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California Coastal Cleanup Day
On Saturday, September 20, 290 volunteers in Napa County participated in the 19th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day. Throughout the County, there were 7 cleanup sites from Lake Berryessa to American Canyon. Each year, the RCD helps coordinate this volunteer driven creek and river cleanup effort. Along with the City and County of Napa, the RCD worked with local businesses and non-profits to make it the largest turnout yet. Over 100 more people participated this year compared to 2002. Among the usual bottles and cans normally collected at these types of events, volunteers pulled mattresses, bicycles, car batteries, road signs, and even a refrigerator from local waterways. Despite the record numbers of volunteers and amount of garbage removed from Napa’s creeks and streams, it is discouraging to find so much garbage carelessly left behind by people who don’t seem to care about the natural beauty of Napa County. We can all do a better job picking up after ourselves and others so that next year’s Coastal Cleanup Day, volunteers won’t have so much work to do.The Use, Storage and Disposal
of Household Hazardous Chemicals or ProductsMany products that we use daily are considered toxic and our use, and disposal or recycling of these toxic chemicals is safe and responsible. When improperly handled, hazardous chemicals eventually find their way into drinking water through creeks, rivers and estuaries, having drastic effects on fish and wildlife.
The products most likely to be found in the home are ammonia, bleach, poisons, cleaners, polish, batteries, paints and paint thinners. When using any household chemical formula that’s sold over the counter, the first step is to check the directions and calculate how much is needed. Only buy what is needed for a month or one job at a time, not the largest size available for the least amount of money. This eliminates storage problems that come from accumulating many different products at any given time. Also check the directions for any safety gear that might be needed for application.
Find out from the local recycling agency what products and chemicals can be recycled, and where or how to do so. Find neighbors or local groups to share leftover products with. Many chemicals if kept for long periods of time will begin to break down, changing and becoming less effective. Over time containers can become damaged and leak. Besides improper use, chemical seepage into the air or surrounding environment is probably the most dangerous and health threatening risk of storing chemical products. And chemical reactions can occur when products mix, creating poisonous gasses that can harm pets, adults, and especially children.
Buy water soluble products whenever possible. This helps make the clean-up and disposal easier. Do not dump any oils, paints, pesticides or any household chemicals on the ground outside, on the road, driveway or down the sewer. Both surface and groundwater can be contaminated if hazardous products are discarded this way. Do not wash chemicals off the driveway with the hose and pour pesticides or non water-soluble chemicals into a drain that leads to a septic tank. Hazardous chemicals can pass through wastewater treatment facilities and be discharged into waterways.
There are many less toxic alternatives to most household cleaners. Citrus or baking soda can be used in bathrooms and kitchens to replace ammonia and other cleansers. Vinegar and water is a great alternative for cleaning glass. A slightly damp rag can be used for dusting most surfaces. A tin foil liner in the oven helps clean up spills easily, reducing the need for oven cleaners. To lessen the need for cleaners, wipe up spills as they occur, this will keep them from drying and setting. Abrasive cleaners can scratch surfaces. If continually used, these types of cleaners can make surfaces dull and rough, making it harder to keep them clean. One multipurpose cleaner is preferable to many specialty cleansers.
When looking for paint, use water based paint. Look for the words “Latex” or “clean up with water” on the label. Calculate how much you will need and buy only enough for the job. Use organic additives for mold, mildew and algae control, instead of heavy metal additives like mercury, and lead. Choose paints that do not contain heavy metals for pigments. Never use paint that is over 15 years old, because it may contain lead. Some clean up tips; never clean brushes or rinse containers into a creek, storm drain, or on a sidewalk or road. Block any nearby storm drain openings and use drop clothes when painting outside. Reuse thinners and solvents by filtering out particles with a wire screen and replacing the recycled liquid in the original, or other well-marked container.
