Pointing at the houses dotted around an aerial photograph of his property, Jonathan Trappe, a Forestville quarry owner and operator, indicated how close his family’s homes are to the asphalt plant he hopes to build on the quarry site.
“My father lives there, my brother lives there, I live here and our kids swim in that pond,” he said. All are within about a half square mile. He was speaking in reference to the community pushback the plan had elicited that cited environmental and fire risk concerns.
The point was clear, but Trappe added it anyway: “Who has more incentive to make sure this plant is safe?”
Tucked into the sweeping bends of Pocket Canyon Highway just outside of Forestville reside two stone quarries that serve western Sonoma County’s construction industries, most crucially the road repair sector. The quarries sit on either side of that stretch of scenic Highway 116, and both are surrounded by protected waterways and wildlife.
Such is the topography of the area; one could blink and miss both of their entrances on the way into town, which itself could be concealed by a sneezing fit if they miss the sudden drop in speed limit. But over such a small town, with heavy trucks rolling through and the occasional explosion shattering its serenity, the quarries’ impact looms large. And some locals aren’t willing to see that impact increase.
The Trappe family owns Canyon Rock Quarry, which lies on the north side of the road. For the second time, Forestville residents have kindled opposition to the Trappes’ asphalt plant ambitions. The first time was in 1997, when the already costly endeavor was rendered financially non-viable by a lawsuit. Though a similar outcome this time may seem ideal on the surface, Forestvillians need only look over the road to see why they might be more cautious in what they wish for.
On the south side of Highway 116 is Canyon Rock’s main competition, the Bodean Forestville Quarry, so named by Belinda (a.k.a. “Bo”) and Dean Soiland when they added it to their Mark West quarry in 1997. Incidentally, that was the same year Canyon Rock began its quest to build an asphalt plant.
Back then, the asphalt plant was included in the Trappes’ application to extend and expand their quarrying permit for Canyon Rock. The community action group Forestville Citizens for Sensible Growth took the Trappes to court, and, in 2010 after a 12-year battle, partially won. Though extension of the quarry permit was granted, the asphalt plant was blocked on the grounds that Canyon Rock’s environmental impact report (EIR) was inadequate.
In addition to shelving the asphalt plant, Canyon Rock was ordered to pay $213,229 in litigation fees and $16,000 per year to mitigate the quarry’s impact on the town of Forestville, according to the settlement agreement between Canyon Rock, Sonoma County Board of Supervisors and Citizens for Sensible Growth.
“It’s been a multigenerational project,” said Trappe, who couldn’t put a figure on how much his family has spent on the decades-long effort to get the county to greenlight the plant. That first environmental impact report alone cost Canyon Rock more than $500,000 in 1997. With another one currently in the process of review, and with Kit Cole—a publicist the Trappes have brought in to help convey to the people of Forestville that their plans pose no threat—on hand at the quarry, Trappe has clearly pumped significant further investment into the project.
Sharon Martinelli, a former member of Citizens for Sensible Growth (CSG), is today a member of the new action group that opposes Canyon Rock’s renewed asphalt aspirations.
“We have currently hired a San Francisco attorney, and formed the nonprofit Russian River Community Cares (RRCC) to fight this proposal,” Martinelli said in a written statement.
Attempting to head off similar litigation at the pass, Bodean voluntarily began paying mitigation funds, at an undisclosed rate per ton of rock that rolls through the town, around the same time Canyon Rock was ordered to pay theirs.
Caught in the middle is Lucy Hardcastle, president of the Forestville Planning Association, the nonprofit organization that receives the impact mitigation funds from both quarries and administers their spending on town projects such as the new town park and schools. “There is some feeling in town that we take blood money,” Hardcastle said, “but there are a lot of town resources that come from the quarries. We’re a quarry town.”
