West of the Laguna

skinnerbird — Tue, 14 May 2013 23:30:49 +0000

Join us for the 2013 Garden Walk on Saturday, May 25th.

Saturday, 9:00 a.m.

About 3 Miles, Easy Pace

Meet in the downtown plaza at 9:00 and walk a route along flower filled neighborhood streets to a variety of private front yard and backyard gardens in Sebastopol. We’ll visit five gardens—some we’ve visited before and some new—with opportunities to talk with the gardeners and take photos. We stop midway for a bathroom break at Ives Park and will return to the plaza around noon.

Wear comfortable shoes, a hat, and bring water, sunscreen and a snack.

No dogs in the gardens, please.

Leader: Nick Kishmirian

Email Kathy Oetinger for more information: backroad@sonic.net

Check out the current flyer for upcoming walks

Filed under: gardening, iWalk Sonoma, Sebastopol, Sebastopol civic events, Sebastopol Walks Tagged: gardening, gardens, Sebastopol Walks, walking

SDAT May 15-17

skinnerbird — Tue, 14 May 2013 19:42:03 +0000

The Core Project secured a grant from the American Institute of Architects that will provide over $250,000 in design services to “Connect Sebastopol.” The AIA Sustainable Design Assistance Team (SDAT) made its initial visit on February 28, 2013 and returns this week for public workshops and presentations. All meetings will take place at the Community Church of Sebastopol, 1000 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol

SCHEDULE:

WEDNESDAY, MAY 15
1PM to 2:15 and 2:30 to 3:45 Community Workshops
(Sessions run concurrently.)
Topics: Transportation and parking
Pedestrian, bicycle and community connections
Urban design and design standards
Land use and land use standards
7 PM to 9 PM: Town Hall

THURSDAY, MAY 16
Work day for the team (no public events)

FRIDAY, MAY 17
7 PM to 9 PM: Presentation of Findings to Community

More info: http://sdat-sebastopolconnect.weebly.com/

Filed under: city repair, Sebastopol, Sebastopol urban planning, urban design Tagged: American Institute of Architects, Core Project, SDAT, Sebastopol, Sustainable design, urban design

The Calypso Orchids are Blooming

skinnerbird — Wed, 01 May 2013 00:46:19 +0000

Calypso orchid (Dianne Fristrom — CalPhotos)

I rode Bittner Road out of Occidental with my family last weekend on our way to Doran Beach and spotted Calypso orchids (Calypso bulbosa) blooming under the redwoods. I love spotting them at this time of year — and all the more so because I never knew any of these beautiful little orchids grew in Sonoma County until very recently even though I grew up traveling these roads (I developed my botanizing skills after college even though I liked plants and flowers from an early age, so perhaps I just didn’t know what to look for at the time).

I spotted my first Calypso orchids only last year, on Harrison Grade Road, west of Graton and enjoyed seeing them again as I cycled to catch up with the rest of my family. I’ve been surprised by a number of interesting plants that I likewise never noticed until returning to Sonoma County, such as pussy ears (Calochortus tolmiei), which also favors the redwoods, another Calachortus, golden globe lillies (C. amabilis — also known as golden fairy lanterns) around Lake Sonoma, and the showy canyon larkspur (Delphinium nudicaule) – which we also spotted on our ride as we returned on Coleman Valley Road.

Pussy ears (© Br. Alfred Brousseau, Saint Mary’s College — CalPhotos)

Golden fairy lantern (© Br. Alfred Brousseau, Saint Mary’s College — CalPhotos)

Canyon larkspur (© Br. Alfred Brousseau, Saint Mary’s College — CalPhotos)

Filed under: bicycles, bicycling, plants, wildflowers Tagged: bicycling, Calypso orchids, Orchidaceae, Sonoma County, wildflowers

Sebastopol Walks — The Peace Trail and Music Walk, April 27, 2013

skinnerbird — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:59:27 +0000

Join Sebastopol Walks on Saturday, April 27 at 9:00 a.m. for the Peace Trail & Music Walk.

This 2nd annual Peace Trail walk connects all six of Sebastopol’s peace poles—a walk originally conceived by peace activist Barbara Briggs-Letson. Dan Gurney will lead a peace song at the Community Center Peace Pole.

Meet in the Sebastopol Plaza at 9:00 for this peaceful, easy-paced, six-mile walk. We return to the plaza by noon. Wear comfortable shoes and a hat, and bring water, sunscreen and a snack. Heavy rain cancels.

