News
American Badger foraging, marking territory (Ryan DiGaudio, prbo Conservation Science, 2011)
American Badger digging a burrow (YouTube video)
PLAN opts out of Facebook and Twitter
We currently are not using Facebook or Twitter. Realizing this decision may not be a choice of the masses, we wanted to share with supporters and members that our Board and Advisory Committee have shared many conversations about this topic. We'll continue to consider all available means for information sharing. Our decision at this time is to share information and news via our web site, online information service, email news, and our newsletter, PLAN4Nature. These 4 methods are mutually supportive and hopefully will not clutter inboxes. We appreciate your continued and growing wonderful support!
City of Petaluma Receives $5000 Grant
We're pleased to share the Sonoma County Fish and Wildlife Commission has awarded a $5000 grant to the City of Petaluma to assist with closing costs and fees related to the Paula Lane open space acquisition, with any remaining applied to management and educational programs at the nature preserve. The Commission met on January 19 in Santa Rosa and approved the City's grant application, submitted and first discussed at the Commission's November 2011 meeting. Thank you, Sonoma County Fish and Wildlife Commission!
PLAN receives Rose Foundation environmental grant
In the Winter 2011 funding cycle of of the Rose Foundation's Northern California Environmental Grassroots Fund, Paula Lane Action Network was one of 13 award recipients statewide. Our $3000 General Support grant is a great boost to our continuing work in upland habitat and wildlife corridor protection, American Badger research, and the Paula Lane open space project. Here's a complete list of grant recipients..
Winter 2011
AGUA-La Asociacion de Gente Unida por el Agua
General Support
Environmental Justice Coalition for Water
Tulare County
$5,000
To educate the public and policymakers about water contamination in the San Joaquin Valley, and to organize communities to advocate for effective regulatory measures to protect drinking water.
Battle Creek Alliance
General Support
SOL Communications
Shasta County
$5,000
To advocate for sustainable logging practices by prohibiting clearcuts and the use of herbicides in the headwaters of key Sacramento River watersheds.
Eastern Sierra Wildlife Care
General Support
Inyo County
$3,500
For wildlife rehabilitation services for birds, reptiles, and mammals with the goal of returning them to the wild, plus related educational programs in this underserved rural region.
Get the Lead Out
General Support
Alameda County
$5,000
For advocacy, awareness and policy efforts to protect the most vulnerable from lead poisoning – young children and pregnant women.
Habitat 2020
General Support
Environmental Council of Sacramento
Sacramento County
$5,000
To curb urban sprawl and preserve the world-class natural resources of the Sacramento Valley with a regional conservation vision for parks, preserves, and agriculture.
League of Women Voters of Fresno
Friant Ranch CEQA Challenge
Fresno County
$5,000
For a legal challenge seeking environmental review of a proposed 900 acre residential development which lacks adequate transportation or municipal infrastructure and whose wastewater treatment facility will be adjacent to a public park and the San Joaquin River floodplan.
Mare Island Heritage Trust
General Support
Solano County
$5,000
To preserve, restore and manage the historic, cultural and natural resources of Mare Island, including hosting the 16th annual San Francisco Bay Flyway Festival.
McCloud Local First Network
Great Shasta Rail-Trail Public Outreach
Siskiyou County
$5,000
To convert 80-miles of an old railway to a trail that will connect two rural towns, preserve an historic and scenic railroad corridor, and protect the surrounding natural environment, aquatic wildlife, and habitat.
Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center
Save Medicine Lake Highlands
Siskiyou County
$5,000
To prevent devastating geothermal exploitation in the Medicine Lake Highlands, a vital aquifer for the Sacramento River watershed and a sacred area significant to Native Americans.
Paula Lane Action Network
General Support
Sonoma County
$3,000
To preserve critical upland habitat and wildlife corridors in the Petaluma River watershed that provides habitat for wildlife including the American badger and over 100 avian species. Once the property is preserved, PLAN will implement environmental education programs, a sustainable agriculture demonstration project and conduct research on habitat and wildlife movement.
