West of the Laguna

Sonoma Heritage Collections comes to mobile devices

skinnerbird — Sat, 23 Dec 2017 00:09:37 +0000

Just completed — a major overhaul of the Sonoma Heritage Collections site using the new mobile template! The new template still has a few pieces under development, so streaming and other external media won’t currently display yet (but you can click links in the records to view our videos and digitized books). I can’t bring back the old Google Streetview yet though I hope that will be possible soon — but…I’m rolling out maps showing photo locations for selected collections. Check out the new look!

Mapping Sonoma County’s Past

skinnerbird — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 21:26:34 +0000

Nice shout-out for the Sonoma County Library’s maps and digital collections:

Curious about the history of your parcel or maybe how downtown Healdsburg was laid out back in the day? The Sonoma County Library has a vast collection of historic maps including township maps, plat maps, Sanborn maps and historical atlases.

A complete set of Sanborn Insurance Company maps can be found at the library on microfilm. These maps were originally created to calculate fire insurance risks in a community. Lauded by historians and preservationists alike, they are a vital component in identifying what was located where in great detail. [read full story]

Tales of a Sea-going Cowboy

skinnerbird — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 17:30:15 +0000

My uncle, Herb Pownall, helped transport several hundred head of cattle and horses to Germany as part of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration’s post-war relief effort following the end of WWII. Herb was recently interviewed by Wyoming Public Radio and his interview published as a Human Nature podcast. I loved hearing him tell this story in his own voice — particularly because I had never heard it before now. As a bonus, Human Nature has posted a great selection of photos Herb took during his adventure.

Herb Pownall wanted to see the world. So he boarded a ship bound for Europe…along with 800 cows.

Herb Pownall at his home. Credit Ali Grossman

http://humanaturepodcast.org/podcast/episode-12-home-on-the-waves-with-a-seafaring-cowboy/

Sonoma County Library’s Summer 2016 Trails Challenge partnership with Sonoma County Regional Parks

skinnerbird — Fri, 27 May 2016 22:34:23 +0000

The Sonoma County Library has partnered with Sonoma County Regional Parks to participate in this year’s Trails Challenge, which is a self-directed summer-long program encouraging people to get out into their regional parks and enjoy the outdoors.

The Sonoma County Regional Parks are publishing a Trails Challenge Guidebook which outlines the challenge. Within the guidebook is an SCL-produced bibliography of selected titles in our libraries that might be fun reading or good information adjuncts to their excursions.

For families with children age 0-12 who complete the Trails Challenge, the Library is offering a prize—a free paperback book, available for pickup at any of our branches (except those not open for a full schedule of hours). There will be five different titles for children to choose from, including fiction, nonfiction, and bilingual. These books are funded by a mini-grant from the Sonoma County Public Library Foundation, supplemented by a grant from the Sonoma County Parks Foundation.

Sebastopol Charter’s new campus before City Council, Apr. 17, 2016

skinnerbird — Tue, 17 May 2016 18:59:50 +0000

The proposed campus plans and mitigated negative declaration (MND) will be presented tonight before the Sebastopol City Council as agenda item 14. Details from the school are on the school site, while the MND is available here. Some of the issues raised by the City include proximity to the Urban Growth Boundary, increased car and pedestrian traffic on Hwy 116, and likely conflicts between cars and West County Trail users.

Continuation of Discussion and Action for Approval of Laguna Wetlands Preserve Management Plan — 12/12/15

skinnerbird — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 01:47:25 +0000

Continuation of Discussion and Action for Approval of Laguna Wetlands Preserve Management Plan is # 6 on the City Council agenda tomorrow night, 12/15/15, at the Youth Annex/Teen Center, 425 Morris Street. Approximate time is likely to be around 7:30. though possibly closer to 7 pm.

Sebastopol environmental consulting firm Prunuske-Chatham, in association with the Laguna Foundaion, developed the Plan over this past year, supplementing the earlier Laguna Preserve Master Plan.

