CONGAREE RIVER, a timber company with large holdings in the Anderson Valley, has filed a timber harvest plan for the area west of Boonville from Ham Canyon rambling on to west of Philo, abutting a few inhabited areas but not close-abutting. Neighbors aren’t alarmed at the logging as they are the prospect of the company’s certificates of compliance, basically a subdivision process. And neighbors aren’t alarmed at all that local guy, the personable and much experienced Ed Slotte, will do the logging.
CHRISTOPHER ESPINOZA, a student at Anderson Valley High School reminds us that this weekend, Saturday April 22nd from 10am-3pm “I am hosting a photo exhibit/sale as part of my Senior Project. The event will be at Navarro Vineyards. All proceeds from the sale will benefit the Photo Club at the High School. I hope that everyone can come enjoy the beauty of Navarro Vineyards as well as my pictures.”
DAVE SEVERN WRITES: “I was just asked at the post office if the Blackbird Farm Hearing was still on for the 20th. The answer verified moments ago by the Planning Dept. is "no". The whole Blackbird Farm Use Permit application is on hold pending an acceptable response to Planning Dept. concerns. I believe that many if not most of those concerns were issues brought up by Anderson Valley community members. John, Joan and Jamie Hall the owners of Blackbird Farm currently owe the people of California $57 million for over charges in the past and it would seem appropriate to not allow them the ability to gouge Mendocino and Anderson Valley for the funds to pay the State back.”
SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT Michelle Hutchins and family are desperately seeking temporary housing — 3-4 bedrooms — for June and maybe July. Please call Jim 707-496-8725 if you have something.
THIRTY YEARS? No way it was three decades ago that Bill Boger and Jack Moyer bought the busy Philo lumber yard and parts store from the late Jack Clow, but it was. Bill and I reminisced about the history of the enterprise — he has a wonderful old photo of the first Clows into the Valley given to him by Lindsay Clow — and how the late Mike Shapiro had not only made the store sale happen he sold Bill a homestead into the bargain. I told Bill my favorite story about Jack Clow’s encounter with a notorious Valley deadbeat who demanded he break a package of cookies in half because “I only want a few.” Jack seemed shocked at the pure unreason of the demand, but coming quickly to his senses, thundered, “Get out of my store and never come back!” Bill told me a story about an old stoner who’d lingered for a suspiciously long time in front of the spray paints, finally arriving at the checkout counter to pay for an armload of the containers. Slowly extracting a collection of stones from a well-worn pocket, the man said, “Is this enough?”
ANYONE looking to the East on Sunday at 7:10pm couldn’t help but see that gloriously vivid rainbow against the fading evening green of the Boonville hills. We count our blessings.
GOTTA TWO-FER this weekend at the Boonville Fairgrounds with the annual Wildflower Show and the third annual Goats Galore, everything you ever wanted to know about the versatile critters and then some.
THE WILDFLOWER SHOW brings together specimens of over 300 mostly native flowers, grasses and trees collected along the spring meadows, forests and roadways leading through Anderson Valley. Specimens are displayed in family groups and are identified. Plant experts are available to help identify plants that visitors bring in.
Anderson Valley High School students submit artwork and photos with nature themes which are displayed along one wall. Three winners receive $50. Many club propagated locally grown plants are for sale and Larner Seeds will sell Native wildflower seeds. Members of the California Native Plant Society will sell plant books and posters. Plant talks will be given on a variety of topics, such as native bees, oak woodlands and restoring native plants. A raffle helps fund scholarships for an Anderson Valley HS graduate planning a career working with nature. Lunch and snacks are available at our tearoom.
Saturday:
- 11am: Mary Pat Palmer: Wild Medicinal Plants
- noon: Jade Paget-Seekins: Native Bees/Pollination
- 1pm: Kate Marianchild: Oak Woodlands
- 2pm: Lee Serrie: Butterflies/Butterfly Food Plants. (Not confirmed by press time)
Sunday:
- 11am: Jade Paget-Seekins: Plant Identification; 8 Common Families
- Noon: TBD
- 1pm: Linda MacElwee: Invasive Plant Removal/Native Restoration
THE 3RD Annual AV Goat Festival has added the Joe Blow Band “to keep the energy flowing.” As in years past, there will be the Goat Parade; Celebrity Goat Milking; Birria Cook-off; workshops on Goat Care and making Goat Milk Yogurt, Kefir & Soap; a tour of Pennyroyal Farm and more.