Siskiyou Land Conservancy
Smith River Estuary Enhancement Program
Humboldt County
$5,000
To reduce the use of pesticides in the Smith River area which threatens the health of farmworkers, the 2,000 residents in the town of Smith River, and the health of Smith River – one of the longest Wild & Scenic rivers in the country, the only major river in California that is without a single dam, and an key watershed for salmon recovery.
Sugar Pine Foundation
Sugar Pine Restoration in Tahoe
El Dorado County
$4,020
For sugar pine restoration on 30 acres of land in the Ward Creek State Recreational Area south of Tahoe City. About 200 Tahoe City students, community members, and California State Parks field crew members will plant 2,000 sugar pines in order to restore the sugar pine population in the area, which will increase forest diversity.
Wolf Creek Community Alliance
General Support
Nevada County
$3,000
For water quality monitoring of the physical, chemical, and biological conditions of Wolf Creek; watershed management curriculum for Grass Valley students; restoration programs that remove invasive non-native plants and replant native plants; and public education and outreach programs.
Santa Rose Jr. College Student Writes about PLAN and Open Space
Dawn Williams selected PLAN and our work in open space preservation and the Paula Lane Nature Preserve as a research topic for her Environmental Science class report and presentation. She prepared a report and PowerPoint presentation. From Dawn's research, ..."The food web of the preserve consists of the badger as well as the birds of prey, such as red-tailed hawk, as the tertiary consumer and the secondary consumers of the Paula Lane Open Space Preserve because they eat the gophers, mice and voles that are primary consumers, eating the grass and seeds, tree bark and roots, and plant bulbs and tubers which are the producers..." Our gratitude to Dawn for caring about grassroots conservation action and the special habitat and open space on Paula Lane in West Petaluma. (Winter 2011)
University Research Report Cites Paula Lane
Kathy Corbin, studying at Sonoma State University, researched PLAN's nonprofit history and the Paula Lane open space land and habitat for her class, Technology and the Environment.
Excerpt from Kathy's comprehensive report ...
... Not far from this area is the Helen Putnam Regional Park . Wildlife such as the mountain lion, fox, deer and other creatures use the proposed open space and wildlife habitat sanctuary as a corridor ... While I was taking a tour of the land, I saw the remains of a red fox skin, turkey feathers and bones. An example of our chemical cycling ... in Living in the Environment: The sun produces the plants, which are eaten by the primary consumer (insects). The insects are eaten by the birds, which are part of the secondary consumers. Then, the tertiary consumer or the top carnivores (63). At Paula Lane, the top carnivores would be the raptors ... and badgers that live in the area. The energy flows through this ecosystem when the sun and insects eat the remaining parts of the animal and it turns to bacteria and fungi, which in turn fertilizes the land. The grasses begin to grow and the whole cycle begins again. This grassy and partly low lying area becomes a wetland sanctuary in the winter and early spring to over 100 avian or bird species; including many resident and migratory birds. Some of the species include: “Allen's Hummingbird, Rufous Hummingbird, Yellow Warbler, Oak Titmouse, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Nuttall's Woodpecker, Long-billed Curlew, Black-crowned Night Heron, Great Blue Heron, Snowy Egret, California Gull, White-tailed Kite, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Caspian Term, and Cooper's Hawk.” (PLAN, Nelson 2003) ... Badgers play a large role in California ’s grasslands: They keep the rodent populations in check, and their Burrells provide refuge to many animals such as tiger salamanders, skunks, red legged frogs and burrowing owls. Since Grassland is the easiest type of land for developers to build on because of the lack of trees, it has been built on the most and caused the numbers of badgers to dwindle (Charles) ...
We appreciate Kathy's interest and her 2011 report and presentation to Sonoma State University students. We also appreciate Kathy's professional work with West County Community Services as she continues her studies at SSU. More natural power to you, Kathy!
OPEN SPACE PROJECT MOVES FORWARD
We're very pleased to share the Purchase and Sale Agreement has been completed by the City of Petaluma and Paula Lane owners. The Agreement was recently submitted to the Open Space District. This latest step in the open space preservation process now helps other final steps progress.
Petaluma's City Manager, John Brown, announced the news at the City Council meeting on Monday, September 12th. Mayor Glass responded, "That is good news!"
