Movie Review: The Russian River: A World River

      How timely: a group of local film producers put together a documentary film on the life of Sonoma County's preeminent river- The Russyian River.  It was a beautifully photographed film, grounded in the ecology of the 170 kilometer long river that drains a significant portion of the coastal county north of the Golden Gate Bridge.
     Of course, the production began with the history of the name, related to the Russyan invasion of California in the mid 1700's.  The Czarists oligarchs were after the fur trade along the coast, mainly the prolific sea otter and its incredibly dense fur.  By the 1780's, the animals were almost completely wiped out by Russyan exploitation.  Disgusted by this turn of events, the Russyan commander sold off the property and buildings to one John Sutter of Gold Rush fame who needed some coastal land for farming and lumber trading.  The Czars had enough furs to last until the Leftists decided they had enough of the Czars.
     The film then proceeded to evaluate the current condition of affairs regarding a host of topics.  Namely, businesses that are dependent on the river for its water.  The most vitriol was directed at the small family vineyard owners who were shown as over users.  The most over use is the function of sprinklers used for frost control at critical times during the early growing season(like now).  Over reliance on ground water/well water was called in question.   No doubt, they said, this situation is caused by a lack of state regulation.   
     Another issue was the effort at restoring the salmon, coho, and steelhead populations native to the drainage area.  All three species have had dramatic drops in returning numbers from the big number days of the 60's.   Cited were many reasons: gravel mining, chemical fertilizer run off, stream diversions, sewage dumping, and population increases that damage the ecosystem.
     The construction of a major dam, the Warm Springs Dam, was cited as a hindrance to the fish, despite the the installation of a hatchery in front of the dam that has been responsible for an improvement in returning fish numbers.  The dam is an earthen-fill type, finished in 1983.  Little mention was made of the lack of development in the county or its relative low population compared to other Bay Area counties(Sonoma stretches from the Pacific Ocean to San Pablo Bay in the south).   Sonoma County is well ahead of other urbanized counties having had a Master Plan for 1995 as early as 1974 when few other counties were looking so far ahead.
     This film was produced privately and will not be screened widely.  A follow up film is planned that will deal with the idea of sustainable agriculture and sustainable water consumption.