Above: 2020 kicked off with the annual adult salmon release into Salmon Creek. Photos: S. Cantor
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In this month's edition:
- Plant redwoods for wildlife at Tannery Creek
- Ebabias Creek planting in review
- Russian River salmon population report
- Upper Green Valley Streamflow Improvement Plan released
- Best Management Practices for Cannabis Growers Video
- Alternative Manure Management & Healthy Soils Program open house
- 2020 Annual newsletter released
- FREE Working Lands Calendar 2020
- Sonoma County Grape Day
- 3rd Annual Vineyard Health Symposium
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Plant redwoods for wildlife at Tannery Creek
Sunday, February 16, 10am-1pm, Bodega, CA
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Come plant redwood seedlings with Gold Ridge RCD and the Bodega Land Trust for the benefit of coho salmon, steelhead trout and other wildlife in Tannery Creek.
Why do salmon need trees? Trees, both living and fallen, are essential elements of healthy salmon habitat for many reasons. Standing above the creek, trees provide shade to cool the water and roots to hold the banks in place, just to name a few. Fallen logs provide shelter for young fish to hide from predators, and they add to the dynamics of the stream system, too.
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Help us plant 350 young redwoods and learn about a newly installed wildlife habitat enhancement project
: the Tannery Creek Large Wood Recruitment Project. Funded by CDFW and managed by Gold Ridge RCD, the project installed 50 redwood and Douglas fir logs throughout 1/3 mile of creek channel to improve habitat conditions for salmon.
No cost for this event – Thank you for volunteering!
Please bring: Your own shovel, gloves, hat/sunscreen, snack, water, sturdy shoes, working clothes.
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Ebabias Creek Planting in review
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In December, we recently collaborated with Point Blue Conservation Science’s STRAW environmental education program for a pollinator and carbon-beneficial planting along Ebabias Creek at the Ocean Breeze Dairy in Valley Ford. Four classrooms of third graders (as well as their wonderful chaperones and teachers) from Sheppard Elementary School in Santa Rosa planted one hundred native trees and shrubs to
provide habitat for monarch butterflies, migratory birds and other wildlife
. These woody plants will also
provide improved carbon sequestration, pulling carbon dioxide out of the air and into the ground and vegetation
. This project contributes to the implementation of the dairy's
LandSmart Carbon Farm Plan
.
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The Coastal Conservancy is a California state agency, established in 1976, to protect and improve natural lands and waterways, to help people get to and enjoy the outdoors, and to sustain local economies along California’s coast. It acts with others to protect and restore, and increase public access to, California’s coast, ocean, coastal watersheds, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Its vision is of a beautiful, restored, and accessible coast for current and future generations of Californians.
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The Ebabias Creek Riparian Restoration Project is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide program that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment — particularly in disadvantaged communities.
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Russian River salmon population report
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After a few good winter rains, wildlife enthusiasts and conservationists alike watch coastal streams for the return of adult salmon from the ocean. Historically abundant, salmon populations steeply declined in 1990s. In recent decades, recovery efforts have been intensive to see these fish come back from the brink. Both the number of returning adults and the number of nests that they lay their eggs in (called "redds") are significant to tracking their progress.
Our friends at the California Sea Grant Russian River Salmon Monitoring Program provided an update to the community on the fish population, as of January 9. In brief, "the
total coho salmon adult estimate for the Russian River is 325 fish
. In the tributaries, they have observed a total of 55 coho redds, 25 steelhead redds, 17 Chinook redds, and 11 unknown salmonid redds. After a strong pulse of coho in early December, the number of new coho observed has declined over the past three weeks, but the steelhead run is beginning to pick up. Hopefully the [coming rains] will bring in more fish."
Want to see the numbers specific to your local creek? See the detailed report here.
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"For those of you interested in the Green Valley Creek watershed, you will be excited to note
the return of our first adult coho from a 2017 fall release into Redwood Creek
.... Interestingly, we also had a few detections on the Atascadero antenna of both wild and hatchery juveniles tagged/released into upper Green Valley and Purrington creeks.
Although we have long suspected that juvenile coho make their way up into Atascadero during the winter, this is the first time we have been able to document it
."
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Upper Green Valley Streamflow Improvement Plan released
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Gold Ridge RCD and partners are happy to announce the release of the Upper Green Valley Creek Streamflow Improvement Plan (SIP). The purpose of the Upper Green Valley Creek SIP is to
identify specific measures to moderate the impact of dry season water demand and improve instream flow for coho salmon and ecosystem function
in the Upper Green Valley Creek watershed. Our goal is to work with water users to maintain a flow regime that is protective of the various life history stages of salmon by managing water demand through water conservation, seasonal storage, and other modifications to diversion practices and by augmenting flow through recharge, spring reconnection, and other strategies.
