a matter of weeks.

Treatment of established heartworm infections is both difficult and dangerous, requiring the administration of arsenic-based worm-killing drugs. Careful pre-treatment evaluation is necessary to determine a dog’s ability to handle the treatment, and patients with advanced heartworm disease may not survive even with the most cautious management. Some dogs that undergo treatment still suffer permanent lung damage from heartworm infection.

Prevention of heartworm infection is simple; just place your dog on monthly heartworm preventive medication (also available for cats). There are dozens of products available; tablets, chew tabs, yummy treat-like wafers, and even drops that are applied to the skin. Most of these products also eliminate common intestinal parasites and some also kill fleas. The choices are myriad, so discuss the options with your veterinarian to decide which best serves your pets’ needs.

All FDA-approved heartworm preventive products are available by prescription only. These are powerful medications; federal law requires these drugs be used only under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian. Bad things can happen when a heartworm-positive dog is given a heartworm preventive drug. Remember those bazillion heartworm larvae in the dog’s bloodstream? A dose of heartworm prevention kills them in a matter of minutes. All that worm protein, which was bad enough when locked inside the worms, is suddenly released into the animal’s blood. Amazingly, some dogs tolerate this kind of thing, but when they don’t the reactions can be deadly. Dogs who are free of heartworms tolerate heartworm preventive medications extremely well with only rare exceptions.

How much should a pet owner worry about heartworms? Ask a mosquito! If your home microenvironment - or those your pets visit - includes a mosquito species capable of transmitting heartworms, then your pets are at risk. That risk increases with every mosquito bite your pets receive. Infected dogs and wildlife serve as a reservoir for infective larvae, so there are always plenty of heartworms available to start a new infection.

Here in Sonoma County, land of 10,000 microenvironments, the risk of heartworm infection varies (almost) from one house to the next. If you live at higher elevation or in a forested area, chances are your local mosquitos are capable of transmitting heartworms. If you live at sea level, your pets will be safer, but not completely safe. Animals that live indoors have less exposure to mosquitos, but still get bitten. If you travel with your pets to a heartworm area, they may become infected there and bring the infection home when you return. This is how heartworms were transported into our community in the first place.

Prevention, which is cheap, safe, and easy, is always the best cure for heartworm disease. While some animals have little exposure and live their entire lives without problems, I’m not willing to bet my pet’s life on it. The only truly safe choice is to place every dog (and cat) on regular preventive medication.

Animal Care is written by Dr. Michael Trapani of Bodega Bay Veterinary. I f you have any comments or questions, please e-mail him at bodegabayveterinary@comcast.net

KATE ON CARS: Those Winter Squeaks & Rattles part 2

2012-01-03T23:47:00.000-08:00

THOSEWINTER SQUEAKS AND RATTLES - PART 2

ByKate Jonasse

A quick note before we start: I want this column tobe fun, interesting and relevant. To do this I'd like my readers' feedback.Please send your thoughts, comments, car questions, and ideas for future columnsto 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 cardriving down the road with a belt squeal. You've probably heard it – oftensounds like a large bird trapped under the hood. What causes this?

Well, engine belts make noise for a few reasons –generally they can squeal, shriek, or chirp when they get wet, dry, loose orworn. When engine accessory belts get wet from rain or driving through a puddlethey can squeal and shriek like crazy until they dry off. (Sometimes you canstop this noise temporarily by accelerating briefly and quickly – step on andoff the gas pedal to speed up the engine and help dry and seat the belt.) Also,overly dry, cracked or loose belts can cause noises like that whenever theengine is running, whether your car is moving or not. What should you do ifyour car is making a noise like this? Have your trusted auto repair shopinspect it.

Finding the source of squeaks in a car or truck isan art and a skill. After years of practice working on cars, a technician candevelop a certain 6^th sense about noises. But we still rely on specialtools and test procedures to help out. Some noises are easy to find, sometimeswe need to pull out the big guns on trickier ones.

Your shop's technician may first use her/hisstethoscope to poke around and see where noises are the loudest. This is areally helpful tool for belt and engine noises, but doesn't work so well duringroad tests. Can you imagine a technician with a stethoscope hanging onunderneath a car listening for noises while another one drives it over bumpslooking for noises? This sounds like something you'd hear from a caller on “CarTalk.”

Chassis “Ears”

Actually, for noises that happen only when you'redriving we use something called “chassis ears” (pronounced “chassee” ears, withthe “a” like “apple”). This tool consists of a setup with a controller box anda bunch of remote transmitters - see the picture in this article for a visual.The transmitters are placed under the car or under the hood on components thatcould be making noise, like on the steering or suspension components such asstruts and control arms. The box is used to select which transmitter thetechnician want to listen to at a given time. The transmitter that picks up theloudest noise is usually the one closest to the source of the noise. This is atwo person job – one person drives and the other listens (from the passengerseat) to the noises and switches the box to different transmitters. It can be atime-consuming procedure to set up the chassis ears but they work really wellto help pinpoint noises.

