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Bat presentation
For the fourth time in two years, the Napa RCD hosted Patricia Winters of the California Bat Conservation Fund to introduce her fury friends to an audience of all ages at the Napa Main Library and once again, the house was packed. Patricia Winters’ fast paced and fascinating presentation on bats began with a slide show, a close-up look at live bats local to the Napa Valley and concluded with a short walk to the Napa River to hear the high pitched callings of bats near-by.
To those who were not able to stay throughout the entire presentation, the slide show alone gave ample information to make one ponder over the importance of bats to mankind and the unfortunate reality of their endangered status, primarily caused by habitat destruction.
Some bat facts:
- Bats are the only mammals capable of self-propelled flight, and they live on every continent except Antarctica.
- Contrary to popular misconceptions, bats are not blind, do not become entangled in human hair and seldom transmit disease to other animals or humans.
- Not only do bats see as well as other mammals, they also use echolocation to detect objects as fine as a human hair in total darkness.
- Upon locating an insect, a bat will swoop in and use its wing to scoop the insect into its mouth-explaining their seemingly uncoordinated flight style
- One bat can eat up to 1000 mosquito-sized insects in an hour and up to 50% of its body weight in one night. Your garden may provide enough insects to feed dozens of bats!
- Loss of bats can increase the demand for chemical pesticides, jeopardize whole ecosystems, and harm human economies.
- Pallid bats (Antrozous pallidus) benefit ranchers by consuming large quantities of grasshoppers and crickets.
- Many garden pests can hear bats from over 100 feet (30 meters) away and will avoid areas where bats are present. Researchers have shown that, by playing even fake bat sounds over test plots of corn, they can scare corn earworm moths away, reducing damage from their larva by 50%.
These bat facts are just a small percentage of the information that people took home with them. If anyone had uncertain feelings or even a fear of bats before the seminar, their perception was most certainly changed to respecting these fascinating, harmless, fury, important and even cute creatures.
If you missed the free presentation, the RCD will be inviting her back to Napa again soon.
Green Certification Program
With great support from agricultural and environmental organizations, local and state agencies, the Napa County Board of Supervisors, Senator Wesley Chesbro and Assemblymember Patricia Wiggins, the California Coastal Conservancy unanimously voted to approve $200,000 of funds to the Napa RCD to develop a “green certification” program for Napa Valley grapegrowers. The green certification program, originally conceptualized by the Napa Valley Vintners Association, the Napa Valley Grapegrowers and the Napa County Farm Bureau, will assist grapegrowers in voluntarily carrying out watershed restoration, erosion control, and riparian and fisheries habitat enhancement while facilitating compliance with local, state and federal environmental regulations. In his support of the certification program, Senator Chesbro has heralded the voluntary approach of the program as the continuation of “a trend of moving beyond regulations to protect the Napa River watershed.”
In part based on the Russian River’s “Fish Friendly Farming” program in Sonoma County, the Napa RCD will work with consultant Laurel Marcus & Associates and a technical advisory group (TAG) to develop the Napa certification program based on local geology, hydrology, ecology and the requirements of local, state and federal environmental regulations. Laurel Marcus, who developed the Fish Friendly Farming program for the Sotoyome Resource Conservation District in Sonoma County, provides the experience necessary to efficiently develop a successful certification program in the Napa Valley, without re-inventing the wheel. The TAG will provide oversight and input to program development and will likely be composed of 20 to 25 individuals representing the wine industry, environmental organizations and government agencies.
Topics to be addressed in program development and included in a final Program Manual include general site features; new vineyard design; managing the vineyard; replanting the vineyard; new and existing road systems; creek/river corridor enhancement and care; stewardship and monitoring. In addition, Beneficial Management Practices (BMP’s) will be defined for each topic to guide land management decisions.