Bodean’s proactive measures are rumored among Forestville residents to have taken a self-serving turn when it partially funded the first lawsuit against Canyon Rock. “I was shocked by that. I didn’t think that was ethical,” Hardcastle said. The ethics became even murkier in 2001 when, according to its website, Bodean acquired its own asphalt plant in Santa Rosa, which it hopes to move to Windsor in the near future.
Dean Soiland did not respond when asked to confirm his company’s association with the case brought by CSG a decade ago, or whether he is involved with RRCC in opposing Canyon Rock’s application this time. It may just be that he has bigger fish to fry.
According to the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, Bodean faces $8.6 million in fines for failing to manage the storm run-off from its Mark West quarry. This prospect preceded, if not prompted, the Soilands’ decision to sell the company to CRH, a multinational conglomerate based out of Dublin, Ireland, and one of the largest construction material producers in the world; though crucially, they retained ownership of the land and liability for the water board’s complaint.
Water board officials say proceedings regarding the storm run-off matter have been adjourned until late March. Though the price CRH paid for Bodean Co. remains undisclosed, the scale of the acquisition suggests it likely exceeds the potential fine by a comfortable margin. Still, whether Forestville is better off having one of its family-owned businesses sold off to such a huge corporation is an open question.
Needless to say, with 2024 earnings of $6.9 billion, CRH could have paid this fine out of petty cash, and will have far greater resources to plumb to contest any future regulation or resistance to their plans.
Bodean’s new general manager, John Reid, a CRH employee for the past 30 years, is already considering the inevitable backlash he expects when the asphalt plant included in the acquisition moves from Santa Rosa to Windsor. “Any time there is an asphalt plant involved, there is going to be opposition,” Reid said.
While the EIR that could make or break Canyon Rock’s permit request is in review, RRCC is taking the fight to every public forum its members can attend. RRCC members are often seen manning tables at farmers’ markets and other public gatherings to hand out flyers making their case against the proposed asphalt plant.
In October of last year, Martinelli and RRCC’s president, Derek Trowbridge, attended a town hall with State Sen. Mike McGuire hosted by Sonoma County Fire District’s Windsor Fire Station No. 3, bringing the issue to the senator’s attention during the Q&A.
RRCC members attended, en masse, a Jan. 10 Board of Supervisors meeting to ensure the board was keeping them in mind. This show of force was accompanied by a letter sent from the office of RRCC’s San Francisco attorney, Kevin Bundy of Shute, Mihaly and Weinberger LLP, containing accusations of Canyon Rock’s historical failure to meet their regulatory obligations. Canyon Rock sent their own letter detailing their history of compliance in rebuttal.
A recent email sent to RRCC supporters called for a similar showing at Supervisor Linda Hopkins’ town hall at El Molino Library in Forestville on March 27. Since a decision on the asphalt plant EIR is not due until 2026, RRCC leadership advised in the email that attendees should attack Canyon Rock on the broader issues laid out in the letter to the Board of Supervisors during the question period, suggesting that the intended target of the group isn’t limited to the asphalt plant, but rather includes the company as a whole.
Websites published by all parties duel for public sympathy, as do the many ads, articles and opinions featured in several local news outlets. Canyon Rock paid for a few of them. Most others are sympathetic to RRCC, with some hoping to simmer down tensions among divided Forestvillians.
RRCC’s website gives a detailed description of the risks Canyon Rock’s proposed asphalt plant may present to Forestville’s townsfolk and the delicate natural habitats that surround it. They include increased traffic from oil trucks driving in and asphalt trucks driving out, historical incidents of fires at asphalt plants and the volatile chemicals that off-gas during its production.
Canyon Rock’s website includes a page dedicated to the asphalt plant with as much detail on its plan to mitigate those risks with state-of-the-art containment, air filtration and fire suppression technology that wasn’t available in 1997; how bringing asphalt closer to West County’s roads may just reduce the carbon footprint of road repair; and how the plant will be fueled by liquified natural gas with carbon emissions far lower than the plant previously planned.
