Page 42 - Sonoma County Gazette July 2020

OPEN OPEN OPEN! The beautiful Sonoma coast & Bodega Bay is open. How much we have all missed it. Now we need to show the coast, the local businesses & the town of Bodega Bay some kindness, patience & love.
Keep the Coast Pristine & Take the Pledge - Welcome back visitors! We invite you to pledge your support to ‘Traveling Kindly’ in Bodega Bay and Sonoma County, and choosing to make a positive impact to the health and well-being of our thriving local communities, abundant experiences and breath-taking natural landscapes. https://www.sonomacounty.com/pledge Don’t forget facial coverings (masks) and social distancing are required. You may wonder, why do I need a mask at the beach? If you pass by someone on the trail and you can’t maintain 6 feet apart, then you need to mask up! If you are injured, you need to wear a mask so the Bodega Bay Firefighters and Paramedics don’t risk their lives saving yours.
Delicious Dining is Awaiting You! Need a Seafod Fix? - Local seafood such as King Salmon, Crab, Fish & Chips. Who can resist a steaming bowl of clam chowder? Check out the full list of restaurants here: https://www. visitbodegabayca.com/eat
Craving Sweets, Taffy, Toys, a Kite to Fly, & Sip Some Wine? Check out Patrick’s Taffy, Candy & Kites, The Tides Gift Shop and Second Wind – Candy, Toys, Sweets & Fun. Large assortments of every yummy flavor, toys and lots of fun. Nom Nom Cakes, with special ahead order, can make an event super special with custom made cakes, cookies, pies and sweets.
Davey’s Ice Cream & Espresso! What a delicious combination.
Fun-filled Shopping Awaits! Check out Eclectic Amanda Vintage & Cute Stuff for a selection of vintage items, artisan made candles, soaps and cute beachy decor. Amanda is a Certified Antique and Numismatic Appraiser specializing in the Victorian Time Period and the 1940’s. Another shopping treasure is Coastal Treasures Bodega Bay is filled with coastal treasures.
Don’t forget to take the Pledge and show KINDESS, LOVE & PATIENCE in Bodega Bay
A Winery in Bodega Bay? Yes, we have a winery tasting room too in Bodega Bay! Don’t miss visiting Sonoma Coast Vineyards “SCV” Wine on the edge! Sonoma Coast Vineyards handcrafts wines from a unique cold-climate growing area west of the Russian River Valley and a mere five miles from
Climate Change and its implications for coastal land use are not addressed, save for brief mention of rising sea levels, probably related to Caltrans’ Plan to replace Highway 1 at Gleason Beach with a gigantic bridge (go to www. gleasonbeachrealignment.org to see the plan and please submit a comment).
the Pacific Ocean. Our tasting room and patio feature beautiful views of the harbor and cozy fireplace for chilly days.
The other more immediate issue hovering over our coastline is that of offshore oil drilling and removal of all coastal and marine protections, which the Trump administration plans to enact within 3 weeks of his re-election this November. Even among alternative energy interests (most of which are oil-company-spawned), lurk devastating consequences from offshore energy generation, like offshore, floating wind and wave energy generators that send power onshore through huge underwater cables, requiring onshore electrical switchyards and distribution substations. This topic is neither knowledgeably nor definitively addressed in the Draft LCP, though we hope it now will be.
On the Water is the Place to Be? ON THE WATER IS THE PLACE TO BE
– Looking for a Charter Fishing Boat? Try Reel Magic, The New Sea Angler, SVA Marine, North Bay Charters or Miss Vic. Many of the Charter boats are now also offering sunset bay & wine cruises, as well as whale watching tours. Want to go sailing, then check out Bodega Bay Sailing Adventures. Bodega Bay Surf shack offers kayaking and Stand up Paddleboard rentals and tours. Want to catch a Trout? Try Hagemann Trout Farm for the perfect fishing experience for all ages and experience level.
Experience Bodega Bay from Horseback – Rides are available on the ranches as well as coastal beach rides from Horse N Around Trail Rides and Chanslor Stables. What better way to enjoy the stunning beauty of Bodega Bay than riding a stunning horse? Book ahead though!
Need a Place to Rest after Playing at the Beach? Our hotels, vacation rentals and campgrounds are open. Many are already booked for months
so don’t delay, make your reservation today! Bodega Bay Lodge, Inn At The Tides, Bodega Coast Inn & Suites, Bodega Harbor Inn, Bodega Bay Inn for your hotels. For campgrounds we have Doran, The Dunes, Wrights Beach, Bodega Bay RV Park & Porto Bodega to name a few. Vacation rental home agencies
of Bodega Bay & Beyond, Bodega Bay Escapes and Bodega Bay BEST Vacation Rentals are taking reservations. Also check out Juli’s Haven and Bodega Bay Rentals too!
If You Need a Wake-up Coffee & Breakfast – Be sure to visit Jim’s Roadhouse Coffee and Left Coast Latte for a steaming cup of coffee and sweet treats. Ginochio’s Kitchen has breakfast and lunch, plus delicious Taylor Made Coffee that pairs nicely with their housemade caramel bacon monkey bread
on their outdoor waterfront patio. Get some ice cream and coffee at Captain
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors has finished its formal period of public comment on the draft. However, a group of dedicated citizens has been working hard to remedy the Draft’s deficiencies and was promised a public LCP workshop before the Board, for public input. Since Covid appeared, there is no date yet planned.
OPINION: Coast Needs Protection
By Laura Morgan
Does anyone remember that our coastline has been on the chopping block
since the County’s public workshops on an updated Local Coastal Plan began last September? Anyone who has taken the time to read even a small part of the Draft LCP (https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/PRMD/Long-Range-Plans/Local- Coastal-Program/Public-Review-Draft/), if they are able to even understand
it, will see that the quality of natural resources — viewscapes, soil, water,
air quality—including all living beings, such as plants, animals, birds and humans, will take a major hit from multiple forms of development for the next 20 years, as the LCP determines coastal zoning and policy.
Too much coastal housing is tied up in empty, expensive vacation rentals. Our neighbors in Dry Creek and Sonoma Valley are experiencing the same phenomenon. The current Draft LCP has no regulatory language, either, despite the fact that numerous other counties already have stringent vacation rental regulations approved by the California Coastal Commission.
Neither does the Draft LCP contain any goals for education or stewardship of our coast by residents or visitors, nor any input from local coastal non- profits, the Marine Sanctuary, the Marine Lab, nor any new science from the past 20 years.
If you care at all about what our unique Sonoma Coast looks like, its role in preventing climate change, its contribution to your own quality of life and the world’s, please take time to read a part of the Draft LCP that interests you.
See what you think. Having done that, please send your feed-back to Cecily Condon, the assigned Planner for this task (cecily.condon@sonoma-county. org), Lynda Hopkins (lynda.Hopkins@Sonoma-county.org) and Abigail Black, the California Coastal Commission’s Planner for the Sonoma County Coast (abigail.black@coastal.ca.gov).
The Sonoma County Coast is a bubble within a bubble within a bubble. This beautiful bubble, like a keystone animal species, exerts a disproportionate amount of influence on everything else in our world. It deserves preservation—for all of us, as well as for future generations.
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