eNewsletter | June Edition
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In this month's edition:
- Pollinator Week June 21-27th
- Partner Press Release: Sonoma County Funds Veg Management Projects
- June 10: Russian River Water Rights Workshop
- Shallow Wells and Streamflow - what you need to know PDF guide
- Agricultural Loss Survey for Crop Year 2021
- CALFIRE seeking tree seeds for future restoration projects
- Community Workshops and more!
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Pollinator habitat vital to agriculture and our communities |
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Did you know June 21-27 is Pollinator Week? "Pollination is a vital stage in the life cycle of all flowering plants. When pollen is moved within a flower or carried from one flower to another of the same species it leads to fertilization. This transfer of pollen is necessary for healthy and productive native & agricultural ecosystems. About 75% of all flowering plant species need the help of animals to move their heavy pollen grains from plant to plant for fertilization. About 1,000 of all pollinators are vertebrates such as birds, bats, and small mammals. Most pollinators (about 200,000 species) are beneficial insects such as flies, beetles, wasps, ants, butterflies, moths, and bees. Why are pollinators important? Pollinators are often keystone species, meaning that they are critical to an ecosystem. The work of pollinators ensures full harvests of crops and contributes to healthy plants everywhere. An estimated 1/3 of all foods and beverages is delivered by pollinators. In the U.S., pollination produces nearly $20 billion worth of products annually." Excerpt from the Pollinator Partnership.
Whether you’re a Sonoma County resident, homeowner, ranch owner, dairy producer, winegrape grower or have a small scale orchard or row crop farm there are possibilities everywhere to support beneficial pollinator communities. For example, boundaries between crops or property lines, raised beds in your backyard should not be undervalued or underutilized, but rather seen as an opportunity to support pollination, increase biodiversity, sequester carbon, or increase soil health. Bringing these edges and spaces back to life can greatly benefit you as well as increase beneficial habitat. If you are interested in hearing more about natural resource best management practices that benefit pollinators please contact your local RCD!
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Here are a few resources that you can access with additional information about how to support pollinators at your home, farm, business, school, or where you can donate to programs implementing pollinator projects.
Donate to your RCD to support education, habitat development, and local project implementation.
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Thank you to our 100 community members who picked up Monarch habitat kits last Saturday at the offices of your Sonoma County RCDs! Special thanks to those where were able to donate to this important cause. We hope to be able to offer another opportunity like this in the future! Stay tuned. |
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Board of Supervisors Approves Over $3.7 Million for Vegetation Management Projects to Reduce Wildfire Risk
Press Release from Sonoma County Administrator's Office
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The Sonoma RCD supported the development and submission of four proposals totaling over $1.28 million, which the Board approved last week. These funds will support grazing efforts, shaded fuel breaks, forest thinning, defensible space implementation, and other forest health improvement projects across Sonoma County. We're excited to support our community with these on the ground actions to further community safety and resiliency of our local watersheds.
PRESS RELEASE: Santa Rosa, CA – June 2, 2021 – The Board of Supervisors has approved $3,722,160 in grant funding for 20 vegetation management projects throughout Sonoma County to help reduce fire risk in the 2021 and 2022 wildfire seasons. In addition, another seven projects in the Russian River area have been conditionally approved for future funding pending the completion of outstanding project design and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) work. The funds are derived from the PG&E settlement awarded to the County as a result of the 2017 Sonoma Complex Fires lawsuit. In 2020, the Board of Supervisors voted to allocate $25 million of the $149 million settlement toward vegetation management activities.
“We are pleased to be able to support our local fire districts, homeowners’ associations, non-profit partners, and community groups in making our county safer and more resilient in the face of what is anticipated to be a severe wildfire season,” said Chair of the Board of Supervisors, Lynda Hopkins. “Through this grant program we are able to help landowners and communities clear critical access roads, create defensible space around structures, form much-needed shaded fuel breaks, and educate the community on wildfire safety and risk reduction. In addition, we are looking forward to working closely with river communities on resolving project design and CEQA issues so that these projects can also be approved for funding this summer. Read the full press release here.
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June 10: Russian River Water Rights Workshop
Shared from the State Water Resources Control Board
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PUBLIC WORKSHOP ON PROPOSED RUSSIAN RIVER EMERGENCY REGULATION AND RECENTLY ISSUED NOTICES OF WATER UNAVAILABILITY FOR THE UPPER RUSSIAN RIVER WATERSHED
In response to emergency drought conditions persisting throughout the Russian River watershed and insufficient water supply to meet the needs of all water rights holders, on May 25, 2021, the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) issued notices of water unavailability to water rights holders in the Russian River watershed upstream of the Dry Creek confluence. Additionally, the State Water Board is considering adoption of an emergency regulation for the Russian River. The proposed emergency regulation would allow for curtailments of water diversions when natural flows decrease such that water is not available: (1) to meet carryover storage targets in Lake Mendocino;
(2) minimum flows for state and federally listed fish in the Russian River; and
(3) minimum human health and safety needs.
