| Napa County Resource Conservation District |
| |
 RCD home |
| Napa County Resource Conservation District |
| |
RCD home |
California Coastal Cleanup Day
The RCD is coordinating the 19th Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day activities in Napa County, which are scheduled for Saturday, September 20 from 9 am until noon. Last year in Napa County, over 200 hundred volunteers cleaned up eighteen different sites and collected thousands of pounds of trash and recyclables. Cleanup sites range from underwater dives at Lake Berryessa to vacant lots in American Canyon. Each cleanup site will have a “site captain” who will ensure safety, orient volunteers to the site, hand out trash bags, and handle other logistics. Volunteers of all ages and abilities are needed, so please call Michael at the Napa RCD to find a cleanup site near you.District Assumes Lead Role in County-Sponsored Workshop
“Know Your Creek” Classes - a Spinoff from Setback Ordinance
The intent of the Napa County Board of Supervisors, as mandated by the recommendations of the Napa River Watershed Task Force, had been to address modification of the creek setbacks prescribed by the Conservation Regulations in the context of a complete re-write of that document. It is widely acknowledged that the original, slope-based setbacks, while effective in controlling sediment discharges into streams, only coincidentally provide protection for riparian habitats. The old regulations incongruously provide the narrowest riparian corridor to the streams with the greatest biological importance, i.e. the major streams on flatter terrain. However the Supervisors were moved to advance their timetable to address setbacks as a separate issue, at least in part because of the perception that this move might pre-empt the more draconian and controversial measures proposed in the Timberland Initiative.
During the course of the ensuing, protracted public hearings, the Board of Supervisors learned the real meaning of political pressure, this time from the “property rights” end of the spectrum. Owners of small, residential properties urged the Board to give them exemptions from the new setback requirements. This group argued that their homes could be made compatible with riparian habitat values, if only they could be taught specific stewardship skills. “Education, not Regulation” was the cry. The Supervisors agreed, passing Ordinance 1221, imposing new, more rigorous setbacks, but granting broad exemptions to residential properties. However the new Ordinance would require property owners, contractors, architects, vineyard managers and supervisors of regulated, earth-disturbing projects near creeks to attend a County-approved class. The County was immediately under pressure to provide the mandatory classes, in order to move a backlog of building permit applications. RCD, having been designated (as the contractor under the Joint Powers Agreement) to teach the classes, scrambled to put together to put together suitable curriculum, along with the necessary time/space logistics.
However in the meantime, certain citizens’ groups were still not satisfied, circulating a referendum petition to place the Ordinance before the Board of Supervisors (or the voters) for repeal. This effort was successful, and the Supervisors chose to place the measure before the voters, who will see it in the March 2004 California Primary. Between now and then, the setbacks are in a strange sort of limbo; the new Ordinance does not exist as law, the original ConsRegs serving as the default setting. The status of the classes is also somewhat up in the air, as nobody knows whether or not they will become mandatory in March.
RCD’s approach to this dilemma is to prepare a number of shorter presentations designed for voluntary attendance. We presented one workshop in June, when four staff members talked briefly about (1) Hydrology and Geomorphology, (2) The Riparian Corridor, (3) The Importance of Fish, and (4) Water Quality. The workshop was well-received by the 27 people who attended. Several more “voluntary” classes, some targeted for specific audiences, will be conducted in the next six months. In February RCD will teach one “proto-mandatory” class, as a dry run to prepare for the possible survival of the Ordinance, with its mandatory regimen.
Four New Associate Directors Join the RCD
Four associate directors joined the board at the June meeting. They bring with them a diversity of experience and expertise that will allow the board to be more effective and reach out to more of the community.
Myrna Abramowicz is a self-employed commercial real estate broker. She has over 35 years of experience in management and supervision. She has served as a member on numerous boards. She also has skills as an organizer, negotiator, fund raiser and has knowledge of the political processes through local, statewide and federal involvement.
