Amidst all the agricultural and economic impacts of the drought, Dick Butler of the National Marine Fisheries Service pointed out the obvious--that it is also bad news for fish.

To help get a jump on the rationing that is almost certainly coming our way, here are the Sonoma County Water Agency's

Top 10 Water Conservation Tips:

• Reduce outdoor watering by one day a week
• Find and repair leaks now
• Inspect and tune-up your sprinkler system monthly
• Water between midnight and 6:00 a.m. to reduce water loss from evaporation and wind
• Use a broom, not a hose, to clean your driveway, deck or patio
• Use a bucket and a hose with an automatic shut-off nozzle when you wash the car, or take your car to a carwash that recycles
• Cover pools and hot-tubs to reduce evaporation
• Use front-load washing machines
• Run the dishwasher and clothes washer with full loads only
• Prevent and report water waste

Beyond the pursuit of happiness lies the bigger question of how to sustain it.

Read the article here:  10 Things Science Says Will Make You Happy

Sarah van Gelder, executive editor of Yes!Magazine says that one of her favorite things about this issue was learning about Colin Beavan,  the New York resident who calls himself "No Impact Man."

Beavan's article describes how he and his family observed a gift-less Christmas. You can read his blog here.

Researchers say thankful people tend to be happy people. Click here to take a test to find out your gratitude score. 

 The staff of Yes! has also prepared this Resource Guide for Sustainable Happiness.

As many as 25% of the homeless in Sonoma County are veterans, people who are entitled to services and assistance they often don't know about. But a new volunteer coalition is working to change that.

  One frequent obstacle that Vet Connect volunteers must often overcome, says Andy Pyburn, is a widespread reluctance to accept the services to which the veterans are entitled.

Vet Connect gatherings are held regularly at the following Sonoma County locations:
Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building
    Every Tuesday, 9 am to noon
Contact Dave: 694-7614
Guerneville Veterans Memorial Building
    Second Thursday of each month, 3-6 pm
Contact John: 869-9459
Sonoma Veterans Memorial Building
    Third Thursday of each month, Noon -3 pm
Contact Ted: 337-4518
Petaluma, next to the library (310 Payran St.)
    Fourth Thursday of each month, Noon -3 pm
Contact Andy: 763-9924
Participating agencies include: The Santa Rosa VA Clinic (left), Sonoma County Veterans Service Office, Sonoma County Department of Health Services, North Bay Veterans Resource Center, and the Vet Center of Rohnert Park.
All Veterans and family members are welcome! 

How many people are homeless in Sonoma County? The bi-annual Homeless Census is attempting to find out.

Who better than people who are or have been homeless themselves to guide the census takers to the hidden places where other  shelterless individuals take refuge, such as underpasses or thickets along creekbeds. 

 Many local organizations teamed up to support and participate in this year's census, including the following:

You can find out more about Sonoma County's 10-year plan for ending homelessness here.

An early businessman named John Bagley may have been the most prominent citizen of the town that became Guerneville, but as Schubert relates,  Bagley chose to name it for one of his friends and business partners, rather than himself.

Before the train came out the Russian River from the Santa Rosa plain, some Guerneville area entrepreneurs tried using the river itself as a transportation corridor, but as John Schubert relates, that proved to be a short-lived experiment.

John Schubert,  is a Russian River historian and board member for the Sonoma County Historical Society as well as the Russian River Historical Society. His  Guerneville Early Days: A History of the Lower Russian River, covers the history of Guerneville up to 1910.

Schubert's self-published book received the 1999 Campbell Augustus Menefee Scholastic Award.

As logging cleared more and more land along the lower Russian River, some astute local businessmen came up with a plan to maximize their resources, by selling vacation homes in the area.

A common feature of these vacation homes was a wraparound porch, which John Schubert explains was far more practical when they were built than now.