News & Events
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Help Riverkeeper win $15,000!
Vote for us in the Eco-Champion Contest today!
In the first round of the Eco-Champion contest we came in the Top 25 out of 187 entries. Now we are on to Round 2 and need your vote! The voting continues until July 9th and you can vote once a day. Go here to cast your vote and ask your friends to vote too! You can also post it on your Facebook or Twitter for maximum exposure.
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North Sonoma Agricultural Reuse Project (NSCARP)
NSCARP would contaminate current and future drinking water supplies.
Update: Water Agency Pulls the Plug on Reuse Project
"Conceding it lacks the funding and the water customers to pull off a giant water recycling project, the Sonoma County Water Agencyon Tuesday pulled the plug on a controversial effort to reuse treated wastewater on north county farms and vineyards."
To read more about it, visit the Clean Water Coalition of Northern Sonoma County.
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Gravel Mining Lawsuit Filed
Russian Riverkeeper and two conservation groups file lawsuit to overturn county approval of continued destructive open pit gravel mining along the Russian River. See Press Release here.
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Map of Polluted Waters of California
To see a map of polluted waters in California, click on map above. Select a region to learn more about water pollution in your area, where it comes from, how it can affect your health and the environment, and how you can help stop the pollution! _____________________________s
Agricultural Water Stewardship Online Resource Center
The California Institute for Rural Studies issued a new report, California Water Stewards: Innovative On-farm Water Management Practices(PDF), showcasing ten California growers implementing arange of water-saving practices on their farms.These agricultural water stewardship approaches help buffer farm operations against insecure water supplies while enhancing the environment, reducing costs, and conserving increasingly scarce water resources. The report is available online at http://www.cirsinc.org/Documents/Pub0109.1.pdf
They've also made available an Agricultural Water Stewardship Online Resource Center. Especially interesting to us is an article on dry farming. With vineyards using so much water in Sonoma County, along with the current drought conditions, it may be time to return to the old methods of dry farming. Very few vineyards in California are dry farmed any more, and John Williams of Frog’s Leap Winery, a proponent of dry farming, believes that much has been lost because of it. He compares irrigated vines to hydroponically grown fruits, and suggests that the issue of high alcohol levels in California wines is a result of irrigation.
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The 2007 First Flush Report is available here (PDF)
The Russian River First Flush 2007 event was coordinated by the Sotoyome Resource Conservation District and the Russian Riverkeeper and funded in part by the Sonoma County Water Agency and Russian Riverkeeper.This synoptic, county-wide, storm-based sampling event mobilizes participants to capture the effects of a single storm event throughout a wide geographic scope. The concurrent sampling effort captures storm water runoff to creeks that run though the urban areas
of Sonoma County. Read other Riverkeeper Water Monitoring reports here.
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Reduce Runoff: Slow It Down, Spread It Out, Soak It In
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Botanic Garden produced this 9-minute on-line video, “Reduce Runoff: Slow It Down, Spread It Out, Soak It In,” that highlights green techniques such as rain gardens, green roofs and rain barrels to help manage stormwater runoff.
The film showcases green techniques that are being used in urban areas to reduce the effects of stormwater runoff on the quality of downstream receiving waters. The goal is to mimic the natural way water moves through an area before development by using design techniques that infiltrate, evaporate, and reuse runoff close to its source.
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Green Concrete reduces need for gravel mining and produces far lower greenhouse gases! Read about it here.
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Riverkeeper Park Plans are available for your input.
Our concept is to create a natural pedestrian park with access to the Russian River in downtown Guerneville that reflects and demonstrates the goals of restoring the native plant community and proper ecological stewardship of the river banks. Take a look at the plans here and give us your input!
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Our updated list to report river problems is available
It includes phone numbers to report stormwater and construction site run-off, discharge of pollution w/o a permit, injury/death to wildlife, problems with vineyard development, hazardous spills, dumping along the river, dead birds, poaching, flood watches, etc. Please report any problems you may see!
______________________________ Read about Rainwater Harvesting and Permaculture practices here!
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Check out this new video with some amazing underwater footage to give you a below-the-scenes look at the historic reintroduction of endangered Coho Salmon to the Salmon Creek Watershed in Sonoma County, CA, where experts reveal why Coho are disappearing, and why you should care...http://www.oaecwater.org/your-salmon-creek-video
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Russian River ESA Biological Opinion released
National MarineFisheries have released their final Biological Opinion that evaluates the effects of US Army Corps and Sonoma County Water Agency activites at Lake Mendocino & Sonoma to the Russian River Estuary. This document will outline actions required o protect listed Steelhead , Coho and Chinook Salmon.
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See the Russian Riverkeeper on You Tube! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CAhUHCJtuI
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New Waterkeeper Video:
The Waterkeeper Alliance has produced a new public service announcement: OURS TO PROTECT. We also invite you to preview The Russian Riverkeeper documentary available on DVD.
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Riverkeeper Park Volunteer Work Days
Wednesdays 8:30am-11:30am
in Guerneville
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WATER-FRIENDLY DEVELOPMENT IN THE EAST BAY
What is Blue-Green Building?
Green building, low-impact development, sustainable infrastructure — these terms open up a tool chest of ways to make cities more environmentally friendly. They include saving energy, recycling, using sustainable materials, minimizing global warming. This website showcases “blue-green” building – low-impact development aimed at sustaining water and watersheds, so that nature can flourish even in cities.
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