News briefs

Sonoma endorses parks measure

Sonoma is among the first California cities to become an official supporter of a proposed initiative to fund California State Parks with a new vehicle fee.
The State Parks and Wildlife Conservation Trust Fund Act of 2010, now gathering signatures to qualify for the November ballot, would give California vehicles free year-round admission to state parks in exchange for a new $18 vehicle license fee, which will be specifically dedicated to state parks and wildlife conservation.
Sonoma City Councilwoman Laurie Gallian requested the agenda item, which was approved by a majority vote of the council on Feb. 3. Keeping the city’s parks open is vital to the local tourism economy, she said, and the preservation and maintenance of historic assets such as the Mission and the Vallejo House.
The measure would raise about $500 million a year by adding the new surcharge to the annual cost of registering a vehicle.
Now subject to the state’s dwindling general fund, the parks system has seen drastic budget cuts over the last two years. The governor’s proposed budget for the fiscal year beginning in July 2010 eliminates all funding for state parks, and instead offers a formula to restore it with prospective revenue from new offshore oil drilling.
Plaza tree planting to mark Arbor Day

A new Coastal Redwood will be planted and dedicated in the front southeast quadrant of the Sonoma Plaza on March 11. The public is invited to join community organizations, schools and local dignitaries for the 11 a.m. Arbor Day celebration.
The tree will become the new holiday tree for the annual Hospice By The Bay lighting. It joins several other Plaza trees which commemorate important events in California’s history, according to Tom Rusert of Sonoma Birding, co-founder of the Arbor Day celebration which began last year.
“Very few experiences in wine country can rival a leisurely walk beneath our majestic and historic Plaza trees,” Rusert said. “This eight acre arboretum is filled with amazing treasures that truly personify Sonoma’s roots, and Arbor Day.”
Rusert has created a “self-guided” tree and bird map of the Plaza, which is now available at the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau office.
A week of public Arbor Day events includes two Overlook Trail hikes, a San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge hike, the dedication of new trees and gardens at the Sonoma Community Center, and a tree dedication at the Sonoma Valley Woman’s Club.

Holocaust survivor’s son to speak to middle schoolers

On Friday, Feb. 26, Adele Harrison Middle School eighth graders and students in the school’s leadership class will hear a presentation given by renowned holocaust speaker, Alan “Woody” Morawiec. Morawiec’s father, Chaim, is a Holocaust survivor but finds it too difficult to speak about himself so his son tells his tale.
Morawiec, a teacher, took up the charge in 2000 after hearing about national Holocaust Awareness Week. A teacher, he seized on the opportunity to address the topic with his students and used a pair of his father’s shoes to help in his depiction. He says that shoes have become symbolic of the holocaust because piles of them were found when allied troops liberated the camps.
Morawiec subsequently created the Holocaust Shoe Project, collecting shoes from students and teachers that he then donated to Colorado’s needy. He collected 300 pairs the first time. Since then, Holocaust Shoe Project has sent 31,000 pairs of shoes all over the world.
At Adele, the eighth grade students are currently reading “The Diary of Anne Frank,” and completing various assignments related to the holocaust, including Morawiec’s presentation. The students will also be supporting Morawiec’s Holocaust Shoe Project with help from the leadership class.