Once program development is complete, implementation will include a series of workshops for participating grapegrowers. Participants will attend four workshops and one field trip and will be provided with one-on-one technical assistance in evaluating their property and developing a “Farm Plan” for on the ground implementation. Mike Napolitano of the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board supported program funding noting that it will “lead to further education and dialogue about resource protection and land management issues between participants, scientists, agency staff and other interested parties.”
While the first certification isn’t expected for two to three years, Becky Peterson of the Napa Valley Vintners Association looks forward to a time when growers can receive grant money to help fund restoration projects that are part of a larger plan to protect and enhance the environment of the Napa River watershed. While many grapegrowers are involved in restoration projects around the Valley, several dozen grapegrowers have expressed interest in the program as a mechanism to further educate themselves on innovative and effective sustainable agricultural practices while being provided technical assistance to meet the requirements of local, state and federal regulations.
The Napa RCD is excited to continue working with Laurel Marcus, the Napa Valley Vintners Association, Farm Bureau, Grapegrowers, Audubon Society, Sierra Club, Friends of the Napa River, individual grapegrowers and a variety of regulatory agencies to develop a conservation “certification program” that will work for the Napa Valley, both ecologically and economically. If you are interested in this program please contact Leigh Sharp at the Napa RCD.
Vineyards in the Watershed-
Sustainable Winegrowing in Napa CountyThe Napa Sustainable Winegrowing Group (NSWG) released its newest publication, “Vineyards in the Watershed: Sustainable Winegrowing in Napa County,” on February 22, 2002. The book, as described by author, Juliane Poirier Locke, is about “wine agriculture in Napa County, about managing land with an eye toward the next generation, the next 100 years.” The book is a “story about people learning to do things differently.” Neither condemning nor glorifying, the book “sketches an imperfect work in progress, carried out by a growing number of individuals learning to re-think the ways they manage the land.” The book is suitable for the farming and non-farming community and aims to inform the reader of sustainable farming practices used by local farmers in Napa County.
Hired by NSWG to write the book, Poirier Locke covers topics such as erosion control, weed control, water use, wildlife protection, cover crops, vine health, organic farming, and sociological issues such as farm workers and stewardship groups. The book highlights many case studies to tell the story of local farmers, their reasons for choosing sustainable farming and the various ways they work toward achieving their goal of sustainability. It manages to increase public awareness, to instill respect for farmers who are trying to do the “right thing” and to trigger a curiosity in farmers to venture into areas of sustainability that they haven’t tried before.
Sustainability has many different definitions. NSWG considers sustainable farming to be a balancing act between economic viability, social responsibility and a healthy environment - where all factors are equally weighed when making farming decisions. The motivation behind sustainable farming and the practices applied vary from farmer to farmer. Some individuals choose to farm sustainably for marketing reasons or personal health benefits, others because they believe it benefits vine health, their workers and/or the environment.
Vineyards in the Watershed: Sustainable Winegrowing in Napa County explores the variety of sustainable practices utilized in Napa County and the individuals who experiment with these sustainable farming practices. The book is written in a way that recognizes sustainable farming as something that is to be experimented with, to learn from and to adapt to over time; as new information and technology become available. Poirier Locke, at a recent NSWG workshop that featured the book, noted that relatively few of the farmers she interviewed during the process of interviewing for the book felt that they had achieved sustainability. Sustainable farming, as one individual pointed out is about “taking the next step;” there’s always more to learn and more to do.
Vineyards in the Watershed: Sustainable Winegrowing in Napa County can be purchased at the Napa County Resource Conservation District for $17.19 (incl. tax). To receive a copy by mail, send a check made out to NCRCD for $19.18.
For more information about the Napa Sustainable Winegrowing Group visit their web site at www.nswg.org or contact Astrid Bock-Foster at 707-252-4188.
