Above: Farmers tour Apple Bottom Farm, our partner in carbon farming.
|
|
August 2018
The news on your RCD's latest efforts to conserve and protect our most valued natural resources, support a thriving agricultural community and promote a
sustainable local economy.
|
|
In this month's edition:
- Carbon Farming News
- Water Wise Signs Appear in the Watershed
- Soil Health Hub News
- Preparing for Fire
- Conservation Opportunities
Partner news and events:
- Women in Food Symposium
- Russian River Watershed Plans
- Bay Hill Ranch Watershed Walk & Talk
- Full Moon Walk at Irwin Creek
...and more
|
|
Carbon Farming News
Cider Apple Farm Revives Heirloom Orchard and Plans for a Changing Future
|
|
Apple Bottom Farm
On Wednesday, August 8, members of the apple farming community gathered in Sebastopol around a vanguard in the local movement for innovative orchard management: Apple Bottom Farm.
Ned Lawton, owner of Apple Bottom Farm and Founder of Ethic Ciders, was excited to greet the group of 45 or so attendees at the Farmer-to-Farmer Field Day event organized by the Farmers Guild. The attendees, many of whom were either apple farmers or cider industry professionals, were eager to hear from Apple Bottom Farm’s team about their strategic management of climate-adapted, heirloom cider apple varieties. The management team strives for “farming as stewardship.” This effort is supported by a
carbon farm plan
, recently completed in partnership with the Gold Ridge RCD.
Lawton explained that behind the efforts at Apple Bottom Farm is his mission to keep Sonoma County apple agriculture alive and thriving. He recognized that in order to do so, their farm would need to produce something truly significant. The result: local, sustainable, exquisite cider. Lawton and his wife are first-generation farmers with a desire to bring their family and friends closer to nature. In 2015, two years after the purchase of the two-and-a-half-acre organic heirloom apple farm, a cidery emerged.
Ethic Ciders
, a cidery “rooted in relationship to the land,” was born. Ned and his wife Michele Lawton felt that delicious cider would be the avenue for revitalizing both the apple orchard itself and their community’s relationship to the land....
Read more
.
|
|
Water Wise Signs
Appear in the Watershed
|
|
A picture is worth a thousand words
–
or in this case, many thousands of gallons. Our new Water Wise signage acknowledges landowners who have developed alternative water resources for their summer season outdoor water use, in partnership with the RCD or independently. Keep an eye out for these signs posted near the roadways on water-smart properties.
Take Bob Fink, for example. The Bodega resident and Bodega Land Trust Board member is keenly aware of the limited water resources within the Salmon Creek watershed. Rain and natural spring water are captured in a 2.1 acre-foot pond during the winter and stored for irrigation use in the summer. This water resource reduces Bob's reliance on the Bodega Water Company system, lowering his water bill.
Or, take Mahea Campbell. She partnered with the RCD to design and install a 69,000-gallon rainwater catchment system consisting of two tanks collecting water from the roofs at her Green Valley Creek watershed home. That rainwater, stored in the winter for summertime use, will replace water that would otherwise be drawn from a shallow well near Green Valley Creek.
Other residents are reducing their water use by installing more efficient irrigation or changing their landscapes to be more drought-tolerant. All of these efforts help to conserve our water resources and protect wildlife, like coho salmon and steelhead trout, in a significant way. Conservation measures like these have been recommended in the
Salmon Creek Integrated Coastal Watershed Management Plan
and the
Green Valley Creek Watershed Management Plan
--studies which were written to help guide decision-making in those watersheds to achieve sustainability.
If you have a water-smart story and would like to receive a Water Wise sign, please contact Adriana@goldridgercd.org.
|
|
Soil Hub Receives Conservation Innovation Grant Award
On July 26, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced that Napa County Resource Conservation District (RCD), Gold Ridge RCD, Mendocino RCD, and Sonoma RCD, partners in the North Coast Soil Health Hub (SoilHub.org), were one of 22 groups in the nation to be awarded the agency’s Conservation Innovation Grant. The highly competitive award will bring $389,432 to the North Coast of California...
Read more
.
Workshops
The August 2nd "Cover Crops, Tillage and Vineyard Soil Health Tailgate" at Ridge Vineyards in Healdsburg successfully brought together winegrowers from across the north coast to talk shop in the field. Ridge Vineyard manager and CalCAN Farmer Advisor David Gates explained their climate beneficial management strategies, including cover cropping, reduced tillage and pollinator hedgerow maintenance. Attendees shared thoughts on light-tillage and non-tillage equipment, seed collection and dispersing, under-vine vegetation management, soil health assessment and native species hedgerows to provide year-round wildlife habitat.