Bodean’s website similarly describes its own environmental bonafides, though it stands as a cautionary tale in two ways. Despite the best of intentions, whether through negligence or dumb luck, Bodean’s current predicament demonstrates that the impact of industry on the environment will never be zero, and the watchful eye of regulators is ever present. Secondly, they’ve shown what happens to a family-owned business when the consequences of that impact become too costly.
Trowbridge says the matter comes down to two questions: “Is Canyon Rock trustworthy enough, and is Forestville the ideal place?” Both can be answered by paraphrasing Jonathan Trappe’s earlier question: Who has more incentive to ensure whatever happens at Canyon Rock is safe, the man whose family lives around its footprint, or the type of multinational conglomerate he will be forced to sell to should he lose his competitive edge?
According to FMI, a consulting firm specializing in construction and infrastructure, acquisitions of construction materials companies grew by more than 16% between 2023 and 2024, which may be good news for investment bankers, but will only shrink the influence groups like RRCC can hope to wield in the face of industry giants. If an asphalt plant makes business sense to the Trappes, it will make sense to the corporation that buys them out, too.
Given the advances in technology in the intervening decades, the plant Canyon Rock wants to build today would ostensibly be cleaner and safer than the one the Trappes attempted to build in 1997, thanks in part to the efforts of the community action groups. But, as Bodean’s predicament demonstrates, if operating becomes too expensive, Forestville may lose another family owned business to corporate consolidation.
At least the devil they know is a neighbor who shares many of their interests and has a face they can negotiate with. The devil they don’t know has only fiduciary responsibilities and deep pockets to fend off regulators.
Recently an advocate for Canyon Rock complained that no one who opposes the asphalt plant is involved in improving Forestville’s community. Many folks with businesses in this area are fearful of reprisals from the powers that be, by publicizing their position. Pro Canyon Rock applaud the company for its community support forgetting to mention that they were mandated by law in order to achieve a quarry expansion. The pro Asphalt folks never tell our town will benefit from an Asphalt Plant except “we need asphalt.” But so does every community in Sonoma California. Our town and neighborhoods are already inundated with trucks from the quarry spewing dust and pebbles HOURLY on our roads. It will only get worse when those trucks will be bringing in and taking out toxic asphalt material. We need asphalt but the plants should be positioned in low fire risk, low traffic corridors, low residential areas close to the multiple roads that need asphalt.
I have NOT posted this comment previously. Recently an advocate for Canyon Rock complained that no one who opposes the asphalt plant is involved in improving Forestville’s community. Many folks with businesses in this area are fearful of reprisals from the powers that be, by publicizing their position. Pro Canyon Rock applaud the company for its community support forgetting to mention that they were mandated by law in order to achieve a quarry expansion. The pro Asphalt folks never tell our town will benefit from an Asphalt Plant except “we need asphalt.” But so does every community in Sonoma California. Our town and neighborhoods are already inundated with trucks from the quarry spewing dust and pebbles HOURLY on our roads. It will only get worse when those trucks will be bringing in and taking out toxic asphalt material. We need asphalt but the plants should be positioned in low fire risk, low traffic corridors, low residential areas close to the multiple roads that need asphalt.
Local Legacy vs. Big Business in Quarry Quarrel – March 25, 2025).
If indeed the intent of this article was to be full disclosure and non-biased then Mr. Lees would have given a fair platform for Darek’s comments to be included in this news article.
I live off of HWY 116 and am subjected to a substantial amount of trucks that go in and out of the quarry. They never have their loads covered to stop the spewing of rocks and dust that they create. The river next to the quarry is so choked with dust and debris from the quarry that it can’t flow. The trucks sped on the road and I have had them pass me on double yellow lines.
HWY 116 has been identified from the county/ state as a “ Scenic Highway”
Past behavior is a predictor of future behavior and actions. The Trappe’s and Bodean’s have shown you what they think of the environment and the people of Forestville.