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Best Management Practices for Cannabis Growers Video
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We have a new resource to share with the outdoor cannabis growing community. Mendocino County Resource Conservation District (MCRCD) teamed up this fall with Happy Day Farms to produce an 8-minute video, based on the Watershed Best Management Practices for Cannabis Growers and Other Rural Gardeners guide. “The video is a great way to reach a wide audience in practical ways to
conserve water, enhance soil health and protect watersheds
,” says project lead Patty Madigan. “A video is a powerful educational tool to communicate conservation guidelines.”
Featuring panoramic vistas and gorgeous footage of a biodiverse enterprise, the video was shot on a northern Mendocino County organic farm that integrates its production with farm-grown veggies, flowers and eggs—and legal Cannabis. The focus of the 8-minute video is “what it means to be a good steward of the land”. Funding for the video was obtained through the California Association of Resource Conservation Districts, through grants from the Resources Legacy Fund and the Campbell Foundation. The video can be seen at
https://vimeo.com/376043408
and the 2018 version of the print guide is available for download, in English and Spanish, at
www.mcrcd.org/publications
.
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Alternative Manure Management & Healthy Soils Program open house
January 23, 1:30-2:30pm
Petaluma Office NRCS, 5401 Old Redwood Highway, Suite 100, Petaluma
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Randi Black and Stephanie Larson of UCCE are hosting open office hours on in the Mystic Room of NRCS for anyone interested in learning more about or applying for CDFA's
Alternative Manure Management Program
or
Healthy Soils Program
grant funds. Staff from Gold Ridge and Marin RCDs as well as USDA NRCS Ag Engineer Brooke Pippi will provide additional assistance. For more information, contact
rablack@ucanr.edu
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The RCD is currently offering planning assistance to forestland owners. Forest Management Plans assist landowners in
identifying their goals for their land, inventorying existing resources and establishing a management plan
to meet their goals. The planning process establishes a working relationship between the landowner, the RCD and a professional forester, and once complete, the plan can be submitted to competitive grant programs for funding.
Management goals might include increased timber production, reduced fire risk, increased carbon sequestration, improved wildlife habitat, improved hunting and recreation, improved harvest of non-timber products such as herbs and mushrooms, enhanced aesthetics, and much more. Goals like these can be achieved in a variety of ways, and it all begins with a plan.
To discuss your property and eligibility for planning assistance, contact Jason Hoorn,
Jason@goldridgercd.org
,
or call (707) 823-5244.
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2019 Annual newsletter released
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See the
Gold Ridge RCD's 2019 Annual newsletter
, newly released. Read a letter from our Executive Director to you, our community, on the fight to reverse climate change, and articles showcasing projects from the 2019 Year, including the Ebabias Creek Riparian Restoration Project, the Atascadero Creek Subwatershed Coho Habitat Study, the Iron Horse Vineyards salmon habitat restoration project, soil health assessment services, and more.
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Working Lands Calendar 2020
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Who doesn't want a beautiful 2020 calendar with Sonoma County working lands as the backdrop?
We worked with our partners Ag + Open Space, Sonoma Land Trust, Sonoma RCD,
UCCE
and USDA NRCS to create a beautiful calendar, available at our office starting January 6.
They make great gifts for your friends to learn more about our working lands. Calendars are free.
Stop by and get yours:
Gold Ridge RCD, 2776 Sullivan Rd, Sebastopol, CA 94572
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Sonoma County Grape Day
February 7, 8am-12pm, Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building
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Sonoma County Grape Day is an annual program presented by University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) that provides research-based information on issues important to the production of coastal winegrapes. Topics include the effects of smoke taint on fruit and wine composition, vine performance in nematode infested site, preemergence herbicide programs, Pierce’s disease epidemiology, and impacts of leaf removal and fruit dropping on ripening and vine physiology. February 7 at Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building. 7am registration, breakfast and networking, program starts at 8am ending at noon. $42 pre-registration. $47 cash/check only at door.
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3rd Annual Vineyard Soil Health Symposium
March 13, 9am-12pm, Sonoma County Farm Bureau
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This year’s focus is on vineyard tillage management. We’re excited to host Dr. Patty Skinkis, Professor & Viticulture Extension Specialist at Oregon State University, as our featured speaker. Her presentation will cover results from a long-term vineyard floor management research trial conducted in a commercial vineyard. No till, alternate row tilling, and clean cultivated alleys were compared over a nine-year period and monitored for soil moisture, plant water stress, vine growth, and yield. The RCD will also share findings from its 3-year vineyard tillage trial in Kenwood. More program details to follow. Please join us for this informative event.
The free event will take place at the Sonoma County Farm Bureau in Santa Rosa on Friday, March 13th from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. Please register in advance.
If you have any questions please contact Keith Abeles, Soil and Water Specialist at 707-569-1448 ext 112 or email at
kabeles@sonomarcd.org
. Visit the North Coast Soil Health Hub for information on soil health trials and research going on in our region:
http://soilhub.org/.
The event is hosted by the Sonoma and Gold Ridge Resource Conservation Districts and the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission.
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Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District
(707) 823-5244
www.GoldRidgeRCD.org
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