On March 24th, the Russian River community and stakeholders gathered at Shone Farm in Forestville to discuss, celebrate and create a vision for the watershed worth working towards. Residents, artists, non-profits, conservationists, students, vintners, educators, the regional RCDs, Sonoma County Water Agency, Russian Riverkeeper, Dry Creek Rancheria, Pepperwood Preserve, and many, many more came to tell stories that matter and identify actions to promote a holistic, 'beyond sustainability' approach to the watershed that ensures its resiliency and renewal. 

At its April 20th meeting, the Gold Ridge RCD Board decided to sign on to the GSA as a voting member, discussed the best ways to hear public input regarding the GSA, as well as discussed fundraising opportunities to support the RCD's participation for the first two years ($55,000 for the first year and $64,000 for the second year). The RCD will hold a public listening session at its office at 5:40pm on May 18 after the monthly Board meeting. Attend the listening session or send an email to brittany@goldridgercd.org to share ideas or input.

On March 15, the Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District board voted to join the group of local agencies participating in the formation of the Santa Rosa Plain Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA). A public meeting was held on April 3 to present on the Santa Rosa Plain SGA structure and authority. Agenda and presentation files from the meeting can be viewed here. 

The first Board Meeting of the Santa Rosa Plain GSA will be finalized by June 1, 2017, and over the next five years the agency will develop a Groundwater Sustainability Plan for the basin. The ultimate goal is sustainable management of groundwater over the long-term by an authority comprised of local agencies engaged with their community. 

Find out if you are in an effected groundwater basin with the interactive map. 

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Thank you to the Social Advocates for Youth (SAY) YouthLink Employment and Education Services for your partnership, dedication, and can-do attitude at the Salmon Creek Dairy Water Conservation Project site! Mike Zigler from SAY led a crew on an assignment to remove a defective pond cover from the 1.4-million-gallon conservation pond at the Westview Jersey’s Dairy in Bodega. Many thanks to the Sonoma County Human Services Department Employment and Training Division through the Workforce Investment Act and the Sonoma County Youth Ecology Corps for making the SAY program possible!  

Green Valley Road Flooding and Repair Update

The emergency project on Green Valley Creek at Green Valley Road in north Sebastopol, designed to expand the flow capacity of the creek and reduce the frequency and duration of events where the stream floods over the road, is now underway. Want to keep track of the repairs and status of the Green Valley Road Project? Keep an eye on our project page, or request to receive email updates by contacting Sierra Cantor at Sierra@goldridgercd.org.