I agree totally. As far as I am concerned they are slready a bad neighbor, and to add the production of petroleum based asphalt production is ridiculous. This type of ooeration is more suited to concrete production plant sites such as the one in Windsor adjacent to hwy 101. This is an industrial process that should be located in an industrial area, not an agricultural, residential, and vacation setting. I becsme a member of Russian River Community Cares to stop this planned blight on our community.
Dear Martyn Lees
Your recent article in the Bohemian sounds very quaint and homey “BUSINESS AS USUAL Trucks trundling along Highway 116 are a familiar sight in Forestville, which has long been a ‘quarry town.
The real truth is that NO one in town of Forestville likes the huge trucks and the noise, exhaust, and anxiety provoking feelings they cause; it’s more like we just feel like we have to put up with it. You should visit our town someday and go to our little coffee shop, grab a cup of coffee and see for yourself. They barrel through our sweet little town a hundred times a day! Then try crossing the street to the bakery. It’s quite dangerous to say the least. The trucks “trundling” sounds like you’re rocking a baby to sleep, however it’s really quite the opposite.
“We are a quarry town”, well I guess we’re a gas station town too because we have a gas station in town so we should build an oil refinery here as well…right?
We the citizens of Forestville do not want an industrial asphalt facility built a mile from downtown where we have tasting rooms, restaurants, schools, play grounds, parks and tourism. And we aren’t just being NIMBY’s. We understand asphalt is necessary however it belongs in an industrial area.
Our economy relies heavily on tourism. The juxtaposition would be glaring. The only people a proposal like this would benefit would be the people associated with Canyon Rock’s business, not the common folk who live here.
Canyon Rock was ordered to “give” money to the town, so the FPA and Lucy Hardcastle can’t speak out against them because it wouldn’t look good. That’s a small town for you. Canyon Rock has proven to be in violation of regulations many times and still are to this day. They haven’t proven to be the best neighborhoods or to be in compliance with important regulations. So how can they be trusted?
Let’s look at some facts:
Canyon Rock’s proposed industrial Asphalt Facility on scenic Highway 116, next to our environmentally sensitive Green Valley Creek, in the middle of a forest that has been designated a high fire risk area can have significant environmental impacts, including:
Air Pollution
1. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): Asphalt production releases VOCs, which contribute to air pollution.
2. Benzene: A known carcinogen, is a chemical commonly used to make hot asphalt. Asphalt facilities emit particulate matter which can aggravate respiratory issues, like asthma, and other health problems.
Water Pollution
1. Stormwater Runoff: Asphalt production generates stormwater runoff, which can contaminate nearby waterways, including the environmentally sensitive creek Green Valley Creek; a tributary of our precious Russian River.
2. Chemical Contamination: Asphalt facilities use various chemicals, which can leak into soil and groundwater, posing risks to aquatic life and human health.
Noise Pollution
1. Traffic, Equipment Noise and Light pollution. Asphalt facilities generate significant noise from trucks, equipment, and operations. I can hear Canyon Rock’s operation where I live, a mile from the quarry. And I’ve heard they will be allowed to operate at night. This will cause significant light pollution and more truck traffic into the night time hours.
Waste Generation
1. Hazardous Waste: Asphalt production generates hazardous waste, including used oil, solvents, and other chemicals, which require special handling and disposal. All of these chemicals will be trucked into and out of town on a regular basis. Always a dangerous situation if there is an accident and a spill.
There is so much wrong with Canyon Rock’s proposal that can have far-reaching environmental consequences for the local ecosystem, public health, and our local tourism economy.
This is Wine Country not Asphalt Country!
We started living here part-time in 2009, and compared to Oakland this was the far more desired Russian River Resort Area, a tourist place where many come to enjoy the wonderful nature, the wineries, the fresh air, and the lack of in-your-face industrialization. It was good for my health, too, since I am sensitive to pollution. I contribute my lymphoma in part to being exposed to air pollution in Oakland. The choice later on to come live here in Forestville full-time was easy to make.