The
North Coast Soil Health Hub
is excited to offer more field-based learning opportunities like this in coming months.
Soil Quality Testing
Along with our partners in Mendocino, Sonoma and Napa, Gold Ridge RCD has been performing Soil Health Assessments (SHA) on vineyards in our District as part of a CDFA Specialty Crop grant. According to the NRCS, Soil Health refers to “the continued capacity of soil to function as a vital living system, within ecosystem and land-use boundaries, to sustain biological productivity, promote the quality of air and water, and maintain plant, animal, and human health”. The SHA evaluate macronutrients (standard crop fertility test), biological properties (including organic carbon and microbial activity), and physical properties (water holding capacity, compaction, infiltration, and aggregate stability). The RCD is partnering with Oregon State University (OSU) to conduct the lab analysis. OSU is one of few labs in the country that provide tests based on nationally adopted soil health metrics.
Learn more
Sign up on
SoilHub.org
to receive news about future events and services focused on vineyard soil health.
|
|
Fire, Before Fire Strikes: UCCE Workshop Prepares Rural and Urban Landowners
On August 24, the University of California Cooperative Extension along with partners such as the Sonoma County RCDs will host a day-long workshop for landowners to develop their fire safety plans.
A much needed opportunity for west county residents to get their questions answered about fire safety, preparedness, planning and long-term resiliency.
We hope you will join. Not just for individual homeowners, this is a great chance for neighborhoods to start and continue their group efforts preparing for wildfire. Put it on your calendar. Plan to bring your notes back to your neighbors and share what you learned.
From UCCE:
Our ability to live more safely in California's high fire-hazard environment depends upon our pre-fire activities. Much of Sonoma County is considered a high fire-hazard environment, consisting of urban areas and communities adjacent to wildlands as well as privately owned range and forestlands. This workshop is designed for both urban/suburban homeowners AND rangeland/forest property owners. UC Cooperative Extension, Sonoma County is committed to helping build a more resilient community through our research and educational workshops on natural resource management pre/post wildfire. Attendees will learn how wildfires operate in Sonoma County's wildland urban interface, how to maintain a fire safe community, and what natural resource management strategies best improve the survivability of people, property, and homes.
$15 fee includes morning refreshments and lunch.
|
|
About Prescribed Burning
Some rural landowners may be interested in reviving an old tradition in land management: prescribed burning. Not just a tool for reducing risk of unsafe wildfire, prescribed burning has also been used to manage and improve forestland and rangelands for decades.
On August 1, UCCE held a workshop at the
Veterans Memorial Building
in Cloverdale to familiarize landowners with why and how prescribed burning can be a good choice for them. What does it take to do a burn safely, responsibly and economically? Why is prescribed burn relevant today? How can landowners work together to bring fire to the landscape in a positive way?
Presentations from the event are posted online here:
|
|
Conservation Opportunities
Fire-Wise Communities
: Be fire wise! Speak with us about supporting your community in developing a Community Wildfire Prevention Plan. We are especially interested in helping larger-acreage communities in forested areas. Contact
Noelle@goldridgercd.org
.
Residential Water Conservation in the upper Green Valley Creek and Dutch Bill Creek watersheds:
Be water wise!
Speak with us about designing an alternative water storage or rainwater capture system at your home. Funds are available through our Water Reliability Program for residential landowners whose current water source impacts the amount of water in the creek, such as in-stream riparian pumps or shallow near-channel wells.
Learn more and view maps of the service area
. Contact
John@goldridgercd.org
for more information.
Agricultural Water Conservation in the Salmon Creek, Estero Americano, Dutch Bill Creek, and Green Valley Creek watersheds:
Be water wise!
Speak with us about designing a water storage or rainwater capture system on your agricultural operation.
Funds are available for water conservation and water security project design for agricultural landowners, particularly those currently using in-stream pumps or shallow, near-channel wells. Contact
William@goldridgercd.org
for more information.
Irrigation Efficiency Evaluations:
Be water wise!
Funds are available for irrigation efficiency evaluations for agricultural operations in the Dutch Bill Creek and Green Valley Creek watersheds.
Learn more here.
Contact
Noelle@goldridgercd.org
for more information.
Improve Soil Health on your Ranch:
Grow healthy soils!
We are looking to engage ranchers in rangeland soil health educational activities. We will be hosting a series of events on the topic and developing useful in-field tools for evaluating and understanding rangeland soil health. If you would like to receive notifications on upcoming events and resources, please email
Adriana@goldridgercrd.org
.
