RCD Monthly - February 2020

Helping you care for our land, water, soil, and wildlife

In this month's edition:

Salmon Survey Update
January Rainfall Summary
MLK Day Recap
Calling all gardeners!
February Conservation Champion: Barry Christian

RCD Events:

WILD Napa - Rotary Screw Trap & Fish Counting - Feb 12
Volunteer - River Cleanup - Feb 15
Rainwater Harvesting & Rain Gardens - Feb 26
LandSmart Vineyard Plan Work Session, Calistoga - March 4

Partner Events:

Feb 15 - 3rd Saturday Hike - Napa Open Space District
Feb 29 - Pile Burning for Home Safety
March 5 - Cover Crop Field Day
February - ParkRx Napa County Events
March 14 - Volunteer Weed Management Training
April 3 - North Bay Watershed Association Conference
Badgers and Coyotes can be friends! - Peninsula Open Space Trust

Did you know that we have a separate email list for volunteers?

Join the Volunteer E-List!

Take a LOOK at those CHINOOK!

From November to January, Chinook salmon swim up the Napa River to spawn just before they complete their life cycle. As part of ongoing fish monitoring efforts, Napa RCD does spawner surveys of adult Chinook salmon in the Napa River. This year, Jonathan and Paul went out in the kayaks and surveyed about 25 miles of the Napa River over 5 days.

In total, their 5 days of surveys recorded 14 live fish and 60 redds , but no carcasses. This was a bit of a bump from the 2018-2019 season, when Jonathan and Paul found just one live salmon, one carcass, and only 3 redds.

For your viewing pleasure, here's a video of a Chinook found in the Napa River in 2017!

January Rainfall Summary

Paul Blank, Napa RCD Senior Hydrologist

January seemed somewhat wet with nine weak storms and approximately 10 days of measurable rainfall, but it amounted to far less than the monthly average and increased the seasonal precipitation deficit.

The Napa County ALERT monitoring stations ( napa.onerain.com ) recorded between 1.1 and 5.3 inches during the month, approximately 7% of mean annual rainfall (long-term January average is 19%). Seasonal rainfall totals at the rain gauges range between 8.9 inches (City of Napa) and 21.0 inches (Mt. St. Helena).

So far in Water Year 2019-20, we’ve received approximately 37% of our annual rainfall, well below the long-term average of 54% for this time of year. Fingers crossed we get a little more rain in February!

A Successful Day of Service:

MLK Day 2020

Jan 20, 2020 marked the 25th anniversary of the Martin Luther King Day of Service. In celebration of this day of service, Napa RCD hosted a native plant workday at our Huichica Creek Demonstration Vineyard.

When the day of playing in the soil was all said and done, a total of 41 volunteers put 601 Monarch butterfly-friendly plants into the ground near the vineyard.

Butterfly stewards from near and far joined the effort, which was guided by the Napa Youth Stewardship Council. Volunteers include families, a local dignitary (thanks Brad Wagenknecht!), and a corporate group from San Francisco!

Napa RCD is excited to add native butterflies to the list of thing we grow at our ranch. Monarchs have experienced especially sharp declines in recent years, so we are joining forces with Xerces Society and RCDs throughout the state to plan and implement monarch planting projects.

In order to ensure a successful planting at our ranch, we first had to clear our planting area of the remnants of thick grasses, native and non-native. Once we finally got a good plot of bare soil mostly free of weeds, our friends at NRCS plotted out the spacing of plants and the students from the Napa Youth Stewardship Council began handing out plants to put in the ground.

As we were digging we came up with a few worms so, of course, we had to put them in a hotel until it was safe to return them to the ground.

Many thanks to all who attended, we're sure the butterflies will appreciate the help!

PS- Our partners over at Napa Valley CanDo hosted a Waterway Keepers cleanup in downtown Napa. With an enthusiastic turnout of 32 volunteers, the cleanup prevented 250 pounds of landfill waste, recycling, and compost from getting into Napa Creek!

Calling all Gardeners!

Does your garden buzz with pollinator plants? Are you cultivating beautiful plants with less water? Does your garden increase the health of the soil it uses to thrive?

If so, let us know! We're looking for sensational sustainable gardens that will inspire community members to lose the lawn and embrace water-wise landscaping.

Since 2011, Napa RCD and the City of Napa have worked together to host the Bay-Friendly Garden Tour right here in Napa County! We are currently looking for gardens to feature in our 2020 tour. Contact Frances Knapczyk (760-690-3124 or Frances@NapaRCD.org ) or Ashley Kvitek (760-690-3117 or Ashley@NapaRCD.org ) for more information

February's Conservation Champion:

Barry Christian

This February, we'd like to show some love to Barry Christian, a dedicated volunteer who has spent the last 30 years in American Canyon.

Conservation and natural spaces are a part of Barry's entire life experi ence, beginning in h is formative years in Marin County. With creeks to play in, hills to hike on, Mt. Tamalpais to enjoy, Yosemite close by, and supportive parents that encouraged such exploration of the natural world, it is no wonder that Barry has answered the call to protect, restore, and conserve the beautiful landscapes the Bay Area has to offer.

When it came time to support the creation of an open space district in Napa County, Barry was there, ready to give his time. He worked with Friends of the Napa River, volunteering to protect our waterways. And he is always working hard to make sure that the citizens of American Canyon have access to education and opportunities to explore the unique natural world around them.

Barry is not new to Napa RCD. He started visiting the office in 1999 when the property now known as Newell Open Space Preserve was donated to the City of American Canyon. He worked with our partners at NRCS to reduce erosion on the hills and find alternate water sources to keep grazing cattle out of the riparian areas of the preserve. Since then, Barry has continued to be involved in many Napa RCD programs. Barry has definitely led the charge in bringing Re-Oaking to American Canyon, making sure the areas in need of oaks got attention and even going so far as to hand-water many of the trees that volunteers have planted.

So what keeps Barry going? Why is he so involved? Why does he STAY involved? Barry jokingly mentions the snacks, but gets serious in his mention of the many wonderful volunteers he's met along the way. He find that a passionate and inspiring community is a reward in itself. Barry finds joy and satisfaction in watching his fellow citizens come to the natural spaces that he has helped protect for recreation, reflection, and rest.

As a parting thought, Barry leaves us with this:

"I'm not sure of anything. But I choose to suspect we are never defeated until we give up, and we never fail so long as we learn something."