Amy Crawford

Feb Presentation ~ SR Plain Historical Ecology

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Laguna WetlandSpeaker Bio – Dr. Chuck Striplen has worked as an Environmental Scientist at the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) for 13 years, specializing in the fields of historical ecology and cultural landscapes.
SFEI is a non-profit research and monitoring organization working at a state-wide level, and staffs a Joint Powers Authority called the Aquatic Science Center (ASC). Dr. Striplen received his MS and PhD in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from UC Berkeley. 

The topic of discussion will be the “Santa Rosa Plain Historical Ecology Initiative” – through which, in partnership with the Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation, we’re working to develop historical information on the form and function of the SR Plain’s creeks, wetlands, and terrestrial environments to inform management and restoration of these important systems.laguna estuary

Historical ecology has come to represent an important contribution to watershed planning and restoration across the state – providing critical information about our watersheds’ underlying physical processes and patterns, often masked by the passage of time and dramatic historic changes.

The SFEI/Laguna Foundation team is working closely with local agencies and archives to compile this information, and local residents are welcome to contribute their own history, photos, maps, and narratives to the process.

The Laguna de Santa Rosa (Laguna) watershed spans 256 square miles and supports a unique complex of biologically diverse ecosystems.

Containing the urban centers of Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Cotati, Rohnert Park, and Windsor, the Laguna watershed encompasses one of the largest floodplains in California.Laguna map

Historically the Laguna watershed supported a diverse ecosystem consisting of oak savanna/vernal pool complexes, riparian forest, emergent and off channel wetlands, and open water.

The Laguna has been intensively modified, yet it still supports 19 species federally listed as threatened or endangered including the California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense), California red-legged frog (Rana aurora draytonii), and Chinook and Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha and Oncorhynchus mykiss).

Laguna main channel and surrounding floodplain were recently designated as a Wetland of International Importance (Ramsar Convention), joining less than 30 other sites in the nation to receive this significant global recognition. The Laguna watershed is a critical ecological, economic, and recreational resource in the region. Typical of many communities in the San Francisco Bay area and throughout California, the watershed faces the challenges of sustaining agricultural production, accommodating expanding populations, promoting watershed and wetland conservation, and mitigating historic and continued anthropogenic impacts. A range of efforts are currently underway to preserve and enhance the natural heritage of the area.

Additional Background info: 
He is also currently a Visiting Scholar in Anthropology at Cal.An avid student of landscape history and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), Dr. Striplen adds another layer of complexity to the Historical Ecology Program’s analysis of the physical and ecological characteristics of the region’s wetlands, creeks, and terrestrial habitats prior to major Euro-American colonization. Through the use of early historical documents, oral histories, and other ethno-ecological sources, Dr. Striplen is currently developing a Cultural Landscapes focus area at SFEI, and contributes analyses of Native Californian resource management that shaped the landscape first encountered by European explorers. Dr. Striplen joined SFEI’s Historical Ecology Team in 2002.

From 2011, comes an interesting article written about collaborating with a local tribe, in the Pinnacles area.

SFEI collaborates with local Tribe and National Park Service to Reintroduce Native Fire to the Pinnacles

Date: Dec-05-11
Source: Bay Nature web magazine
Author: Alison Hawkes

Hundreds of years before Pinnacles National Monument became preserved open space, it was heavily used as a resource for basket-making. The native deergrass and white root sedge were valuable materials to the Amah Mutsun tribe, who charred the landscape with controlled fires to promote the re-growth of longer and straighter flower stalks used in coiled baskets.

Read the entire article here.

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Jan Talk: Hospital Re-Opening

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Raymond Hino
Raymond Hino

Our General Meeting & Potluck, on Jan 27th, hosted a presentation Raymond Hino, the newly hired CEO for Sonoma West Medical Center and the hospital foundation. He called the proposed facility a “modern, 21st century hospital” that “emphasizes top-of-the-line high quality outpatient surgical and medical services.” It was an interesting and well received overview of what is in the works.

Here is the article that covered much of what was said at the meeting, except we had the pleasure of actually meeting, visiting, and talking with some of the principles.

