Page 1 - Sonoma County Gazette 12-2019

DECEMBER 2019
ZERO Waste for the Holiday Season ~ 10
Your 2019 Guide to Holiday FUN Working for Good
Festivals - Parades - Performances - Tree Lightings - Holiday Music - Fraft Fairs & MORE! ~ 67 - 71
Jobs & a Liveable Future ~ 25
HOW TO
VITAL
Avoid
Lands
Loving a Place
to Death Cumulative Impacts & Land Use Policy
are magnificent in their natural splendor but are so congested with people who love them that the experience is degraded along with the natural environment. In this case we are talking about the Sonoma County Coastline which stretches from Marin to Mendocino. The basic challenge is to love the place without bringing on its ruination.
Vital Lands Initiative: Comments on the Draft are due by Monday, December 16, 2019
By Eric Koenigshoffer
We have all been to places which
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issues that requires us to read large volumns of material to understand what those in charge of our land use policies have in mind for our future.
As the process of updating the Local Coastal Plan unfolds (and soon also the county General Plan update) the foundation of analysis should
be an understanding of the carrying capacity of the natural environment and man-made infrastructure. Focusing for the moment on the latter, what is the carrying capacity of the roads, water systems/wells, the septic systems and sewerage treatment plants which constitute the core elements of infrastructure supporting human habitation of the area.
With fires wiping out large swathes of forest habitat, maintaining what we still have becomes that much more important. It’s not just critters who need this. We need it as well.
COAST cont’d on page 8
VITAL cont’d on page 10
By Vesta Copestakes
This is another one of those local
In this case, the presentation is stunningly beautiful. Reading the document prepared to educate and inspire us does both.
It inspires us with history of how people care about our land, our present and our future, and with beautiful photographs of our home.
Open spaces clean our air with filtering vegetation. They inspire people to visit - then leave - so the beauty that surrounds us is an integral part of our economic health.
And for our happiness, that beauty is our home which creates a sense of wonder that cannot be achieved any other way. We LIVE here!
Your Home Town: 28-43 Everything To Do CALENDAR: pgs 48 - 71