Page 41 - Sonoma County Gazette - January 2018

We are ringing in the New Year after the driest December in the last 100 years of local weather record keeping. Hopefully we will get the rain we desperately need – soon! We don’t want to even think about the “D” word! Between the dead and dying drought-stressed
Let’s start the year o with Peace and Quiet. Let each day unfold and the new year unfold. A year to start with new thoughts and new visions. To look at the good and the bad. And yes, let it go! I want to share with you a favorite saying which I shared a few years ago with you. I have it
“Promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come
true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and expect only the
best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about
your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater
achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living
creature you meet a smile. To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others. To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.” Christian Larsen.
How blessed we are to live in such beauty with a quietness that you don’t realize unless you have lived in the city. To be surrounded by this magic everyday is a gift. I am sure you all take it in each and everyday as you move about and/or share it with friends and family. Take time to watch the sun disappear, listen to the repeated waves, or take in the sounds of the Gualala River. Peace and Quiet.
Pines and Firs and the Tan Bark Oak scourge Sudden Oak Death Syndrome, re abatement crews have their hands full.
posted on my wall and it truly gives me a sense of direction each day.
Fire Crews all over the state have been activated as recent events have shown us that there is no more ‘o season’ for re- ghting. It should be pouring rain right now, which would allow us to abate at least some of the heavy accumulated fuels loads in our urban-wildland areas, before the next summer’s anticipated re season.
The good news is that there are grants available to assist property owners deal with this overwhelming and expensive task. Consult your local Forester to take advantage of this valuable resource. Rural property owners have a better chance of receiving grant assistance if they work together as a block.
Another resource is the Sonoma Country Free Chipping Program. sonomacounty.ca.gov/FES/Fire-Prevention/Chipper-Request/
In days gone by, branches and dead trees were burned. At times it was simply unhealthy to be outside on ‘burn days’. Now, with air quality a priority, chipping is the only way to go. The County makes it smooth and easy to deal with the needed yearly pruning.
But, it is imperative to do all that we can to lighten the fuel load and
ladder fuels in the small Winter window we have to work within. In my
small community on the Sonoma Coast, most of us are acutely aware of the monumental job we have, trying to keep up with the accelerated demise of the local tree population.
Great news! They are putting the nishing touches on the parking lot, trailhead, and other amenities for the Jenner Headlands Preserve. Very soon we will be enjoying free public access to this 5,630 acre coastal jewel. Located just North of Jenner on Hwy 1, this mosaic of Douglas Fir and Redwood Forests, Oak woodland, chaparral and coastal prairie overlooking the blue Paci c will surely be everyone’s Sonoma Coast destination of choice.
If you would like to attend the many events that take place each month in our local communities visit the many websites that o er news and events. The Gualala Art Center is host to many gatherings throughout the year. Visit them at gualalaarts.org/category/events/. The Four Eyed Frog bookstore hosts many readings and events throughout the year as well as posts other events in the community. Visit them at foureyedfrog.com/art-music-theater- theres-lot-going. The Point Arena Lighthouse hosts monthly moon light tours, other special events throughout the year and also lists many local events. Visit them at http://pointarenalighthouse.com/.
The parking lot is designed for aesthetic and environmental quality, with ADA compliant parking and access to the trailhead. The nearly 6-acre project includes spaces for 30 passenger vehicles and two school buses in a lot located where a small asphalt turnout exists now, about two miles north of Jenner.
The plans call for a day-use area with picnic tables, restroom facilities, an accessible 400-foot trail to a scenic lookout and an informational kiosk. With the paving just completed days ago, we anticipate an opening by Spring(?)!
The Point Arena Theater has a full calendar of showings of new releases as well as international ballet and opera performances, as well as local events. Visit them at arenatheater.org/. Many restaurants host music performances from local and out of town performers. The Redwood Coast Chamber of Commerce often lists these events at redwoodcoastchamber.com/events.
It has been a busy end-of-year in Jenner for CalTrans and Jenner City Leaders. Installation of long-sought-after highway tra c safety features is at last a reality. Travelers on Highway One are greeted by speed monitoring signs
as they enter the 25 MPH zones on both ends of town, replete with a digital readout of your actual speed and ashing lights to get your attention. Another pair of these ‘speed reminders’ are installed near the center of the town on the straight-away. These should go a long way towards assuring pedestrian safety, especially near the crosswalk at Café Aquatica and Jenner Gift and Wine Shops.
As you can see there is plenty to do if you want to get out in our own neighborhood or if you are planning on visiting the coast.
The other Major tra c safety feature recently addressed was the installation of a guard rail along the river side of Hwy 1 on the South end of town. The new life-saving guard rail extends from the Jenner Creek crossing just south of Café Aquatica, hugging the road for quite a distance along the river through the curved section where there have been several tragic events in the past.
And many places to get out for your morning run or walk or your daily sunset stroll. There are many state park and county beaches along the north Sonoma Coast and South Mendocino Coast for you to access. Point Arena has the Stornetta Lands which are wonderful.
Kudos to the Jenner Community Center and the City Leaders for their persistence in getting these and other improvements in place. ‘The Little Town That Could!’
From beach access, to coastal terraces, redwood forests, river walks, pygmy forests, and creeks – it is all here surrounding you.
Submit a Service Request
Roads Division Transportation & Public Works
Phone: (707) 565-2231 sonomacounty.ca.gov/TPW/Roads/
Get SoCo Report It for your mobile
Take a photo with your phone, mark the location and give a description.
A few years ago, the overhead PG&E lines were ‘undergrounded’ through the center of town along Highway One. What a di erence it made to this scenic little burg by removing these ugly wires clogging the world-class skyline.
Many blessings to you all. May you all have Peace and Quiet.
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I would like to start a drive to have the communication cables
strung along the roadside south of Jenner removed. Either put them underground or move them up the hill with the existing PG&E lines. This is one of the most beautiful stretches of highway; the entrance to Jenner along the Estuary. Let’s show it the respect it deserves. (But leave a few of the old poles for Osprey & Hawks!)