Dear Members of The Sea Ranch Association,

Sunrise on the coast is a treat this week. Hawks call and hunt in meadows for breakfast. Trailside flowers appear to wake up – a phenomenon known as nyctinasty – and bask in the sun. Rhododendron and Ceanothus dot the forest with pops of color as well. If wind on the ocean bluff is a bit much, head into the redwoods for peace and a reprieve. Feathers, ferns, and fawns will keep you company.

Tuesday evening picnics at the Hot Spot have started up again for summer season fun. Bring delicious fare to share, and enjoy late day relaxation in one of the most magical spots on The Sea Ranch. 5 pm Tuesdays throughout the summer. Hope to see you there.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of our special community on the coast. Hearty members have been hard at work preparing celebrations, activities – and a calendar – of inspiring photographs and fun facts that make up the warm – and entertaining – history of The Sea Ranch. Call or email us to reserve your copy.

Have a wonderful rest of the week and enjoy it all!

Thank you,
Menka Sethi
TSRA Community Manager

July Bulletin Submissions

Next Wednesday, June 4 is the last day to submit your articles for the July Bulletin. 

Please submit your Bulletin articles through the Submit Content Form. This form is always accessible from the Community page.

The Sea Ranch Water Company Valve Excavation

Over the next three months, The Sea Ranch Water Company will be excavating water valves to prepare for a leak detection project that will pinpoint and fix leaks in the water supply lines. Please be mindful of water company trucks and workers (from American Leak Detection) that may be parked in the street doing work.  This street work will begin on the south side of TSR and work north.

The Hot Spot Opened

The Hot Spot is open for the summer season. At the foot of River Beach Road on the Gualala, River, this popular riverside picnic spot is deep in the redwoods, with picnic tables, barbecues, and a portable toilet. 

Annual South Coast Swim Lessons and Ohlson Pool Closure

Date: June 16-27, Monday-Friday
Time: Noon to 3:00 pm

The Mendocino Coast Recreation & Park District’s South Coast Swim lessons will take place at Ohlson Pool in June. The pool and saunas will be closed for lessons from 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm on Monday, June 16 – through Friday, June 20 and Monday, June 23 through Friday, June 27. The last available lap lane reservations on these dates will be at 11:15 am. Both the Del Mar and Moonraker pools will remain open and available during this time.  

Photo Credits: 1. Photo by Craig Tooley 2. Board of Directors video library. 3. Tim Fulkerson and Mark Godley, elected members of the Board of Directors. 4. June 2025 Bulletin. 5. Photo by Leo Maxam. 6. Photo by Linda Lipkin. 7. Andrea Redick Nilsen and George Calys award Do Kyung Lee the Leslie Redick Memorial Scholarship, May 7 2025. Photo by Andrea Redick Nilsen. 8. Sea Ranch Kids planting in the Del Mar Schoolhouse community garden. Photo by Sarah Hebenstreit.

If you would like your event or activity to appear as an InfoAlert, please submit your information to our online Request Form or email to [email protected].

Dear Members of The Sea Ranch Association,

Yesterday, a Sea Rancher generously shared a photo of a barred owl smooching (allopreening) its mate on a tree on The Sea Ranch. It brought contagious smiles and reinforced how sweet life is on The Sea Ranch. The image itself is nearly perfect from a technical perspective – and fully perfect from a poetic perspective. While there may be noise and disruption in the global context, the warm community of The Sea Ranch offers generosity, and our natural paradise offers abundance. To say that life here and now is beautiful is an understatement.

Our Facilities and Resources crews have put their hearts into tidying up The Sea Ranch in preparation for Memorial Day festivities. This group of high-integrity, hard-working, and caring individuals make a remarkable team. Our Communication, Association Clerk, and Member Services teams have been diligent in laying the rigorous groundwork for a smooth Director Election this weekend. The Sea Ranch Water Company team is flow-testing hydrants this week to help North Sonoma Coast Fire Protection District maintain its regulatory compliance and ratings. It is hard not to sense a calm pride – and a bit of tiredness — beneath the persistent and kind smiles of The Sea Ranch Association and The Sea Ranch Water Company teams.

Join the fun on Sunday at the Volunteer Fire Department’s BBQ at One-Eyed Jack’s. Skilled and loving hands donate time and resources to ensure emergency responders have enough resources to keep residents and structures within the Fire Protection District boundaries safe in time of need. It is a strong testament to the strength of our community that so many members come together to support our collective wellbeing.

Learn more below about the many ways to enjoy the holiday weekend on The Sea Ranch. Sharing with you heartfelt gratitude for bringing light and loveliness to our small spot of paradise on the coast.

