Valley People (Jan 27, 2016)

OVER THE PAST THREE WEEKS, we've had only three rain-free days. Put differently, over the past 21 days, 18 were wet. During that stretch Yorkville's season total jumped from 16.7 to 33.9 inches. That means 17.2 inches fell over those 18 days, averaging almost one inch per rainy day.

THUS FAR, EL NINO has given us just what we needed, a wet rainy season. Compare to last year, when we received a whopping four-tenths of an inch for the entire month of January! The rest of that 2015 rainy season went like this: February 8.6"; March 0.7"; April 2.4"; May 0.6"; and June 0.0". That, my friends, was a scary drought.

HIGH ROLLER RAIN: As Marshall Newman pointed out, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) rain gauge for Boonville (located in the hills above Stalag Calfire, south of town) recently went kaput. So as far as the DWR is concerned the Anderson Valley has only one rain gauge left in operation, and Sunday (Jan 17) that gauge, located near the Yorkville Post Office, reported 2.84 inches. It was that station’s wettest day of this rainy season, and brought the High Roller's total up to 33.92 inches.

MIKE KALANTARIAN WRITES: It's remarkable watching the mouth of the Navarro migrate south. The last breach, less than six weeks ago, broke through the sandbar, as it usually does, around Pinnacle Rock, which is in line with the main stem of the river. Since then, persistent rains have helped keep the river's current strong, such that you would expect the mouth to stay put and keep flowing straight out to sea. But the Navarro doesn't do that. Post breach, the mouth tends to creep southward.

It seems like there is a great reservoir of sand, just offshore, which waits for the big storm waves to pitch it back up into the river’s mouth, and this effect is strong enough to force the river's exit to start moving sideways. Why this sand-building effect is so powerful and persistent at the Pinnacle Rock spot, in particular, is a mystery to me, and I'd be curious to hear if anyone has some information or theories on the topic.

My theory is that there is a shelf of solid rock beneath this area, which has prevented the river from digging itself a deep straight channel out to sea. So lots of sand accumulates out there on the shelf, just offshore, and ends up getting thrown back at the river when the tide is high and the winter waves rise up. Perhaps the reason the mouth area, in particular, is so hotly contested is because the river, when it does manage to flow out to sea, is always depositing earthly material, which we see as chocolaty silt this time of year.

The other thing about Navarro Beach is the great amount of woody material that we often see there. Thinking about the terrain that the river travels through helps explain why there is so much log and branch in the mix. When the coastal sandbar rises up and prevents the river flowing out to sea, the waters back up and flood the beach area. All that woody material floats out to the margins and eventually gets marooned when the river breaches and the floodwaters recede. Round and round it goes. The mouth of the Navarro is an exciting place.

BOONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL'S PANTHERS pounded Point Arena's Fog Eaters right out of their acoustical horror of a gym clear off the PA bluffs and into the cold, cold sea last Friday night. All the Boonville teams, boys and girls, won and won big. Tonight (Tuesday) we travel down wind to take on the perennially hapless Geyserville Bronchos (sic.) Friday we're back at home in the Boonville gym to take on the Russian River Water Thieves of Potter Valley, aka the Potter Valley Bearcats, a non-existent species. Overall, the Panthers are 12-5, and 5-0 in league play. Next Tuesday at Mendocino is showdown night for Anderson Valley. We beat Mendo here, but they're always tough at home. And the only league game they've lost is to us. It's sure to be a great game. Be there, Anderson Valley.

COMMUNITY Services District Board Chair Valerie Hanelt and board member Kathleen McKenna met with Glenn and Mary Ricard in Mendocino on January 7th. According to Ms. Hanelt they "discussed the proposed water and sewer projects and got Glenn and Mary updated on the meetings as well as provided them with a DVD of the meeting last October 22. They were very interested and are supportive of the projects. They have had extremely difficult experiences with the County Planning Department both when they wanted to develop the property and when they have tried to work with the county to sell the property. They feel that providing water and/or sewer would be a boon to the community and might also make it possible to resurrect their plans and develop their two parcels. They are still interested in doing this. They have given permission to take water samples from their wellhead when we have the water survey done by Alpha Labs."

SO RICARD SAYS, plausibly enough, that it’s the County that’s responsible for the rundown condition of his eyesore building at the south end of Boonville; if it weren't for the Ukiah bumblers he would have had an acceptable structure in place long ago.

OFF MY RECENT experience with County Planning and Building, as we carried out a much simpler project than anything Ricard might do, I sympathize with Ricard.