State Water Board staff will hold a public workshop to provide information and answer questions related to the Notices of Water Unavailability and the proposed emergency regulation. Details of the public workshop are as follows:
Thursday, June 10, 2021
5:30 – 7:00 pm
Zoom Link:
Meeting ID: 963 6690 7908
Passcode: 179300
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Shallow Wells and Streamflow - what you need to know
Shared from California Department of Fish and Wildlife
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Groundwater is a major water source for many Californians. In addition to being one of the primary sources of agricultural water use throughout the state, approximately 33 million Californians, including most rural inhabitants, use groundwater for drinking or residential uses. Additionally, California contains many Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems -important plant or animal communities that require groundwater to meet some or all of their water needs. Unsustainable groundwater use (i.e., pumping more groundwater than what is replenished) can not only lower groundwater levels, requiring deeper wells and higher pumping costs for landowners, but can also degrade important groundwater-dependent habitat supporting imperiled plants, animals, and fish. One specific mechanism through which these impacts materialize is via streamflow depletion caused by groundwater pumping of shallow, near-stream wells. |
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Survey: Agricultural Loss Survey for 2021 Crop Year
Shared from Sonoma County Agricultural Commissioner "What's New" Update
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The Sonoma County Department of Agriculture is conducting an agricultural loss survey to determine the extent and nature of crop loss due to the drought conditions in Sonoma County during the 2020-21 rainy season. This season runs from October 2020 through April 2021. The results of this survey may lead to additional assistance being made available to Sonoma County Producers. Click here for survey landing page.
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CALFIRE Seeking Seeds for Future Restoration Needs
Shared from CALFIRE's Facebook page
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ATTENTION LANDOWNERS! Identifying healthy trees for cone collection is an important first step to harvesting seeds for future reforestation needs. CAL FIRE is asking landowners to assist with locating developing cone crops on native California conifers (pine, fir, cedar, redwood). A potential stand of conifer trees consists of approximately 15-20 healthy trees with the top third of the tree containing unopened cones. Please take note of the location (e.g. GPS coordinates) and tree species observed. Please contact the Seed Bank Manager with information about your potential crop.
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Upcoming GSA Community Workshop
Shared from Groundwater Sustainability Agency's newsletter
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Learn about groundwater in your community and plans being developed now to ensure groundwater is available in the future. Meetings held via Zoom 5:30pm-7:30pm. Register in advance for your basin event. Petaluma and Laguna community meetings took place in May.
Sonoma Valley- Wednesday, June 23
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Virtual Workshops | Resources |
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June 14: Black to the Land
Shared from Community Alliance with Family Farmers
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Black farmers, land stewards and permaculturists, this Summer you're invited to a gathering at EARTHseed, a newly-founded hub for the Afro-Indigenous community to reclaim their relationship to the Earth, their history and their future. Come enjoy food, drinks and good company at the farm while we welcome in the solstice alongside fellow Black earth-tenders and help forge a stronger network among the black farming community here in Sonoma County. Black-led and operated, the EARTHseed Permaculture Center (EPC) serves as a working farm and retreat/educational center to allow respite and earth-centered relaxation for our beloved Black Community while also reconnecting communities to Afro-Indigenous principles and practices for living in our world today. Monday June 14th, 6-8pm REGISTER HERE. Please bring your own dish ware, as this event aims to be zero waste.
Hosted by EARTHseed Permaculture Center & Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF). NOTE: While EarthSeed looks forward to cross-cultural exchange, this particular gathering is reserved for Sonoma County residents who identify as African-American and who are active in agriculture, permaculture and other land-tending practices. Learn more about EARTHSeed at www.pandorathomas.com/epc or email info@earthseedfarm.org for questions or additional information.
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June 17: Compost on the Farm virtual event |
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Interested in soil health? Join us for a virtual field day on compost as a tool for improving soils. Santa Rosa Junior College's Sustainable Agriculture program, Shone Farm and the Sonoma Resource Conservation District invite the agriculture community to a free webinar focused on making and using compost on farms.
Keynote speaker Phil Foster will share details from his many years of producing and applying significant amounts of compost on his central coast fruit and vegetable farms. Will Bakx of Renewable Sonoma will describe the covered aerated static pile composting system and on-farm composting education at Shone Farm. SRJC faculty member Dr. Josh Beniston will introduce the Shone Farm Healthy Soils Demonstration Project that is utilizing compost to improve soil health in pastures. A panel of expert growers of both wine grapes and vegetables will share the nuts and bolts from their experiences with using compost in their farming systems. There will also be time for questions and answers. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain a better understanding incorporating compost into your farming! REGISTER HERE
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RCD Drought Resources web page now live |
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Our local communities and agricultural producers are already facing the challenges of drought with little to no rainfall and water storage levels well below average for this time of year. The RCD and our partners have been working closely with our agricultural partners to mitigate the effects of climate change through soil health, carbon farming, and water storage and development projects.
How the RCD can help.
Provide advice and technical assistance (via email, phone, or site visit) on:
- Water management, use efficiency and conservation
- Water storage
- Livestock water systems
- Long-term strategies to increase drought resilience in the future
- Share additional resources and funding opportunities as they become available
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Up to date resources on our Drought Resources page on our website
Please email us at info@sonomarcd.org so we can direct your inquiry to the appropriate team member.
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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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With a tax deducible donation you can support conservation projects that protects water resources, improves soil health + restores habitat for endangered species.
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