Petaluma Patch published a brief article this week. To learn more, http://patch.com/A-lYdT
We noted 54 people "recommended" the article to others - an incredible reflection of both the interest in community spirit accompanying the Paula Lane open space project. We appreciate the support. Check back for updates!
Tragedy in Sonoma County
This past weekend, a Sonoma Co. Animal Control officer was called to a Forestville residence. There, a visitor had seen a badger and was afraid it posed a danger to the residents and pets. So they called 911. The incident was reported in Chris Smith's Press Democrat column today, July 29th. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20110727/NEWS/110729499
We contacted Sonoma County Animal Control and will be meeting with the Director early next week. At the very least, the Animal Control officer could have phoned Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue to come and trap the badger and release it back to its habitat or bring it to the center for evaluation and then release. This senseless tragedy need not have occurred and we and wildlife advocates throughout our region are deeply saddened.
We will work diligently with Sonoma County Animal Control for education and raising awareness for the appropriate action to take for an American Badger seen on a property. We believe, had the Forestville residents been informed at all about the species, they would have not called 911 as an emergency, and an Animal Control officer with a gun would have not arrived to then shoot and kill the defenseless animal.
If you have friends or family who think they have American Badger burrows or badgers in their area or on their land, please ask them to invite us for a complimentary site visit. We can visually survey the surrounding area and offer information that can lead to peaceful co-existence with a Special Status wild species, the American Badger, and respect for the species as well.
Our contact information: info@paulalaneactionentwork.org, 707-773-3215.
Check back for updates on this tragedy and what we're doing to help prevent this from occurring again. We believe Sonoma County Animal Services Director Amy Cooper will work cooperatively with P.L.A.N. and also with Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue.
Press Democrat, 'No Badgering," Saturday, July 30, Letter of the Day
Thanks to Heidi Perryman of Worth a Dam in Martinez for a very thoughtful public comment, too -
Thinking creatively
EDITOR: It’s unfortunate that neither the individuals calling for help nor the animal control officer with the firearm had the capacity to think more creatively about options in this situation — such as a garden hose for example ("Badgered, Both," Chris Smith column, Thursday.). A trapped frightened animal growling under a vehicle is hardly a reason to bring in the big guns.
I assume the point of calling animal control (instead of just the sheriff who could have shot the animal and probably gotten there more quickly) is to access intelligent wildlife management resources. I’m sure next time the Oleskys will know better. I wish I could say the same for animal control.
HEIDI PERRYMAN
President founder, Worth A Dam
Martinez
(Saturday, July 30, Press Democrat Letters to the Editor)
Thanks to Diane Hichwa of Madrone Audubon Society for a moving letter of support for awareness and protection.
Protecting anmals
Editor: How sad that an American badger, a "species of concern," was killed here in Sonoma County without thought to other options (Chris Smith column, Thursday). Any animal, frightened and cornered under a car or other spot, will try to sound ferocious. Usually letting them go on their way works. We have fractured so much habitat that corridors for animal movement are extremely important. Creeks often link habitat areas as well as providing the water that wildlife needs for survival. I feel lucky to have seen a badger north of Bodega Bay, and I hope many others in our county will have that opportunity. I also hope that our animal control people will be sensitive to species of concern and will look for alternatives to guns, such as contacting Sonoma Wildlife Rescue or the Paula Lane Action Network, whose members are well-informed about badgers.
DIANE HICHWA
(Press Democrat, Letters to Editor, Tuesday, August 2, 2011)
iLasagne raises $1,528
Our 2011 online fundraiser was (hopefully) easy and fun for PLAN supporters to make donations and receive tasty servings of iLasagne from local artists, health care professionals and businesses. Our total raised is $1,528.
PLAN thanks Lagunitas Brewing Co., Ron Spinhoven, BA, CMT, CNMT, Nan Moon, Jeanne Moon, Dempsey's, MoYo/Petaluma Theatres/Wild Goat Bistro and Katie O'Connor, Amy's Kitchen, McEvoy Ranch, Petaluma Pie Co., Ceja Vineyards and Susan Kirks, Whole Foods Market, School Garden Co., Osmosis Enzyme Baths, Organic Fabric Cotton Shop in Bodega, CA, Schafer Construction, Rivertown Pet and Country Store, Greenstring Farm, Sift Cupcakery, Barbara's Bakery, Marlie de Swart, Trader Joe's, Chef Janie Castles, Peter Lowell's Restaurant, Pt. Reyes Books, and Susan Shaddick.