Beth Painter has worked as land use planner for several counties through out California and in the private sector. She is currently owner and principal planner at Balanced Planning. She has a masters degree in Earth Science and a B.S. in Geology and served on the Napa County Watershed Task Force and Oversite Committee.
Tony Norris is currently employed as the Regional Parks Manager for the Solano County. He has been actively involved in the Napa County community as well as other Bay Area communities through his memberships in numerous societies, associations, trusts, commissions and task forces. Some of his certifications include licensed Pest Control Advisor and Certified Master Auditor.
Michael Silvas is the President and CEO of Morgan Lane Real Estate and has over 30 years of experience in real estate. He is a member of the Napa Chamber of Commerce Business and Agricultural Committee and a graduate of Leadership Napa Valley. His management experience includes accounting, recruiting/retention, technology, legal, training, marketing and strategic planning.
Board meetings are held the second Thursday of each month at 7:30 a.m. at the RCD office. The public is welcome.
Napa Volunteers Help Coastal Snapshot Day 2003
Volunteers spent Saturday, May 17, testing the quality of water in California’s coastal watersheds. The event was the first water quality monitoring effort to monitor creeks and rivers along the entire coast of California. This coast wide Snapshot Day was a one-day, simultaneous water quality monitoring event where trained volunteers collected important information about the health of coastal waters flowing into the Pacific Ocean. After meeting the event’s quality control criteria, volunteers from the RCD contributed data from the Napa River watershed to the statewide effort.
Snapshot Day included volunteers collecting water samples from the Oregon Border into Mexico. An estimated 565 water bodies were sampled including several sites in Napa. Over 679 volunteers (including many in Mexico) came out to work together to collect the largest simultaneous set of data on coastal streams of California. Due to excellent participation, plans are being developed to make this an annual event, which the RCD will continue to participate in.
Parameters measured include temperature, pH, conductivity, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen. This year’s state-wide event was funded by the U.S. EPA and California State Water Resources Control Board, in collaboration with the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Foundation, California Coastal Commission and Coastal Watershed Council.
Ultimately the goal of Snapshot Day is to help people gain a better understanding of the natural systems that surround them as well as highlight the key role volunteer monitors can play. Once the data return from participating laboratories and is checked for accuracy, they will be available along with a final report in November at the Coastal Commission web site.
Sediment & Stewardship Project Goes into Second Year
The technical team for the RCD’s sediment & stewardship project met in July and heard a report on the first year of the project. Despite some setbacks, the project has made a promising beginning, and we plan to redouble our efforts this winter.
This ambitious and exciting project sets out to install sophisticated monitoring equipment, in order to help provide answers to the questions so many people are asking about the effects of land use choices and practices on sediment delivery to our streams. We are implementing the turbidity threshold sampling (TTS) technology developed by scientists at the Redwood Sciences Laboratory (USDA-Forest Service) in Arcata, which uses continuous measurements of turbidity as a “stand-in” for suspended sediment concentration. Turbidity is a visual quality, a measure of how clear the water is, which is important in itself and is related to suspended sediment concentration. However, the specific relationship between turbidity and sediment varies, depending on particle size. Our equipment is set up to measure turbidity continuously and to collect samples of creek water at intervals during storms, when the turbidity rises above any of a number of specific values, or “thresholds.” The resulting set of samples, spaced strategically through a storm, allows us to develop a mathematical relationship between turbidity and suspended sediment, so that we can then use turbidity as a predictor of sediment and develop a realistic notion of sediment delivery throughout a storm or season.
RCD staff established our first TTS station on Carneros Creek last winter and collected some promising data for the storms of February and March. The relationship between turbidity and suspended sediment looks good, and we are planning on continuing this station and establishing a second one for the coming rainy season. The equipment installed at each station includes a datalogger programmed with a sophisticated control program, an automated pumping sampler, and sensors to measure turbidity, water level, and temperature.
In another area of the project, we are continuing to study runoff from a pair of vineyard sites in the northern Napa River watershed. These two sites differ in the type of management practices employed, and the purpose of the study is to look for significant differences in runoff response or sediment discharge between the two blocks. This year, we are completing an upgrade of the pumping samplers and level sensing equipment at both sites, and we are looking forward to collecting more valuable data.