SOME NUMBER of years ago the County was asked to initiate abatement proceedings against Ricard's serial shack fronts but declined, telling our Community Services District that it wasn’t bad enough to constitute a formal nuisance.

WE RECALL a sketch, not architectural drawings, submitted to the Planning Department by Ricard or his agent of a two-story building with shops below, apartments above.

RICARD suggests that the County’s objection has to do with water and sewer problems at the site, which is undoubtedly true. That entire neighborhood would not pass today's tidy bowl standards. To get anything done there, Ricard ought to get a break from the County since his plans, whatever they might be, are impossible without some creative allowances on the County's part. If we had a supervisor he might help, but… A community water-sewer system — should it ever come to pass — would certainly moot the prevalent history of overlapping leach fields and exciting well water. It’s quite possible that the County is being unreasonable in its review of Ricard’s proposals. We’ll check them out and report back.

DEAR GLENDA: About Those Frost Fans In Anderson Valley That Disturb The Sleep Of Roughly A Thousand People…

THE SANTA ROSA PRESS DEMOCRAT'S “Ukiah Bureau” — Glenda Anderson working out of her home — asked a third party, "Whatever became of Scaramella's fan case?”

SHUCKS, Glenda. Call me Mark, but thank you for asking. It's not a happy story, and unlikely to fit well in your wine-dependent, happy talk newspaper, but anyhoo…

IT BECAME PAINFULLY obvious that Official Mendocino County didn’t give a damn about the problem. There is presently no supervisor who would say so much as Boo to the titans of the grape.

BUT AS the struggle for a decent night's sleep staggered forward, my three SoBo wine grape neighbors turned out to at least give a bit of a damn; I quickly arrived at the settlements with Foursight and Pennyroyal, which involved their retooling their fans from two blades to three.

V. SATTUI'S fans — he's the third of my din-creating nabes — are different and do not easily lend themselves to three-bladed fan upgrades. I've been pursuing alternatives with him which have still not been finalized. He and his attorneys have thus far been reasonable about it. V.Sattui’s manager has insisted on confidentiality of these discussions which I have agreed to. If there’s a settlement with him I’ll advise.

I'VE heard the new three-bladed fans at Pennyroyal and Foursight briefly when they installed and tested them; they are significantly less loud, and they do not generate the kind of low frequency rumble that the two-blade models did. Several of my non-grape-growing neighbors have thanked me for the audible improvement.

MY GRAPE GROWING neighbors have been much more cooperative than the County. As far as the County and the Superior Court goes, we did some grudging discovery and got some meaningless responses from the Ag Department and the Planning Department. That’s it.

THE AV WINEGROWERS ASSOCIATION continues to insist on their website that “Mendocino County is the only County in the state that requires permits for wind machines, and that those permits address noise, placement, and need.”

NOPE. NOT TRUE. If true I would not have had to sue the County.

THE COUNTY only requires permits for the “post-and-pad” machines (not the portables/towables) and those permits are only reviewed for construction and electrical wiring compliance. There is no review (and none is needed) for the portable/towable machines because they are not as loud.

IF MY SUPERVISOR, Dan Hamburg, had convened a meeting with me, some neighbors, the winegrowers and the Planning Department we could have worked something out for post-and-pad fans along the lines that the winegrowers themselves now seem inclined to install.

HAMBURG, who seems more and more removed from the reality the rest of us share, did absolutely nothing. In fact, he had the gall to tell KZYX's Valerie Kim that my lawsuit was "unproductive," while lavishing praise on County Ag Commissioner Chuck Morse for all that Mr. Morse had done to deal with the problem. Morse also did exactly nothing.

MORSE admitted as much. Asked during the legal process to “Describe any information the County provides Vineyard Operators with respect to their use and operation of Wind Machines,” Morse blandly replied, “The County’s Agricultural Commissioner does not provide any information to vineyard Operators with respect to their use and operation of Wind Machines.”

IF JUDGE HENDERSON had ordered the parties in my case into a settlement conference at the outset, we could have arrived at an agreement like the one we ended up with for much less cost and bother. The judge’s implication that decibel testing was needed was completely impracticable, as it involves the hiring of a sound expert, controlled baseline and individualized testing, etc. That the noise level of these things was way over the County’s noise standard was not in dispute. Even their majesties of the wine industry didn't argue that fact.

MY CASE cost me, so far, upwards of $8,000. The outcome is far from ideal for those throughout the Anderson Valley who live near the infernal two-bladed machines, but given the utter absence of reputable authority in Mendocino County in the Ag Department, the Superior Court and in Supervisor Humbug, it’s better than where we started.