When using pesticides set traps to find the infested areas in the house and treat only those places. Also look for less toxic products that contain pyrethrins, which are derivatives of natural pest deterants used by plants. Pyrethrins are still poisons, but have less residuals than organophosphates, and do not remain in the house for long periods. If you must use a pesticide, try using bait or a trap, as opposed to dusts or sprays, which are more easily spread to uninfested areas. Calculate the approximate amount of pesticide needed, and buy only the corresponding size.
When using pesticides outside never use them near streams and block any nearby storm drain openings. If you have to spray, do not use pesticides on a windy day and do not use them where children will play. Pump sprays are preferred over aerosol sprays. Aerosols contain harmful chlora-flora-carbons, which break down the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere. Aerosols are also dangerous because the spray can drift and land on the skin, or in the eyes causing harmful exposures to toxins, especially damaging to children and those with weakened immune systems. Never dump the rinse water from the pesticide containers into a stream or down a storm drain, rather use the contaminated water in the garden. Keep children and pets away from the area for several days, or until the area has been cleaned thoroughly according to the directions. Any accidental ingestion or exposure should be treated as an emergency.
When storing hazardous chemicals safety is the primary concern. Know where all hazardous chemicals are stored in your home. Always keep a fire extinguisher near the storage location and know how to put out chemical fires. Leave products in their original containers, for the information on the labels is extremely important. Keep products in a locked, well-ventilated area away from equipment and appliances as corrosives can easily damage them. Check on storage conditions regularly and often. If there is any smell of chemicals present, the containers may either be leaking or the ventilation is not adequate. Separate all corrosives, including acids or lye from each other and from any other chemicals to prevent hazardous chemical reactions. Reactions occur when corrosives leak from their containers and drip or flow to other products. Any rags that are used with hazardous chemicals should be stored in a sealed marked container and kept locked with the other like products.
CIWMB Illegal Dump Grant Information
Money is available to cleanup illegal dump sites on farm and ranch properties in Napa County. The California Integrated Waste Management Board has made funds available through its “Farm and Ranch Solid Waste Cleanup and Abatement Program,” to cleanup illegal dump sites on farm or ranch property. The Napa County Resource Conservation District would like to apply for this grant, but would first like some feedback from farmers and ranchers. In order for a property to be eligible, it must be zoned for farming or ranching, and the waste to be removed must not have been placed there by the property owner. Funds can be used for removing and recycling illegal waste piles, security improvements, revegetation projects and other similar activities. There is no deadline for this grant, but funding is limited. For more information, please call Michael Champion at the Napa RCD at 252-4188.
Multiple River Restoration Techniques Absent of Rock Riprap
A Napa River riparian corridor was re-established in the Oakville Region during the months of August-October with cost share funding from the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The landowner was willing to remove a huge section of concrete rubble, several vineyard rows, and move the vineyard avenue before reshaping the steep river bank to a natural slope. Construction costs were reduced by over $10K by eliminating rock riprap, reconfiguring the bank slope and thus allowing more bio-engineering options.
Photo 1) A live willow brush layer with soil backfill. Keeping the willows wet and cool is vital to their success. 2) The willow branches are secured to wooden stakes driven flush with the ground using a pneumatic driver. A double layer of heavy duty coconut blanket was encapsulated with soil backfill, thus creating a “soil” burrito at the low flow elevation. The soil burrito will become a “veggie” burrito once the willows re-sprout. 3) Native trees, shrubs and perennial grasses were planted in the upper bank section. Sedges and rushes were planted at the lower terrace. 4) A willow revetment with bundled willow (fascines) shown in the distance during early November.
For Questions Contact Kelly Gin, NRCS Soil Conservationist 252-4189.
Fire for Better Grazing
The California Division of Forestry – Napa County Fire Department assisted two local ranchers with rangeland prescribed burns in 2003. Napa’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) coordinated these burns to assist ranchers who are using fire to help control invasive weed species on their ranches to improve their rangeland productivity – an important requirement to keep ranching viable in Napa County.
