Mayacamas Mountain
Sanctuary: Update

Christmas Bird Count

General Meeting

Audubon Canyon: News From the Ranch

Bird Walk Reports

Backyard Birding

Related Events

Pee Wee Audubon

Observations

Bird-A-Thon

Death Notice

Skaggs Island

San Pablo Bay NWR: Flyway Festival

Help Wanted

Leaves Editor Resigns

Volunteer News

Madrone OnLine

Two large land parcels totaling over 1400 acres of the majestic Mayacamas Mountains, east of Healdsburg, were given to the National Audubon Society (NAS) late in 1994. Flanking part of Pine Flat Road, this beautiful and wonderfully diverse property is now the Mayacamas (ma-YAHK-a-muss) Mountain Sanctuary (MMS).

Unfortunately, controversy soon ensued when Santa Rosa proposed disposing of its surplus waste water by pumping it uphill to recharge failing steam fields at the top of these mountains. This tertiary treated water was to flow through the sanctuary in a pipeline under Pine Flat Road. Extensive damage and disruption to the preserve seemed inevitable.

In spite of a Forever Wild Easement negotiated between NAS and the Sonoma County Ag. Preserve and Open Space District to prevent development on or through this preserve, the city's plan has persisted. Complicated legal proceedings resulted in a settlement which provides for mitigation to Audubon if the pipeline is built through the sanctuary. Four alternate routes, each having some advantages over the original, have been proposed. But all traverse at least a part of the sanctuary.

The City is now asking Madrone for its opinion as to which route is the least environmentally damaging. Madrone's Bd. of Directors and interested members have been carefully and intensively studying and discussing all available data, even hiking each proposed route with engineers, biologists and other experts. It should be no surprise that this is a daunting task, and, as we go to press, no decision has been reached.

On another front, Madrone and NAS are finalizing a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) that spells out how they will jointly administer the sanctuary. The next step will be a Master Management Plan. Already, extensive biological surveys are being undertaken by Madrone Audubon Society and Milo Baker Chapter of the California Native Plant Society. There is also a Cultural Resources Inventory being conducted by a graduate student from the Anthropological Studies Center at Sonoma State University.

To acquaint Madrone Audubon members, and the general public with every aspect of this wildlife preserve, numerous and varied field trips and camp-outs have been taking place. Stay tuned for further information on future activities at MMS and how you can become involved. More information is available on our website at: http://audubon.sonoma.net