Editorial

Editor: It¹s hard to believe that 24 years have passed since we

Most people have heard the slogan “Only rain down the drain” or have seen decals near storm drain inlets with the words “DRAINS TO CREEK, NO DUMPING” on them. And we know what a wonderful environment we have in Sonoma and Mendocino Counties — our rivers and creeks are a major part of what is so great about living here. As you go about your daily tasks at work and home, you want to do what’s right to protect our environment, but sometimes it seems more convenient to overlook the responsible action, or just take a shortcut. It may seem easy to just clean a paint brush or roller with a hose into the street gutter or inlet rather than into the sink. After all, it’s just a little paint. Or when completing the replacement of a portion of a driveway you might be tempted to hose off the excess concrete into the nearby storm drain inlet — what else can you do with it? Let’s say the area around the dumpster or garbage can is getting a little dirty so why not a quick rinse with a hose to clean it up? It goes to a treatment plant, doesn’t it? These are all examples of how waste can end in our creeks.

Editor: My daughter and I just finished our third Relay for Life

Thank you, Healdsburg Primary Care

It¹s back-to-school time. Everywhere you go, the yellow school

Endorsing McGuire

Editor: I am a senior at Cardinal Newman High School. For the

One of the more publicized events to have come out of Sacramento

Water! Everyone needs it. It’s vital to life itself. “Water is a finite resource with no substitute and upon which there is total dependence” (Ana Palacio, June 2007). So, whenever water issues are discussed, everyone comes to the table with a personal interest and a driving need to be heard.  We tend to use buzz words like efficiency and conservation when we talk about water, when what we really need to do is strive toward better stewardship of our water supply. Being good stewards of our water resources and managing those resources wisely is necessary in order to ensure the availability of water for ourselves and future generations.