Prescribed burning is one component of multiple-technique invasive weed eradication programs that may also include cultivation, mowing, herbicide application, re-seeding, and managed grazing. A successful prescribed burn will kill the current year’s maturing weed seed crop and remove built-up thatch that prevents germination and growth of more desirable forage species. Burning also can promote the growth of native perennial grasses.
The Napa County Fire Department and county volunteer fire departments together coordinated some of their wild land fire training sessions to assist these ranchers in their exotic invasive weed control efforts. This is an excellent example of government agencies working together for the benefit of the people of Napa County.
We specifically wish to thank Tim Streblow, Assistant Chief, and David Shew, Napa Battalion Chief, of the CDF/Napa County Fire Department for their efforts in the complicated planning and coordinating of the burns. We also thank the many members of the volunteer fire departments who donated almost a full day of their own time assisting with the burns.
Sediment & Stewardship
The RCD continues to monitor agricultural runoff from vineyards in Napa County. Through the Sediment and Stewardship grant, the RCD collects samples of agricultural runoff to determine the effect that different farming practices have on suspended sediment. As part of the monitoring program, flow is also recorded using a pressure transducer, which allows for the calculation of the total volume of runoff from a given area. This valuable data allows for the quantification of how much sediment washes away from similar agricultural fields that use different farming methods. The two monitoring stations are visited regularly throughout the rainy season to collect runoff samples, flow data, and to maintain the equipment. The Sediment and Stewardship grant continues the work that began under the Farming in A Watershed Context grant.
Sulphur Creek Land Stewardship-Notes From the Field
Projects to restore steelhead passage in Sulphur Creek continue to show promise for the future of this fishery. The Sulphur Creek Land Stewardship has put a priority on protecting water quality and improving salmonid spawning waters in their watershed. Over the past year, 2 major in-stream projects have been implemented, and a 3rd major project is set to be completed in 2004 on Heath Canyon Creek, a major headwaters tributary to Sulphur Creek. Field work is also complete on a Cal-fed funded study of the watershed, and we will be working with landowners to complete and publish as response, a watershed management plan in 2004.
“Sustainable Winegrowing in Napa County”
If you are interested in learning about the daily efforts of local Napa grapegrowers in enhancing the beauty and health of the Napa River Watershed you should read “Vineyards in the Watershed: Sustainable Winegrowing in Napa County”.
This non-technical, easy to read book was published by the Napa Sustainable Winegrowing Group in 2002 and written by a local author by the name of Juliane Poirier Locke. The book covers local issues such as Water Quality, Wildlife Protection, Organic Farming, Community, Erosion Control, Weed Management, Vine Health, and Cover Crops. “Vineyards in the Watershed” was made possible by a wide variety of donators, ranching from private individuals, the local Sierra Club, Audubon Society, and the Napa County to local grapegrowers, wineries and agencies (?) such as the Napa Valley Vintner’s Association. Distribution reaches as far as Australia. Locally, it is used as a textbook by the Napa Valley College, and sold at the UC Davis bookstore.
The book costs only $15.95 plus tax. All profits go to the Napa Sustainable Winegrowing Group to enable their continuing mission of educating local growers in sustainable farming practices with the means of annual workshops and newsletters.
To obtain your personal copy contact Alyssa or Astrid at the Napa County Resource Conservation District at 707-252-4188.
New Hires-Alyssa & Chad
Alyssa Malin and Chad Edwards were recently hired to fill the positions of Secretary/Receptionist and Field Technician.
Alyssa joined us in March and brought with her a variety of skills to help keep us organized and handle the financial records of the office. She is new to the Napa area, having lived in other parts of the Bay Area and Southern California. She is the friendly voice greeting you when you call or come by the office.
Chad is a Napa native and grew up playing in Browns Valley Creek where he developed his love for aquatic creatures. He has a B.S. in Freshwater Fisheries Biology from Humboldt State University.
New Years Message
All of us at the Napa County Resource Conservation District and the Natural Resources Conservation Service wish you all the best for the coming New Year. We look forward to continuing to work together to help ensure that the watershed is a healthy place, for the benefit of all the people and creatures that live in this special part of the world.
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