Thank you,
Menka Sethi
TSRA Community Manager

TSRA and TSR Water Company Joint Annual Meeting and Election

Joint Annual Meeting Date: Saturday, May 24
Time: 10:00 am to Noon, reconvenes at 2:30 pm
Location: Del Mar Hall or online via Zoom

Beginning at 10:00 am:

At 2:30 pm, reconvene for the following:

Agendas and Zoom login information can be found on the Association website.

TSRA and TSR Water Company Organizational Meeting

TSRA and TSR Water Company Organizational Meeting
Date: Sunday, May 25
Time: 9:00 am
Location: Del Mar Hall or online via Zoom

Agendas and Zoom login information can be found on the Association website.

Moonraker Recreation Closure

TSRA Facilities & Resources crew has begun annual mowing operations which will temporarily affect facilities. Moonraker Recreation Center will be closed on May 23, 2025, 8:00 am – 1:00 pm.  

TSRA and TSR Water Company Offices Closed

Date: Tuesday, May 27
Time: All Day

The Sea Ranch Association and Water Company offices will be closed on Tuesday, May 27 in observance of Memorial Day.

Contact Info for Home Security Systems

For Sea Ranch members with home security systems, be advised TSRA security officers are not licensed first responders and cannot enter homes without the sheriff or CAL FIRE on scene. We recommend removing the TSRA Security phone number from your home security system and replacing it with your own.

Seabird Nest Monitoring Drone Survey

The Coastal Stewardship Task Force will conduct a drone survey  over Gualala Point Island to photograph nesting seabirds not visible from shore. The survey will occur at 8:00 am on one of the following mornings, weather permitting: May 27, 28 or 29.

Bird Walk at Mill Bend Preserve

Date: Thursday, May 22
Time: 8:30 am
Location: Mill Bend Preserve, 46698 Old Stage Rd, Gualala, CA. Meet at the pullout on the east side of Highway 1 (immediately north of the Gualala River bridge).

Join us for a bird walk at Mill Bend Preserve! Beginning at the edge of the Gualala River where we typically see a variety of song birds, raptors, and water birds, we will continue to upper Mill Bend to walk through the meadows and forest, and end with a beautiful view of the river through the Redwoods. 

Sonoma County Coast Municipal Advisory Council Alternate

An alternate is needed for The Sea Ranch/Annapolis representative on the Sonoma County Coast Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) for two upcoming meetings: July 17 and September 18 from 5:30-7:30 pm. The alternate ensures quorum is met and requires little other than listening, taking notes, and writing a summary – though providing input is certainly welcome. An alternate must have a residence and be registered to vote on The Sea Ranch or Annapolis. The Coast MAC “…is established to advise the Board of Supervisors and other County decision makers on local planning and management decisions relating to the Sonoma County Coast region, to provide a regular forum for citizen participation in the formation of advisory recommendations on those decisions and to provide a bridge for communication between the County and local residents and businesses, and the general public on local government decisions affecting the Sonoma County Coast.”

To learn more about the MAC, visit the County of Sonoma website. To learn more about the alternate vacancy, contact Scott Nevin [email protected].

Photo Credits: 1. Photo by Craig Tooley. 2. Photo by J Kohari. 3. NSCVF Memorial Day BBQ Logo. 4. General Notice section of TSRA website.

If you would like your event or activity to appear as an InfoAlert, please submit your information to our online Request Form or email to [email protected].

Dear Members of The Sea Ranch Association,

The full moon this week cast on the ocean a path of light so bright that rest was fleeting. Why sleep when such beauty is to be absorbed and experienced? Perhaps you too were drawn to the glowing orb of the past few nights – amplified here on The Sea Ranch as our dark skies showcase the stars and our silence creates space for discovery.

Our Facilities and Resources team is busy readying The Sea Ranch for upcoming summer fun. Del Mar Center will reopen on Friday – with fresh paint, polishing touches, and a pristine pool. Crews will be working at the boat ramp later this week. Mowing will occur around Ohlson and Moonraker recreation centers this Friday and next. Plan accordingly.

The Volunteer Fire Department is in search of a few more willing hands to serve delicious fare at the Memorial Day Weekend BBQ. Meet fellow Sea Ranchers while contributing to operational prowess of firefighting resources that help keep our community safe. How lucky we are to have both our water storage capacity and firefighting resources. Learn more below.

Feathered friends are out in full force this week. The red-tail hawk near my home is extra round – full belly. The meadow buffet must be extra delicious as of late. Enjoy all the special moments that our natural paradise might offer this week.

