Page 42 - Sonoma County Gazette April 2019

We all make a difference in this beautiful world we live in with all the choices we make in our daily lives. With Earth Day around the corner, a day that offers us a friendly reminder to think, talk, and take care of this Planet, we get to share ideas of how to be a role model for all our friends and family. These ideas and thoughts are called Planet Earth Consciousness or Planetary Consciousness. Planetary consciousness is the idea that human beings are members of a planetary society of Earth as much as they are members of their nations, provinces, districts, islands, cities or villages. Here is the web to learn more en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetary_consciousness.
The immense environmental implications of the last couple years could be more than we can even imagine. With the soot and sediment from the fires and now all the waste that has been washed “away” by extreme floods —our waterways, the expansive Laguna de Santa Rosa and ultimately our local Pacific Ocean continue to suffer worse consequences due to disasters and cumulatively how we live our day to day lives. It’s important to remain conscious and aware of our impact.
I will take every opportunity to mention Blue Mind to you all. If you live on the coast, and we all do either part time or full time, and/or you love to visit the coast, this is super important. Blue Mind is a strong and growing movement to bring awareness to our oceans and why and how our ocean changes our mood and our behaviors, and the science behind it. From Wallace he states the Blue Mind is a ‘mildly meditative state characterized by calm, peace, unity, and a sense of general happiness and satisfaction with life in the moment”. Please check this out: wallacejnichols.org/122/bluemind.html.
I hope anyone who was affected by last month’s flooding are recovering
at this point. Many of us were directly impacted by evacuations or severe property damage and nearly all of us were indirectly affected by things like road closures. I pray we can all stay afloat during these thunderous times and challenging seasons.
Of course on a lighter note, happy Spring! An extraordinary time for reflection, renewal and rebirth across the board.
Every plastic bag, every paper bag, every straw, every paper plate, every Styrofoam product (the worst) has an impact on our planet and oceans.
Thus even the little changes we can make are important. But you know all this. It is time to speak out about this every chance you get. Tell the deli or restaurant that you would prefer paper products in the take home containers, not Styrofoam. This makes a difference. My new favorite saying when I eat out is ‘no ice, no straw’. Now my grandkids are saying it too! The Planet Earth continues to amaze me with Earth Day being every day and we as the caretakers.
I always like to highlight our garden centers that are ecofriendly on our coast. April is a good month to get out in the yard and garden to brighten and spruce up your place. These businesses have a Planet Earth Consciousness.
In Gualala we have the Gualala Nursery and Trading Post with a wide variety of plants and fun gifts too. They are super helpful, have everything you need to plant a veggie or flower garden. Visit their web at facebook.com/ GualalaNurseyCA/ Sea Ranch Supply located in The Sea Ranch has a large selection of plants and starts. For the landscape jobs most of what they carry
is Sea Ranch approved however everyone loves the natives. The website is not too complete but it does offer directions and contact info.searanchsupply.com/. In Point Arena we have Outback Garden and Feed. They are open Tuesday
to Saturday and carry all kinds of veggie and flower starts and other garden needs. Here is their phone number 882-3333. You can also start some seeds and share starts with family and friends.
There is a FREE Sonoma Coastal training happening around the corner, in Bodega Bay. Saturday, April 6th, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. At the Fire Department,
510 Highway 1, Bodega Bay. This volunteer orientation covers every Sonoma Coast program, including Whale and Seal Watching, Seabird and Pinniped Monitoring, Tidepools, and Stewardship. Topics of the day will include ocean safety, reporting wildlife disturbances, marine mammal/seabird identification, dog policy and interacting with the public in non-confrontational ways, how monitoring data is currently being used, and information about affiliates
Speaking of April let’s not forget April Fool’s Day, it’s fun but be nice. April first is also the start of National Poetry Month. April 4 is National Peace Day. April 5 plant a tree for National Arbor Day. Easter is April 21. Here is the
list of fun and weird holidays holidayscalendar.com/months/april/ For our local events visit the many websites I have listed here. April is the beginning
of the Whale and Jazz Festival which is a highlight along our coast. Many
art exhibits as well as Chowder Tasting are great to attend. gualalaarts.org/ category/events/ Point Arena Lighthouse always has fabulous events with full moon tours, lecture series, and they too will be celebrating our Whale Festival with Wind and Whale Celebration and kite flying. It is the perfect place to go fly a kite. pointarenalighthouse.com/visit/calendar-2/. At the Arena Theater some terrific blues with be shared by Joe Louis Walker on April 13. This is a “do not miss performance”. arenatheater.org/home/calendar/. Timber Cove continues to host Local’s Night every Tuesday and Wednesday. Please check out their web for all the details. timbercoveresort.com/
at the local Marine Mammal Center, the California Coastal National Monument, and the Seabird Protection Network. This event is hosted by the Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods. You can contact them as follows: 707-869-9177, Email: stewards@mcn.org Or visit their website: stewardsofthecoastandredwoods.org
Enjoy the warmth that April can bring, the urge to get into the garden, the strolls that get you outside and closer to our Planet Earth. Blessings.
Many of Burbank’s original plant varieties will be available for purchase, including Shasta Daisies, Blushing Beauty Rose, Burbank slicing tomatoes, and more. Burbank’s beautifully restored Cottage will be open to show its historic pictorial display. There is also a gift shop, which has Farm logo items, notecards, Farm fruit preserves, along with various souvenirs. A variety of cold refreshments will be available. Docent tours will be offered throughout the weekend. This is a quaint experience that I encourage you all to enjoy, especially in the nice springtime weather.
This organization is also hosting a river clean up for Earth Day on April 20th, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Volunteers will meet at 8:30 a.m. at the Jenner Visitor Center. The Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods will provide buckets, gloves, trash bags and grabbers along with a dumpster from Recology for the proper disposal of gathered materials.
Visit Luther Burbank’s Gold Ridge Farm for the annual FREE Open House and Plant Sale! Dates: Saturday-Sunday, April 27-28th, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.at Luther Burbank’s Experiment Farm, 7777 Bodega Avenue, Sebastopol. INFO: Steven Levenberg, 707-829-2361, Email: levenberg@sonic.net
Renowned local author Robert Kourik’s lecture about “Shaping, not Pruning, for Abundance” is held both days at 11 a.m., and his talk on “Understanding Roots” is Sunday at noon.
May 15 ~ Sonoma County Coast MAC Meetings at 5 p.m. Fort Ross Elementary School, 30600 Seaview Rd, Cazadero. Visit MAC website for agendas, at sonomacounty.ca.gov/sccmac. Learn more about the Coast MAC by visiting the Coast MAC homepage or by emailing Amie Windsor at amie.windsor@sonoma-county.org.
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Then you can gear up for May Day celebrations!
Come hear Lilith Rogers bring to life Rachel Carson, author of “Silent Spring,” Sunday at 2 p.m. Both days during lunchtime, Sydney Dillon, singer and songwriter will provide musical entertainment.