On the day our online fundraiser closed, we received a donation check for $200 from two long-time supporters of badger protection and education.
Thank you, friends!
P.L.A.N. is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization. Donations support our advocacy and work in open space preservation and habitat protection.
Paul Selinger Birthday Matching Grant Challenge - April-May 2011 - raises $3,680
P.L.A.N. is pleased to share a surprise fundraising opportunity for 2011. Two long-time supporters and dear friends of Paul Selinger and P.L.A.N. offered a Birthday Matching Grant Challenge of $1,500 for Paul's 75th birthday, which was May 15th.
Paul Selinger is P.L.A.N.'s first President and has devoted many years to conservation of open space in Marin and Sonoma Counties. He also believes strongly in grassroots community advocacy and community-based achievements. His years of support for Paula Lane's open space preservation have been consistent and heartfelt.
Between April 15 and May 15, we're pleased to report donations of $2,180, meeting and exceeding the required match. This fundraising opportunity netted a total of $3,680. Thanks for having a birthday on May 15th, Paul Selinger! P.L.A.N. thanks the generous friends who created the Birthday Challenge Match and all who cared and donated to this surprise fundraising opportunity to help P.L.A.N.'s grassroots work in open space preservation and habitat protection continue!
P.L.A.N. Hosts Candlelight Gathering of Hope
About 50 supporters gathered on Paula Lane at Sunset Drive on May 11th for the Candlelight Gathering of Hope for Conservation. Guests enjoyed refreshments from Whole Foods Market, Bovine Bakery, and Willibee's Wines and Spirits, while breathing fresh air and feeling peaceful in the open space environment of Paula Lane.
A surprise for the event was presentation of the 2011 Badger Spirit awards. P.L.A.N. presents the Badger Spirit award annually to individuals, business and organizations who devote themselves to community service and environmental protection. This year's awards go to:
Pelican Art Gallery - Co-owners Linda Postenrieder and Donna Hinshaw are positive community forces and active in Petaluma's downtown economic development and community and have been long-time supporters of P.L.A.N. Linda worked diligently on the national campaign to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and appears in the recently released documentary, "Out of Annapolis." Pelican Art Gallery is an exemplary community gathering location, exhibitor of beautiful art, and environmentally conscious business in South Sonoma Co.
Petaluma's former Mayor, Pamela Torliatt - Described as a person who has done more for the environment in South Sonoma County than anyone we know, former Mayor Torliatt was thanked for her leadership in 2010, in assisting with the request for gap funding from Sonoma County for the Paula Lane land acquisition. Those of us in attendance at those meetings experienced a deep sense of proactive communication and community representation from South Sonoma County. We want to see more and more of that.
Petaluma Patch
Petaluma's new online news service is providing a needed broadening of coverage and treatment of environmental issues as newsworthy. Petaluma Patch published an excellent and comprehensive article about the planned Paula Lane Open Space Preserve, written by Nicole Zimmerman, in 2010, and we continue to receive very positive feedback from this article. Petaluma Patch continues to cover cutting edge and interesting issues and also reports on government meetings in a factual way.
Award recipients received certificates of appreciation from Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, Assemblymember Jared Huffman and Senator Mark Leno, along with a framed photograph memento from P.L.A.N.
P.L.A.N. was pleased to welcome to our Candlelight Gathering of Hope neighbors, community members, several of our current and former elected officials (Mayor David Glass, former Mayor Pamela Torliatt, Councilmember Tiffany Renee, former Councilmember Jane Hamilton, and former Rohnert Park Mayor Tim Smith), along with organization representatives from Friends of Shollenberger, CARRQ, Moms for Clean Air, and others, in unity for support of conservation in South Sonoma County.