Thank you,
Menka Sethi
TSRA Community Manager

Voting in the Board of Directors Election

Association staff cannot handle ballots; ballots should not be delivered to the Association offices. The deadline for the return of ballots to the inspector of elections will be noon on May 24, 2025. Under our bylaws, our Inspector of Election (O’Toole Rogers) must receive at least 738 ballots for a TSRA Board election. As of May 9, O’Toole Rogers has received 543 valid ballots. There are TWO ways to deliver your ballot to the Inspector of Elections:

Del Mar Recreation Center Maintenance

Del Mar Recreation Center, including pool, showers, saunas and locker rooms, will be closed through May 15, and will reopen on Friday, May 16 (finishing touches in the locker rooms are ongoing). During the closure the locker rooms will be painted and other general maintenance items completed. Tennis courts will remain open.

Ohlson Pool will open earlier at 7:00 am throughout the Del Mar Recreation Center closure. During this time members can make lap lane reservations beginning from 7:00 am via tsra.org/book.

Mowing Season

TSRA Facilities & Resources crew has begun annual mowing operations which will temporarily affect the following facilities:

Biomass Management: Prescribed Pile Burning

With assistance from CAL FIRE and NSCFPD teams and working closely with Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution Control District, TSRA will continue prescribed pile burning in Commons area near the Dog Park through the end of the week, weather permitting. 

Please share your questions on this topic to [email protected] with the subject: Prescribed Pile Burning. Learn more about the plans by watching the Dec 14, 2024 BOD Regular Session video.

Native Plant Committee Meeting

Native Plant Committee Meeting 
Date: Friday, May 16
Time: 3:00 to 5:00 pm 

Meeting information is available on the Association website. 

Trails Committee Meeting

Trails Committee Meeting
Date: Saturday, May 17
Time: 9:00 to 10:30 am

Zoom login information is available on the Association website.

Commons Landscape Committee Workshop

Commons Landscape Committee Workshop
Date: Saturday, May 17
Time: 11:00 am to 1:00 pm
Location: Del Mar Hall and virtual via Zoom

Wondering how to make your space fire-defensible? The CLC continues preparation of a Defensible Space Manual and is hosting a workshop covering material from the manual and addressing member questions.

Zoom login information is available on the Association website.

Ecology Subcommittee Meeting

Ecology Subcommittee of the Planning Committee Meeting
Date: Sunday, May 18
Time: 3:00 pm

Zoom login information is available on the Association website. 

Exploring Our Tide Pools

Date: Sunday, May 18
Time: 9:00 am
Location: Meet at the Ohlson Recreation Center large parking lot to hike or carpool to the tide pools.

Join us for an educational and entertaining look at the inhabitants of our tide pools guided by marine life experts Bob Van Syoc and Frankie Moitoza. An easy 20-min. hike followed by a short, moderately steep path from the bluff to the tide pools. Please, no children under 6 years and no pets. Co-Sponsored with the Coastal Stewardship Task Force.

The Sea Ranch Thespians Present Close Encounters

Date: May 15-18
Time: 4:00 pm
Location: Knipp Stengel Barn, 37600 Hwy 1

Close Encounters is a compilation of 3 one-act plays – Sure Thing by David Ives, The Way of All Fish by Elaine May, and Please Have a Seat and Someone Will Be with You Shortly by Garth Wingfield. These shows explore human connection in comic and touching ways. Free admission – limited seating – reservations required. Details and tickets at www.searanchthespians.com or 707-785-2548.

Neighborhood Potlucks – You Are Invited

Volunteerism is alive and well at TSR! Neighborhood Potlucks Covering Every Unit are planned for this summer in celebration of our 60th Birthday. Thirty-six Sea Ranchers have volunteered as Potluck Organizers, ten of whom organized their neighborhood potluck for our 50th. And once again the effort is coordinated by Ginny Rubin under the aegis of the Vision Committee. Learn more about the potluck in your neighborhood in the May Bulletin. Questions: [email protected]

Save the Date: Del Mar Schoolhouse Event

Date: Saturday, June 7
Time: 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Location: Del Mar Schoolhouse

Learn about the history of the Del Mar Schoolhouse. Great event for visiting children and their grandparents. Meet at the NE corner of Leeward and Deer Trail.

Photo Credits: 1. Photo by Craig Tooley 2. Photo from Planning Committee Meeting. 3. Photo by Craig Tooley. 4. Photo of Submit Content form. 5. Photo from A Radical Thread film by Jeanne C. Finley. 6. Photo by Craig Tooley.  

If you would like your event or activity to appear as an InfoAlert, please submit your information to our online Request Form or email to [email protected].