Petaluma River Tidings: Oct 1, 2008

Fall is a fantastic time to enjoy the River and its wonders. The Marsh is changing colors, migrating birds are sporting their mating plumage, and the Indian summer weather is gentle and invigorating. Our vital work to celebrate the Petaluma River and conserve the North Bay’s Wetlands Empire continues…

Race for the River = Fun for All

The first ever “Race for the River” treasure hunt was held on Sept. 6th. Beautiful weather and warm temperatures greeted the eager participants, some from as far away as Fresno.

Paddlers raced to find and “tag” 30 floating signs hidden up and down the river, which were constructed and placed by Friends volunteers,. Everyone who participated was treated to lunch and most won valuable prizes earned by “tagging” the commercially sponsored sites. Everyone agreed it was a fun and well run event. Friends would like to thank all the incredible volunteers who helped behind the scenes, the many sponsors who provided cash and prizes, and especially the Race organizers Patrick Campbell, Elizabeth Howland and Lori Parmelee. Click here for more photos

Come Support the Wine Country Rowing Classic – October 5th!

Come to the Wine Country Rowing Classic this weekend, a USRowing Registered Regatta.

This is a 5,000 meter head race on the Petaluma River, one of the most enjoyable and beautiful lengths of protected water in California.

This is a collegiate competition of some of the best rowers in the Northern California area. The regatta will take place at the Petaluma Marina. Registration opens at 6:30a. Boat launching commences at 7:30am and the first race kicks off at 8:30am. Come and support our Greater Bay Area rowers! For more information, click here.

River Tours Available Again this Fall

Our friends at Dolphin Charters will once again be offering tours aboard the beautiful 50′ converted trawler Delphinus. Trips are offered on two Sundays in October (Oct 5 and 26) for 3 hour Petaluma River cruises 9-12 and 1-4 each day and leave from the Petaluma Marina off of Lakeville Hwy. Cost is $35/person and they’re filling up fast. A colorful article describing some of the tour content appears in the Sept. issue of the Petaluma Post.Call the office or visit them online for more information and to sign up for any of their tours:

DOLPHIN CHARTERS

800-472-9942 • 510-527-9622

More River Tours Coming Soon

Friends of the Petaluma River plans to offer its own special brand of river tours very soon. We are waiting to receive U.S. Coast Guard licensing that will allow us to give river trips to the public. With our intimate knowledge of the Petaluma’s marshes and sloughs we are planning a variety of tours that not only highlight the river’s natural wonders but provide access marsh areas seldom seen by the public.

Happy hour by the River: help christen our new Clubhouse:

We have moved our offices from the Petaluma Marina to a new home at 260H Water St. North. We are excited about the rustic waterfront location of our new home and our proximity to downtown. Please stop by to say hi.

Come to Happy Hour by the River

What: A house warming & celebration for Friends

When: Tuesday Nov. 10th 4:30 to 6:30 PM

Where: 260 H Water St. North (behind Kodiak Jacks)

Why: Visit our new office, enjoy refreshments and celebrate our 3rd year of growth and accomplishments.

The River Heritage Center Needs Your Help

Work continues at the Livery Stable as we lead volunteer efforts to clean out debris while working with the City of Petaluma to convert this Steamer Landing Park facility into a future River Heritage Center.

If you would like to assist the restoration efforts as a committee member or volunteer please contact us via Email or call 707 763-7756

Dutra / Asphalt decision due Oct. 16th:

The Sonoma County Planning Commission will likely take action on the final EIR for the Dutra Asphalt plant at Oct 16th at 1:00 PM in the – PRMD Hearing Room 2550 Ventura Ave. Santa Rosa, Ca.

Many river aficionados and Shollenberger Park users are concerned about the location and unavoidable impacts of the proposed facility. Friends has advocated for enclosing the plant to mitigate these impacts.

On Oct 6th the Petaluma City Council will discuss drafting a letter to the Planning Commission expressing their concerns about possible environmental impacts of the proposed plant. It is the last agenda item and likely will be addressed later in the evening. Click here to view the tentative agenda.

There is still time to comment and make your views known. You can express your ideas about this environmentally sensitive issue by writing letters to the Petaluma City Council ( 11 English St. Petaluma 94952) and/or Sonoma County Planning Commission (Steve Padovan / PRMD 2550 Ventura Ave. Santa Rosa, 95403) spadovan@sonoma-county.org ) and join us in attending the meetings.

For more background see the recent article from the Press Democrat: plus comments and an editorial from the Argus Courier:

View the EIR by clicking here.

Redwood Landfill expansion permit a hot topic:

Marin County recently tried to railroad the permit for the Redwood Landfill expansion and met with stiff and effective opposition from The Green Coalition for Responsible Waste Mgt. and other activists. In a recent attempt to hold an informational hearing without revealing details from the final permit (and then forward the permit to State) the County responsible for the dumps operation and safety was denying citizens the right to comment on the merits of this action. This raised the hackles of many long time opponents to the dumps expansion and reverberated in the local papers to the point that Marin Co. Supervisor Judy Arnold promised to rectify the situation. The newspaper articles and videos about the meeting (linked below) tell the story. No action has been taken yet but stay tuned for developments.

View video from this meeting:

Also follow these links to read newspaper coverage of the meeting