Remembering Russ

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Point Reyes Light April 29, 2004
Riviere, 55, lived full life; an activist and storyteller
By Larken Bradley

Russ Riviere, a Bolinas tree man, storyteller, and activist who in the early 1970s co-founded the offices of Future Studies, an organization that helped derail a federal plan of that period to increase Bolinas and Stinson Beach housing by 10,000 units, died Thursday, April 22, of complications from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He was 55. A futurist opposed to the use of atomic energy for electricity, he and his family lived off the grid without electricity in Paradise Valley in Bolinas because some of PG&E’s electricity came from atomic power plants. He founded the New Land Fund, an organization that created a model for self-sustaining farming, hunting and fishing that promoted living without electricity altogether.

Helped save lagoon
In 1971 he helped lead the community in saving Bolinas Lagoon after two Standard Oil tankers collided outside the Golden Gate, spilling its cargo of crude. As proprietor of Western Star Tree Company, Mr. Riviere supported the removal of non-native plant species in Bolinas. He felled the first invasive eucalyptus tree on Angel Island as the restoration of the park to its native habitat was begun within the last decade. In 1999 he was in the middle of controversy as Bolinas residents divided over the proposed removal of eucalyptus trees on the eastern half of a 90-acre parcel along Mesa Road that holds the town’s sewage ponds.

A risk taker,
Mr. Riviere survived several brushes with death – in the trenches in Vietnam and the forests of Mexico when he was struck by a venomous tropical serpent. He was later burned when his body caught fire as he worked on a car.

Signs of adventure
"There were signs of adventure all over his body," his stepson Stefano Resta remarked. Friends were known to say, "he’s got nine lives and used most of them up." Russell Robert Riviere was born June 7, 1948, in Marin General Hospital. He first visited Bolinas at age seven when his father installed cable at the RCA installation on the Marconi Ranch. While an honor-roll student at Novato High School, with his parents’ permission, at age 14 he moved to Bolinas on his own, managing to find housing for five dollars a month. He left high school before graduation but became educated on his own, teaching himself to read Sanskrit, and becoming a scholar of Western lore and fact. "He was considered a knowledgeable scholar on the native peoples of the West," said his stepson. "Many who knew Russ considered him one of the greatest storytellers alive." Added friend Greg Hewlett, "he was an incredible storyteller.... He could have a roomful of kids enraptured." In 1966 he began what would be three tours of service in Vietnam as a member of the 101st Airborne and the Screaming Eagles, a group of paratroopers airdropped to run reconnaissance missions. He was awarded both the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart for his service.

Skilled climber
After returning from the Vietnam War he was married briefly to his high school sweetheart. He later had a son and daughter with his partner Susan Hewlett. In 1982 he met his wife-to-be, Pamela Jane, with whom he spent the rest of his life. A skilled tree climber, Mr. Riviere traveled to Mexico to collect plant specimens for the California Academy of Sciences. One of his finds, a genus of oak tree, was named in his honor, Quercus Riviere. He taught climbing to botanists, Mexican university students and native peoples. He explored the Nicaraguan rainforest, and worked to save the pinion forests in Nevada from massive clearcutting. A prolific writer, Mr. Riviere had completed several screenplays. His snake-bite story, "The Twenty Breath Snake," was published in the literary journal Zyzzyva. An anthology of his collected writings, One Man Lion is due to be published within the next year, family members said. "His sharp wit, erudite mind and his quick right hook to the jaw, were all characteristics that had potential to cause discomfort to those around him," said his stepson.

Charm and good looks
Nonetheless, friends reported Mr. Riviere was known to make women swoon with a combination of charm, magnetism and matinee-idol good looks. He was predeceased by his parents, Russ Riviere Sr.; and Laverne Hunter Riviere; and by a brother, Ned Riviere. He is survived by his wife, Pamela Jane Riviere of Bolinas; son, Russ Hunter Riviere; and daughter, Jenny Lee Riviere, both of Bellingham, Washington; brother, Randy Riviere of Montana; and his stepsons, Luigi Resta of Petaluma; and Stefano Resta of San Rafael. A memorial service will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday, May 2, in the apple orchard in Paradise Valley, Bolinas.

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