Some history from 2001 regarding challenging the wine industry

[Shepherd]

Today's wine industry continues it assaults on forests, orchards, the soil, and land. Its hoarding of water and fencing out wildlife is not new. Following is an article from 2001 about their attempt to spray farms and homes, without permission, to combat the glassy-winger sharpshooter, a pest that would damage their mono-crop.

The No Spray Action Network was formed to prevent that happening, and was successful. It is possible to struggle against the wine industry and prevail. Once again, the sharpshooter has been spotted in nurseries. We were able to get up to 500 people at meetings back then. The time to build such a mass movement has come again, before we lose more of the rural character that so many of us love so much.

For more information, got to No Spray Action Network https://www.freestone.com/nospray/sh...16article.html

No Spray Forces Gather, By Shepherd Bliss

"We are poisoning our well here in Sonoma County," declared Sonoma City Council member Larry Barnett to a crowd of nearly 400 at the first public meeting of the growing No Spray Action Network. Barnett cited the increasing number of pesticides and other chemicals being used in the county.

No Spray opposes the government's plans for forced spraying of pesticides to control the glassy-winged sharpshooter on private and public properties against the will of residents. This tiny insect is harmless to people but can damage grape vines. The group gathered Jan. 16 at the Summerfield Waldorf School west of Santa Rosa in rural Sonoma County.

An infestation has not yet occurred in the North Bay, but last year various California counties were infested and forced spraying followed. A single adult sharpshooter arrived in Healdsburg during 2000 on a landscape plant from Southern California, which is typically how they travel long distances.

"The government is planning a war against this insect," observed Councilor Barnett. "They are on a search and destroy mission. This is reminiscent of the Vietnam War. The government is also spawning an anti-war movement." He called on people "to get involved politically against putting the profit of one industry over public health and safety. We need to make it more costly for them to spray than not to spray."

To continue reading, go to https://www.freestone.com/nospray/sh...16article.html

[Sara S]

Back in the '70s, in San Diego County, there were (supposedly) some Japanese beetles found in Balboa Park; I was writing for an alternative weekly called The Door, and wrote an article about how this finding was used to justify the spraying of Sevin over much of the county. There was also herbicide spraying, purportedly for fire control, which was done on grazing lands in the east county; this was helpful to ranchers, since the lack of brush allowed more grasses, to feed the cattle....

Today's wine industry continues it assaults on forests, orchards, the soil, and land. Its hoarding of water and fencing out wildlife is not new. Following is an article from 2001 about their attempt to spray farms and homes, without permission, to combat the glassy-winger sharpshooter, a pest that would damage their mono-crop.

The No Spray Action Network was formed to prevent that happening, and was successful. It is possible to struggle against the wine industry and prevail. Once again, the sharpshooter has been spotted in nurseries. We were able to get up to 500 people at meetings back then. The time to build such a mass movement has come again, before we lose more of the rural character that so many of us love so much.

For more information, got to No Spray Action Network https://www.freestone.com/nospray/sh...16article.html

No Spray Forces Gather, By Shepherd Bliss

"We are poisoning our well here in Sonoma County," declared Sonoma City Council member Larry Barnett to a crowd of nearly 400 at the first public meeting of the growing No Spray Action Network. Barnett cited the increasing number of pesticides and other chemicals being used in the county.

No Spray opposes the government's plans for forced spraying of pesticides to control the glassy-winged sharpshooter on private and public properties against the will of residents. This tiny insect is harmless to people but can damage grape vines. The group gathered Jan. 16 at the Summerfield Waldorf School west of Santa Rosa in rural Sonoma County.

An infestation has not yet occurred in the North Bay, but last year various California counties were infested and forced spraying followed. A single adult sharpshooter arrived in Healdsburg during 2000 on a landscape plant from Southern California, which is typically how they travel long distances.

"The government is planning a war against this insect," observed Councilor Barnett. "They are on a search and destroy mission. This is reminiscent of the Vietnam War. The government is also spawning an anti-war movement." He called on people "to get involved politically against putting the profit of one industry over public health and safety. We need to make it more costly for them to spray than not to spray."

To continue reading, go to https://www.freestone.com/nospray/sh...16article.html

[Sara S]

from The Press Democrat, 11/8:

Vineyard scrutiny
EDITOR: Regarding the Close to Home column by Duff Bevill and Kevin Barr (“Growers speak out in defense of grape industry,” Wednesday): The industry is under scrutiny because, like an intemperate drinker, it won’t admit when it’s had too much.
If the alcohol industry would control its own — acknowledge how event centers masquerading as wineries are an excessive indulgence and collectively destroy the rural quality of the North Bay — it wouldn’t have to play defense on questions about exploiting or respecting the landscape.
It’s a matter of degree. When the indulgence affects too many other people; when local governments ignore their concerns and proceed with business as usual; when residents feel obliged to organize, protest and write letters about traffic and the loss of rural character, then the alcohol and tourism industry has taken a good thing too far.
DONALD WILLIAMS
Calistoga

Today's wine industry continues it assaults on forests, orchards, the soil, and land. Its hoarding of water and fencing out wildlife is not new. Following is an article from 2001 about their attempt to spray farms and homes, without permission, to combat the glassy-winger sharpshooter, a pest that would damage their mono-crop.

