Lines in the sand: Russian River homeowners and paddlers clash over public shore access

LAST SUMMER, paddlers who pulled their boats onto a wet strip of sand near Forestville in Sonoma County were met by private security guards and signs telling them to leave.

The fight wasn’t new. It was the latest round of an old Russian River argument: where does private property end, where does the public’s right to be on the river begin, and who — if anyone — is going to walk down to the beach and sort it out?