Leaders: Marsha Sue Lustig & Dan Gurney

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Activism and Peace Work, Dan Gurney, Peace, Peace pole, Sebastopol, Sebastopol Walks

Friendship Park

skinnerbird — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:41:41 +0000

With the first phase of transforming the former campground next to the Laguna de Santa Rosa at Sebastopol’s Village Park into a public park set to begin soon, City Council member Patrick Slayter proposed giving the new park a name to distinguish it from the residential portion on the west side of the property at the April 16th meeting. He proposed to honor the City’s long history with the Japanese American community by naming the new public park “Tamodachi Park;” the residential portion of Village Park would retain its name.

While the land next to the Laguna de Santa Rosa has been home to many different groups of people — from Pomos before European settlement, to Filipino American migrant workers prior to World War II and Mexican American migrant workers until the City purchased the land a few years ago,” the nearby Nippon Hall was the center of local Japanese American community life before the Enmanji Temple came to Sebastopol in 1934. An early school had also stood near the old Pellini buildings. Japanese Americans settled in and around Sebastopol in the late 19th and early 20th century, forming an important part of the local apple industry as farmers and workers, as well as operating a number of businesses in town. White residents embraced the Japanese American community more fully than in many places and helped protect the Enmanji Temple during World War II and steward ranches and homes during the internment. The City has also had a strong sister city relationship with Takeo City (formerly Yamauchi), Japan for many years.

Slayter’s proposed name means “friendship” in Japanese and the City Council agreed that it would be a fitting recognition.

The City is sending out a request for proposals for the improvements, which, according to the request reviewed by the Council on the 16th include “picnic tables, a short trail segment, and native tree planting. The plan intends to delineate the park area from the mobile home area with fencing and access improvements to protect the privacy of the Village Park residents. The improvements have also been designed so as not to conflict with Caltrans frontage improvements related to the pending Highway 12 bridge replacement project.

“Key improvements are as follows:

Removal of disconnected and other outmoded features in the former campground and ‘RV’ areas.
Native tree preservation and removal of dead limbs for safety purposes, and removal of several normative trees and hazardous trees under supervision of an arborist.
Removal of invasive plant species and native plant restoration.
Construction of a short looped trail.
Fencing and access improvements. Low fencing between the mobile home portion of the park and the passive day-use/former campground area is proposed to be provided so that park users are discouraged from entering the mobile home area. Fencing would also be installed across the mobile home highway frontage to improve aesthetics and delineate the property.
Benches, trash recycling receptacles, picnic tables. Flood resistant furnishings and materials are proposed to be utilized.

Filed under: Laguna de Santa Rosa, parks and trails Tagged: Laguna de Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Tamodachi Park, Village Park

SDAT is Coming!

skinnerbird — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:39:30 +0000

If you’ve been following The Core Project, you probably already know that we applied for, and secured, an SDAT (Sustainable Design Assessment Team) grant for our community from the AIA (American Institute of Architects). If this is news to you, you can find complete details here. Read on for an update.What’s happened so far:

1) The preliminary team made its visit to Sebastopol, toured our town, and met with several groups including City Council members and community organizations.

2) The full team of volunteer professionals has been selected. We’ll share their bios with you soon.

3) Dates and location have been set for the SDAT visit.

May 15-17, 2013
Community Church of Sebastopol

1000 Gravenstein Highway North
SebastopolWhat’s next:

1) Come and participate. Your input is vital. All events take place at the Community Church of Sebastopol.
Wednesday May 15
Afternoon: Community Workshops
Evening: Town Hall

Thursday, May 16
Work day for the team (no public events)

Friday, May 17
Evening: Presentation of Findings to Community

2) Contribute $$
The community must help. We need to raise a minimum of $2,500. The AIA is donating $15,000 for expenses. Team members donate $300,00 of professional services for free. Let’s do our part!

The Core Project secured the SDAT grant for the community and is managing the project. Any donations collected beyond what is needed for the SDAT will be used to fund The Core Project events and activities or will go toward implementation of SDAT recommendations.
The Core Project is NOT a 501(c)(3) organization.

Make a donation via PayPal here.

If paying by check, make your check out to The Core Project and indicate SDAT in the memo section.
Mail to:
The Core Project
c/o 108 Art + Design
108 Petaluma Ave.
Sebastopol, CA 95472

3) Contribute talent
Can you draw by hand? Do you have Adobe Illustrator skills (and ideally a copy of Illustrator on your laptop)? Are you a wiz at basic spreadsheet analysis? Can you take photos, do traffic counts and be willing and able to generally run around gathering information? If so, we need your time and talent on May 16 and 17 as the team formulates their ideas and puts the presentation together. Volunteers do not need to be available all day both days. We’re grateful for whatever time you can contribute. Email us at info@the-core-project.org for more information.