Big Depand for Spanish Speaking Workshops
The Napa Sustainable Winegrowing Group held two Spanish speaking workshops in August. NSWG planned on only doing one, but because of such overwhelming demand, another workshop was scheduled a week after the first. The audience for this workshop was Spanish speaking farm workers. About 45 people attended each workshop, which were held at the Huichica Creek DFG offices. Five different presenters spoke for about 40 minutes each, and covered sustainable grapegrowing practices. The attendees learned about wine production, vineyard pests and Integrated Pest Management, life cycles of grapevines and many other valuable topics. The feedback was very positive, and there continues to be a strong demand for this type of workshop, which NSWG will continue to provide.
Palm Tree Struck by Lightening
The RCD palm tree, which has been a beacon guiding people to our office as well as a city landmark for many years, was struck by lightening during the August 21st electrical storm. Bark along the side of the tree was blasted away and strewn across the parking lot and roof. Unfortunately the tree is not looking very healthy and we fear it may have to be removed.
Rangeland Camp 2003
The RCD board awarded Scott Einberger $300 for tuition to attend the California Range and Natural Resources Camp this past June. This camp was held in Halfmoon Bay at Elkus Youth Ranch. It emphasizes ecology and practical land management skills relating to plant identification, livestock management, wildlife, forestry, fire, and range analysis and protection. Scott recently graduated from Napa High School and has aspirations of joining the Forest Service after attending college in Missoula, Montana. According to Scott the “professional speakers and hands-on activities at the camp provided an intense week-long learning experience.” He especially enjoyed the Compass and GPS sessions. He said that the experience served to reinforce that he is on the right track for an exciting career. Each year the Board selects one or two candidates to attend this camp. For more information and future opportunities contact Michael Champion at 252-4188.
Hydrologic Model of Salvador Creek
The Napa County RCD has been developing a hydrologic computer model of Salvador Creek. This model will have the ability to simulate real or simulated rain storms over the Salvador Creek Watershed, in order to study and plan for large flood events. In 2002, the RCD went into a contract with the City of Napa to build and develop the model, as well as facilitate land stewardship meetings of concerned landowners in the Salvador watershed.
In order to properly simulate how the channel conveys storm runoff, the RCD began a topographic survey of channel cross-sections. The survey began along Solano Avenue and continued downstream to Garfield Park. In the next few months the RCD will continue its topographic profile by surveying the channel from Garfield Park to the confluence with the Napa River.
Eventually, the model will allow the RCD to look at potential design scenarios that might lessen the hazard of winter flooding. If you are interested in this project please join the Salvador Creek Stewardship Group or call us at the RCD.
New Streamgage Planned for Salvador Creek
A new streamgage will be installed on Salvador Creek at Big Ranch Road this fall. The gage will measure the stream water level every 15-minutes during the entire rainy season. This will be the first effort to continuously monitor Salvador Creek for water level. Salvador Creek is an urban stream in North Napa that has significant flood potential. The new gage will allow local landowners to call a phone number that reports the water level in real-time.
Last December, during a heavy Pacific storm event, Salvador Creek flooded its banks near Garfield Park. To date, very limited data exists regarding the size and frequency of flood events on Salvador Creek, and the new streamgage will provide long-overdue baseline data to better understand the hydrology of the Salvador Creek watershed. Funding for the streamgage has been provided by Cosentino Winery, in cooperation with the Regional Water Quality Control Board.
The Napa County RCD has been installing and maintaining streamgages on Napa River tributaries since 1993. Since then there has been a dramatic increase in the interest in streamgage data. The streamgage data can be used as baseline data for a number of purposes, including flood monitoring and modeling, water resource decisions, and for fish passage and protection.
The RCD will maintain a total of four telemetric streamgages, including gages on Carneros Creek, Huichica Creek, Murphy Creek, and now Salvador Creek. For more information, call the RCD hydrologist at 707-252-4188.