Bottomline is: if your car is making a funny noise it is trying to tell you something– please for your safety don't ignore it. Damaged belts can break and causeproblems like loss of charging system operation, loss of power steering, or thedreaded and costly overheating which can cause serious engine damage. Play itsafe and contact a professional at the first sign of unusual car noises.

SENIOR MOMENTUM - You Remember What?

2012-01-03T23:43:00.000-08:00

Senior Momentum: A Series Of Situations

You Remember WHAT?

Inthat fuzzy abyss of things partially (and erratically) remembered, dwell someamazing tales. There is something aboutholidays with their family gatherings that can get you on a roll, with oneremembrance triggering another and another.

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

Familyreunions late in life often revealthat some memories are to cherish, some are best forgotten, and some apparently may never have happened!

Siblingsfrequently remember the same occasion very differently. It canbe a lonely moment when you start with “remember when … ?” and no one knowswhat you are talking about!

Takethe crowded New Year’s Eve party one year when Rocco insisted on demonstratinghis ability to walk the ledge of the loft high up in the lodge, and promptlyfell down among the guests dancing below. He actually slipped through themto the floor, missing a direct hit. Everyonethought he had just crumpled and fallen asleep! When the music stopped he waslaying there moaning. The men picked him up (a first-aid cardinal sin today)stuffed him into one of the cars, careened down the icy driveway and headed forthe hospital a town away. Luckily he wasblessed with a hard head and flexible body – they returned a few hours laterwith him sporting some bandages, but otherwise OK – bragging and joking abouthis antics.

Inthe midst of some reminiscing with my siblings, something led me to thatincident. I started to laugh anddescribe Rocco flying through the air and disappearing into the dancers – apretty memorable event, I thought! No one knew what I was talking about. Apparently I was the only one who hadseen him sail through the air, through the dancers, and disappear.

Intelligence(and simple logic) assure us that memories come from different perspectives,from different vantage points, and are filtered through gyri unique in eachperson. Add in the time factor, the wayage diddles with our memory, plus the odds concerning accuracy, and it’s aset-up for a good laugh -- or a good fight!

“Remembering”is a very important part of our lives, especially as years advance. Ageinglimits the nature of the new memorieswe might create, so we love torevisit the past – happy or bittersweet. We pass the stories from one generation to the next as part of thefamily glue, and in a way it’s a responsibility to a family’s legacy.

Iwish that more of us in the senior category would journal, write letters, keepdiaries or simply write down the family stories and incidents when they come tomind. History that is not shared withour children and grandchildren can be history lost forever. Just as we may learn something in a new light,we also sometimes learn that what we thought was the case was not the case atall!

Mygeneration still indulges the art of correspondence, and with each recollectionin my sister’s letters, I gain another piece of the family puzzle. We often amaze each other with our differingremembrance of an event or person we both experienced.

Youremember what? Well, her memories expand my trove, andmy memories expand hers. We then havemore to give our children of their heritage.

WhileRocco sailing off the loft is hardly an important piece of family history, theepisode came to illuminate for me the truth that although we were all “there” weoften only know what we personally recall, and clearly that is never the wholestory.

ZoëTummillo is a Business & Marketing Consultant/Trainer/Commercial Writer,dba COMMUNICATION CONCEPTS, inprivate practice since 1974. Inaddition to Commercial work, she writes “SeniorMomentum: A Series of Situations”ã; and essay memoirs ofgrowing up first generation Italian American: “Pieces of My Path”ã. To contact her -- email: writingservice@earthlink.net

Around Bodega Bay - January 2012

2012-01-03T21:33:00.000-08:00

Winter in Bodega Bay is an interesting time. As the traffic on Highway 1 dies down, theboat traffic in the channel picks up with crab season in full swing. Even if we need the rain, we savor thesun-filled days and clear, windless nights. It’s a great time to stargaze on the beach. This year, we are enjoying a relatively drywinter (so far). And typically, it’swarmer at the coast than it is just 5 to 10 miles inland. We’ve learned not to pay any attention to theweather channels predictions of temperature, as their information comes from astation 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 aplace that is constantly fogged in, then it’s high time you got out here in thewinter months.

It’s true, those of us fortunate enough to call Bodega Bay home,have to drive inland for a look at changing seasons. There is a kind of sameness to this coastalarea through the year that makes you feel safe. In winter, the air turns cooler, there is a sense of calm, more birdsmove in to town, the headlands begin to turn a little greener. You have to want to see the seasons changehere in Bodega Bay, you have to slow down and take it all in.

