THE SEA RANCH ASSOCIATION PRSRT STD P.O. BOX 16 U.S. POSTAGE PAID THE SEA RANCH, CA 95497-0016 MEDFORD, OR Address Service Requested PERMIT NO. 125 A QUARTERLY NEWSPAPER FOR THE SEA RANCH ASSOCIATION MEMBERS NUMBER 97 SUMMER 2008 IN THIS ISSUE: BEACH & TYLER ELECTED 2007 BALLOT RECOUNT that Sonoma County moves very slowly.”Sonoma County Parks has been equally painfully slow, said SUMMER EVENTS Jordan, referring to the drawn-out negotiations on erosion of the bluff trail. As for fire safety, Jordan feels Sea Ranch is considerably safer due SOUNDINGS FUTURE to implementation of the state law 4291, debris pickup, the sheep and the fire safety program. “We are MARINE LIFE PROPOSALS about two years ahead of the rest of the state in correcting violations of 4291.” He reminded members of the Fire Safety Task Force Forum on July 12. Jordan concluded the Association is getting ahead of 1900 ACRES OF change, not reacting to it. VINEYARDS AWARDS PROPOSED Outstanding Performance Awards went to: Dolores “Schus” ABOVE RIVER Schumaker, Dale Hayward and Richard Stover for their teamwork By George Rathmell and persistence in adopting cost Front row: l to r: Martha "Dibby" Tyler, Chris Beach, Rose Marie Hocker. Back Row: Tim savings and improvements in the About 2,000 years ago, according Gallagher, Sandy Bush, Jim Jordan and Leigh Mueller operation of the Del Mar Pool. to the apostle John, Jesus and his Fred Stang received the award disciples were invited to a wedding Barely 51.7 percent of Sea to be on the last Saturday of every for his support for the Security at Cana in Galilee. During the cel- Ranchers sent in ballots in the 1008 other month. Department. Additional awards ebration, the host ran out of wine. election, with 1184 lots voting out went to: Hunter Standland in Jesus then changed about 150 gal- of 2288 lots represented. Inspector STATE OF THE SEA RANCH remaking and improving the lons of water into wine, and every- of Elections Robbin Johnson Water System communication one was pleased. Now, in Annapo- reported the vote at the Association Before announcement of the problems; Julie Brown for work lis, another process⎯less miracu- Annual Meeting on May 24. Chris election results, members heard a in improving the administration of lous but much more extensive⎯is Beach took 974 votes; Martha “State of the Sea Ranch” report by the work flow and her outstanding under way, and not everyone is “Dibby” Tyler earned 722, with outgoing Board Chair Jim Jordan, managerial abilities in the Design pleased about it. Derek Bray and John Forenti out highlighting “changes that have Department; Craven Alcott for of the running with 347 and 263 challenged us.” Among the most improving member relations and The concern is about the effects of respectively. Only seven proxies important achievements were: permit processing in the Design large-scale vineyard expansion on turned up without signatures, due completion of a 30-year plan for Department; Paula Lim for the Gualala River watershed. Since to Johnson’s efforts to contact the Water Company that includes improving front office and reception all of the water for residents of The those who had not signed so that construction of a large water operations, Sea Ranch and Gualala comes from their votes could be counted. Nine storage tank and improvements aquifers under the Gualala River, people chose to withhold their to the distribution system. The Outstanding Service Award went anything upriver that affects the votes and one envelope was empty. Association is pushing Sonoma to the Utilities Committee for their quality and the amount of flow is County to inspect the sewer contributions in establishing viable important to all of us who live here. At their meeting the next morning, system “so that we can create a planning for the Water Company the Board of Directors elected similar long-range plan. That and for providing guidance It is no secret that Sonoma County Leigh Mueller as Chair, Rose way we can avoid assessing and technical expertise in the is prime “wine country,” and vine- Marie Hocker as Vice Chair, Tim ratepayers for such things as an development and implementation of yards have replaced apple orchards Gallagher as Treasurer and Martha unneeded Environmental Impact the Water Company Master Plan; and other agricultural uses exten- “Dibby” Tyler as Secretary. Board Report on an unneeded sewer sively in the parts of the county east of Directors meetings will continue line to the north. But we learned The Lifetime Service Award of the coastal hills. But now pro- for 2008 was given to Jim Platt spective wine producers are looking who was Chair of the Planning at the coastal hills as sites for new Committee during the revision of vineyards. There are huge profits to the Comprehensive Environmental be made in the production of