The consultants have held several public workshops to collect input in the Preserve and if you have any thoughts or concerns, I encourage you to attend tomorrow night regardless of whether or not you’ve had time to fully review the draft document, which is available at http://ci.sebastopol.ca.us/node/4151. A number of people have submitted comments in writing and consultants have responded to both the written and oral meeting comments; these are available at http://bit.ly/1NtLAOT.

The discussion tomorrow night will most likely revolve around the intent and use of the Preserve and how to strike a balance between the human recreational use and the wildlife and habitat value of the properties. From the City’s perspective, the intent of the Plan is to protect the integrity of the Laguna Preserve and to promote the protection and restoration of its natural environment, with human recreation a secondary purpose. The conservation easements over the some parts of the Preserve also legally reinforce this position.

The Plan includes several trail improvements and connections to create a loop out of a current dead-end, create a new connection to the Joe Rodota trail to improve recreation, and add benches, garbage cans, etc.

Upcoming Bicycle-Related Items on the Sebastopol City Council Agenda, Dec. 1, 2015

skinnerbird — Wed, 25 Nov 2015 19:45:23 +0000

The Sebastopol City Council will be discussing several bicycle-related items on the upcoming City Council meeting on Dec. 1, 2015. These are contained within Agenda Item 9, Discussion and Action for Consideration of Direction to Staff Regarding Capital Improvement Budget Items:

a. Report on MTC Grant Application for Hwy 116 Bike Lane Project

b. Bike & Pedestrian Community Forums

c. Reprioritization of Capital Improvement Budget

Agenda is at http://ci.sebastopol.ca.us/sites/default/files/events-and-meetings/december_1_2015_city_council_meeting_agenda.pdf

Please see the staff reports for these three items from the Events and Meetings page: http://ci.sebastopol.ca.us/sites/default/files/events-and-meetings/

Sebastopol General Plan Open House — Nov. 19, 6pm

skinnerbird — Thu, 19 Nov 2015 17:19:16 +0000

Open House! November 19, 2015, 6:00 pm: The City will be holding an Open House meeting at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 S. High Street. The Open House will provide the community with an update on the work to date and is an opportunity for the public to comment and provide input. The Open House will have stations set up focusing on the various issues addressed through the General Plan Update process (circulation/traffic, land use, economic development, habitat conservation, etc.). Please attend the Open House to find out more about the Sebastopol General Plan, talk with the planning team about your questions and concerns, and give your feedback regarding the policy direction of the General Plan.

View the flier for more info

The Great Laguna Cleanup — Saturday, Oct. 17, 2015

skinnerbird — Mon, 12 Oct 2015 18:47:33 +0000

The Great Laguna Clean-Up!
Help Take Care of Your Local Waterway- Grab Some Garbage!
Saturday, October 17, 9:00am-12:00pm
Location: Laguna Wetlands Preserve, entrance near
Sebastopol Community Center, 390 Morris Street, Sebastopol
Suitable for all ages. Minors must be accompanied by an adult.

Help us clean up the City of Sebastopol’s Laguna Wetlands Preserve before the rain starts falling and washes trash into our rivers. Meet at the entrance to the Preserve amphitheatre near the Sebastopol Community Center at 390 Morris Street, Sebastopol. Bring gloves and friends. We’ll provide snacks. No RSVP required. Only heavy rain cancels.

For more information, see www.lagunafoundation.org
Or contact Hattie Brown, Conservation Science Programs Manager, Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation
(707) 527-9277 x 105, hattie@lagunafoundation.org

Laguna de Santa Rosa Wetlands Preserve Management Plan at Sebastopol Planning Commission, Oct. 13, 2015

skinnerbird — Sat, 10 Oct 2015 01:18:34 +0000

Laguna de Santa Rosa near Highway 12 crossing

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Laguna de Santa Rosa near Highway 12 crossing

The Planning Commission will be reviewing the draft Laguna Preserve Management Plan this coming Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 7pm at the Youth Annex, 425 Morris Street.

The Plan can be reviewed on the Planning Department’s ‘special projects’ page of the City web site at: http://ci.sebastopol.ca.us/sites/default/files/jatkinson/laguna_wetlands_preserve_-_restoration_and_management_plan_draft_09.03.15.pdf

View the PC Staff Report Review of Draft Laguna Management Plan 10.13.15