Just before sunset, Sue Buxton and Donna Spilman of CARRQ and Karen and Paul North of P.L.A.N. lit their electric candles, and guests stood quietly for 3 minutes of meditation and focus of unity on conservation issues, begun with a chime by Emily Jern-Miller's tap of a Tibetan singing bowl and ended with the same. Guests quietly departed afterwards, with a memento of an eco-votive candle in a recycled glass container. And P.L.A.N. volunteers cleaned up the area and departed just before nightfall when nocturnal wildlife in the Paula Lane area becomes quite present.
P.L.A.N. Honors Earth Day April 22nd
Paula Lane Action Network participated in Whole Foods Market-Petaluma's Earth Day afternoon festival on April 22nd. Joined by Friends of Shollenberger Park, Strauss Family Creamery, Cafe Gratitude, New Chapter Organics, Benedetta natural cosmetics, and Whole Foods' products and goods on display, information outreach and great samples greeted shoppers and visitors to Petaluma's Whole Foods. From talking about saving our open space, wildlife habitat and wetlands to enjoying samples of organic ice cream and vegan ice cream and cookies, with nutritional and natural product samples, the gathering was a great way to share community and celebrate 2011 Earth Day together. P.L.A.N. thanks Lisa Ludwigsen, WFM-Petaluma's Marketing Director and the Whole Foods team - always the best, always the most caring - helping to make our community whole.
International Badger News -- Scotland Badger, 2011
A baby badger was found in a rabbit burrow in Scotland ...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-13011790
(thanks to Cheryl Reynolds of Worth a Dam in Martinez for this news link)
PLAN's End-of-2010 Fundraising Drive
Thank you, supporters! PLAN's end-of-year fundraising drive has netted to date $2,500.
We are grateful and pledge to continue our grassroots conservation work for open space and wildlife habitat preservation. Thanks again, and keep those Badger Dollars coming!
Not a supporting member of PLAN yet? Check out our latest newsletter (PLAN4Nature) for information on contributing.
Join the movement to support communities who intend to make a difference in the lives of humans and wildlife. We focus our efforts to protect open space, rural land and wildlife habitat.
Trendsetters, Us?
We've received some feedback as a result of recent publicity about PLAN's conservation efforts, preservation of open space, and protection of wildlife habitat, especially for the American Badger.
"Your group is the first advocacy group for American Badger protection in the State of California. That you have worked so diligently 10 years to preserve this species - when hardly anyone else cared, including State agencies who are now taking a position that the Badger is an important upland species to document and protect - says a lot about the intuition and true conservation hearts in your organization."
"The article in Bay Nature Magazine shows what community is truly about. Thank you! How have you sustained all these years on what appears to be a shoestring budget? Wait, don't tell us. Just keep doing what you're doing and good luck!"
"All cities should work with small grassroots groups like yours to identify and preserve special natural resources through partnerships. Who knows how many other wildlife connecting lands there are that could help species survive and thrive? Way to go!"
From us to you: To everyone who supported us and continues to support our grassroots efforts on the ground, literally, we thank YOU! Remember, badgers are Species of Concern in the State of California since 1987 and until the last couple of years when 2 new research studies were produced (by Quinn and Diamond), very little has been known or understood about the badger and its habitat. We are thrilled our 10 years of observation and monitoring, along with our biologist's monitoring (Kim Fitts of Bioconsultant) may help raise awareness about American Badger in California and the U.S. Our work continues.
PLAN announces Badger Map
Paula Lane Action Network has begun a mapping and documentation project. BadgerMap will document American Badger habitat and sightings in West and South Sonoma County in particular. We hope to identify trends of long-established habitat and movement areas from the Sonoma Coast inland to South Sonoma County and from South Sonoma County to the Sonoma Coast westward. The project map will be online, connected to our web site.
Information from BadgerMap will be provided periodically as local data input to the Bay Area Open Space Council's Upland Habitat Database and Goals project. Annual reports of sightings and documentation will also be posted to our web site and provided to local, State and Federal agencies.
If you see a badger in Sonoma County, or burrows, or what you think might be evidence of habitat, and wish to report it, please contact us at info@paulalaneactionnetwork.org. Or, call us at 707-773-3215.
