Although Sea Ranch Forums have not been held for the past two years, they have a long tradition at The Sea Ranch. As we reinstate The Sea Ranch Forum presentations, we thought a short history would be of interest.
A History of The Sea Ranch Forums
By Laurie Mueller
The Sea Ranch Forums were started nearly 50 years ago as an independent member-run venue for Sea Ranchers interested in learning more about topics of common interest in our community.
In the early '70s, a group of Sea Ranch owners who wanted an opportunity to discuss issues outside the constraints of formal Board meetings formed COCO, the Committee of Concerned Owners. Early meetings were informal and held in owners' homes. People with the background or knowledge on a chosen topic were invited to make presentations and lead discussions.
When COCO disbanded in 1974, The Sea Ranch Forum was created as a more public forum for discussions on a wide variety of topics of interest to the Sea Ranch community. Jim Cockburn and George Wickstead were among the Sea Ranchers who chaired the Forum in its early years.
The Forum has always maintained its independence from the Association and through the years has often served as an informal "town hall" to consider and discuss major issues of concern to members or to explore new ideas. Other Forums have addressed topics such as regional community services and many other aspects of Sea Ranch community life.
Over the years, TSRA staff members and committee or task force volunteers frequently have been asked to provide expertise as part of a panel presentation on a particular topic, but the topics and speakers have been chosen by the Forum Steering Committee, composed of Sea Ranch members interested in organizing Forums for our community. Forums were traditionally held the first Saturday of each month at the Del Mar Hall.
For many years the Forum committee was chaired by Nancy Custer. During that time she and her husband Walt produced and distributed DVDs of most of the Forums the committee presented. Many of the DVDs have been retained as part of The Sea Ranch Archives.
In more recent years, the Forum Committee was headed up by Leigh and Laurie Mueller until 2019 when the traditional monthly Forums were suspended because there were no longer enough committee members to maintain a monthly schedule of Forums.
A History of The Sea Ranch Forums
By Laurie Mueller
The Sea Ranch Forums were started nearly 50 years ago as an independent member-run venue for Sea Ranchers interested in learning more about topics of common interest in our community.
In the early '70s, a group of Sea Ranch owners who wanted an opportunity to discuss issues outside the constraints of formal Board meetings formed COCO, the Committee of Concerned Owners. Early meetings were informal and held in owners' homes. People with the background or knowledge on a chosen topic were invited to make presentations and lead discussions.
When COCO disbanded in 1974, The Sea Ranch Forum was created as a more public forum for discussions on a wide variety of topics of interest to the Sea Ranch community. Jim Cockburn and George Wickstead were among the Sea Ranchers who chaired the Forum in its early years.
The Forum has always maintained its independence from the Association and through the years has often served as an informal "town hall" to consider and discuss major issues of concern to members or to explore new ideas. Other Forums have addressed topics such as regional community services and many other aspects of Sea Ranch community life.
Over the years, TSRA staff members and committee or task force volunteers frequently have been asked to provide expertise as part of a panel presentation on a particular topic, but the topics and speakers have been chosen by the Forum Steering Committee, composed of Sea Ranch members interested in organizing Forums for our community. Forums were traditionally held the first Saturday of each month at the Del Mar Hall.
For many years the Forum committee was chaired by Nancy Custer. During that time she and her husband Walt produced and distributed DVDs of most of the Forums the committee presented. Many of the DVDs have been retained as part of The Sea Ranch Archives.
In more recent years, the Forum Committee was headed up by Leigh and Laurie Mueller until 2019 when the traditional monthly Forums were suspended because there were no longer enough committee members to maintain a monthly schedule of Forums.
The Sea Ranch Forum now has new leadership and started again holding forums, but not on the monthly schedule it had for many years. Our first forum was recorded in April 2022 over Zoom at times convenient for the Sonoma County Sheriff candidates for the primary election. Those videos are available to view on our YouTube channel.
Our first in-person meeting since the relaunching of this organization was held on Saturday, February 4th, 2023 at the Del Mar Center Hall. Our new Community Manager Menka Sethi was the guest. The recording of that meeting can be found on our YouTube channel and on our recent forums page.
There was a forum held on August 4, 2023 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Sea Ranch Forum and The Sea Ranch Volunteer Fire Department (now known as the North Sonoma Coast Fire Protection District). Unfortunately, that forum was not recorded. Below is the article from the Independent Coast Observer (ICO) that announced and covered the first meeting of The Sea Ranch Forum as well as the October 2023 article printed in The Sea Ranch Bulletin describing the history of both the Forum and the fire department.
Our first in-person meeting since the relaunching of this organization was held on Saturday, February 4th, 2023 at the Del Mar Center Hall. Our new Community Manager Menka Sethi was the guest. The recording of that meeting can be found on our YouTube channel and on our recent forums page.
There was a forum held on August 4, 2023 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Sea Ranch Forum and The Sea Ranch Volunteer Fire Department (now known as the North Sonoma Coast Fire Protection District). Unfortunately, that forum was not recorded. Below is the article from the Independent Coast Observer (ICO) that announced and covered the first meeting of The Sea Ranch Forum as well as the October 2023 article printed in The Sea Ranch Bulletin describing the history of both the Forum and the fire department.
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