< Previous29 The Sea Ranch Public Services For a small, physically isolated community, our facilities and resources are of unusual breadth, quality, and sophistication. Some of these benefits, such as water and broadband service, are fee-based, but modest monthly assessments paid by Association members cover many key services. The Sea Ranch Chapel and Sheep © Craig Tooley30 Clockwise from top left: Sea Ranch Sign; Bicycling Families © Rich Brown; Sea Ranch Sheep © Jim Alinder; House in Redwoods, Donlyn Lyndon, Architect © Jim Alinder31 Services Covered by Monthly Association Assessments Facilities and Resources Department (F&R) The F&R crews maintain all Association facilities and commons areas. The Facilities crew takes care of the pools, tennis courts, and meeting rooms. The Resources crew is responsible for commons areas, including roads, fences, and trails. Vegetation Management/Fire Protection and Prevention F&R operates the fuels management program to reduce fire hazards. They also offer a monthly roadside branch collection service. Owners must schedule pick-up through Member Services at the Association office. Wood chips are available at no cost to members. The Sea Ranch Sheep Begun in 2002, the Sheep Grazing Program, complete with shepherd, manages a herd of over 300 animals that graze the Sea Ranch meadows and hillsides in a cycle that moves them through each area about once a year, thus reducing the fuel load and stimulating the growth of more fire- resistant native perennial grasses. Onsite Wastewater Disposal Wastewater staff monitor the roughly two-thirds of Sea Ranch homes that use individual septic systems. The remaining homes use one of two sanitary sewer collection and treatment systems. Treated wastewater from the north treatment plant provides irrigation solely for The Sea Ranch Golf Links. At the central plant, treated effluent is spray- irrigated onto an adjacent field. Roads and Utilities Sea Ranch roads are paved and well maintained, with the Association applying a slurry seal to one-fifth of the roads annually on a rotating basis. To preserve the natural beauty, most Sea Ranch utilities are located underground. Safety and Security Services This staff protects our privacy, safety, and well-being by maintaining a patrol that drives by every home twice a day, responds to home alarms, checks vacant homes, enforces Sea Ranch rules, prevents trespass, addresses domestic animal control, and assists with fire calls, 32 traffic accidents, rescues, utility problems, road blockages, and other emergencies. Urgent Calls Only: (707) 785-2701. Safety and Security Services oversees our Disaster Response Team. Structured as an Incident Command System organized by neighborhoods, it coordinates the various emergency services. Volunteers across the whole of The Sea Ranch are equipped with radios and walkie-talkies and can assess damage and provide communication. Recreation and Arts Three Sea Ranch recreation centers—Moonraker on the south end, Ohlson in the middle, and Del Mar on the north—together offer heated swimming pools, tennis and pickleball courts, gardens, basketball and volleyball areas, locker rooms, and saunas. The One-Eyed Jack’s picnic area, located on Leeward Road near Pacific Reach, features picnic tables, BBQs, a playground, volleyball and pétanque courts, horseshoe pits, and room for active sports. Our annual Volunteer Firefighters Memorial Day Weekend BBQ and other events take place at One-Eyed Jack’s. Deep in the redwoods along the Gualala River, the Hot Spot offers a picnic area with tables and BBQs and is the location for summertime weekly potluck suppers open to all. These potlucks are held each Tuesday (5–7 pm) from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The Hot Spot is at the end of River Beach Road. For hikers, The Sea Ranch boasts more than 50 miles of trails – along the shore, through the meadows, and in the hills and forest. You can purchase a Trails Map at the Association office. Public access trails. The bluff trail between Gualala Point Regional Park and Walk-on Beach is open to the public, as are six additional access trails that extend from Highway 1 to a designated beach. For bicyclists, internal trails and roads allow biking along the entire length of The Sea Ranch. To prevent erosion, bicycles are not allowed on the Bluff Trail. Sea Ranch Public Services “The views, scents, bluff trails, beaches, architecture, and dog- friendliness brought us here. The delightful bonus: we’ve formed spectacularly close lifelong friendships.” Thom Matson and Hank Stuart, 201933 Sea Ranch Public