Sonoma County Gazette February 2017

FEBRUARY 2017
H H o o p p e e , , R R e e s s i i s s t t a a n n c c e e & Solutions for Progress ~ 7
Wo r k e r ’s Rights in Court ~ 12
F l o w e r s - C h o c o l a t e s & J e w e l r y
RESOURCE GUIDE Classic Valentine Gifts ~ 36-37
1 10 0 0 0 Y Ye e a a r r s s of Butter y Love ~ 28
N u m b e r s tell the Tale ~ 44
Seeking HOME
Fish &
Being a second generation American I totally understand the history of people coming to this country. Back in the “Old County” freedoms and rights were few. People were told what religion to worship, what profession to follow, where to live, who to love, even what to wear. Sound familiar? Our country has been the place people come to get away from all that.
And they still do.
We, who have grown up here, know exactly what it’s like to feel freedom of choice. Since I was born, we increased rights of individuals one step at a time. It’s a slow process. You’d think the nation that stands for “Freedom and Justice for ALL” would find it easy. Our founding leaders established these rights “to be self-evident, that all (wo)men are created equal.” Seems we are forgetting what we stand for.
HOME cont’d on page 10
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses
yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
We contrasted two reports on the River, the Russian River Independent Science Review Panel Report (IRSP Report) and the Fish Flows and Water Rights Project EIR (Flow EIR). Last month we discussed the watershed view of the ISRP Report, this month we’ll dive into the Flow EIR.
Water
By Vesta Copestakes
“Home” and “Homeless” are taking
Riverkeeper View of Fish-Flow & Water Rights Project ~ Part 2
Russian River has lost 75% of its former area and how that has eliminated thousands of acres of upstream flood storage. We saw this fact play out in the January flooding in the lower Russian River and Santa Rosa plain. During post-flood cleanups over several weeks we witnessed the reality of having no off-ramps for pollutants like sediment. Instead of ending up in wetlands or floodplains upstream, it ended up covering everything in the lower river that was under water with a slimy fine mud, when the floodwater dropped. The good news is all that water will help in improving conditions for recreation and our endangered salmon this coming summer.
FLOWS cont’d on page 8
on new meaning lately. Sonoma County is working to solve the affordable housing dilemna while people are fleeing countries where their lives are at risk. Whether trying to find shelter or safety, people living uncertain lives experience daily stress beyond most of our understanding.
By Don McHill, Riverkeeper
Last month I wrote about how the
There are no simple solutions to the pains of growth and change, as there
The EVERYTHING to DO Calendar: pgs 52 - 71
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