The No Spray Action Network was formed to prevent that happening, and was successful. It is possible to struggle against the wine industry and prevail. Once again, the sharpshooter has been spotted in nurseries. We were able to get up to 500 people at meetings back then. The time to build such a mass movement has come again, before we lose more of the rural character that so many of us love so much.

For more information, got to No Spray Action Network https://www.freestone.com/nospray/sh...16article.html

No Spray Forces Gather, By Shepherd Bliss

"We are poisoning our well here in Sonoma County," declared Sonoma City Council member Larry Barnett to a crowd of nearly 400 at the first public meeting of the growing No Spray Action Network. Barnett cited the increasing number of pesticides and other chemicals being used in the county.

No Spray opposes the government's plans for forced spraying of pesticides to control the glassy-winged sharpshooter on private and public properties against the will of residents. This tiny insect is harmless to people but can damage grape vines. The group gathered Jan. 16 at the Summerfield Waldorf School west of Santa Rosa in rural Sonoma County.

An infestation has not yet occurred in the North Bay, but last year various California counties were infested and forced spraying followed. A single adult sharpshooter arrived in Healdsburg during 2000 on a landscape plant from Southern California, which is typically how they travel long distances.

"The government is planning a war against this insect," observed Councilor Barnett. "They are on a search and destroy mission. This is reminiscent of the Vietnam War. The government is also spawning an anti-war movement." He called on people "to get involved politically against putting the profit of one industry over public health and safety. We need to make it more costly for them to spray than not to spray."

To continue reading, go to https://www.freestone.com/nospray/sh...16article.html

[Sara S]

from The Press Democrat, Viticulture Briefs, 11/8:

Napa board to consider new winery regulations in December
The Napa County Board of Supervisors will consider proposals to better regulate its winery industry at a Dec. 8 meeting in response to citizen complaints about traffic and insufficient protection of agriculture land at the expense of tourism.
The board is not expected to take action at the meeting, but instead to direct staff on how to proceed with the recommendations, said David Morrison, planning director.
The board will hear recommendations from the county’s Planning Commission that were approved last week. The commission’s work was based on ideas from a citizen’s advisory panel, which was comprised of various interests from the politically powerful wine industry, environmentalists and neighborhood groups.
The recommendations include an annual compliance process, such as certifying production volume and adherence to the rule that wines made in Napa Valley have at least 75 percent of county-grown grapes, unless it is made in an industrial zone. They also would limit new wineries to using no more than 20 percent of their property, excluding vineyards, for winery production, hospitality and residential purposes.
Sonoma County has its own community task force looking into similar issues, especially on the number of events held at wineries.

Today's wine industry continues it assaults on forests, orchards, the soil, and land. Its hoarding of water and fencing out wildlife is not new. Following is an article from 2001 about their attempt to spray farms and homes, without permission, to combat the glassy-winger sharpshooter, a pest that would damage their mono-crop.

The No Spray Action Network was formed to prevent that happening, and was successful. It is possible to struggle against the wine industry and prevail. Once again, the sharpshooter has been spotted in nurseries. We were able to get up to 500 people at meetings back then. The time to build such a mass movement has come again, before we lose more of the rural character that so many of us love so much.

For more information, got to No Spray Action Network https://www.freestone.com/nospray/sh...16article.html

No Spray Forces Gather, By Shepherd Bliss

"We are poisoning our well here in Sonoma County," declared Sonoma City Council member Larry Barnett to a crowd of nearly 400 at the first public meeting of the growing No Spray Action Network. Barnett cited the increasing number of pesticides and other chemicals being used in the county.

No Spray opposes the government's plans for forced spraying of pesticides to control the glassy-winged sharpshooter on private and public properties against the will of residents. This tiny insect is harmless to people but can damage grape vines. The group gathered Jan. 16 at the Summerfield Waldorf School west of Santa Rosa in rural Sonoma County.

An infestation has not yet occurred in the North Bay, but last year various California counties were infested and forced spraying followed. A single adult sharpshooter arrived in Healdsburg during 2000 on a landscape plant from Southern California, which is typically how they travel long distances.

"The government is planning a war against this insect," observed Councilor Barnett. "They are on a search and destroy mission. This is reminiscent of the Vietnam War. The government is also spawning an anti-war movement." He called on people "to get involved politically against putting the profit of one industry over public health and safety. We need to make it more costly for them to spray than not to spray."

To continue reading, go to https://www.freestone.com/nospray/sh...16article.html