On February 19, 2026 a meeting of SF Bay Area Community leaders was held by Senior Associate, Logan Woodruff of PlaceWorks, one of the premier planning, design, and environmental services firms in the U.S. California State Parks reached out to PlaceWorks for their expertise and services to meet with stakeholders of Fort Ross Conservancy for their wide range of planning, design, science and engineering, economics, environmental analysis, and community outreach disciplines. The purpose of the meeting was for the development of the Metini-Fort Ross Interpretation Master Plan (IMP) by California State Parks.

Among the participants of the focus group were members of California State Parks, local businesses that are impacted and descendant of the Call Family, who spent time in the Call House and Museum (the Call family, who were involved in ranching and shipping operations, were instrumental in the history of Fort Ross, having built a residence there in 1878. The last occupant of the Call family house passed away in 1972). Also, represented were clergy from the Russian Orthodox Church of Russians Abroad, Rev. Alexander Krassovsky of the Sts. Peter & Paul Church in near-by Santa Rosa, CA and Rev. Paul Volmensky of the Holy Ascension church in Sacramento, CA and the Orthodox Church of America, Rev. Kyrill Sokolov from Holy Trinity Cathedral in San Francisco, CA. Natalie Sabelnik, President of the Congress of Russian Americans (CRA), long-time member of Fort Ross Conservancy, represented the Russian-American community. CRA was instrumental in writing letters, obtaining signatures on petitions and meeting with then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger against the closure of Fort Ross in 2009.

The focus group discussed concerns on regional connections, including the cultural, as well as the economic/tourism landscape and discussed challenges and opportunities for fostering a strong connection between State Parks and the local community. Among some of the concerns that were discussed were physical connectivity (e.g. roads, trails, transportation), narrative connectivity (e.g. opportunities for partnerships or collaborative programming), communications (e.g. how State Parks can best communicate with the local community and regional agencies and organizations) and landscape/ecosystem connectivity (e.g. challenges or opportunities to improve connectivity with adjacent lands managed by others).While there is currently no timeline established for the development of the IMP, it has been identified as a state-wide priority by California State Parks. The insights, as well as responses to the current survey sent to Fort Ross Conservancy members, which were provided will be considered carefully and will be foundational to the planning process. 

Pictures credits:  Fort Ross plaque (from Redwood Empire Collection) by Ansel Adams
Fort Ross California postcard collection Annex Galleries fine prints. And museum-archive of Russian Culture in San Francisco.