Roundup: Full steam ahead
Ice cream, redwoods, Mexican food, Innovative Arts, and more...
Monte Rio Redwood Forest Expansion
Good news from the county of Sonoma about an important potential purchase of 1,517 acres of redwood forest near Monte Rio:
For decades, conservationists have been acquiring blocks of forest land in west Sonoma County, with a goal of piecing together an uninterrupted mosaic of protected property stretching from Monte Rio to the Pacific Ocean.
A major piece fell into place earlier this month when Save the Redwoods League announced a $24 million deal to buy a 1,517-acre forest next to Monte Rio Redwoods Regional Park and Open Space Preserve. The San Francisco nonprofit will convey the property to Sonoma County Regional Parks for long-term stewardship after the purchase is completed later this year.
“This project is an exciting piece of a much larger puzzle,” said Misti Arias, general manager of Sonoma Ag + Open Space. “We’ve spent many years working to conserve lands that connect Monte Rio to the coast, and this expansion is essential to making that a reality. Conserving these large swaths of interconnected conserved lands means habitat for plants and wildlife, healthy watersheds and exciting spaces for people to explore and connect with the natural world.”
The property contains 1,287 acres of coast redwood forest that has been in timber production for more than 100 years. It offers stunning views of the Russian River Valley and is home to the headwaters of three Russian River tributaries—Dutch Bill Creek, Freezeout Creek, and Willow Creek—where coho salmon and steelhead trout come to spawn. The redwood forest’s ability to store carbon, a critical tool to combat climate change, has made the property a high priority for conservation.
To reach the $24 million purchase price, Save the Redwoods’ Director of Land Protection Jeff Stump (note the irony of his last name) said, they’re putting together a package that has “$8 million in private philanthropy, $8 million in state funding, and an $8 million local component.” Stump said that the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation is donating $4 million toward this effort. Save the Redwoods and Sonoma Land Trust have pledged to raise $2 million each to complete this deal. To learn more and support the project, go to SaveTheRedwoods.org.
Viva ‘Viva Mexicana’
The Sebastopol Mexican restaurant, Viva Mexicana, got some great coverage in the Press Democrat this week, including a video interview with owner Sima Mohamadian. Check it out here. Plus, thanks to their relationship with Oaxacan artist Pedro Cruz Pacheco, Viva Mexicana has the best cafe art in town. Viva Mexicana is at 841 Gravenstein Ave South, Sebastopol.
Academy of Innovative Arts Preview Night
Find out what the Academy of Innovative Arts is all about. Come to the preview night on Thursday, Feb. 27, from 5 pm to 6:30 pm in the library at the El Molino campus. (See Dale’s article about the program here.)
Clarification to our City Council Recap
In our City Council Recap this week, we mentioned that the city council unanimously approved an amendment to the Kosmont & Associates contract for consulting services for the Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District (EIFD). This involved adding $15,000 to the contract to extend its time and expand its project scope, including doing a full fiscal analysis on the EIFD initiative. Councilmember Neysa Hinton contacted us and noted that we forgot to mention that the County will pick up $7,500 of that $15,000.
Sebastopol Police Logs, Feb. 10-16
The following are crimes excerpted from Sebastopol Police Department daily crime log entries and listed at the time the alleged violation was reported.
MONDAY
1:19 p.m. Possession of a controlled substance, a narcotic controlled substance and unlawful paraphernalia, and disobeying a court order (misdemeanors) at Pleasant Hill Avenue North and Covert Lane. Suspect arrested.
5:05 p.m. Served a misdemeanor arrest warrant for an outside agency at Gravenstein Highway North. Suspect arrested.
7:58 p.m. Disorderly conduct involving alcohol, violation of probation, disobeying a court order, violation of pre-trial release, and battery on a person (misdemeanors) at Pleasant Hill Avenue North. Suspect arrested.
TUESDAY
2:01 p.m. Grand theft using false pretenses (felony) at Bodega Avenue. Investigation suspended, leads exhausted.
WEDNESDAY
12:23 p.m. Shoplifting (misdemeanor) at Gravenstein Highway North. Investigation suspended, leads exhausted.
5:33 p.m. Burglary from a motor vehicle and vandalism including defacing property (felonies) at Norlee Street. Investigation suspended, leads exhausted.
6:50 p.m. Threatening a crime with the intention of terrorizing (misdemeanor) at Nelson Way. Cleared by circumstances beyond police control.
THURSDAY
12:36 p.m. Battery of a spouse or companion, possession of unlawful paraphernalia, and violation of probation (misdemeanors) at Morris Street. Suspect arrested.
FRIDAY
2:10 p.m. Petty theft (misdemeanor) at Gravenstein Highway North. Pending further investigation.
10:05 p.m. Battery of a spouse or companion and false imprisonment (misdemeanors) at Bodega Avenue. Suspect arrested.
11:13 p.m. Possession of a controlled substance and unlawful paraphernalia (misdemeanors) and violation of felony parole (felony) at Petaluma Avenue. Suspect arrested.
SATURDAY
11:09 a.m. Shoplifting (misdemeanor) at Gravenstein Highway North. No disposition reported.
OTHER POLICE ACTION
The Sebastopol Police Department also recorded 166 other events requiring police action during the period, such as lost animals, assisting citizens, parking violations, foot patrol, traffic hazards and reckless driving.
Week of Feb. 17-22
We’re thrilled to have Rollie Atkinson writing for the Sebastopol Times again
By Laura Hagar Rush
Longtime journalist Rollie Atkinson ran Sonoma West Publishers group for almost 30 years, publishing Sonoma West Times & News, the Windsor Times, the Healdsburg Tribune and the Cloverdale Reveille. He purchased the original Sebastopol Times in 1995 and renamed it Sonoma West.)
Then he retired, and someone else bought his newspapers and closed all but one of them (the Healdsburg Tribune).
Like many before him, Rollie discovered that retirement didn’t suit him.
Back when he was running Sonoma West Times & News, Rollie hired me to work at the paper after a half-an-hour interview at the Tiny Town Cafe in Forestville.
Years passed, and now Dale and I are running the new Sebastopol Times—which we opened a week after the buyer of Sonoma West Times & News closed that paper. When our reporter Ezra Wallach got scooped up by the San Francisco Standard in early January, I knew just who to call. Because, as Rollie said to me at that long-ago meeting in Forestville, “Once a newsie, always a newsie.”
We’re proud to carry his byline.
Congratulations on adding Rollie to the team. Solid choice.