Sonoma County Gazette December 2017

DECEMBER 2017
Is Anyone Accountable for the Fire? ~ 9
Cannabis takes 40 Year Tradition
Homeless Solution gets Funding ~ 39
Local Theater gets Recognized with Awards ~ 64
Biodiversity Lesson from Vineyards ~ 13
Looks Good Over Time ~ 24 -25
Fire and
SoCo
Rain Let the rebuild begin!
Rises
By Teri Shore
As I write this, the ground is wet
Empowering People to Rewrite Equality
and the clouds dispersing after the first rains. Not long ago, the landscape was on fire and smoke was everywhere. Now Sonoma County is recovering, rebuilding and restoring our communities and landscape. Our world has shifted again.
By Ami Windsor
Even before the smoke cleared,
The Land Will Recover
“What does it look like?”
“Who will make the decisions?” “How can we all become stronger
Treasured open space lands such as Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, Hood Mountain Regional Park, and Trione- Annadel State Park were burned by the fires. They remain closed for now, but Jack London State Park is unscathed and open free until year’s end. Time for a hike!
together?”
These are the questions nagging at
In the Mayacamas above Sonoma Valley, the golden light of late fall revealed a mosaic of charcoal, yellow and deep green. While the burned areas were extensive, from the Valley floor it was hard to tell. To be honest, the landscape was gorgeous.
They wanted to be part of the answer and more importantly, enable and empower the community to be a part of the answer, too.
Our landscapes will survive and thrive in most places. After all, California’s flora and fauna evolved with wildfires over centuries, though not necessarily at this level of intensity. Some naturalists are predicting an unprecedented wildflower display in the Spring.
“Post re, so much discussion was happening about the community, but not with the community,” said Socorro Shiels, director of education for the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence.
people were talking about rebuilding Sonoma County.
INSERT: 15th Annual Guide to Shopping that Supports our Home
Starting around the dinner table of Fifth District Supervisor Lynda Hopkins’ Forestville home, the group began to talk about how to insure that everyone in the community had a chance to share their vision for the future. With a web of stakeholders
nearly two dozen Sonoma County residents from Santa Rosa and beyond who wanted to do more than wait for an answer.
REBUILD cont’d on page 16
The EVERYTHING to DO Calendar: pgs 53 - 71
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SOCO RISES cont’d on page 10