Friends of the Petaluma River

Friends of the Petaluma River is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to celebrating and conserving the Petaluma River, its wetlands, and wildlife.  

Our mission: To promote stewardship of the Petaluma River . We work throughout its watershed; providing access opportunities, educational materials, and conservation programs. We also provide a voice for the River's inhabitants and resources in public affairs.  

Our Goals: Access, Education, and Conservation 

• To establish a permanent presence in the watershed; becoming the first non-government organization to work fulltime for the betterment of the Petaluma River . and its inhabitants

• To pursue outreach and educational activities that will foster enthusiasm and commitment in the watershed for long term sustainable stewardship.

• To monitor conditions and engage in activities that will reduce or prevent pollution and lessen other harmful impacts on the River and its wetlands.

• To create a River Heritage Center as a community resource. A place to archive information, host events, administer programs, and coordinate river related activities.

Friends of the Petaluma River

Board of Directors:

Andrew L. Packard J.D.
Andrew manages a public interest environmental law firm in San Francisco.  The firm’s practice areas include citizen suit enforcement under the Clean Water Act. His firm currently represents several Keeper organizations in the State of California in connection with their enforcement of the Clean Water Act. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Russian River/Russian Riverkeeper, the last two as President of the Board of Directors.  Mr. Packard graduated from Duke Univ. & received his J.D. from  Boston Univ. School of Law. He is a five-year resident of Petaluma.

Grant Davis
Grant is Executive Director of The Bay Institute, and has been responsible for overall management of the organization since 1997. He has an extensive legislative background and has been involved in environmental protection, water resource management and energy issues for over twenty years. Prior to joining TBI, he directed Rep. Lynn Woolsey's first congressional campaign, managed her district office, and was responsible for environmental legislation. He has provided critical leadership in a large number of environmental campaigns. Grant previously owned a successful small business, specializing in nonprofit development, strategic planning and marketing. Grant graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1986 with a degree in political science. He is a Petaluma resident.

Dr. John Shribbs Ph.D.
John has a PhD in Horticulture with minors in Weed Science and Statistics. He has published several manuscripts which have won journalistic awards. He has patents in herbicide chemistry and uses and has been an expert witness in patent litigation. John has been teaching high school science for 7 years in Petaluma and is currently constructing a Native Plant Nursery on the high school grounds with a grant from the City of Petaluma, the Regional Water Quality Board, and The Bay Institute. He is also organizing a cross-disciplinary environmental study program at his High School and has acquired instruments for doing water monitoring with students.  John lives in Petaluma and frequently kayaks on the  River.

Elizabeth Howland
Elizabeth is a principal in andHow, a marketing organization focused on helping companies more effectively reach the women’s market. Before founding andHow, she was Vice President of Marketing at Athleta, the premier women’s sports apparel retailer, where she oversaw all marketing functions and spearheaded the design and production of the Athleta catalog.  Before joining Athleta, Elizabeth spent several years in executive positions for direct marketing firms including Triplex, Gymboree and Bio Bottoms. Elizabeth helped found the Petaluma Wetlands Alliance, an organization currently devoted to education and stewardship of the Petaluma Wetlands. She has lived in Petaluma for 25 years and is an active outdoor enthusiast.

Cari Pace-Koch
Cari is a 32-year real estate broker focused on course writing, training, and expert witness testimony for the real estate community.  She has authored state-mandated courses, published numerous articles, and writes a monthly column in Broker-Agent magazine.  She has served as President of the Marin Association of Realtors, was a founding member of the No Wetlands Landfill Expansion Group, and is on the Board of Directors of the Friends of Marin Center, an outreach non-profit for the performing arts.  She is an award-winning landscape watercolorist and has taught painting with several organizations.  Cari and her husband Bob Koch live in the northern end of Novato and have a newly-purchased kayak which is already blessed with Petaluma’s mud. 

Patrick Campbell
For the past eight years, several times a week, I have done my kayak training on, and occasionally in, the Petaluma River.  The river has been good to me, and it's time to give back.  I'm particularly interested in encouraging human-powered boat use and discouraging wetlands development. Since 1994, Patrick has farmed vineyards on Sonoma Mountain. In addition to his local operation, he produces wine in Argentina and Lodi. During much of this time, he has had leadership roles in national wine industry organizations and been actively involved with local land use issues. Patrick has a BA in English literature from Pomona College and a MA in philosophy from Harvard University. His wife, Faith, and he have three grown daughters.

Friends of the Petaluma River

Staff:

David Yearsley; executive director
David launched the Petaluma Riverkeeper program, sponsored by San Francisco Baykeeper, in 1998. In conjunction with his Riverkeeper work he was founding chairman of Petaluma Wetlands Alliance from 2001-03; which successfully promoted constructed wetlands as part of Petaluma’s new waste water treatment & recycling facility. In 2004-05 he led Friends of Tolay’s successful grassroots campaign for the acquisition of Tolay Lake Regional Park, preserving a pristine 1,800 acre valley adjacent to Petaluma River. David collaborates with many other organizations that promote stewardship of the river and its wetlands including; the San Francisco Bay Joint Venture, Bay Area Audubon Council, the Petaluma River Cleanup Committee, the Petaluma River Authority, and the No Wetlands Landfill Expansion group. He served 4 years in the USAF during the Viet Nam war, 1965-68, and earned a B.A. magna cum laude, from San Francisco State University in 1975. He lives in Petaluma and has been active in the Petaluma Watershed for over 30 years as a recreational user and conservationist.

We promote appreciation of the Petaluma River and protect the vitality of its natural resources.