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Helping you care for our land, water, soil, and wildlife
This Month's News
Program Spotlights
  • North Bay Forest Improvement Program - Ready to Help You Get Forest Projects Done
  • Get Hip with Rolling Dips!
News & Announcements
  • February Rainfall Summary
  • Conservation Burn Workshop
  • WILD Napa: City of St Helena's Upper York Creek Dam Removal Project
In Case You Missed It
  • Explore Your Watershed with the Napa RCD
  • 2021 Soil Health Symposium - Register today!
Upcoming Programs
  • See below for details
Program Spotlights
North Bay Forest Improvement Program
The RCDs of Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino Counties have partnered with Rebuild North Bay Foundation and the Clear Lake Environmental Research Center (CLERC) to offer the North Bay Forest Improvement Program (NBFIP) to forest landowners in the four-county north bay region.

The 3-year pilot program is made with $1.5 million in Prop 68 funding via a CAL FIRE Wildfire Resilience and Forestry Assistance grant. NBFIP supports planning and implementation of projects on private forested lands to reduce risks of wildfire and promote forest health. The program provides financial incentives to landowners to conduct this critical work.
Landowners with properties between the size of 5 and 500 acres may receive incentives for the following types of non-commercial forest improvement practices:
 
  • planting site preparation
  • tree planting and protection
  • forest thinning
  • pruning
  • woody fuels reduction

Projects will occur on forestland consisting of oak woodland, redwood forests, mixed evergreen and ponderosa pine. Landowners should have a forest management plan in place and environmental impacts review completed in order to participate.

How do you know if you are eligible for this program?
Check out the NBFIP website to learn about eligibility requirements and much more.

How can the Napa RCD help?
If you'd like to take advantage of this program and you are in need of a Forest Management Plan, contact Napa RCD's Forestry Program Manager, Amanda Benton.
Get Hip with Rolling Dips!
What's all the fuss about rolling dips? Why are they so great at helping you protect water quality?

Watch this new 5-minute time-lapse video to get answers to all your burning rolling dip questions! We cover the basic steps to building a rolling dip on unpaved roads. Watch and learn as a rolling dip is constructed at a local Napa Valley park.

Can you guess where this film was shot? Send your guess to Danielle - if you guess right, we'll give you a handy reusable wooden utensil set!
News & Announcements
February Rainfall Summary
from Paul Blank, Napa RCD Environmental Scientist
February brought four small storms and seven days of measurable rainfall to most of the Napa County ALERT monitoring stations (Napa.OneRain.com) but rainfall totals were far below the monthly average. Water Year 2020-21 is on track to be the driest in the 19-year ALERT System record. The rain gauges recorded between 0.95 and 2.85 inches during the month, approximately 5% of mean annual rainfall (long-term February average is 19%). So far in Water Year 2020-21, we’ve received approximately 29% of our annual rainfall, well below the long-term average of 73% for this time of year. Seasonal rainfall totals at the rain gauges range between 6.6 inches (Lake Hennessey) and 13.5 inches (Mt. Veeder).
Conservation Burn Workshop
March 19, 9-11 am
Napa RCD and Napa Green are excited to be working together to host a virtual workshop about burning woody material in a way that greatly reduces particulate releases, captures carbon, and improves soil health.

Topics and speakers will include:
  • Prepping for a Conservation Burn: Raymond Baltar, Co-Founder & Director, Sonoma Biochar Initiative
  • Biochar Benefits to Soil Health: Josiah Hunt, CEO, Pacific Biochar
  • Napa Green- New Certification and Incorporating Conservation Burning,
Anna Brittain, Executive Director, Napa Green

This workshop will include a virtual demonstration of kiln and pile conservation burns.

This workshop will be held online via Zoom. Once registration is complete, a link will be sent to your email with information about joining the workshop.

Registration is $30 for the public.
If you are a Napa Valley Vintners member,
please contact Michelle Novi to register at a reduced rate.
WILD Napa: City of St Helena's Upper York Creek Dam Removal Project
March 10, 7pm
March's WILD Napa will focus on the City of St Helena's Upper York Creek Dam Removal Project, and we couldn't be more excited!

Jenn Hyman will discuss the history of the project and how it will benefit threatened steelhead in York Creek. Ms. Hyman’s talk will also touch on the impacts to the project of the Glass Fire, which burned 99% of the York Creek Watershed. Special guest Erica Ahmann Smithies will talk about this major accomplishment for the City of St Helena.

This free talk will be run through Zoom and Facebook Live. Both platforms will allow for audience participation and questions, so choose whichever works best for you.

  -or-
In Case You Missed It
Don't Forget!
The 2021 Soil Health Symposium
is March 11-12
Don't miss your chance to join us for the 2021 Soil Health Symposium!

The first day will focus on Climate Change and Soil Health on the global and regional scales, as well as provide an overview of the North Coast Soil Hub project.

The second day, Shop Talk: Soil Health in the Field, will feature growers and researchers discussing under vine management practices improving soil health, compost and the soil biome, and the benefits of integrating livestock into agricultural systems. We will end the day hearing about how soil health factors into a business’ economics and marketing.

Registration is free and open to the public. We hope to see you there!
Explore Napa County's Watersheds
Since our first stay at home order was issued, Napa RCD's Education Team has been hard at work to make sure students in Napa County have access to place-based conservation education.

As a result, we have produced a brand new virtual field trip experience! Watershed Explorers was produced by Napa RCD and American Canyon Community and Parks Foundation to connect students of all ages to the Napa River Watershed. Visit the Watershed Explorers website to learn about nature journaling and take a virtual field trip at Wetlands Edge! What wonders can you discover in your home watershed?
Upcoming Programs


For more watershed-related events, visit NapaWatersheds.org
Did you know that we have a separate email list for volunteers?
Help support Napa RCD - Donate Today!
Napa County Resource Conservation District | 707-252-4189 | NapaRCD.org