eNewsletter | November Edition
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In this month's edition:
- Supporting community and watershed resiliency
- Thank you to retired Board Director Walt Ryan
- Annual Report 2020-2021 is here
- North Coast Soil Hub is expanding
- Sonoma County water use assessment
- SWEEP workshop on November 19 for producers and more!
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Supporting community and watershed resiliency |
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Over the last several years our staff have witnessed first hand the impacts that wildfire and floods have had on our communities. We have also experienced our community's tenacity to adapt and collaborate for the health of our waters, soils and future. Supporting watershed resiliency and climate adaptability on lands across our district is at the forefront of our work everyday. As we celebrate 75 years of service, we aim to continue to work collaboratively to bridge the needs of our community to protect, conserve and protect the natural and cultural resources we have here in Sonoma County.
Over the last year the RCD has:
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Sonoma Resource Conservation District is a trusted partner in the Upper Mark West Watershed. RCD Staff have responded to our calls for technical expertise following the 2017 Tubbs Fire and the 2020 Glass Fire. They have provided landowners with Forest Management Plans and brought grants from numerous agencies to improve forest health, remove fuel loads and improve aquatic life by reducing silt into Mark West Creek. We especially appreciate their latest efforts (funded by Sonoma County) to create 100’ defensible space around homes and to maintain an important ridge-top fire-break. The benefits of these projects go well beyond the boundaries of our watershed, and we simply couldn’t do this work without RCDs support.
Lynn Garric | Mark West land steward
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With rain now in our forecast, we often hear from concerned residents who were impacted by previous fires in our district. The RCD continues to offer post-fire recovery services and support to our community. We provide on-site technical assistance to assess post-fire property conditions and make recommendations concerning potential harmful debris runoff, erosion and drainage issues, stream impacts, tree health, winter preparedness, private road and culvert damage or direct you to other local partners with this expertise. We can also help agricultural and forest landowners find and navigate potential funding resources to reduce the cost burden of making repairs and protecting our watersheds. If you have any questions please email us at info@sonomarcd.org and we will put you in contact with the appropriate staff member as soon as possible.
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Thank you to retired Board Director Walt Ryan |
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At our October board meeting, we recognized the service of Walter J. Ryan, Jr., who dedicated 16 years of volunteer service as a Director with the RCD. Walt has always been a resource for Board and staff, sharing his wealth of first-hand knowledge about land management, as well as his experience working in water supply. He served as Board Chair from 2016-2017, and as the RCD’s representative on the inaugural board of the Santa Rosa Plain Groundwater Sustainability Agency. Walt’s community service has extended beyond the RCD, to include past service with Santa Rosa High School Ag Boosters, Santa Rosa High School Foundation Board, and Boy Scouts of America.
Whether providing detailed review of financial reports or insightful feedback on RCD policies, dropping by the office to offer a warm hello and a perhaps a wry joke, or asking tough questions that made projects and programs better, Walt has contributed in countless ways to the RCD’s success. We are pleased that he has accepted the position of Emeritus Director to continue his connection with the RCD. Thank you Walt for your service and support!
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Have you read our Annual Report 2020-2021? |
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Our 20-21 fiscal year was marked with great progress. We stayed the course with long-running successful programs, helping people with water conservation and storage, post-fire land management, carbon sequestration, and more. We tried new things with great results, including connecting online with 150 school age children providing much-needed diversity to a challenging academic year, and distributing monarch butterfly habitat kits to 100 community members.
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The North Coast Soil Hub is expanding
Shared from North Coast Soil Hub newsletter
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While the Soil Hub has been a collaboration of Resource Conservation Districts and partners in Mendocino, Napa, and Sonoma counties, we are expanding to include Humboldt, Lake, and Marin Counties. In addition to expanding geographically, we are strategizing about how to serve farmers in other production systems including range, dairy, row crops, and orchards.
The Soil Hub continues to develop a five year strategic plan and action plan for the upcoming year. We are diligently working on how to more effectively collaborate on high quality resources and workshops, how to best provide technical assistance to producers, and how to be a resource to each other in order to advance the implementation of soil health practices throughout the region. If you have any questions or thoughts you would like to share about the expansion, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. Stay tuned to find out more about what the Soil Hub has in store and sign up for the Hub's newsletter here.
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Water Use Assessment Survey
Shared from County of Sonoma, Sonoma County UCCE, and Sonoma County Department of Agriculture/Weights and Measures
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As the drought conditions in Sonoma County continue, it is important for our water suppliers and county supervisors to have a clear understanding of the current and projected water needs of our community. This short survey will help inform them on water demand to ensure the agricultural community has enough water supply for their livestock and business needs. This survey is voluntary and your individual responses will not be publicly shared.
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Workshops | Resources | Careers |
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SWEEP Grant Funding for Producers: Online Informational Workshop
November 19 |10-11:30 AM | Virtual
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Sonoma RCD and the Sonoma County Farm Bureau are offering a workshop to introduce the program and application process on November 18 virtually from 10 - 11:30 am. Sonoma RCD will also be available to answer questions about the program, discuss your potential projects, and in some cases assist with quantifications and filling out applications.
Questions? For more information, contact Keith Abeles, Sonoma RCD, at kabeles@sonomarcd.org or call 707-569-1448 ext 112.
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CalCAN's Agricultural Solutions to Wildfire Webinar Series
Part 2: Controlled Burns
November 17 | 9-10:30 AM | Virtual
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Controlled burns consist of low-intensity fires that are intentionally lit in ideal weather conditions to treat a specified area to achieve specific objectives (e.g. reduce fine or ladder fuels, enhance native species, and/or manage invasive species).
Many tribes in California have used controlled burns to steward fire-adapted landscapes and protect their communities. In Tending the Wild: Native American Knowledge and the Management of California’s Natural Resources, USDA-NRCS ethnoecologist M. Kat Anderson writes: “Fire was the most significant, effective, efficient, and widely employed vegetation management tool of California Indian tribes…the fire scientists Robert Martin and David Sapsis estimate that between 5.6 million and 13 million acres of California burned annually under both lightning and indigenous people’s fire regimes.” Today, more land stewards are learning about good fire and how it can be applied to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire.
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Attend a technical workshop to receive the latest science-based information on how to best manage your soil, water and wildlife on
your property.
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Conservation at Work with LandSmart®
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