New Avian Species on Paula Lane
The Lazuli Bunting (Passerina amoena), a passerine and beautiful bright-blue colored finch, named for the gemstone lapis lazuli, was seen in the Paula Lane area in late August 2010. This adds bird #88 to our Paula Lane Birdwatch List.
Check back for the report of our Paula Lane bird ID's as part of the prbo annual birdathon.
Migratory season is beginning. On the late eve of September 28, 2010, 2 flocks of high-flying and honking geese flew over Paula Lane.
Paula Lane Badgers in the News
Bay Nature: The October 2010 issue of Bay Nature Magazine features A PLAN for Badgers in the Conservation in Action section. PLAN thanks reporter Jacoba Charles for visiting the badger habitat on Paula Lane in West Petaluma and for her wonderful story. (The last page of this issue also features John Muir Laws' creative depiction of our friends, the Martinez Beavers!)
Bodega Land Trust: The latest issue of the Bodega Land Trust quarterly newsletter, Summer/Fall 2010, features biologist Kim Fitts' article on Badgers, a disappearing Sonoma County Native, with great photos.
Bodega Land Trust was PLAN's fiscal sponsor way back when in 2004 when we applied for and received our official 501(c)3 nonprofit designation, and we remain grateful to the B.L.T. for their continuing support - and spreading the word about the American Badger.
Ten years have passed since we began our strong and grounded effort to sustain and protect wildlife habitat for the American Badger, a 100-year resident of Paula Lane, and the multiple other species that travel through the Paula Lane corridor. We're so happy to receive this acknowledgment and hope our efforts will help others.
And that's not all!
New York Times: In the September 27, 2010 edition of the New York Times, reporter Carol Kaesuk's article, Mysteries That Howl and Hunt, features an in-depth story about coyotes - with a description of mutual hunting activities of coyotes and badgers!
PLAN GIVES FIRST BADGER SPIRIT AWARDS
During our 5th annual fundraiser at the Petaluma Women's Club on June 12, 2010, conservation awards were presented to two special individuals who have understood our mission and our effort since the beginning - back to 2001 - and who have offered support and guidance. The 2010 Badger Spirit awards were presented to:
Teresa Barrett - Teresa is a member of the Petaluma City Council and a past Chair of the Petaluma Planning Commission. She is an avid supporter of grassroots community action and is a listener and supporter of regular people, citizens like you and me, to achieve goals within and for the benefit of our greater community and to make life better for humans and wildlife. She has long advocated for Petaluma's support of and movement on the acquisition of the Paula Lane land and understands the potential for contribution to our young people through environmental education at the Paula Lane Open Space Preserve. Teresa is a highly respected elected official with integrity.
Joan Vilms - Joan first visited the Paula Lane land in 2002 on the same day the Open Space District staff visited and noted it could be a project within the Matching Grant program. Joan is a highly respected land use expert in open space and conservation. We have been fortunate to benefit from her experience and often her guidance in the past 9 years. Like Teresa, she does not seek the limelight and her work and accomplishments speak for themselves. She is a talented problem solver and solution seeker. And she appreciates badgers and their place in the ecosystem. Joan is currently the President of the Board of LandPaths.
Badger Spirit awards are presented by P.L.A.N. to individuals or groups who embody integrity and a willingness to work toward a vision, and to enact principles of grassroots community work and preservation of open space, wildlife and wildlife habitat. The American Badger is fiercely protective of its young, lives quietly in its habitat, and fights to survive, along with many other species whose habitats have been fragmented or destroyed. To us, it is important to recognize the spirit of the wild, the spirit of community, and the spirit of a sense of place. It is important to recognize that many humans and wildlife in our society have no voice or feel they have no voice. Recognizing those who help give a voice to the voiceless, who help guide a vision to make a better community, and who are regular human beings trying to help others in our society, we feel, help make us all better people with awareness to help conserve our natural resources and know our own place within our environment.
Good News for Paula Lane!
The Citizens Advisory Committee of the Sonoma Co. Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District recommended Thursday, March 25, 2010, that consideration be given for additional acquisition funding for the Paula Lane land if this becomes a need. The project has a $1,000,000 grant approved from 2008, awaiting knowledge of appraised current value. This is great news for Petaluma, South Sonoma County!
