“I love coming out on the river with my granddaughter,” says Russian River kayaking guide and environmental educator Suki Waters. “My grandmother and I used to walk this same beach.”
Waters is a member of 索诺玛 County’s Kashia Band of Pomo 印度ns in 詹纳 by the Sea. As owner of the tour operator WaterTreks, she talks about the area in this Outbound Collective video, offers a glimpse of how travelers can help keep these 水域 beautiful for future generations.
的 Back Story
Just about a mile from the Pacific Ocean, the Russian River Estuary offers both a river and ocean experience. This intersection of fresh and salt water supports a wide range of wildlife, including harbor 海豹, 水鸟, 水獭, bald eagles, even foxes and mink. 的 Kashia Band of Pomo 印度ns has lived in this region for time immemorial, with homelands stretching south from the Gualala River 到 Duncan’s Landing附近的 Bodega Bay, 和n about 30 miles inland to the Dry Creek Valley. Today, their membership totals fewer than 1,000, members live in 索诺玛, 奇诺, 湖, 纳帕 县.
As part of both 索诺玛 Coast State Park 和 Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, the Russian River Estuary is both a Marine Protected Area and State Managed Marine Recreation Area. That means you can play here, but you can’t extract anything—as in, no fishing.
Paddle the Area Yourself
Visitors can rent kayaks, 桨, life vests from WaterTreks to explore the 水域 solo; you can book gear for a few hours, 半天, or a full day. Or book one of the tours that combines guided kayaking with a few easy hikes along the beaches. 的 typically four-hour tours come with gear plus a dry bag and water-resistant outerwear if needed.
Choose from available options including the Island Walk—which focuses on native flora and fauna and Native American culture on the river‘s Penny Island—or the Goat Rock Beach walk, which includes more wildlife and a detailed look at Arched Rock, which made a cameo in the movie Goonies.
You can explore in the late day and evening too. WaterTrek offers sunset and full moon tours, as well as a Bioluminescent Night Tour (typically from mid-August to early October), when you can see fish, 海豹, other marine life swimming among the bioluminescent 水域.
Beyond learning, you can pitch in too. Waters regularly collects plankton from the ocean to help the California Department of Health Services track algal blooms. Take the Plankton Sample Morning tour and you can help her with that errand while learning about red tides and bioluminescent plankton.
Where to Stay
的 Graton Resort & 赌场 in Rohnert Park features a 200-room hotel with a modern aesthetic, as well as a casino and spa. Less than an hour from 詹纳, the resort is owned by the Federated 印度ns of Graton Rancheria, which is affiliated with both the Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo tribes.