premi- Plan, headed the Hedgerow um wines, and vintners have been Restoration Project, chaired the active in the area around Annapolis. Commons Management Task Force during development of the 25-year THE CURRENT DISPUTE plan for commons maintenance out of which came the concept of A company called Pacific Premier le a demonstration garden for native Vineyards has applied for permits to plants; led discussions with bluff lot develop a project called Preserva- owners that led to trimming some tion Ranch on 19,000+ acres (about trees that obstructed views of inland 30 square miles) of forest land north owners; has been moderator of and east of Annapolis. Pacific Pre- candidate forums. Beyond The Sea mier Vineyards, headquartered in Ranch, Platt instigated the Gualala Napa, currently owns 24 vineyards River Run to benefit nonprofit in California’s wine country, Or- groups and is President of the Point page 2 Arena Lighthouse Keepers. Page 3 PAGE 2 THE SEA RANCH SOUNDINGS SUMMER 2008 PRESERVATION RANCH from page 1 yards is worse than clear cutting because, after trees and brush are egon, and Washington. Their stated removed, to create a vineyard it is goal is to develop world-class vine- necessary to remove all roots, add yards which can then be purchased tons of lime to reduce soil acidity, or leased by wineries. Their Pres- and then grade the soil. The result ervation Ranch project proposes to of these actions causes deleterious create about 1,600 acres of vine- changes in rainfall runoff. Then, yards on the ridgetops of the prop- once a vineyard is installed, there erty, dedicate 222 acres to the coun- are problems of fertilizer and pes- ty for an extension of Soda Springs ticide runoff. Moreover, they say Park, create a 2,400-acre Wildlife that the 24 proposed reservoirs to and Oak Woodland Preserve, and collect rain water could decrease use the remaining 16,000+ acres for runoff to the river which is already timber production. experiencing reduced flow. They note that the Sonoma County Water Is this project important? The Agency requested water conserva- Washington Post seemed to think tion measures last year to reduce so. In their Associated Press ar- consumption by 15%. The agency ticle last year, they wrote, “In the has announced that, due to low rain- fog-shrouded forest of California’s fall last winter, conservation may be remote North Coast, winemakers necessary again this summer. believe they’ve found the perfect Aerial view of one ridgetop cleared of redwoods for Evans Ridge vineyard. terrain to grow the notoriously fickle pinot noir grape prized by FoGR has a track record in op- connoisseurs.” They go on to report posing local vineyard projects. In tion of an EIR is contrary to the The Environmental Impact Report the efforts of local residents and 2001, Codorniu Napa, a division CalPERS stated policy of environ- is the first step in the process, and environmentalists to stop the land of a large Spanish corporation, mentally responsible investments. Koenigshofer estimates it will take conversion. They quote Sonoma proposed clearing 105 acres of a year or so to complete it. Pres- County Supervisor, Mike Reilly, timber to create a new vineyard To get their message out, the Sierra ervation Ranch must pay for the who advocates more county restric- on Annapolis Road. FoGR and its Club branch has produced a short report, but Sonoma County will tions, as saying, “There are plenty scientific consultants convinced the video called “Worse Than a Clear- be the lead agency in procuring it. of places to grow grapes in Sonoma California Department of Forestry cut” which is posted on YouTube Under the rules of the California County without cutting down red- (CDF) that the project would have a at http://www.youtube.com/watch? Environmental Quality Act, for ap- wood forests.” Reilly is the Super- negative effect on local streams and v=MIrJRc4P94Q. proval the project will be reviewed visor who spearheaded a project to forests. The CDF required the ap- not only by the county but by five make the county the first in Califor- plicant to file an Environmental Im- PRESERVATION RANCH other regulatory bodies as well: the nia to have a permit requirement for pact Report (EIR). Since then, no National Oceanic and Atmospheric any conversion of redwood forests. EIR has been filed. Again in 2004, The developers of this project are Agency, the North Coast Regional two more projects of converting convinced that their plan will not Water Quality Board, the Califor- FRIENDS OF THE GUALALA RIVER timberland to vineyards near An- only avoid harming the Gualala nia Department of Fish and Game, napolis were proposed. This time, River and its watershed, but will the United States Fish and Wildlife One of the principal opponents of the CDF cleared the projects with actually improve them.