“AV Foodshed hosts this event, not as a fundraiser, but as a community fun-raiser. Since we do not charge admission, we hope to recoup the cost of the event with donations from local businesses, vendor stall fees and donations at the gate.
As in years past, we are sharing the Mendocino County Fairgrounds with The Unity Club's Spring Wildflower Show. This is a great event that we are happy to support.
This year we are also partnering with the Fringe Art folks that are putting on events around the valley that weekend. There will be artwork in the Home Arts building where the workshops are being held this year. This is an Earth Day Weekend Celebration of Springtime — Community — And Country Living.” — Barbara Goodell
YOU PROBABLY didn’t attend, but at the former Shenoa property on Ray’s Road, Philo, last weekend a large number of people attended the “Alchemy of Desire Retreat,” a bargain at $3,999 for the weekend, meals presumably included. Two busloads of desiring alchemists came and went.
SATURDAY, May 6th is the official grand opening and plant sale for the Boonville Farmers' Market! The BFM is a part of the Mendocino County Farmers' Market Association that organizes local produce and value added products' sales May-October. Ours in Boonville is located in the Boonville Hotel parking lot from 9:30 to noon on Saturdays. Amanda Bontecou is the market manager. You will find a huge plant sale including a wide variety of spring and summer garden starts, excellent music, and vegetables, sweets, meats, savories, mushrooms, soaps, crafts, preserves, kids activities, and camaraderie. It is an opportunity not to be missed!
LIBRARY LINES: The Unity Club’s AV Community Library will be open Saturday April 22 from 10-4, during the Wild Flower Show. We have a nice selection of books for sale. The Library will be closed Saturday April 29 during the Beer Festival.
ANALOG ALERT! Come hear the Boonville Big Band next Saturday night, the 22nd, at the Mendocino Hotel Garden Room. 45080 Main St Mendocino. Three sets of jazz played on analog musical instruments and real vocal chords. Starts 7PM. $15
REBECCA JOHNSON’S OPEN STUDIO, part of this weekend’s “Almost Fringe Festival,” is Saturday, April 22, 11am-5pm — “in process, seven new barns.” The studio is at 1200 Highway 128 near milemarker 15.08 in Navarro. The studio is also open by appointment: 895-9205 (Rebecca@rebeccajohnsonart.com) and will also be open Memorial Day weekend in May.
PETIT TETON, the busy little farm south of Boonville, keeps us consumers aware of where our food comes from: “As farmers, weather is of major concern to us. We are heading to 80" of rain for this past year (Sept 2016-June 2017) and although the rain has eliminated the 5 year drought for the moment, it is making planting and harvesting difficult to impossible in many parts of California. On our very small farm we are struggling to keep the weeds from strangling everything, are hand digging because it's too wet for rototillers or tractors, and are delaying plantings as we await sun and warmth. We've been lucky to have avoided any major damage — flooding, fallen trees, landslides, roofs blown off, etc. — all of which has happened around us. Imagine the trouble and expense the giant corporate farms are facing which feed a huge population.
On the bright side, we are enjoying an absolutely gorgeous spring. Everything is an intense liquid green with an incredible selection of vibrant flowers, and all the trees and shrubs have already grown a few inches.”
CALTRANS continues to work on storm repairs on 128 near Yorkville and at several locations on the Ukiah Road. The puzzling message came from Caltrans, Eureka. Like, people plan their trips according to ten minute highway delays? And KZYX continues its bizarre practice of reading out weather reports for most of the communities of Lake and Mendo counties. News Flash: If it’s kinda wet and blowzy in Philo it’s the same everywhere. How about, “A little rain, a little sunshine” followed by a few lines from Spring poetry? Something fun, something interesting for a change.
MEOW! Wanna Kitten? The Ukiah Shelter at 298 Plant Rd, is holding a Kitten Fostering Workshop on Saturday April 22nd from noon to 2 pm. This workshop will be assist the community in knowing what to do if they find a litter of kittens as well as how they can help by fostering kittens that come into the Ukiah Shelter. For more information please call the shelter at 467-6453
THE ANIMAL SHELTER’S SPRING ADOPTION event is doing well. In less than three days last weekend, 17 dogs were adopted or transferred and everyone at the Shelter is pleased to have Shelter crowding reduced.
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