What’s new on the “Petaloo”
Holiday Greetings to all;
The Season of joy and sharing:
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The holidays are now in full swing and we at Friends send our best wishes to all for a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, and Superb Solstice. We hope that 2007 be a great year for each of you and for the Petaluma River as well.
We are also ready to help with last minute gifts to river lovers on your lists (including yourselves). A fresh shipment of River wear, maps and boat stickers has just arrived. The good people at Clavey River Equipment 409 Petaluma Blvd. S. in Petaluma have graciously offered to provide an outlet for our merchandise. Stop in and check out our cozy fleece vests, handy wind breakers, quick drying hats, popular paddle maps & our new stickers.
FRIEND’S RIVER EMPORIUM
Maps of the Petaluma River
Paddlers’ Map – 11†x 17†$20.00
Two sided, water proof map of the Petaluma River
The Grand Edition – 30†x 36†$75.00
Printed on high quality map paper.
River Wear
Fleece vests – Cozy and stylish, with Petaluma River logo.$30.00
sizes – XS, S, M, L, XL, 2XL
River Jackets – $35.00
Nylon windbreakers – lined with warm flannel
& inside “phone†pocket – sizes S, M, L, XL
River Hats – Lightweight & quick drying; cotton/nylon blend $15.00
Celebrate and Conserve – “boat†stickers – $1.00
Cloudy Bend bookmarks: with beautiful photo by Scott Hess – Always free!
Please consider “Friends†for your holiday gifting and end-of- year giving too. Renew your membership at this time, give gift memberships, or make a year end donation. This can easily be done online, and all are tax deductible under our non-profit status! Visit www.FriendsofthePetalumaRiver.org.
The Petaluma Marsh receives a gift:
The Petaluma Marsh has just been expanded by 102 acres thanks to the efforts of Marin Audubon, its president Barbara Salzman, and support from the Coastal Conservancy and USFWS among others. On Friday Dec. 8th, a levee holding back San Antonio Creek was breeched and tidewater poured in to reclaim a section of formerly dyked land on the Marin/Sonoma Co. line. Read about it in the Marin IJ
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waterfowl enjoying Marin Audubon’s restoration site |
Friends Board sets priorities for 2007, and beyond:
Friends Board of Directors and key advisors met for a retreat on Dec 16th to assess our progress and set priorities for the future. In a wonderful 4 hour session at the Sheraton Sonoma Co.-Petaluma, ably facilitated by Sonoma State Univ. 2nd year Masters Candidates, Dave Tracy and Alan Yee; we discussed our goals, strengths and needs. It was generally agreed that because of Friends growth, the wonderful support of our membership, the commitment of new key volunteers, and continued excellent press coverage; that we have achieved the “critical mass†necessary to be effective leaders within the region on matters relating to the River. In order to realize this potential the retreat attendees indicated strong support for:
- Establishing a public headquarters in the community ASAP.
- Augmenting our boat tours and river access programs
- Creating more education programs and information materials
- Expanding our public affairs, “watch dogâ€, and water quality efforts.
It was also determined we need to improve our organization’s structure and capacity so that we can better meet these growing expectations. A team of key volunteers; Marshall Fitzgerald, Robert Brown, and Patrick Campbell have agreed to combine their considerable talents to formulate an organizational expansion plan and present it to the Board within the next 30 days. We anticipate a great future for Friends; with plans to provide more opportunities for education, recreation, and watershed stewardship.
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An exciting time for Friends! |
Petaluma Paddlers visit the Marsh:
Winter is no time to hang up your paddle. The kayak group Petaluma Paddlers is proving that, by being active year round navigators of the Petaluma’s waters. They have regular recreational paddles on the Petaluma River Wednesday and Saturday mornings, as well as destination trips to other waters in the region on a regular basis. On Sat. Dec. 2nd a merry group of a dozen showed up for lunch at “Marsh Mellow†on San Antonio Creek. They dined elegantly and departed in beautiful weather on a 6’6’’ high tide.
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Petaluma Paddlers in their element |
The Paddlers arrive Petaluma Paddlers lunch bunch |
For information about joining the Petaluma Paddlers contact:
Ray Thompson Or meet them online at:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Petaluma_Paddlers/
Best Wishes to you for the Holiday Season and throughout the year from Friends of the Petaluma River.
We hope to see you on the water and in the community
Dave Yearsley – Friends of the Petaluma River
Celebrate & Conserve