Weeds: Noxious Aliens a Threat to Agriculture and Riparian Corridors
Throughout post-Columbian history, California has hosted to innumerable introductions, some deliberate and some inadvertent, of plants from the far corners of the earth. While some of these have fit, apparently seamlessly, into our ecosystems, seeds of others have indelibly altered the shores upon which they were cast.
For perspective, it would be difficult to dispute that most of the agricultural crops grown by California farmers are alien species that have in effect displaced their native predecessors in the State’s forests, grasslands, and (former) wetlands. Agricultural plants differ from weeds, of course, in that they require constant intervention and management to keep them alive and productive. Weeds, on the other hand, are by definition opportunistic, aggressive, and frequently persistent, in spite of the farmer’s best efforts to eradicate them. Turn your back on a cornfield or vineyard for a year or so, and you get…well, weeds.
California grassland, or rangeland as the stockmen call it, sustained rapid and some say catastrophic impacts in the early days of European occupation. Many experts think that the perennial bunchgrasses that dominated the range were overcome in most areas by the unrelenting grazing practices of the Spaniards, and by the European annuals whose seeds were imported in the coats and guts of Spanish horses, cattle, sheep, and goats. Later, other Old World imports such as yellow starthistle, centaurea solstitialis, proved resistant to both the latter-day annuals and the grazing that gave them their ascendancy. This particular nasty alien has today infested an estimated 22 million acres of rangeland, seriously impairing its economic value and frustrating efforts at control.
Like cropland and rangeland, riparian corridors are vulnerable to the incursions of non-native plants. Furthermore, in areas where activities such as intensive agriculture or urban development are the predominant land uses, communities of plants growing along streams and rivers may be virtually the only wildlife habitat left on the landscape. In order to maintain some semblance of that habitat, and to provide adequate water quality buffering, it is important that riparian corridors retain as many natural biotic and hydrologic characteristics as possible. Too often, invasive alien plants like those listed below displace native riparian species without replacing the habitat values and geomorphic stability provided by the natives.
- Giant reed, arundo donax, is a bamboo-like grass that spreads quickly from rhizomatous roots and flood-dispersed fragments. Difficult to eradicate once established, arundo grows in thick, pure stands up to 35 feet high, dominating native riparian communities. Private and public grant-funded eradication efforts are underway throughout the State.
- Blue gum, eucalyptus globulus, is one of several species of this genus planted in California. While upland stands do provide some arboreal habitat, these vigorous trees have no place near streams. Riparian plantings can be extremely harmful, as allelopathic releases suppress most understory plants that provide bank stability.
- Tree of heaven, ailanthus altissima, an Asian species imported originally for landscaping and firewood production, forms pure stands from rhizomes and seed, crowding out native plant communities, especially in riparian areas.
- Blue periwinkle, vinca major, is an escaped ornamental groundcover that spreads vegetatively rather than by seed, in damp, shady areas. Vinca suppresses native, streambank and floodplain understory plants with allelopathic releases, offering very little streambank protection. Hosts Pierce’s Disease bacterium and its insect vectors.
- Himalaya blackberry, rubus discolor, this Asian native was imported for its delicious fruit, but has escaped to become a pest. Its vigorous and competitive growth habits can completely dominate streambanks, floodplains, and other damp areas. Aptly described as “organic barbed wire”, Himalaya blackberry does provide cover for ground-nesting birds, but restricts movement of larger wildlife, and suppresses native understory, including the less-vigorous native blackberry, rubus ursinus. Spreads readily from seed or rhizomes. Hosts Pierce’s Disease bacterium and its insect vectors.
A number of grape growers in Napa County have begun to manage their riparian corridors for reduced Pierce’s disease risk by removing non-native host plants and replacing them with non-host, native vegetation, benefiting the habitat while managing disease risk. Parties interested in such a revegetation project may contact the RCD or NRCS for assistance in planning, regulatory compliance, and possible USDA cost-sharing.
|
|
RCD home back |
|