PLAN Partners with Local Businesses
Our quarter with Whole Foods Market's Nickels for Nonprofits program has just ended. The generosity of the Petaluma community raised almost $900 for PLAN. Shoppers brought their own bags and donated the Nickel credit received to PLAN. Petaluma Bounty was the other nonprofit featured by Whole Foods this quarter, so we're very pleased for Petaluma Bounty, too.
Aqus Cafe, one of Petaluma's greatest community assets, just hosted a Save the Badgers/Support Paula Lane Action Network day on Friday, January 22nd. Supporters were able to dine in, take out and/or buy gift cards to support PLAN's work. There was a packed house for Old Jawbone, featuring Hannah Jern-Miller. Supporters from all over Sonoma County came to the Aqus to enjoy dinner and Save the Badgers. Twenty percent (20%) of the day's proceeds were donated to PLAN.
This is what community is all about: Supporting local businesses who support our grassroots nonprofit organizations and bringing community together at the same time. It's a great formula for grassroots fundraising and strengthening community. Thank you, Petaluma and Sonoma County!
PLAN's Upcoming Grassroots Fundraiser - Thursday, March 11
Badger Bingo is coming to Petaluma. This is another partnership to support both local business and PLAN's conservation work in awareness-enhancement about our environment, wildlife habitat and movement areas, and open space preservation.
Come to Pelican Art Gallery on Thursday March 11th, 6-8pm for a very fun evening of Badger Bingo games, great prizes and a raffle. Light refreshments will be available. (Pelican Art Gallery is located at 143 Petaluma Blvd. North, next to Della Fattoria).
Advance reservations recommended: info@paulalaneactionnetwork.org, 707-773-3215.
Paula Lane Badgers in the News
Press Democrat, Friday, September 4, 2009
Is this badger bummed?(Female badger at Wildlife Rescue)
Press Democrat, Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Going to bat for badgers
San Francisco Chronicle, Monday, August 24, 2009
Petaluma group badgers officials for open space
PLAN supports Friends of Shollenberger
PLAN is one of several environmental and community organizations supporting opposition to a proposed asphalt plant and recycling facility on the bank of the Petaluma River, immediately across from Shollenberger Park, with surrounding wetlands and marshes. The proposed Dutra asphalt plant is also opposed by the City of Petaluma, with support from several cities throughout the County. PLAN facilitated the filing of two Biological Opinions by wildlife ecologist and biologist James Castle on inadequacy of noise studies and impacts on herons, egrets, white-tailed kites and black and clapper rails, as well as questioning methods and trapping for Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse, an endangered species known to exist in the immediate area. The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to meet and vote to deny or approve the project on July 21st. A straw vote taken on June 9th revealed a 3-2 vote to deny the project. Supervisors Carrillo of the 5th District, Zane of the 3rd District, and Brown of the 1st District indicated they could not support the proposal. For more information on news and events related to Save Shollenberger Park, visit www.saveshollenberger.com.
PLAN going to Beaver Festival August 1st
Paula Lane Action Network is traveling to Martinez on August 1st for the annual Beaver Festival. The festival is sponsored by Worth a Dam, the grassroots organization focused on protecting and preserving the Martinez Beavers and their habitat. PLAN will host a display and talk with festival-goers about the American Badger. Heidi Perryman, the President and Founder of Worth a Dam, extended the invitation to PLAN. Our ongoing efforts for protection and education are similar! Check out the web site about the Martinez Beavers, www.martinezbeavers.org.
Directions to Martinez from Petaluma for the festival, which begins in the early afternoon on August 1st: Lakeville Highway to Highway 37 to 780 to 680, over the Benicia bridge, take first Martinez exit, Marina Vista will take you straight to the park!
TopPLAN RECEIVES ROSE FOUNDATION GRANT
January, 2009 -- Paula Lane Action Network has received a $3000 grant from the Rose Foundation in Oakland. The grant was awarded in the foundation's Winter 2008 funding cycle of the Northern California Environmental Grassroots Fund.
The $3000 grant will be applied toward PLAN's activities in preserving critical uplands wildlife habitat in the Petaluma River watershed, representing groundwater recharge area and habitat for hundreds of wildlife species, including the American Badger.
