Page 13 - Sonoma County Gazette October 2018

By David Robinson, Regional Parks Park Manager
We’re blessed to have the Russian River running through our county. It’s a
beautiful recreation resource for us as well as for millions of other Northern Californians. Who wouldn’t want to spend a warm day floating on a cool, lazy river?
But how many visitors can the river parks manage at peak times?
That’s a question Sonoma County Regional Parks is focused on after seeing how popular tubing has become in recent years.
The growing interest in - and impacts of - tubing on the river were clear this summer: Parking lots filled by mid- mornings. Charter buses dropped off large groups from San Francisco and beyond. Abandoned floats littered beaches at the day’s end.
These impacts aren’t sustainable, and we’re working on ways to moderate river access and promote responsible use. One priority is developing a permitting system to regulate the number and frequency of charter buses entering county parking areas.
Our goal is to have a pilot project in place for next summer to better plan for and accommodate large groups and large vehicles.
Another possibility is contracting with a concessionaire to run a river shuttle service that reduces the number of cars filling parking lots. (Most tubing groups need to park two cars: one at their destination and one at their point
of departure.) The issue of abandoned inner tubes and plastic floats could be addressed through a tube rental and collection service and through increased outreach about the consequences of river pollution.
We know river visitors can have real impacts on river residents. We’ve worked with neighbors to address some of these issues in recent years. For example, we expanded parking at Steelhead Beach and banned alcohol at Forestville River Access to increase capacity and reduce impacts from river visitors. As part of this year’s Russian River cleanup, volunteers and staff removed trash from roadways and neighborhoods near Forestville parks.
We’re committed to continuing our dialogue on visitor impacts, and with 5th District Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, we plan to host neighborhood meetings this spring to talk about river access, tourism trends, and improved services.
Responsible river access is core to Regional Parks’ mission. This summer, our roving lifeguard patrol made numerous water rescues, loaned out thousands of life vests and contacted over 2,500 river visitors about water safety. Our summer kayak camp introduces children to the fundamentals of boating safety and river ecology.
Our long-term vision for the river includes new access points and improved parking areas that would lessen weekend crowds at our existing beaches. We also envision a bike and pedestrian trail that would connect river communities and improve traffic safety on River Road.
These improvements are key projects that would benefit from Measure M,
the county parks measure on the November ballot. Measure M asks voters
to approve an 1/8-cent sales tax to create a stable source of funding for the Sonoma County’s regional and city parks. Without new, dedicated funding, any significant investments in river access will depend on grants, donations, private partnerships, or fee increases.
We know the Russian River will always be a destination.
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We want to ensure it’s a destination we all can enjoy safely and responsibly.