Obviously, there are industries here, vineyards now being one of the major sources of income in the county, and tourism is of course an industry all by itself, bringing in lots of revenue. Yet we did not experience that much truck traffic on Mirabel Road until what appears in my memory to be about five years ago, it may have been longer. I sensed something Oaklandish about the change, a sense of more heavy industrialization, a doubling, perhaps a tripling of the number of heavy duty trucks on the road. The economy booming, which is a good thing, but how compatible are we still with what is here as well?
With the asphalt plant proposal, the number of trucks will increase further. Yet the more sinister part is that this is a chemical industry that does not have a historical claim to this area. The asphalt plant will add environmental stresses of a totally different kind than what we have today.
I would not be surprised, once ‘Forestville the Good Life’ becomes ‘Forestville the Good Stink’ that those who can afford it will move elsewhere, away from the regular airflow pathway. Even a single chemical spill just once a year, a slip-up of the regulations, would be enough to get a good number of people packing. Not everyone can leave, and others will move in to occupy housing that will then be (relatively) cheaper.
Both the wine and tourist industries should be very worried because it will stain this area, and it only takes one tasting for a number of people to never come back again.
I am curious how our representatives are going to ensure that our local historical reality is not overrun by a new industry known to leave a chemical imprint on its environment. This new asphalt industry is not compatible with our area.
What I worry about for myself is that I may have to move. My cancer has been under control for a number of years now, but if the asphalt plant puts me right back where I was in Oakland, then I have to get out. The lovely community of Forestville is part of me now, and I want everyone to be able to live in the wonderful natural environment we have today and not have to worry if they or their family members end up with cancers associated with asphalt plants. Not everyone can just pack up things and move to better places. It would be a shame to let industrialization creep up to the point there is no Good Life left.
The Forestville area does not have an industrial asphalt chemical plant history, and the history we do have tells us that an asphalt plant is incompatible with what we have today.
I have done storm water discharge sampling for the MarkWest Quarry, and the staggering amount of fine sediment washed into a salmon rearing stream of Porter creek was reprehensible and disgusting. An affront to basic human decency and respect for the planet and other living creatures. But the fines are just “the cost of doing business”. Canyon Rock does similar damage and an asphalt plant will bring heavy metal and fume laden chemicals into the mix. This article and reporter frame this problem we have as a decision between “small family business” that breaks environmental laws, kills the land and sickens people with pollution, and a large multinational corporation that will have deeper pockets to litigate and get away with these crimes. This is disingenuous at best, but at the heart of it is the lack of the local population to control their own lives. Are we to cry for these capitalists that are forced to spend their ill gotten gains on lawsuits by local people to stop them from raping and plundering our land even more? Are we supposed to trust the “family business” that will allow this toxic stew near the homes of their families? Maybe they have other homes and vacations they go to most of the time. I have never seen Jonathan Trappe in the office at Canyon Rock. As a successful business man, he is probably too busy to spend any time with the workers. I wonder how much the workers get paid, or if they own houses with ponds? At it’s heart, our system is flawed and allows individuals undue power and influence to extract profit from our lands and our bodies. More and more the media is just their bullhorn to influence us into self inflicted subservience. I hope the asphalt plant is stopped. I hope the people fight and take more power away from the rich elite.
These thoughtful citizens of Forestville have explained how an asphalt plant will destroy this beautiful tourist and agricultural area and cause serious human, wildlife, and environmental harm forever. A mature tree takes out much more carbon than a young one. 22 tons of carbon dioxide is withdrawn from the atmosphere it its lifetime. Meanwhile C.R. has felled mature trees and boasted about planting saplings which are not mature enough to do the job.
Put an asphalt plant next to the freeway. They have blighted that area already, make good neighbors and serve each other. Instead of more freeways & more asphalt, we want clean air shuttles that run every 15 mn. from here to the transit mall of Santa Rosa and Sebastopol and a Smart Train Station at River Road. “The Good Life” in Forestville and an asphalt plant do not make good neighbors nor good sense!