Twenty-one grants totaling $60,000 were distributed in the Rose Foundation's Winter 2008 funding cycle. Other grantees included Project Outdoor Learning Experience in San Francisco County, Chico Food Network in Butte County, and People United for a Better Life in Oakland in Alameda County.
PLAN JOINS SONOMA COUNTY CONSERVATION COUNCIL
January, 2009 -- Paula Lane Action Network has joined the Sonoma County Conservation Council. The Council is comprised of 18 organizations with a variety of emphases on environmental protection and conservation. The Council was founded in 1984 by several local groups and eventually became a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. The Environmental Center of Sonoma County, located in Santa Rosa, is a project of the SCCC and provides shared office, meeting and storage space for member organizations.
Other SCCC member organizations include Community Alliance with Family Farmers, Greenbelt Alliance, LITE Initiatives, Madrone Audubon Society, Russian Riverkeeper, Sonoma County Conservation Action, and Trout Unlimited/Redwood Empire Chapter.
For more information about the Sonoma County Conservation Council, visit their web site at www.envirocentersoco.org.
Paula Lane Open Space Preserve Closer to Becoming Reality
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approved on September 8, 2008, the 2008 Matching Grants open space project recommendations. Seven projects will be placed into the evaluation and approval process. Included in this year's recommendations is the long-awaited Paula Lane Open Space Preserve in South Sonoma County.
Top
The Paula Lane Open Space Preserve is a project of the City of Petaluma in partnership with the conservation nonprofit Paula Lane Action Network. The project is currently recommended for $1,000,000 in funding from the Matching Grants program.
The open space preserve will be a first for the South County and will include habitat protection and restoration for a heavily traversed wildlife corridor and, to date, 13 identified Special Status wildlife species. The 11.22 acre property, located in one of Petaluma's oldest rural communities, is popular with walkers and bicyclists and is easily accessible for wheelchair access. The property represents the largest open land in the West Side area. Planned programs include environmental and agricultural education, along with a community garden, native gardens and public access tailored to specially challenged citizens with viewing areas to enjoy open space and resident and migratory wildlife.
Petaluma High School has been invited to be the anchor for the organic agricultural program, enhancing the school's existing and long-standing Agricultural Education program, with discussion of a small organic vineyard, organic fruits and vegetables, culinary, medicinal and natural cosmetic herbs and flowers, and careful attention to habitat-agriculture interfaces. Petaluma Junior High School has been invited to be the anchor for the science and environmental studies program, and Mary Collins School at Cherry Valley, also within walking distance of the planned project, is anticipated to participate actively in habitat restoration.
An additional innovative feature of the open space preserve is the community garden, planned to be managed by community volunteers, growing produce for the Petaluma Bounty distribution system. Petaluma Bounty provides nutritional education, has helped begin community and school gardens in Petaluma, and facilitates providing organic produce for individuals and families.
"We are very encouraged," said a spokesperson for the Paula Lane Action Network. "The eight years of time and energy devoted to this preservation project now seem like eight minutes." If all goes as planned, the Preserve and programs could begin to be implemented as early as the Fall of 2009.
The Paula Lane Open Space Preserve project and its planned partnerships and programs have been described as one of the most innovative land use conservation efforts in Sonoma County.
We recommend...
Listening:
"Living on Earth," the weekly National Public Radio series on environmental news and the environment. Hosted by Steve Carwood. Their web site is www.loe.org. "Living on Earth" is broadcast by KQED Radio, 88.5 FM on Saturdays at 4:00 p.m. PST.
An ear-opening program: The August 18, 2007 discussion of "National Parks and Climate Change." Climate change and its impact on habitat preservation or loss. Rebroadcast of this and other features is available at www.loe.org.
Reading:
We recommend author Richard Walker's "The Country in the City: The Greening of the San Francisco Bay Area" (Weyerhaeuser Environmental Books). Available in hard cover from www.amazon.com and may be available at our local public libraries in Sonoma County.
Viewing:
The Iconoclasts Series on the Sundance Channel - www.sundancechannel.com
Season 2: Mikhail Baryshnikov, Dancer & Alice Waters, Chef.
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