Monthly Archive: June, 2007
June 29, 2007 at 9:27 am
by bruce
· Filed under attractions, events, general, history
Members of the Point Cabrillo Lightkeepers Association (PCLK), the non-profit that manages the historic Point Cabrillo Light Station (part of State Parks) and the new Lighthouse Inn at Point Cabrillo met with State Parks officials (local and from Sacramento) this week to begin planning the 100th anniversary of the opening of the light station. The lighthouse was illuminated for the first time on June 10, 1909. Preliminary plans are for a year-long celebration in 2009.
Kudos to Marilyn Murphy, the new district supervisor for Mendocino Area State Parks, for her personal involvement in what should be a great series of events. She is a hands-on leader working hard to be an important resource to our community. Rather than keeping arms length, Marilyn encourages her team to cooperate in the joint promotion of local events that also involve State Parks.
One event discussed was having State Parks divers with their new see-as-they-go underwater camera gear broadcast from the site of the Frolic shipwreck, a new underwater state park at the north end of Point Cabrillo Light Station, to video screens on the bluffs above the ocean. I look forward to it.
Will report more as plans unfold.
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June 27, 2007 at 9:40 pm
by nancy
· Filed under gardens, general
At this year’s Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show in London, local gardener Kate Frey was once again awarded a gold medal for her sustainable winery garden design. Kate’s experience comes from her many years working at Fetzer Vineyards and now her current position managing the organic gardens at the Stanford Inn. This year’s entry illustrated the use of green power, water conservation and recycling through the use of wildflowers and agricultural and culinary plants. Kate previously won silver in 2003 and a gold in 2005. You may see Kate’s work at the Stanford Inn by the Sea gardens in Mendocino.
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June 25, 2007 at 2:07 pm
by bruce
· Filed under attractions, events
There’s a two-part TV movie “Shark Swarm” filming on the coast. Darryl Hannah (of Splash fame) is one of the stars. An interesting change related to the movie filming happened in Mendocino Village on Monday. At 8 a.m. a new hotel appeared in mid-block on Main Street. I did a double-take. It was called the Full Moon Bay Hotel, founded 1881. After lunch today, however, the sign had disappeared and it was the Mendocino Hotel, founded 1879. Ah, the magic of Hollywood. Filming is supposed to continue in Fort Bragg and Mendocino over the next couple of weeks. For more on Mendocino Coast in the movies and the good work of our County Film Office, visit our movies page.
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June 24, 2007 at 12:34 pm
by bruce
· Filed under attractions, ecotourism, general
A zoo in Point Arena?
Not exactly, but Dr. Frank and Judy Mello have won acreditation of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) for their private animal preserve, the B Bryan Preserve in Point Arena, which is home to Sable, Roan and Greater Kudu Antelope as well as rare and endangered Grevy’s Zebra and Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra
“Only the very best zoos and aquariums can meet tough Association of Zoos and Aquariums standards,” said AZA President and CEO Jim Maddy, in a press release provided to MendocinoFun.com. “The leadership and staff of the B Bryan Preserve are to be congratulated for the hard work and commitment that they put into the process to become certified.”
Originally started in West Point, MS in 1999 by Dr. Frank and Judy Mello, B Bryan Preserve moved to Point Arena, CA in 2006. B Bryan Preserve is a private preserve dedicated to the breeding and conservation of endangered African Antelope and rare Zebra species. The animals are allowed to roam in large fields.
There is also a carriage house on the property that may be rented for lodging. The preserve is open to the public by reservation only.
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June 16, 2007 at 8:46 pm
by dff
· Filed under general
The nonprofit Redwood Forest Foundation, with 100% financing from Bank of America, has purchased 50,000 acres of redwood forest in northern Mendocino County for $65 million. The forest tract is about 25 miles north of Fort Bragg, adjacent to the Lost Coast. Much of the debt will be paid down through the sale of a conservation easement to another nonprofit group. 
The group plans to use the land for commercial timber harvesting, while protecting the land from development. Art Hardwood, president of the Redwood Forest Foundation, explained that the pressure to sell forest lands is high in Northern California, and the group wanted to prevent the subdivision of the area into smaller parcels. This area, called Andersonia back in the heyday of logging in the county, is located to the west of Highway 101 between the towns of Piercy and Leggett. (The famous Lost Coast and Sinkyone Wilderness State Park are located just to the west of the area on the coast.)
Foundation officials plan to let the land rest for 8 years, and then begin sustainable timber harvesting. They will never log more than 3% of the area at a time, and their intention is to eventually have a cap on harvesting.
The Foundation plans to sell the conservation easement to the Conservation Fund, which in turn plans to purchase the easement with state funds approved last year in Proposition 84. According to Chris Kelly, manager of the Conservation Fund’s California operations, “Our intention is to have an agreement allowing no subdivision, development or conversion to nonforest uses, and possibly there will be a cap on harvesting.”
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