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Austin Creek: the canary of Cazadero

The afternoon sunlight was very pleasant as I relaxed on the deck. Enjoying the large redwoods outside of my cozy cyberhut and taking in an afternoon Giants baseball game ā€“ it matters not what team affiliation you have; listening to a baseball game connects all. I do remember as a kid playing in the neighborhood and listening to the game on many radios in open windows.

Spring is definitely here and many gorgeous blossoms and lovely orange poppies line the roadways. The hills remain green, but are very dry. As of late April, I recorded around 31ā€ of rainfall this season. Woefully lacking!

During a recent celebration of EARTH DAY, an essential truth was repeated: Water is LIFE. Here in Cazadero, we have three sources for water ā€“ the Pacific Ocean, the Russian River, and Austin Creek. The Pacific Ocean, a few miles west, provides the fog which our redwoods rely on for the majority of life-saving moisture. The coastal redwoods gather moisture from the fog, with the use of its branches. Most of the rain that we get (and are famous for) comes from storms off of the Pacific Ocean. The Russian River provides a water highway for our migrating fish and water bird that enter Austin Creek. This creek drains an enormous area north and east of Cazadero, with dozens of tributary creeks, many of which are potential spawning ground for salmon and steelhead trout. All along the creek many birds thrive: the creek provides their food and water. Many homes in Cazadero rely on wells in the underground river that flows down the Cazadero Canyon.

For decades, summer dams on Austin Creek provided swimming beaches at our summer camps and creek-side homes. These dams were banned by a questionable ruling by Federal authorities and since then the creekā€™s surface flow dries up during the summer, with no swimming and no water sources for fire prevention. This summerā€™s drought will come early due to our lack of rain. Please conserve the water; it is a precious resource and should not be used without thinking. We can all hope for a wetter future ā€“ otherwise our paradise will change and the fire danger ill increase.When we bought our house here, the realtor assured us that firefighters would be able to swoop into Austin Creek to fight fires.

I recommend donating to these two worthy groups: Forest Unlimited. PO Box 506, Forestville, CA 95436 and to the new Pole Mountain Lookout at PO Box 141, Cazadero, CA 95421. The new facility is primarily steel and designed to support lookout personnel and to have the latest fire camera technology. Their website is http://polemountainlookout.org. Lots of good info available from them. They are a 501Ā©3 nonprofit organization.

There is now more daylight for our home, garden and vehicle projects. Check with Don and Caz Supply for myriad of useful products.

Raymondā€™s Bakery is open for take-out. I hope that their Friday night pizza/music event returns, too. I was very glad to hear that Montgomery Elementary School, closed for so many months, reopened for all classes K-8, on March 31st. There are currently no after-school activities.

I think that it is vitally important and necessary for schools to continue educating students in all disciplines and that the social atmosphere crucial to development. Call the MES at 707-632-5221 for any information.

I am also happy to announce that our public libraries will re-open for on-site use, subject to appointment. You may call them at 707-869-9004 starting Saturday, Apr. 24, to sign up. I can hardly wait. I am a library habituĆ© ā€“ a frequenter and user of printed materials, which I like to touch and to smell.

Happy Birthday to dear Tara Caplan, Cazadero born and bred ā€“ a sweet artist. Very happy anniversaries to all and festive birthdays.

Please drive carefully, have a wonderful Motherā€™s Day and call me at 707-632-5545 with info for your Cazadero Column.

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