Paulin Creek Preserve
This may concern many of the folks who make frequent observations near Santa Rosa. Just drawing from the list of people who've done a lot locally, I'd think of @direbecca , @thoth, @dave-barry , @richardwasson , @c_michael_hogan , @nelruzam , @evelynch , @kestrel , @bjoelle , @loarie ,@curiousgeorge61 , @kueda, @cjs041 and many others. If you see this and know anyone else, please pass it on!
What's at stake here is the apparent determination of Sonoma County authorities to renege on a gentleperson's agreement made more than a decade ago to leave an 88 acre parcel along Paulin Creek in it's natural state. Instead, it's now proposed to throw this nice meadow and creek into a deal to sell a nearby, non adjacent and very much larger tract to a developer for apartment development. Those of you who read our local paper may have seen a few articles about this scheme:http://www.pressdemocrat.com/opinion/6817499-181/close-to-home-paulin-creek?artslide=0
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/6780352-181/santa-rosa-meadow-up-for?ref=related&artslide=0
I realize that this is rather small potatoes as these things go. Still, it is a brazen move that should be stoutly resisted by right-thinking citizens. Think of the 'broken-window' theory of community policing applied to conservation: even small vandalisms should be suppressed, if we wish to avoid anarchy.
While there are many things one might do to help--and I'd be the last to discourage you-- what I'd like to see first really requires no great sacrifice. Just check out the new Paulin Creek Preserve place page on Inat, take the opportunity to visit, and add your observations. My hope is that documenting the biodiversity will raise the profile of this small urban preserve, hearten the more muscular activists, and generally make it more difficult for the County Supervisors to pull the trigger. Lets see what we can do!
Respectfully; John Hibbard
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Hi John, Yes, I'd seen this story and would be interested in wandering around there to do some inat observations. Can you tell me where there is a good spot to park nearby? Any guidance on wandering the property is also appreciated. Thanks for the information. Di
I should have included this! If you travel east on Steele from Mendicino it becomes Lewis, then passing Franklin it becomes Crest. In a few blocks it ends at Beverly. You turn left at Beverly, and in a block there's a dead end marked with a banner stretched across the road placed by the Friends of Paulin Creek Preserve. You are then looking at the meadow that forms the heart of the contested area. You will also see the nice sign placed years ago identifying the Paulin Creek Preserve. You may park anywhere along Beverly to visit the Preserve.
There are crude trails that extend to all corners of the Preserve, including the portions protected by the Water Agency and the Open Space District. Since this isn't such a large place you can easily find your way around... You might want to refer to the maps in the Press Democrat stories.
I visited the other day and we met Mark Epstein and Marsha and Jerry Connell, residents on Beverly who are leading the effort to save the Preserve. Check out the Friends of Paulin Creek website! They told us that Supervisor Zane says that the developer is adamant that the meadow must be included in the sale of the old Community Hospital property; so they are eager to mobilize community opinion against the plan. They like the idea of getting naturalists to document what's at stake here, so I'm eager to get as many visitors as possible. They'd also like to see some letters to the Supervisors; there's a box with flyers at the entrance. Bring a friend!
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