Occupy Bodega Bay

This is the time of the year when the birds actually occupyBodega Bay - over a hundred species of them! The Bird Walk Park on the south end of town is a great place to spotmany of the feathered residents. But ifyou are looking for something a little more structured, The Madrone AudobonSociety will be hosting a bird walk on February 4th. The walks are recreational and educational inpurpose, and all levels of expertise are welcome. Bring field equipment, wearcomfortable shoes and layered clothing for variable weather conditions. Get more information at their website: www.audubon.sonoma.net

Coho Salmon Released

In December, representatives from the following organizationsparticipated in a Coho Salmon release at Salmon Creek: The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, NationalMarine Fisheries Service, The Nature Conservancy, State of CaliforniaDepartment of Fish and Game, Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District, SalmonCreek School, Occidental Arts and Ecology Center, Dragonfly Stream Enhancement,Salmon Creek Watershed Council, Prunuske Chatham, Inc. This was the third annual event and 174salmon were returned to the wild. Thefirst Coho Salmon, released three years ago, are expected to return this yearto spawn. California Coastal Coho Salmonhas been designated as an endangered species under the federal EndangeredSpecies Act. It is unlawful to fish for, capture, keep, or possess under anycircumstances a California Coastal Coho Salmon.

The Russian Anniversary

2012 marks the 200th anniversary of the Russians settling BodegaBay and what was known as Port Rumiantsev. The Rancho Bodega Historical Society is organizing groups all aroundtown and planning several commemorative events. The Cabaret, an annual event at The Grange, will start the series ofevents in late February, which will end with The 39th Annual Fisherman'sFestival in late April. “The LadyWashington”, a tall ship, will be docked in the harbor for a few days on it’sannual trek back to Washington State. Visitors will be able to board and tour the ship, which is a similarvessel to what the 1812 Russians would have arrived in. Check out all the details at www.BodegaBay1812.organd make plans join the celebration!

You Be The Judge

Coming up soon is the annual Chowder Day. Up to 14 area restaurants will compete forbragging rights. The $5 ticket is abargain and helps to raise money for the Bodega Bay Area Chamber of Commerce Independenceday celebration in July. To participate,just stop in at the Sonoma Coast Visitors Center at 850 Highway 1, starting at10am on February 11. You’ll get a map ofall the locations and a ballot to cast your vote - you be the judge! For more details, visit www.BodegaBayCA.org.

BARRISTER BITS: How to Protect Heirs from Inheriting Debt

2012-01-03T21:32:00.000-08:00

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

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

Signed: Lance Landowner

A: Dear Lance:

First, letme congratulate you for at least thinking about the inevitable—Death. The next inevitable is “Taxes”…are youready?

It is notan easy task to think, let alone act, to assure that our affairs are “inorder”. As John Galsworthy quipped, “Thebeginnings and endings of all human undertakings are untidy”. Good for you for rolling up your sleeves todeal with the untidy aspects of living and dying.

Here’s howit works in California. Generally, if aperson dies without a Will and Living Trust and they own real estate(i.e. a home or land), and the value of the real estate is over $20,000, then aprobate proceeding must be opened in the county where the deceased lived. Now, as with any law, there areexceptions. If the home/land is owned injoint tenancy with right of survivorship or the owners are married, probate maybe avoided. You did not mention if youwere married. If you are, you may beable to avoid probate depending on how the title to the home is held.

Probate canget messy. Real messy. It is a long and costly legal process. Read between the lines—your heirs will spendmoney on lawyers and court costs, and your estate may take years tosettle. One sure way to avoid probate isto have a Will and a Living Trust.

One quickand easy option is to make sure your heirs are named as beneficiaries on yourIRA, and then when you pass, your heirs may be able to “walk away” from thehome. I am not an estate-planningattorney or a collection attorney, but my basic understanding is that generallyyour heirs cannot inherit debt unless they have some stake in it (like theyco-signed on a credit card or on the mortgage). BTW, speaking of debts haunting your heirs from the grave, check out theFederal Trade Commission’s new 33-page “Statement of Policy”, issued on July20, 2011, which addresses what debt collectors can and cannot do when a persondies. www.ftc.gov/opa/2011/07/fdcpa.shtm.

A betteroption, though, is to create a Will and a Living Trust to avoid probate. Your home may be “underwater” now, but whenthe market recovers (and it will, hopefully), your home likely will be yourbiggest asset. Why wouldn’t you want tomake sure it passes to your loved ones, as described in your Will and LivingTrust?

