540PacificAvenue,SantaRosa,CA95404 scca@ConservationAction.

org
BoardofDirectors
BillKortum,Pres.Emer. UnaGlass,President DavidKeller,Chair MegMcCollister JaneNeilson MargarettPennington EdSheffield JanisWatkins

Phone:(707)5718566Fax:(707)5711678 www.ConservationAction.org April 4, 2014

David Rabbitt, Chair Sonoma County Board of Supervisors 575 Administration Drive, Room 100 A Santa Rosa, CA 95403 RE: Ratna Ling Retreat Center and Dharma Press Dear Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, The industrial expansion of the Ratna Ling printing operation with the increase in heavy truck traffic will initiate an inevitable challenge to our present road system in the Northwestern region of Sonoma County. Widening and improving will stimulate further industrial commercial and housing activity, all of which change the rural and forested character of the Northwest region. Using road capacity to control coastal development on our ocean front, the California Coastal Commission ruled that the Coastal Highway could not be enlarged to four lanes and at the same time reduced the number of Sea Ranch lots from 5500 to 2500 to accommodate the more limited road capacity. The region has many miles of "Heritage Roads", vulnerable to the inevitable demands for road improvement started by this initial truck dependent industrial activity. The County has a powerful tool of using inadequate road capacity to deny the permit and to at least wait until a Heritage Road policy can be developed by the Road Department and PRMD. I understand that the original permit did not allow for this kind of industrial capacity. But now that this activity is illegally here, the Board would be setting an undesirable precedent for the whole northwest corner by this expansion of industrial activity illegally present at this time. A county with a national reputation for respecting its open space should be able to protect this huge corner in its natural state. Possible, of course, by addressing the capacity of its present road system. Fresh from an environmental victory of enormous proportions in our Northwest district, the County witnessed the demise of Preservation Ranch. The precedent of saving the Northwest corner of Sonoma County from grape growing and, one hopes, from misplaced industrial and commercial activity, the Ratna Ling book manufacturing is an unneeded industrial foot in the door to change the character of this Sonoma County asset. Sincerely,

ExecutiveDirector
DennisRosatti

OfficeManager
DianeSchulz

Membership
SaraSharpGoldstein

FieldManagers
DavidPetritz

FieldTrainers
KateFraga

FieldOrganizers
GenevievePerdue TrevorDobbins PeterHammer WillDumont MarkMaldonado

PhoneManager
DavidPetritz

PhoneOrganizers
KadinCordova

Bill Kortum Board President Emeritus