Restoration Workshop
The Napa County RCD hosted the first in a series of restoration workshops at the Napa library on Friday, March 8, 2002. Approximately 55 people, including interested residents, County and State resource officials and vineyard managers, attended the workshop to learn about riparian restoration projects from a panel of five restoration practitioners and experts. Evan Engber of Bioengineering Associates, Mike Jensen of Prunuske Chatham Inc., John Williams of Hanford A.R.C, Ellie Insley of Ellie Insley and Associates, and Karen Gaffney of Circuit Rider Productions presented an interesting array of information on watershed restoration. Topics covered during the session included bioengineering for streambank stablization, bioengineering and traditional engineering: how they differ and when they can work together, the benefits and importance of native plants, the process of obtaining necessary permits to do stream restoration, and a presentation of planning a successful project.
Many of the speakers used slides to illustrate various streambank stabilization projects that have been completed over the past twenty years; complete with “before” and “after” pictures showing the fast growth and efficiency of willow trees in providing soil stabilization and habitat enhancement. A number of slides also demonstrated the process of constructing bioengineered structures such as willow walls, willow revetments and willow baffles. The use and benefits of willow was clearly a central theme for Evan, Mike and John as they discussed various aspects of bioengineering.
Beyond the use of willows in bioengineering projects, the process of obtaining permits from regulatory agencies when undertaking a stream restoration project was discussed by Ellie Insley. Ellie emphasized that a number of public agencies at the local, state and federal level may become involved in a restoration project, depending upon the location and scope of the project. The agencies that most often become involved in permitting of a restoration project include, from most to least often: the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG), the Regional Water Quality Control Board, the Army Corps of Engineers, the National Marine Fisheries Service, National Fish and Wildlife Service and the County or other local jurisdictions. Ellie and a DFG representative attending the workshop impressed upon the group that it is always a good idea to contact the DFG when working in or near a stream, including activities such as removing fallen trees.
Karen closed the workshop with a discussion of how to develop a successful restoration program. She emphasized the need for planning in advance and carefully considering your restoration site for potential success. Some of the many factors to consider included existing conditions, a source for native plants, timing of the project, irrigation, program budget, monitoring and on-going project maintenance. Karen shared a number of successful restoration projects with the participants, emphasizing good research, planning and maintenance.
The “Watershed Restoration Workshop Series” is funded by a grant from the California Department of Fish and Game and is intended to provide landowners and vineyard managers with the hands-on training they need to effectively complete a variety of restoration projects. Subsequent workshops will take place in the field where participants will assist in restoration projects under the supervision of experts. The first field workshop will take place during the late spring or early summer along Doak Creek in Oakville. Volunteers will identify native and non-native plants and will remove the non-natives using a variety of proven techniques. If you would like to be involved in the upcoming restoration projects, please contact Michael Champion at the Napa RCD at 707-252-4188.
A TMDL for Clean Water in the Napa River Watershed
What is a TMDL?
Despite national standards and required pollution controls, many of the nations waterways do not meet the Clean Water Act’s goal of being “fishable and swimmable.” Under section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act, States are required to identify “impaired” waterbodies, those not meeting standards, and develop Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for these waters.
A Total Maximum Daily Load, or TMDL as it is frequently referred to, is a written plan that describes how a water body that is listed as impaired under the federal Clean Water Act will come to meet water quality standards. TMDLs use a water quality-based management approach that relies on evaluating the condition of surface waters and setting limitations on the amount of pollution that a given water body can be exposed to without adversely affecting the beneficial uses of those waters.
TMDLs in California are developed either by a Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Board) or by the US Environmental Protection Agency. A TMDL provides a quantitative assessment of specific water quality parameters, an analysis of contributing sources, quantitative pollution reductions needed to attain water quality standards, pollution allocations for each contributing source and, more recently, an implementation plan that may include “best management practices” for contributing sources.
TMDLs can provide critical analytical information to assist in integrated watershed management that can lead to water quality solutions and protection of drinking water sources and endangered species habitat.
