Explore Sonoma County

Who's open on the River for Valentine's Day and President's weekend? Let us know in the comments, and we'll promote you! #essentialrussianriver #SupportSmallBusiness

It's SIX days until the--Jan 30 at 6pm--livestream for the Russian River Rotary's virtual "Stayin' Strong and Crabbin' along" feed. Festivities include a "Sonom...a County Musician Showcase", a live auction with Senator Mike McGuire, a Rotarian dance-off and more. It's gonna be fun! It's FREE!! RSVP NOW! https://russianriverrotary.ejoinme.org/TICKETS See more

Tomorrow is your last chance to order your crab dinner for the Russian River Rotary's Virtual "Stayin' Strong and Crabbin' along feed. Do it NOW! https://russianriverrotary.ejoinme.org/ordercrab

There are just THREE days left to order your crab dinner for the Russian River Rotary's Virtual "Stayin' Strong and Crabbin' along feed. Do it NOW! https://russianriverrotary.ejoinme.org/ordercrab

Is your Russian River restaurant offering Thanksgiving meals? Please let us know so we can promote your business. Email [email protected]

UPDATE SONOMA COAST CLOSURES 7.1.2020 Short summary: *State Parks beach parking lots will CLOSE for 4th of July Weekend; *Regional Parks beach parking lots... will be OPEN for 4th of July Weekend; *Yes, I am concerned about this, for a number of reasons. Longer report: I am already hearing a lot of confusion regarding Sonoma County beach closures. I want to be very clear: the County had absolutely no control over this decision; it was not recommended by our Public Health Officer; it was not approved by Regional Parks or the Board of Supervisors. In fact, our input was not solicited by the State, and we found out about the decision when the rest of California did. It is worth noting that Sonoma County is NOT currently on the State’s watch list so we were not anticipating any state action that would impact us locally. Here in Sonoma County, we consider State Parks to be a very good partner. The County and State both manage public access points along our 55-mile Sonoma Coast. Regional Parks staff and leadership work very closely with State Parks to ensure that we are collaborating and coordinating in management, especially in the midst of the pandemic. As recently as last night, Regional Parks leadership asked State Parks leadership whether there would be any change to management plans for the Fourth of July weekend. The answer was no. Imagine our surprise when, today, the Governor announced that all State Parks parking lots in Sonoma County’s coastal zone would be closed. Here’s why, at the County, we’re concerned with the last-minute closure of parking at State Parks coastal beaches: 1) Serious impacts to highway and neighborhoods where people will park to access beaches. *Increase in congestion and safety concerns in turnouts and high traffic, blind corners along Highway 1; *Increase in impacts to neighborhoods for parking access to the beaches, including trash and public defecation. 2) Pushing heavier visitation on county parks and other public lands, further concentrating people. *Increase in impact to Regional County Parks that are currently experiencing record attendance; *Increase in use of Regional County Park facilities, decreasing the impact of already increased sanitation measures; *Increase in impact to Russian River Parks and neighborhoods as visitors are turned away from coastal beaches. 3) Potential impacts to local businesses and towns if restrooms are closed and visitors are seeking facilities or just urinating and defecating where they can. *Without parking access, restrooms will not be accessible, increasing indoor, private business use as well as public defecation. 4) Frustration levels creating more social strife; people made their holiday plans already and will show up regardless of this last-minute change. *Short notice on a long weekend; *Vacationers will be traveling potentially Thursday with no update that destination beaches will be closed; *Hotels have re-opened and are at capacity; *Decrease to the safety of Regional County Parks personnel as parks fill early and staff are forced to engage with visitors, some who will be disgruntled and confrontational. 5) Outdoor activities do not have a known nexus to COVID transmission. Parks are critical for physical, emotional and mental health. The State should be making targeted decisions based on data, and has not provided us with data to support the efficacy of this strategy. 6) This takes us back to the unequitable strategy of letting those that live on the coast use the public beaches, but not those seeking refuge from heat and cramped living conditions. Personal recommendation: West County, buckle your seat belts... it’s going to be a bumpy weekend. Actually, on second thought, DON’T buckle your seat belts. Stay home. Watch 13th on Netflix. Read a book. Play music. Sing. Garden. Cook. Make (and eat) some popsicles. Do some yoga (YouTube has some great free videos). Go to the coast and river some other time... just not this weekend! **Photo is a submission from a local photographer to our Local Coastal Plan photo contest. And I included it because the eagle’s eyes are doing pretty much exactly what mine did when I heard the announcement from the state today.**