Before the presentation, the new CEO Mr. Hino & Dr. Powers applied and joined the Grange, along with 6 other new members. Reaching out to each part of our community to connect and build bridges is a core theme we embrace, and are happy to welcome them all.


Palm Drive Hospital officials targeting April 6 reopening

BY MARTIN ESPINOZA
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
January 21, 2015, 8:49PM

An effort to reopen Palm Drive Hospital in Sebastopol in April is ramping up.

Details of the proposed new hospital are emerging as the hospital board has given approval for a local hospital foundation to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in maintenance costs to ready the facility.

“It’s clear that we are progressing and moving the ball down the field, and we’re working together,” said Dennis Colthurst, one of two new board members elected in November.

Read the entire article here.

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Localizing Requires Connections

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It’s one thing to say, “Buy Local”, but it actually means more than just going down to the local store and buying it there.

Of course, the preference is to support local businesses because that keeps local people small business heart of economyemployed, ya da, ya da. BUT… think about the next step.  Buying locally produced items.

Buying something Made in China, but purchased locally, is sometimes unavoidable. The USA has stopped making most things. It can be a real challenge to find stuff not made overseas. Sometimes we can find those items and then comes the next crisis. Actually, we have a hard time paying USA prices.

We want to have our cake, and eat it too.  Inexpensive (or a very modest increase in price) and locally produced; at least produced in the USA.  If you factor in a decent wage and a small profit for the business owner (so he can stay in business)… you have to think at least $20/hr wage + benefits = not a trivial cost. It IS the REAL cost, though.  Not one produced by slave labor at $1-5/hr.

I went down to Target to buy some pillowcases.  Looking for organic cotton. Hmmm, would you believe it? THEY HAD THEM.  $38 for a pair of king pillowcases?  OMG, the budget could not handle that one. Guess I’ll have to do without organic.  The next feasible option, reuse… Goodwill, here I come. If I have to save my dollars for organic, it will be organic food.

As Americans, at the top of the pyramid, we have been terribly spoiled.  Only 10% of our income channeled to food purchases, unlike most of the rest of the world.

How can we rewrite the story?  The Grange will begin to offer a “service directory” for it’s members (and maybe for others?) that list services & items that can be purchased, bartered, or traded.  To buy local, we need to find out just what IS local, and where to get it.  The Locastore run by Susan Butler (Grange Member) is an awesome step along the path of relocalizing. She provides a venue for local producers to vend their products at a convenient crossroads, Hwy 116 & Bloomfield Rd., Sebastopol, CA
Locastore’s Open!  Giant beets, leeks & cabbage. Still have peppers, tomatillos & zhuchinni in December!  Tuscan winter squash.  Local dried seaweeds.  Bargain kiwis & persimmons .25 each.  Sonoma Sprouts.  Sweet Dumpling squash.  Greens, flowers, wreaths, gifts & toys. Locally wild-crafted evergreen trees.  Container edibles.  House plants. Come see! 

1830 South Gravenstein Hwy 116 at Bloomfield Road Sebastopol 95472
www.locastore.net

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SpotLight ~ Gary Abreim

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Behind the Curtain….

Is a certain person, that in his quiet unassuming way, has a major part in keeping this show up and running. By that I mean no disrespect to the others in our leadership group, but this guy shoulders a pretty large load.  Areas that most of us would absolutely cringe if we had to do it on an ongoing basis… the management of the finances of our grange, as well as handling the rentals that provide us with an income to support the Grange operations. Meeting with prospective renters frequently, IRS taxes, Legal Filings, Dues, Grange Paperwork, balancing the Books (and checkbooks, (tracking receipts, expenditures, etc)… well, it makes my head hurt to just think about it.

Gary Abreim comes to us with a wealth of accounting experience that he puts to use here.  Officially retired, I think he works full-time, talking with prospective renters, groups, & co-ordiating activities that happen here at our Hall. He does manage an annual vacation, I understand, to Burning Man (where he let’s down his hair… oh… wait… hair, did I say hair?)

It’s a rare meeting that does not have Gary quietly sitting with his laptop, keeping track of what is going on.  It’s that consistency that allows others of us, to move in and out of the work of the Grange… because we know someone is holding down the fort!Me

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