Apple Blossom School now will be Wine Grape School ??!!!??!!

[podfish]

"Your personal story is obviously coloring your views."

I surely hope it is! Since it is our personal experiences which help us to form our life views and become the people we are.

When I read Mama J's story this morning on this board, it brought me to tears. Can you imagine having to endure that heartless slaughter, especially after bonding with those birds the way she and her family did?
And all for what? Just to save a few clusters of grapes. How pathetic.

And what about her children? What a horrible memory to last a lifetime. If you are not moved by her story, well, you must be devoid of all feeling.

I have been moved by the stories on this board, and I am glad that some of the posters here have shared their personal experiences with some of the bad actors in the vineyard industry. And until such actions cease, people are going to continue to speak out. And well they should.

As the phrase goes, "One bad apple spoils the whole bunch." While it may not always be fair, and while you "good stewards of the land" don't want to admit it and would rather attempt lamely to shift blame, vilify and mischaracterize those of us who are not afraid to tell the truth and express our opinion, that's what tends to happen.

Perhaps its time for some industry-wide regulation of their own if they wish to improve relations with their neighbors? Or...do they even care anymore? Maybe we've all just become mere stepping-stones.

Before you do a wine-country rush-to-judgment, give it some thoughtful consideration.

Think about it.

"those of us who are not afraid to tell the truth" ??

come on, it's not such a heroic position as all that. Re-read your post, and then, to reiterate your closing line, think about it!
Just because you're moved to tears by cute turkeys doesn't mean you have some kind of moral high ground to speak from. It's not all sweetness and Bambi; people do protect their crops from wildlife, and we still live in a society that condones killing of what are considered pests. You wouldn't be alone in crusading against it, but there's no consensus on that yet.
More troubling is your casual dismissal of fairness because you think you're on the side of the angels. It's ok that people live by "one apple spoils the whole bunch"??? you think it's fine that people aren't given the courtesy of being treated as individuals, but can be judged at whim by those who disagree?? think about that - have you ever found yourself on the wrong end of that one?

[sebastacat]

Podfish...thank you for your post.

I wasn't speaking from any "moral high ground," believe me.

No, I don't think that it is necessarily fair that "one bad apple spoils the whole bunch." But, unfortunately, that's what tends to happen sometimes.

Would I want to be treated as an individual and not put into the same category with someone else who may have committed some bad -- even reprehensible -- act that I myself did not commit? Of course not.

But I do believe that stories such as Mama J's story of the turkey-slaughter tend to cast a bad light on the industry as a whole, and that's unfortunate.

Question: Why didn't they just use netting to protect the grapes? Was it because killing the turkeys right before dark when they were all together nesting, resting and vulnerable the cheaper option??

If the latter was true, I'll say it once again, this time loudly: HOW PATHETIC.

[rossmen]

actually the possibility of an organic vineyard has been hoped for in this thread. the problem is the conversion is reported to involve paul hobbs. weenie seems to know him, do you? his rep as a neighbor is beyond horrible. he is bad news for the wine industry.

Mammaj, After reading your post and those of others on this board I am pretty discouraged. Lumping all grape growers into one category and using nastiness, insults and sarcasm to make whatever point you are trying to make is not okay. Just because SOME grape growers and wine producers are uncaring and unscrupulous does not mean that ALL grape growers are.

Your personal story is obviously coloring your views. I personally know many good people who were apple farmers and now farm grapes. Changing crops does not make them evil, bad people!! NO one on this board has even acknowledged that it might be jumping the gun to assume that whoever is going to farm this vineyard going in next to the school won't be amenable to organic farming. No one has discussed trying to talk with them. It seems to me that many of the people on this thread that claim to be so morally superior are more interested in fighting and hating than finding a peaceable compromise.

[Alexandra]

Some things to consider:


1. The only thing constant is change. There are many policies and practices from the past that we now view with disbelief as we have made progress and understand how badly some things have been handled at all levels in history. A consideration of the future is wise. Business as usual may not be the best choice to continue to better ourselves and our world.

2. There have always been special dispensations and rules for schools- slower speed limits, restrictions on neighboring businesses and much else. Our society operates on the belief that children do deserve special protection as they are vulnerable and because they will be the stewards of the future.