4) See the SebastopolConnect website for more information.

5) Spread the word. You’ll find a handy “forward to a friend” link and buttons to share on Facebook,Twitter, and Digg below.

6) Stay tuned for more updates.

The Core Project SebastopolConnect SDAT Steering Committee:
Paul Fritz, Chairman
Lars Langberg
Amy Bush
Cary Bush
Mitch Conner
Lynn Deedler
Tina Grob
Sarah Gurney
Holly Hansen
Charles Marr
Eric Spillman

Filed under: architecture, Sebastopol, Sebastopol urban planning Tagged: American Institute of Architects, Core Project, SDAT, Sebastopol, Sustainable design

Cole Porter, Ellington and More — Sebastopol Community Band concert, Apr. 7

skinnerbird — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 19:29:45 +0000

Cole Porter

The Sebastopol Community Band under the direction of Nathan Riebli will perform a selection of jazz, Broadway and classical favorites at the Graton Community Club on Sunday, April 7th at 3 pm. Admission is free (suggested donation $10-15 encouraged).

The Graton Community Club is located at 8996 Graton Rd at the intersection of Main Street and Edision in downtown Graton.

For more info on the Band, please visit us.

Filed under: music, Sebastopol Community Band Tagged: Broadway, Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, Phantom of the Opera, Sebastopol Community Band, Slavonic Dances

Sebastopol Walks — The Watersheds Walk, Saturday, March 30, 2013

skinnerbird — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 00:39:12 +0000

How does water flow through Sebastopol? Do you know the sources of our perennial creeks and where they go as they flow under downtown? Join Sebastopol Walks for a 5 mile walk exploring the geography and history of Sebastopol’s watersheds. We’ll meet at the downtown plaza at 9 am and will return by noon. The pace will be moderate with numerous stops.

Meet at the Sebastopol Plaza at 9 am on March 30.

Bring snacks, water, good walking shoes, and rain gear for light rain (if forecast).
Heavy rain cancels.
Leaders: Geoffrey Skinner and Joan Schwan, biologist

Filed under: Calder Creek, environment, Ives Park, iWalk Sonoma, rainwater, Sebastopol civic events, Sebastopol Walks, walking, water, Zimpher Creek Tagged: Calder Creek, Sebastopol Walks, water, watersheds, zimpher creek

Common Ground General Plan Update Community Meeting, Feb. 23

skinnerbird — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 20:32:22 +0000

“Panorama View of Sebastopol, Mt. St. Helena in Distance”. Card is postally used in 1908 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As part of the ongoing Sebastopol General Plan update process with the Sonoma State Planning Workshop, the Cityof Sebastopol is sponsoring a ‘General Plan Update Report’ Community Workshop on Saturday, February 23, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Community Church, 1000 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol.

The workshop, ‘Common Ground: Building a Shared Vision for Sebastopol’ is intended to identify priority policy initiatives and flesh out implementation concepts for consideration in the upcoming Sonoma State student report.

The City and the SSU organizers expect this workshop will take the results of the recent ‘subcommittee’ meetings for this project to the next level of policy formulation and priority-setting. Results may be considered for City policy implementation in a future General Plan update, or in other policy initiatives.

A plethora of ideas (‘voting results’) from the subcommittee meetings are posted on the City web site at: http://ci.sebastopol.ca.us/page/commission-and-board-reports

Sebastopol General Plan Updates – January 2013 Community Meetings (socolife.wordpress.com)

Filed under: architecture, Sebastopol, Sebastopol civic events, Sebastopol urban planning, urban design Tagged: Sebastopol California, Sebastopol General Plan, Sonoma State University

Sebastopol Grand Walkabout — February 23, 2013

skinnerbird — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 23:20:39 +0000

Join Sebastopol Walks for a 7.5 walk around town on Saturday, February 23, 2013 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. We’ll meet in the plaza at 9:00 a.m., visit Laguna Park, West County Trail, Ragle Ranch Park, and Burbank Farm before returning to the Plaza by noon. The pace will be brisk, but walkers may leave at any time to shorten their walk.

Bring snacks, water, good walking shoes, and rain gear for light rain (if forecast).

Heavy rain cancels.

Leaders: Sarah Gurney, Sebastopol City Council, & Richard Nichols

Contact Richard Nichols (rnichols@sonic.net) for more information.

Filed under: Sebastopol, Sebastopol civic events, Sebastopol Walks, walking Tagged: Sebastopol Walks, walkabout, walking