The bestoption is to consult with an estate-planning attorney, who can advise you in moredetail about the process. Ask yourfriends and co-workers if they know a reliable estate-planning attorney. Interview at least two attorneys to decidewho is the best fit for you. My top two“favs” in Sonoma County are Bridget Mackay in Petaluma (769-9975) and BrianRondon in Santa Rosa (541-7250).

The realtrick is for the living to take every action NOW to avoid probate by having aWill and Living Trust. Two tips for theliving on how to avoid probate:

Tip#1: Find, catalog, and review all your“contract-based accounts” (bank accounts, life insurance policies, retirementaccounts, etc.) and make sure you have an updated beneficiary named on thoseaccounts; and

Tip#2: Any remaining assets that do nothave a beneficiary should be put in a Living Trust. You’ll need a reliable estate-planningattorney to help with this one.

Debra A. Newby is a resident of Monte Rio and has practiced law for 30years. She is a member of the California, Texas and Sonoma County BarAssociations. She maintains an active law office in Santa Rosa andemphasizes personal injury law (bicycle/motorcycle/motor vehicle accidents, dogbites, trip and falls, etc.) and expungements (clearing criminalrecords). Debra can be reached viaemail (debra@newbylawoffice.com),phone (707-526-7200), fax (526-7202) or pony express (930 Mendocino Avenue,Suite 101; Santa Rosa, 95401).

Our County by Efren Carrillo January 2012

2012-01-03T21:20:00.000-08:00

Gratitude

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

Generous Spirit

The past few weeks have been marked by the incrediblegenerosity shown by our community toward their fellows in need…I got to witnessthis for a few hours spent ringing the bell and taking kettle donations for theSalvation Army in my neighborhood, and then as part of a large contingent ofvolunteers helping to serve dinner to needy families in Santa Rosa, Sebastopol,and Guerneville. The capacity for givingin our communities is great…and, unfortunately, so is the need. The past few years have turned many livesupside down and inside out…and many people need assistance for the first timein their lives.

On Christmas Day, we read about Kevin Fitzgerald, thehomeless man struck down by a car on 101. Here was a man who began life with brillianceand promise, and in his battle with mental illness ended up living on thestreets. A good man, who scrapedtogether a monthly donation to help children in Africa out of his meagerdisability check, whose seemingly unremarkable life left us all with humblinginspiration. He had great unmet needs ofhis own, but never lost his generous and charitable nature.

Redevelopment Cut Short

As we enter 2012, it is with the news that Redevelopmentefforts in Roseland and the Russian River will be cut short by the State ofCalifornia and a December 29th court decision that rejects our challenge to thegovernor’s bid to dissolve redevelopment agencies. A statewide effort by redevelopment agenciesto contest the governor’s plan, and propose an alternate model for goingforward (California Redevelopment Association v. Matosantos) was summarilyrejected by the court.

Hanging in the balance is a long awaited redevelopmenteffort in Roseland. This past year, our CDC secured ownership of RoselandPlaza, a blighted shopping center on Sebastopol Road, after a lengthy effortand protracted negotiations. Thecommunity has been working toward the goal of redeveloping this criticalproperty, which connects to the Joe Rodota trail and the Roseland business andschool community, for many years. Theproperty has been purchased, community meetings held, excitement is high, andnow the future of the project and funding is uncertain.

On the Russian River, redevelopment has beencontroversial. It paid for much neededwork on the water system infrastructure, commercial district improvements, anew ambulance, and road improvements in small communities. Continuing evaluation of a much neededwastewater treatment solution for impacted communities along the Russian Riveris currently underway, and funding for the ultimate project will have to comefrom another source.

Willow Creek Restoration

On December 16th, officials from State Parks, Department ofFish and Game, NOAA, Trout Unlimited, Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA), PublicWorks, Assemblyman Huffman, and our own Stewards of the Coast and Redwoodsgathered to dedicate the new Willow Creek Bridge and fish passage.

Hats off to Michele Luna, Executive Directorof Stewards, for her persistence and perseverance during the decade that ittook to design and fund the much needed project! In a great example of agencies workingtogether to solve a challenge, the bridge addresses road flooding which blockedaccess for residents while at the same time improving a high-value stream for Cohohabitat. Willow Creek was identified bySCWA and National Marine Fisheries as a priority for funding, and it was anachievement that required collaboration, permitting, and funding from all ofthe above agencies to accomplish.

Moving into 2012

It has been my honor to serve Sonoma County as Chair of theBoard of Supervisors during 2011. It wasa year which brought new energy to the Board, with Supervisors Rabbitt andMcGuire being sworn in last January. Aswe go forward dealing with the many challenges ahead, it will be in the samespirit of respect and team work which marked this past year. I look forward to facing 2012 working with mydynamic and committed colleagues, and the many talented public servants at theCounty of Sonoma.