Regional Parks eyes Healdsburg’s Del Rio Woods as public beach

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday took its most significant step in permanently acquiring Del Rio Woods, a move that, when finalized, will expand lands owned and managed by Sonoma County Regional Parks and secure public beach access along 1,000 feet of the Russian River east of Healdsburg.

Supervisors unanimously approved dissolving the Del Rio Woods Recreation and Park District after its five members resigned in December of 2014, citing little need for their services because they were no longer charged with overseeing operation of a seasonal dam each summer along that stretch of the Russian River near Fitch Mountain.

“This is very exciting,” said Supervisor James Gore, whose north county district includes the area. “Because of environmental regulations enacted to ensure safe fish passage, they lost their ability to put the dam up. Now we’ll be able to maintain the beach and ensure public access.”

County supervisors in 1942 formed the Del Rio Woods Recreation and Park District to create a public beach, which depended on building a seasonal dam. But a decision by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife required the board to halt dam operations to restore sensitive habitat for imperiled coho salmon and steelhead trout. Donald King, former president of the district, said the county-funded agency stopped erecting the dam in 2001.

“We’d been trying for years to get approval to put in a ‘flashboard’ dam, like the one at Johnson’s Beach, but state regulators wanted a full environmental review and we just couldn’t afford that,” King said. “From our standpoint, the benefit of having a dam made it worthwhile to give our time and efforts. It was a wonderful swimming and boating place, but now it’s a river that’s less than a foot deep.”

Caryl Hart, Regional Parks director, hailed the addition of the six-acre property as a major win. Hart said Regional Parks owns 12,000 acres of land comprised of parks and trails. Until Tuesday, it was unclear whether supervisors would endorse the transfer.

Supervisors over the past few months have undertaken an extensive public review process to gauge what nearby residents wanted for the beach. In addition to Regional Parks ownership, options included recruiting new members to oversee the district or putting the land up for sale.

“Some residents did propose selling it and converting it to private property,” Hart said. “Taking it over does permanently protect it and help ensure the health of the Russian River.”

Hart said parks officials will also work with area residents to address their concerns about increased traffic, noise and what some characterized as a party atmosphere, especially on summer holiday weekends.

“Responsible management is important,” Hart said. “And we’re excited about adding to the chain of parks we have along the Russian River, from Cloverdale River Park... to Steelhead Beach.”

Pat Abercrombie, who lives on North Fitch Mountain Road, which leads to the beach, said some of the neighbors in the area have expressed concern over the past few months about increased use of the beach.

“The only way to get to there is on North Fitch Mountain Road, this narrow winding road, so on holiday weekends the traffic can get really bad and it can get pretty loud,” said Abercrombie, who is also chairman of a six-member volunteer committee recently formed to work with Regional Parks on any issues that arise. “There is some apprehension about promoting the beach... and turning this relatively tranquil neighborhood into a circus.”

The county’s $65,000 annual property tax allocation for operations and maintenance is expected to stay roughly the same. Parks officials are also planning to use a portion of the $213,000 in reserve funds to make Americans with Disabilities Act improvements in the parking lot and restrooms. Supervisors said they expect the transfer to be finalized by the Local Agency Formation Commission, or LAFCO, next year.

You can reach Staff Writer Angela Hart at 526-8503 or angela.hart@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ahartreports.