eNewsletter
* * * *  October 5,  2015  * * * *     
In this Communication:
*Green Valley Rd Flooding - Public Meeting - Oct 14
*Groundwater Resources Online
*GRRCD Offers Groundwater Measuring - Oct 13
*Rent the No-Till Drill 
*Grazing for Soil Health - Oct 17
*SSU Sustainability Day - Oct 21
*Nutrient Management Conference - Nov 5/6 
*Wool Symposium - Nov 7





Green Valley Rd Flooding
Public Meeting  Oct 14
O ct 14, 6:30-8pm at the Graton Community Club 
Graton Rd & N. Edison Rd, Graton, CA 95444

Please join us to learn about what local agencies are doing to address the perennial flooding at Green Valley Road.  Representatives from local organizations will present recent studies of the causes of Green Valley Road flooding and the potential short and long-term solutions.

Presenting:
Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District
Sonoma County Transportation & Public Works Dept.
Sonoma County Water Agency
O'Connor Environmental, Inc., Consulting Hydrologists

Initial study documents can be found at www.GoldRidgeRCD.org

Online Educational Resources on Groundwater
The National Ground Water Association has several resources to help you with your well and groundwater concerns. 

  •  Private Well Owner Hotline at 855.420.9355 (855-H20-WELL)  Make this the next step in addressing your issues and concerns
  • WellOwner.org is the top-ranking site on the web to assist private well owners
    • Learn more about Well Water Basics
    • What is a drilled well and what are its components?
      • What is a drilled well?
      • What are its components? 
    • Water Well Maintenance
      • How to maintain your well
      • What to do about old unused wells on-site
      • Annual checkups
      • Well logs
      • Interpreting your results
      • Water testing video
  • Upcoming Events:
    • National Groundwater Awareness Week, Mar 6-12
    • Protect Your Groundwater Day, Sept 6

Gold Ridge RCD to Offer
 Groundwater Level Monitoring Services

If you own a well within the RCD's district and are interested in having your well water level monitored, or have questions about the program, please contact:
Noelle Johnson,  Conservation Planner
(707)823-5244
 
If you've already registered with the program, please submit your $20 payment before the next scheduled well monitoring.  Fall 2015 monitoring is scheduled to occur on October 13 th.

No-Till Drill Rental Sign-Ups

Great Plains 606 No-Till Drill

 

Benefits of using a No-Till Drill:

        • Reduces non point source pollution
        • Reduces soil erosion
        • Protects water quality
        • Helps to build soil structure
        • Reduces soil compaction
        • Provides a permanent soil cover
        • Retains soil moisture
        • Provides cover to microorganisms

Check out this video that compares Long-Term Conventional Tillage vs. No-Tillage Systems.

 

Cost is $100/day for folks in the Gold Ridge District and $150 for folks outside of the District.

 

Sign ups are first come, first serve so please call the GRRCD office to make your reservation!  Or if you have any questions, please let us know.

 

Contact Information:

William Hart

(707) 823-5244 

[email protected]  

 
Grazing for Soil Health Workshop
When: Saturday, October 17, 2015
Time: 9 am - 3:00 pm, check-in begins at 8:45 am
Where: Scott Ranch, Petaluma

There is no charge to attend. Lunch offered. Register to attend by October 15th at: http://sonomarcd.org/htm/get-involved.htm

J oin the conversation! Over the last several years, Petaluma's Scott Ranch has been using its Rancher-to-Rancher learning site to observe firsthand what happens to the land when grazing management changes. Come see the effects of grazing with high density herds and long plant recovery. Are these changes altering soil health and water holding capacity? How are invasive weeds responding? Is perennial vs. annual forage growth shifting? Is productivity changing and livestock performance? What are the costs to change management?
Discussions will occur out in the field. Share your questions and experiences.

Sonoma State University's Sustainability Day 
Oct 21, 2015

On October 21, Sonoma State University will host its 2nd Annual Sustainability Day in the Student Center and Seawolf Plaza on the SSU campus.  The day's events start at  9:00 a.m. and continue until 7:00 p.m.  
Join a casual gathering of Community and University leaders for a continental breakfast from 8:00 a.m. - 9 a.m. in the Student Center Ballroom.  
Many of the day's presenters, including keynote speaker David W. Orr, will attend. At 9:00 a.m., Provost Andrew Rogerson will welcome breakfast attendees and the campus community to Sustainability Day and kick off a day of inspiring talks, panel discussions, presentations and exhibits. The day concludes with a Sustainability Fair featuring community and campus partners and amazing live music.  
Sustainability Day is structured along two tracks:  
 
Morning:  Serving the Community
Afternoon:  Inspiring our Students
These two tracks are bridged with David Orr's keynote titled "The Road to Montana: Climate Change and the Long Emergency."  Dr. Orr is a noted author, environmental scientist and planner from Oberlin College.    
Details for the day's events are found at the web app:  http://sustainablessu.sonoma.edu/. More events will be added in the coming weeks, so please keep checking the site to see the latest news.  
You can RSVP for the breakfast through the EVENTBRITE  invitation you will be receiving shortly.  I look forward to seeing you on October 21st!  



Nutrient Management Conference 
Two-and-a-half day conference on nutrient management for CA agriculture taking place Nov 5-6 in Seaside, CA. Early Registration ends Oct 6!
The program is geared toward a wide range of agriculturists: ag supply and service consultants, growers, university extension specialists, crop advisers, and local/state/national agency personnel.

2015 WOOL SYMPOSIUM
Please join Fibershed for their fourth annual Fibershed Wool & Fine Fiber Symposium. In addition to hands-on activities and demonstrations, there will be informative presentations on collaborations between fiber farmers and designers, as well as on carbon farming, soil carbon sampling and drought tolerant breeds. The fee to attend the Symposium is $40, or $20 for seniors and full-time students.
Local RCDs, and Gold Ridge RCD's executive director Brittany Heck, will be presenting on the support emerging for carbon farm planning. 
The Fibershed Marketplace (open to the public at no charge from 9:30 am to 6:00 pm) will offer an array of beautiful local fibers and handmade goods, on sale in the church building, as well as on the lawn (weather permitting).
TO PURCHASE TICKETS
Visit the Eventbrite page:


Check out the 



The staff of the Gold Ridge RCD thanks you for your continued support.