New Info! (as of 06/12/2009) See 2004 photos of sediment in Mark West Creek below Cornell vineyards and 2006-2009 photos of Cornell's efforts to repair damage to hillside caused by 2006 landslide. All of these photos were supplied by Paul Keiran from the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (the NCRWQCB).

New Phone Alert System from the
Emergency Preparedness Committtee

A joint program of the Alpine Club and the FMWW, the Phone Alert System calls your phone(s) when there is a local emergency that could impact you or your property. For more information, go to our new Emergency Preparedness page.

Knight Valley Loses To Jackson Winery: Knights Valley, like the upper Mark West Watershed, is covered by the County’s Franz Valley Area Plan, so we share many land use issues in common. At the Public Hearing for "Pelton House," Jess Jackson's Knights Valley Winery and 200-person events facility, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors voted to approve the project--even after listening to a roomful of residents speak against it. For recent expert testimony regarding impacts on tributaries to the Russian River (Kellogg, Yellowjacket, and Redwood Creeks) and their habitat, please click here. Here's the Press Democrat article on the vote.

A Primer To The
Cornell Winery Controversy

A brief backgrounder, with Documents Directory.

At left, 09/04/2005 photo of winery site, apparently cleared of trees and graded without permits.

In the Spring of 2006, a landslide on the property sent an estimated 10,000 cubic feet of sediment into a tributary of Mark West Creek.

More News:  FMWW Criticizes County's Proposed Grading Ordinance

This ordinance will amend the Sonoma County Code to consolidate all grading, drainage and vineyard and orchard development related code provisions into one comprehensive chapter. In other words, it will make all grading and vineyard conversions "ministerial actions," thereby "...circumventing any meaningful environmental review and public disclosure and participation" according to Ray Krauss. To see the documents involved and read FMWW's critique, go to our new Grading Ordinance page.

Your Watershed Needs You!

The FMWW is reorganizing itself so much of the work we hope to accomplish will happen in highly-focused Standing Committees. You can now read descriptions of the FMWW Standing Committees.

FRIENDS OF THE MARK WEST WATERSHED
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

June 18th, 2009, 6- 9 PM
MONAN’S RILL HUB

Facilitation Team
Penny, Ray, Amy, Linda

6:00 Sign in and shared food (potluck).

6:30 Business Meeting

· Approve April minutes

· Committee Reports –

> * Emergency Preparedness – Bill
> * Community Building –
> * Fundraising –Pat/Sherry
> * Land Use – Jim
> * Stewardship – Ray
> * History - Linda

Directions to Monan's Rill ~ 7899 St. Helena Rd.. Santa Rosa CA 95404Approx. 4 miles on St. Helena Road from Calistoga Road. At the bottom of a sharp S turn, there are several mailboxes on the left at the base of the main drive onto the land. You will also see a sign for Monan's Rill at the entry on the left side of the road. Go up the gravel drive. Please keep your speed below 15 mph. Monan's Rill community hub is about a mile up the drive. Once you get onto the property, keep going straight, curving around to the left until you get to a "Y". Take the left fork, cross over the bridge, down and past the community garden on the left. Turn right at the 'T' and pass the long house. The community building is on the right and parking is on the roadway or in the parking lot area on the right. Please leave your pets at home ~ stay clear of the ponds ~ no smoking. Please Note: All attendees at our monthly meetings are asked to sign a general liability release for the benefit of Monan’s Rill.

Our On-Going Strategic Planning

FMWW Mission:  We are a community dedicated to preserving, protecting, and restoring the Mark West Creek and its watershed as a natural and community resource.

Read our May 17, 2008 Agreements as to how FMWW plans to operate under Consensus (a work in progress).

NEW uploads of Planning Documents:

Saddle Mountain Management Plan: The Ag and Open Space District has contracted for the preparation of a management plan for the Saddle Mountain property. This is the latest update on their progress. (Acrobat file; 20KB size)

Upper Mark West Watershed Management Plan: Phase One: The Sotoyome Resource Conservation District has begun a management plan for the Upper Mark West Watershed. Phase One summarizes existing information about the natural history of our watershed and identifies what further work we need to complete a plan for its (hopefully enlightened) management. (Acrobat file; 604KB size)

Franz Valley Specific Plan; 1979: Sonoma County prepared and adopted this land use plan and environmental impact report in 1979. It has since been incorporated by reference into the County’s General Plan. It contains information about the environmental sensitivities and constraints and opportunities of our watershed and the importance of the watershed to the environmental future of the County. It also has a nice ethnographic history. (Acrobat file; 13MB size)