River Time!

Oh yes! The mercury is finally rising to seemingly unbearable temperatures, and thus comes the influx of humans, flocking to any and every source of water available to quench their bodies. It is no different here. Some news on the conditions of the Russian River:

Sonoma County Supervisors Approve Funding to finish Dams

Many of the Vacation Beach/Neeley Road/Orchard Avenue residents might be wondering what happened to the Vacation Beach Crossing/Dam? An official press release (as seen here on the Sonoma County Gazette's Blogsite) from the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors came to my inbox a few days ago, explaining the situation. In a nutshell, the county ran out of money, delayed installation, got the money approved as part of the 2011-2012 Budget and now work can commence and is expected to be done by the end of June.

There's a fungus among us

Ok, so bacteria isn't fungus, but you get the picture. Most everybody living, playing in or visiting the River are concerned with the quality of water. Now let's face it, if there's a populous of humans near a body of water, the chances of that water being "pure" of any bacterium is fairly slim (especially if that populous is of the Capitalist-lifestyle), and our river is certainly no exception. So with this in mind, we've become accustomed to these levels of "little dirty bugs" and while some have even built immunities to them, others do have a reported increase of staph-infections, strep throat and other viral ailments. So play it safe. If you aren't feeling up-to-par, have an open wound, or a compromised immune system, keep out of the water. For weekly updates on bacterial samplings, visit the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board's website.

Playin' it Safe

With the increase of body traffic on the beaches comes an increase in the need to play safely. Because of the lack of lifeguards, the adults at the beaches are inherent with the responsibility to protect the smaller bodies that enter the water. Time and time again I have witnessed babies and small children wandering into the water, unbeknownst to their parents, and I personally have had to fish their children out. And those little floatation devices? While they're wonderful fun for a child, they most certainly are NOT an excuse for a parent to turn their attention elsewhere. Bottom line: if your child is not an experienced swimmer, they should not be in the water without you or without your hawkeye on them. AND even if they are experienced, your presence should still be known to them and those around you. To the "grown-ups" around, while they may not be your children, you ARE responsible for every living thing that comes within those waters because of your capability to save them.

So, play it safe. Do the sunscreen thing, keep the booze at a minimum (do we REALLY have to have THAT conversation?), keep dogs on leashes (and clean up after them!), and of course, clean up after yourself when you leave to go home.