Services Top: Tennis Players © Mary Alinder; Bottom: Ohlson Recreation Center © Jim Alinder34 Sea Ranch Public Services Clockwise from top left: Father, Son, and Dog on Leash © Rich Brown; Hiking in the Redwoods © Mary Alinder; Architectural Forum at the White Barn © Jim Alinder35 Sea Ranch Public Services Part of the Vision Committee, Sea Ranch Kids is an initiative that aims to create a community for the next generation. They organize casual events throughout the year in order to bring Sea Ranch families together. SeaRanchKids@gmail.com For the recreation of our canine friends, we have a Dog Park, east of Highway 1 near Deer Trail, with a bark groundcover where dogs can romp off-leash. The 19th century Knipp-Stengel Barn (familiarly called the White Barn ) and spaces at the Del Mar and Ohlson Rec Centers provide venues for a variety of concerts, films, and lectures, along with yoga, stretching, strength, and aerobics classes, as well as meeting rooms available for Association committees and interest groups. Energized by over 100 volunteers, The Sea Ranch Thespians present theatrical productions several times a year in the White Barn. Sea Ranch volunteers maintain The Sea Ranch Library, located in the Ohlson Ranch House, with a large collection of fiction, nonfiction, mysteries, cookbooks, children’s books, audiobooks, and DVDs. The Native Plant Garden at the Ohlson Ranch Center, also maintained by volunteers, is divided by zones from bluff to forest, to demonstrate to members how to use natives on their individual properties. Del Mar Center Hall is the site of most large Sea Ranch meetings and gatherings. It may be rented for private parties, such as weddings. The Sea Ranch Archives, also managed by volunteers, preserve documents, photographs, and publications related to Sea Ranch history. Located in the Del Mar ranch house, the Archives are typically open the first Wednesday of each month, from 10 a.m. to noon. Check calendar on TSR website to confirm. The Archives Committee also welcomes appointments by Sea Ranchers for visits at other times. To schedule, please contact the current Committee chair, listed on the TSRA website, or call the TSRA office for contact information. The Del Mar Garden, maintained by volunteers, offers a tranquil haven with footpaths and benches. Its garden is in bloom from spring through fall. The architecturally distinctive, non- denominational Sea Ranch Chapel, built with a generous gift from a Sea Ranch couple and managed by a private foundation, is open daily to the public and available for private meditation and small events such as weddings and memorial services. The Chapel can be reserved through the TSRA office.36 Sea Ranch Public Services TSRA Services Not Covered by Monthly Association Assessments Water The Sea Ranch Water Company Owned by the Association and regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission, the Water Company staff manages, maintains, and repairs the facilities necessary to deliver this vital resource. Our water, which is of very high quality, comes from wells on the east side of the Gualala River and is processed through treatment with required chlorine in a clear well or at the water treatment plant before delivery, as determined by river flows. Thanks to a reservoir that allows for more than two years of continuous service in the event of severe drought, we have a plentiful supply of water. Water conservation is actively encouraged. In 2018, the Water Company initiated the EyeOnWater program, a system that, for a one- time fee, allows members to monitor their water use against normal patterns and alerts homeowners to even tiny leaks the day they happen. Internet Broadband Access to dependable, high- speed internet service is provided by community-owned Sea Ranch Connect, an underground fiber optic network installed to the curb of every house, lot, and business at The Sea Ranch. The network also provides flat-rate local and long distance telephone service. While traditional telephone land lines run to most homes, today Sea Ranch Connect carries approximately 1/3 of our telephone traffic—and it’s growing. A cable company can provide access to traditional television programs. Many residents have chosen to go with streaming via Sea Ranch Connect broadband service or to subscribe to commercial satellite services. “The Sea Ranch fiber optic internet allows us to work for companies in Berkeley and Boston, while watching hummingbirds, gray foxes (amazing!) and fawns from our home here.” Ryan Buckley and Caitlin Cagrell, 2019. The White Barn and Full Moon © Jim AlinderNext >