Some TMDL History:
The requirement to develop TMDLs has been in the federal Clean Water Act since inception in 1972, but until the mid 1980’s TMDLs received relatively little attention. For most of the 1970’s and 1980’s, point source pollution, pollution released from discrete conveyances such as discharge pipes, was considered to be the most significant problem affecting water quality in rivers and streams. Therefore, efforts to improve water quality focused on “point source” pollution control and a set of technology-based solutions.
In general, water quality in the nation improved as technology-based point source pollution controls were implemented; sewage treatment plants were built or upgraded and uniform levels of pollution control at discrete conveyances could be achieved. However, concerns over pollution from “non-point sources,” pollution from everything other than point sources, (including landscape scale sources such as storm water and agricultural runoff and dust and air pollution that find their way into waterbodies), was raised as waterbodies were still unable to meet the Clean Water Act’s goal of being “fishable and swimmable.”
The Napa River TMDL:
In 1987, the Napa River was listed as an “impaired” water body by the State Water Resources Control Board (State Board) for nutrients, pathogens and siltation. The sediment listing, based predominantly on qualitative visual assessments by State and Regional Board and California Department of Fish and Game staff, was ranked of highest concern in response to perceived adverse impacts to habitat for steelhead trout and other threatened stream/riparian species. The Napa River watershed is noted as an area of special biological significance supporting one of the most diverse assemblages of native fishes found within California, including seventeen native fish species. The historical decline of adult steelhead from 1000 – 2000 in the 1960’s to less than a few hundred today raised the questions that are the focus of today’s Napa River TMDL study: “What are the primary factors causing decline of native fish and wildlife species?”, “How important is sediment?” and “What actions will be required to conserve or restore self-sustaining populations of rare or threatened native species?”
The independent scientists conducting the local TMDL study for the Regional Board are testing the hypothesis that sediment is causing significant adverse impacts for fish in the Napa River watershed. Evidence collected so far indicates that sediment alone is not undermining the viability of fish populations, but that factors such as water flow and temperature may be more closely related to the viability of local steelhead populations. The scientific team is getting very close to completing their work in the watershed and the draft TMDL will be available for review on April 17, 2002. An electronic copy will be available online at http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/~rwqcb2/Download.htm. Paper copies of the report will also be available for review at the St. Helena Public Library, Calistoga Public Library, and Napa County Main Library in Napa. Comments received by May 7th, 2002 will be considered in the final report, which will be released on June 28, 2002.
Mike Napolitano, who coordinates the Napa TMDL, remains optimistic that a vibrant economy can be maintained “while restoring fish habitat so there are self sustaining populations [of fish] that aren’t in jeopardy of survival.” Recognizing that local landowners and stakeholders may be concerned that the TMDL will favor water needs for fish and wildlife over residential and agricultural water demands, Napolitano notes that “[the Regional Board] is not going to do anything radically conservative or liberal.” A believer in local leadership, responsibility and partnerships, he urges the Napa River watershed community to form stewardship groups to address issues such as small dams, diversions and road crossings that make it impossible for steelhead or other migratory fish to move up or down stream at key times of the year. Understanding that nobody likes to be told what to do, Napolitano sees great benefits in providing financial incentives to landowners and allowing individuals to decide for themselves what is in their best interest, while meeting the needs of local fisheries species.
The draft Napa TMDL Report will be available for review on April 17, 2001. Paper copies of the report will be available for review at the St. Helena Public Library, Calistoga Public Library, and Napa County Main Library in Napa. Comments received by May 7th, 2002 will be considered in the final report, which will be released on June 28, 2002.
Sources:
Pitzer, Gary. TMDLs: A Tool for Better Water Quality? Western Water. Water Education Foundation, May/June 2001.
Poirier Locke, Julianne. Vineyards in the Watershed: Sustainable Winegrowing in Napa County. Napa Sustainable Winegrowing Group, 2002.
State Water Resources Control Board. http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/tmdl/background.html. February 20, 2002.
Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Defined. The Russian River Bulletin. Fall 2001.
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