ATTENTION HILL MUFFINS! The Mendocino County Fire Safe Council and its partners are working to complete an update of the 2005 Mendocino County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). This meeting is intended to solicit input regarding fire hazards and community fire planning needs from communities in and nearby the Navarro Watershed. Additional meetings throughout the County will be announced. January 28, 6-8pm at the Mendocino County Fairgrounds Dining Hall Boonville. Can’t make the meeting but want to participate? Contact Carol Mandel, District Conservationist, Natural Resource Conservation Service carol.mandel@ca.usda.gov or (707) 468-223 (x115).

THE AV SENIOR CENTER’S ANNUAL MEETING, which includes board elections, will be held March 8th, 6pm. The board is now accepting applications from anyone interested in a board position. The AV Senior Center Board is an active board, focusing on center oversight and fundraising. If you have interest in supporting our senior population through board service, please contact Gina at the AV Senior Center to obtain an application. 895-3609

SUSTAINABLE HOME VEGETABLE GARDENING with Jaime Jensen, meets every other Saturday, March 26 through June 18 at the Gardens Meeting Room Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens. Everything you need to know to get your vegetable garden started! (Classes: 9:30am-1:30pm. Workshops: 9:30am-3:30pm. Details will be provided to course participants.) $200 for members and Master Gardeners | $260 for non-members To learn more, sign up for the course orientation on Tuesday, March 15 or 22, 5:30-6:30pm, by phoning The Garden Store at 707 964-4352 ext. 16.

QUEENIES, the terrific Elk restaurant, re-opens Feb.13.

YOU'RE AS YOUNG as you feel, the saying goes. Feeling relatively spry and always looking to compete in something I have a chance to win, I signed up for the annual free throw contest at Drake High School in San Anselmo. Hadn't touched a basketball in fifty years, and had second thoughts as soon as I walked into the gym where men and women of all ages were throwing them up and in like free throw machines. "Well, hell," I thought. "I'm in the 'Over 60' group, which oughta be the way over 60 group in my case, but then....

BUT THEN I noticed a wheeze who had trouble even getting the ball within several feet of the rim. He made it look like the ball weighed fifty pounds. I sidled over to find out how old the guy was. "Excuse me, my friend, but I think I'm supposed to be in your age group. How the heck old are you, if you don't mind me asking." He promptly replied that he was 64. Well, hell, I thought. If Methuselah here is the competition, I'm in business.

THE TWO KIDS responsible for my hoop told me "to take as many warm-up shots as you think you need. Then, two sets of ten shots each and, finally, as many as you can make in a row." I swished two and announced, "Bring it on, my good lads."

I WAS DELIGHTED (and surprised) to hit 12 of 20 but missed Shot One in the follow-up. That percentage is higher than Bogut's, and he plays the game for money with the Warriors. I doubt if I smoked the Over 60's because it was an all-morning event, meaning lots of people were still arriving when I left. I'll be back next year. And in the mean time, I'm going to lobby the sponsors for an Over 70 class.

LAND OF FROZEN LAUGHTER: A Community Development Volunteer in the Vietnam War, 1967-1969. John Lewallen, local peace activist and author of Ecology of Devastation: Indochina (Penguin Books, 1972), offers an intense two-year immersion in Vietnam during the era of the 1968 Tet Offensive. Land of Frozen Laughter, the report Lewallen wrote in 1969 immediately after returning to Oregon from two years in the jungles of Vietnam, now is a 200-page book available worldwide. Lewallen, a founding member of Mendocino County Veterans for Peace Chapter 116, offers Land of Frozen Laughter as a contribution to the telling of truth about war, true experience, for the healing both of the traumatized person and the society which supports war. The reader travels with Lewallen as he struggles to do community projects as one of the 400 International Voluntary Services volunteers who served in Vietnam, becoming an angry anti-war activist in a war zone, hunted by an assassination team. War historians will be interested in the ground-level reports of military strategy and battles, told through intimate portraits soldiers and civilians, Vietnamese, Chams, and Raglai Montagnards. Portraits of "G.I. Vietnam," the macabre world of bars, bases and brothels where American troops met Vietnamese culture, and a surrealistic tour of Saigon's night life awaiting the final communist assault, are timely in understanding today's wartime environments. "The support of family and friends, especially my wife Barbara, have allowed me to make this contribution to the worldwide movement for peace conversion on all levels," says Lewallen, now 73. "Cypress House publishing professionals in Fort Bragg enabled me to publish a world-class book and have fun doing it. I expect to present Land of Frozen Laughter to interested groups in the coming months." Land of Frozen Laughter is available directly from the author, or at any bookstore from Ingram Book Wholesalers.