Improve Soil Health on your Vineyard
: Grow healthy soils!
Plug in to the offerings available through the North Coast Soil Health Hub.
Learn more here
.
Rent the No-Till Drill:
Grow healthy soils! The RCD owns a Great Plains 606NTD rangeland seed drill which is
available for rent
at low cost.
Learn more here
. Contact
William@goldridgercd.org
for more information
.
On-Site Waste Water System (AKA Septic System) Support:
Have septic questions? As a non-regulatory, informational resource, the
Lower Russian River Ombudsman
can help residents of the Monte Rio area with questions about regulations, provide residents with confidential information about their septic system and help identify grants and financial assistance opportunities.
|
|
Women in Food Symposium 2018
|
|
Hosted by Red H Farm
Saturday, October 13, 2018
10am-6pm, Permaculture Skills Center,
2185 Gravenstein Hwy S, Sebastopol, CA 95472
; Free admission
A day of education, celebration and dialogue, this 3rd annual symposium intends to acknowledge, celebrate and lift up the leadership and voice of women in the food movement. The day will focus on stories of emergent leadership and building connections to strengthen our collective movement through inter-generational dialogue weaving together policy, advocacy, justice, art and farming.
Come hear powerful speakers, eat delicious food, enjoy the best of Sonoma County beverages, hear live music and take in the art show!
All are welcome.
|
|
Russian River Watershed
Storm Water Resource Plan Completed!
|
|
From the Russian River Watershed Association
The SWRP is now available for download from our
website
and highlights nearly 100 projects throughout the watershed that have the potential to capture and reuse stormwater and dry weather runoff for improved:
• Water quality
• Supply reliability
• Flood control
• Environment
• Other community benefits
This regional plan engaged stakeholders throughout the watershed and positions project proponents for future State grant funding opportunities for implementation.
The Russian River Watershed Association would like to thank all of our members and collaborators for their support during the development of the SWRP. If you have questions or would like a future project considered for prioritization in the 2019 SWRP project list update, please
contact us
. Forms are available on our
website
for project submittal, and our regional collaboration is ongoing.
|
|
Russian River Watershed Pilot
Works to Update the California Water Plan
|
|
From Supervisor Lynda Hopkins' E-Newsletter: "News from the Fifth"
The Russian River Watershed Pilot is well on its way, working with county, regional and state agencies to update the California Water Plan. The pilot, one of two in the state, was established by the state water board to establish practices and procedures that will place the Russian River watershed at the forefront of watershed conversation and resource management. The effort focuses on protecting and enhancing the Russian River’s natural resources for our communities and from our communities.
The Pilot was borne out of the Russian River Confluence, a group of stakeholders from both Mendocino and Sonoma counties dedicated to driving community toward a healthy, resilient and regenerative Russian River watershed. The Pilot’s purpose is to establish a sustainable, resilient Russian River watershed through collaborative actions and efforts. It isn’t an easy task by any means, but they’re making headway. So far, they’ve established that solutions need to be intra-agency and with multiple benefits....
Before the solutions comes the road map, which the Pilot is working on concluding. The draft state Water Plan is set to be published in late September, with a public comment period and public comment workshop occurring in October. The final report will be finished in early November before the California Economic Summit on Nov. 15 and 16.
To learn more about the Russian River Watershed Pilot,
click here
.
|
|
Continued Partner News & Events
|
|
Bay Hill Ranch Watershed Walk & Talk
Full Moon Walk at Irwin Creek & Lower Stone Farm
Sonoma County Ag + Open Space
, August 26, 2018, 5:30-9pm
Join LandPaths and Laguna Foundation for a special full-moon evening adventure, including a picnic dinner alongside the Laguna in an area not usually open to the public. Bring your own picnic and we’ll provide the hors-d'oeuvres. The 2-mile walk is over mostly flat terrain
.
Learn more >>
2018 California Climate Adaptation Forum
August 27-29, Sacramento, CA. Opportunity to learn about emerging trends in climate resilience work, discover new tools and strategies, and connect with adaptation leaders from across state and nation.
Learn more >>
Global Climate Action Summit
Russian River Watershed Clean Up Day
Clean River Alliance,
September 15, 9am-12pm, at 6 locations throughout the watershed
.
Learn more >>
WILD Napa Lecture Series
Napa RCD,
Various topics on wildlife, various upcoming dates,
Learn more >>
|
|
If you would like to support programs like these with your donation,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
