Cornell Winery Controversy

See some of the documents submitted in opposition to the Use Permit for the Cornell Winery at 245 Wappo Road.

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.

FRIENDS OF THE MARK WEST WATERSHED
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

November 20, 2008, 6- 9 PM
MONAN'S RILL HUB

Facilitation Team
Penny, Ray, Amy, Linda

6:00 Sign in and shared munchies.

6:30 Business Meeting

Old Business
· Approve October and Nov. 10 meeting minutes.
· Review financial report (Bill).
· Standing Committees - (Amy, Grif, Ray, Bill and Linda will share brief draft summaries of the charges of the committees).
· Debrief on hearing for Cornell winery
· New contact info for website – Harriet will post her email address, but is not comfortable with listing her phone number. This is best passed to someone on the outreach committee once it is up and running.
· Russian River Blue Circle – those who attended will report out.

New Business
· Set up email protocol for group (i.e. – who to include in the email loop when there are active, daily updates within committees. Also – how to establish whether emails posted on large list are from individuals or from someone representing the group).
· How to define/handle “respect” for one another when debating issues.
· Conflict resolution process
· Process for making quick decisions as an organization
· Posting larger files to website and providing a link for those on dial up – what’s the criteria for deciding what to post? – Bill
· Propose setting December’s meeting one week earlier due to holiday schedules? – December 11?
· How did it all go with this latest issue? What did we learn? What do we need to do differently?
· McDonald Ranch – drainage into the creek?

More New Business for Future Agenda (or this one if time permits)
* Pride
* Grapes going in somewhere else in upper watershed – Who is looking into this? Jim? Ray?
* Push for prosecution for code violation - moving water
* Which agencies need to talk together? How can we facilitate this? (CDF, County, Fish and Game)
* Rope Course


Next Membership Meeting: December 11?, 2008 - Monan's Rill Hub

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)

• For latest achievements, click here.
• Establishing Saddle Mountain Trail Watchers
• Preparing for Emergencies and Fire Preparedness Task Force
• Creating a historical record of the our watershed and its community
• Signage Project- Installing road signs marking the Mark West creek and watershed boundaries
• Upper MW Creek Restoration and preservation-preserving Mark West Creek and Watershed