Monthly Archive: April, 2007
April 30, 2007 at 1:23 pm
by bruce
· Filed under attractions, ecotourism
Golf courses are generally long stretches of grass with a few trees and a sand trap or two to make things interesting.
But our own Little River Inn & Resort Golf Course has something to “crow” about: already a Certified Audubon Cooperation Sanctuary Property, it was announced Chapter Winner in the 2006 Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards (ELGA) announced in March by Golf Digest Magazine and the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. The Little River Inn news release notes:
“ELGA honors achievements in five areas of golf course management: resource conservation, water quality management, integrated pest management, wildlife/habitat management, and education/outreach. Environmental management accomplishments at Little River Inn Golf Course include increasing habitat for wildlife and establishing wildlife corridors as well as dramatically reducing pesticide and water use. Improvements also include the naturalization of water features and an extensive recycling program.”
Kudos to Little River Golf Course Superintendent Terry Stratton.
In case you missed it: last semester 40 Mendocino High School students and their teacher, Tobin Hahn, toured our golf course during a two-day field trip and saw firsthand the naturalized areas around ponds and streams that have been established over the past 10 years as a habitat for both wildlife and birds. Stratton showed them wildlife corridors where they sighted blacktail deer, squirrels and frogs. They spotted lots of birds — acorn woodpeckers, osprey, vultures, robins, finches, blackbirds, and Black Hooded Junco.
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April 27, 2007 at 12:58 pm
by bruce
· Filed under attractions, events, general, history
Cammie King Conlon, publicist for the Little River Inn and child star in ‘Gone With The Wind’ reports the following upcoming event:
Three Japanese film crew members arrive at Little River Inn late Mon., April 30, as they follow ‘the James Dean trail’ on assignment for Rakuda magazine.
One member will stay in Room 102 where James Dean stayed during the filming of East of Eden in 1954.
General Manager Printha Worthen joins the group for breakfast in the Little River Inn dining room at 9 a.m. on May 1.
For more information:
Printhaw@littleriverinn.com
707-937-5942
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April 23, 2007 at 9:52 pm
by dff
· Filed under events, general
A review and photo by Larry Wagner
Opera Fresca‘s rendition of Georges Bizet’s Carmen at Cotton Auditorium is delicious. Filomena Francesca Tritto gives a distinctive and highly credible interpretation of this gypsy cigarette factory girl as she seduces and abandons poor Don José, a handsome young and weak willed corporal of the dragoons. Her low, sultry voice is perfect for the role, capturing the audience in the first act with the famous Habanera aria and never letting go. Clare Barca, the heart and soul of Opera Fresca along with Adam Juran, Assistant Director and one of the singers, have brought together a marvelous cast of voices that you don‘t want to miss. Carmen has a large cast with smugglers, dancers, gypsies, street urchins, soldiers and a toreador with his retinue – something for everyone. The costuming is bright and Carmen‘s red dress swirling though her dancing is great.
Did I say don‘t miss it? Well, don‘t. We are so blessed to have these marvelous theatric productions in this area, but they can‘t continue if we don‘t support them.
Carmen will be playing on Saturday, April 28 at 7:30pm and Sunday, April 29 at 3pm. Tickets are $18 and $38. They are available at the Mendocino Hotel, Harvest Market, at the door, or by calling 1-888-82-OPERA or 707-937-3646.
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April 18, 2007 at 10:49 am
by dff
· Filed under drives, general, parks, walks
From now until the middle of May, visitors to MacKerricher State Park will find a barrier cable and signs east of the harbor seal rookery. Seals give birth on an open beach, and the newborn pups are extremely sensitive to intrusions — especially by dogs. It’s fine to observe the seals from the bluffs overlooking the beach, but don’t bring your dog. This is a great time to see the harbor seals. As the pups get a little older, you can watch the mothers coax the pups into the water for their first swimming lessons.
During pupping season, the males hang out elsewhere in the area. Last Sunday, we drove north along the coast north of MacKerricher and Ten Mile Beach. We stopped at the vista point at mile marker 74.09 on Highway One. This is a lovely spot with some wetlands areas on the headlands, leading down to the ocean. We saw a number of harbor seals down on the rocks, and we’re guessing they were males.
This was also the driving trip where I discovered that Peet, my 9-month-old puppy, gets car sick. After he threw up twice in 25 miles, we headed back home — where Peet moped around the rest of the day. Gonna have to toughen that puppy up! 
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April 14, 2007 at 3:01 am
by bruce
· Filed under ecotourism, general
If you are a tourist reading this story about ecotourism, you’re part of the huge and growing market of people who look for outdoor experiences on long weekends or vacations.There is still alot of confusion over the terms “ecotourism” and “nature tourism.” Whatever you call it, birding, hiking, biking, canoeing, surfing, diving and horseback riding all qualify as increasingly popular outdoor tourism activities.
Nature Tourism versus Ecotourism
Nature tourism covers just about any outdoor activity, while ecotourism has a precise meaning, according to The International Ecotourism Society, which offers these definitions and principles:
Ecotourism is:
“Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.”
Ecotourism is about connecting conservation, communities, and sustainable travel. This means that those who implement and participate in responsible tourism activities should follow the following ecotourism principles:
-minimize impact
-build environmental and cultural awareness and respect
-provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts
-provide direct financial benefits for conservation
-provide financial benefits and empowerment for local people
-raise sensitivity to host countries’ political, environmental, and social climate
At a Nature Tourism conference held March 28 & 29, 2007 in Mendocino Village, more than 80 people representing government agencies, non-profits and businesses gathered to begin developing nature tourism partnerships. The result was formation of task forces with commitments to develop and promote nature tourism in Mendocino County.
As a conference attendee, it is clear to me that our intention is to make Mendocino County California’s — if not the nation’s — leading ecotourism area (meeting all the principles and definitions stated above).
Mendocino residents are fiercely protective of their forests, coastline, rivers, air, vineyards, and food. We’re the center of the raw food movement. “Organic” is every chef’s middle name. Our county proudly became the first in the U.S. to prohibit the growth of genetically-modified organisms (GMO). Sustainable agriculture is a widespread practice among our vineyard owners and 25 per cent of 15,500 vineyard acres are certified organic.
For all these reasons, MendocinoFun.Com will evermore refer to outdoor and nature activities as ecotourism. And, we will continually provide our readers with information and updates about ecotourism activities along the Mendocino Coast.
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