The carbon cycle is the exchange of carbon among the earth, soils, oceans and waterbodies, the atmosphere, and living things. As part of the carbon cycle, carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere is captured and stored in agricultural soils in the form of organic matter. This is called carbon sequestration. Carbon sequestration is one method of reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which can help mitigate global climate change. Agricultural activities can lead to increases or decreases in soil carbon, and in turn this leads to increases or decreases of CO₂ in the atmosphere. For example, practices such as tillage and use of fuel-burning agricultural equipment release CO₂ into the atmosphere, while maintaining living roots for extended periods of time and minimizing soil disturbance can decrease CO₂ in the atmosphere.

The first step in the carbon farm planning process is to do an inventory of all soil management practices and GHG emission sources on the farm. Next, opportunities to enhance soil carbon sequestration and reduce GHG emissions are identified. The farmer’s goals and economic considerations help prioritize practices from the many opportunities that may exist. The third step is implementation. Napa RCD works with farmers to identify funding sources to pay for the practices and provide technical assistance for implementation. Over time, Napa RCD works with farmers to reevaluate and update the CFP to reflect changing objectives and implementation opportunities.

For Napa RCD, the carbon farm planning process is a year-round effort but most of the work is completed during the vine dormant season in the winter to coincide with farmers’ availability. During this time of the year, Napa RCD is mostly focused on conducting site visits and beginning the writing process for ongoing plans. At the moment, Napa RCD is accepting applications from anyone interested in developing a carbon farm plan. Contact Miguel@NapaRCD.org to get started.

Since 2017, Napa RCD has assisted farmers in developing and implementing a total of 52 carbon farm plans. Combined, these plans cover 3,936 acres and guide farmers towards sequestering about 18,437 metric tons of CO₂ every year. This is equivalent to the CO₂ produced every year by about 3,900 typical passenger vehicles.

Demand for carbon farm plans has grown tremendously in the past four years, as local farmers are seeing the value that their farms have in being part of the climate solution. An important milestone for carbon farming locally was that Napa Green is now requiring a carbon farm plan as part of its vineyard certification program. Napa RCD is training Napa Green staff to help farmers develop plans, so that more farms can start taking strategic climate action.

January brought two small storms and four days of measurable rainfall to the Napa Valley. Rainfall totals at the County ALERT monitoring stations (napa.onerain.com) were well below average for the month, ranging between 0.7 and 1.8 inches, approximately 2.6% of mean annual precipitation. On average, we get 19% of our annual rainfall during the month of January.

More information will be available soon at www.cal-ipc.org/napa.

With questions please contact Ashley@NapaRCD.org or 707-690-3117

Eric started working at Napa RCD in the wake of 2014's South Napa Earthquake.

Although Eric has been with us for an impressive 7 years, he wasn't new to environmental education when he joined the team. His story in this space goes back over 20 years, when he was a Nature Counselor for a summer camp at the age of 16.

Eric is currently the Napa RCD's Education Project Manager. He oversees all of our school and youth education programs, and is entrenched in fundraising, grant writing, program development, and program dreaming! Eric is also helping form Napa RCD's Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion goals.

Right now, Eric is working on implementing the Salmon To Sanctuary program with Napa County’s continuation high schools, as well as the Acorns To Oaks program, both involving students participating in actions to support ecosystem health.

One of the things that Eric is most looking forward to in the coming year is supporting the development of the Horns Canyon Outdoor Education Center, a new space in Calistoga for students to connect with nature and learn about their home environment. He's also excited to create opportunities for teen internships, as demand from students for these work-training experiences has grown. Eric loves finding ways to get students involved in environmental leadership and motivate youth to pursue conservation careers in the future.

When he's not building on his knowledge of environmental education, Eric loves to cook! One of his current favorite recipes is Spicy Peanut Thai Noodles - Cooking Classy because it is delicious, requires very little cooking, and is great cold or on-the-go.

We asked Eric to share one more thing about himself that is unrelated to his job here at Napa RCD. This is what he wanted to share:

"I won 2 cornhole tournaments with the City of Napa’s Parks and Recreation, with friends from the Water Division and Department of Planning, Building, and Environmental Services."

Congrats on those wins, Eric, and cheers to many more years creating learning experiences for the youth of Napa County!

The sculptures will be up for viewing until March 13, 2022. You can download a map of the installations here.

office@suscolcouncil.org or