On April 29, 2023, the Rotary Club of Healdsburg, Rotary Club of Healdsburg Sunrise and the Healdsburg High School Interact Club joined up in helping the Russian Riverkeeper remove Arundo donax on the banks of the Russian River.
The purpose of the ongoing project is to remove arundo donax which is a non-native invasive plant that is plentiful along the Russian River. Arundo donax is a fire hazard due to its extremely flammable nature. It also uses much more water than native plant species and negatively affects the ecology of the Russian River. Two years ago Former Fire Marshal, Linda Collister, reached out to the Russian Riverkeeper to do the Arundo donax removal project as part of the Healdsburg Open Space and Surrounding Area Fuels Reduction Project. The Russian Riverkeeper agreed to do the project on the 5.2 miles of the Russian River from Rio Lindo Academy downstream to below the Highway 101 bridge. Our Rotary Club of Healdsburg and Rotary District 5130 awarded a $3,940. grant to Russian Riverkeeper for two battery powered chain saws and two hedgers for their work. Our Rotary Club of Healdsburg, Rotary Club of Healdsburg Sunrise, and the Healdsburg High School Interact Club already had a work day on November 5, 2022. We are planning to have another work day on Saturday, April 29 from 8:30 to 12 noon. We will be gathering in Badger Park. We are looking into the possibility of inviting the residents of Healdsburg to volunteer to help us on future work days.