3. Many of the parents would absolutely be supportive of a bond (similar to the ones that the Sebastopol School Districts have recently been successful in passing), that compensates family farmers (not corporations that have recently purchased property) for farming organically and for setting aside parts of their property for wildlife corridors and other environmental concerns.

4. There would not be in place, the strict Statewide pesticide laws if there wasn't a problem with these particular chemicals. It is not easy to pass this kind of legislation and certainly there was extensive reason to do so. When we contacted Supervisor Carillo's Office, we were told on our first call with them that they have concerns about Drift and the multiple nearby schools. While there is much to be researched, considered and discussed , this is without question a legitimate concern for parents who are worried.

[Barry]

3. Many of the parents would absolutely be supportive of a bond (similar to the ones that the Sebastopol School Districts have recently been successful in passing), that compensates family farmers (not corporations that have recently purchased property) for farming organically and for setting aside parts of their property for wildlife corridors and other environmental concerns.

That's a good idea. I've been thinking that a new agriculture buffer overlay zone would be helpful that would be applied to all parcels that are currently zoned for agriculture that adjoin non-agriculture uses that places additional restrictions on their farming practices, including perhaps requiring it to be certified organic.

Of course the owners of the land would scream bloody murder, and they would have a point. It's quite possible that the value of their land would fall, and they would be constrained on how they could manage their land. Perhaps they could be compensated in some fashion, as above. Just a thought...

[Shepherd]

I so appreciate Alexandra's tone and points in this email. She makes some really good points and does so in non-offensive ways. This is a winnable struggle, especially if we stay away from demonizing grape growers. There are many wonderful grape growers in Sonoma County, who would be natural allies. Now that some people have discharged some strong feelings, if we could focus on points such as those below, more people could be won over.

Some things to consider:


1. The only thing constant is change. There are many policies and practices from the past that we now view with disbelief as we have made progress and understand how badly some things have been handled at all levels in history. A consideration of the future is wise. Business as usual may not be the best choice to continue to better ourselves and our world.

2. There have always been special dispensations and rules for schools- slower speed limits, restrictions on neighboring businesses and much else. Our society operates on the belief that children do deserve special protection as they are vulnerable and because they will be the stewards of the future.

3. Many of the parents would absolutely be supportive of a bond (similar to the ones that the Sebastopol School Districts have recently been successful in passing), that compensates family farmers (not corporations that have recently purchased property) for farming organically and for setting aside parts of their property for wildlife corridors and other environmental concerns.

4. There would not be in place, the strict Statewide pesticide laws if there wasn't a problem with these particular chemicals. It is not easy to pass this kind of legislation and certainly there was extensive reason to do so. When we contacted Supervisor Carillo's Office, we were told on our first call with them that they have concerns about Drift and the multiple nearby schools. While there is much to be researched, considered and discussed , this is without question a legitimate concern for parents who are worried.

[Tofu Larry]

Pace wrote: Just because SOME grape growers and wine producers are uncaring and unscrupulous does not mean that ALL grape growers are.

This is certainly true. However, Paul Hobbs Winery has proven to be one of the uncaring and unscrupulous growers, a poor steward of the land and a bad neighbor. I am no fan of John Jenkel, but Hobbs took callous advantage of him. Boycott Paul Hobbs Chainsaw Wine.
Tofu Larry

[Pace]

I don't know him personally though I do know OF him, who in this county doesn't? I had not heard before that he was the one doing the conversion. Is this hearsay or fact?

actually the possibility of an organic vineyard has been hoped for in this thread. the problem is the conversion is reported to involve paul hobbs. weenie seems to know him, do you? his rep as a neighbor is beyond horrible. he is bad news for the wine industry.

[rossmen]

great question : ) i don't know and i want too. hearsay until confirmed as fact. maybe gratongirl aka susan upchurch efrans assistant is reading and could let us know?

paul hobbs got me banned from yelp for talking the truth about him. i notice hobbs new vineyard, the latest take from his neighbor jenkel, is plowed every other row. makes me think weenie is full of bean farts when he named the reason for this practice. i thought it was for erosion control in a dry spring year. makes no sense as a beneficial insect habitat strategy in a conventional vineyard where they spray pesticides. and hobbs doing this with one year old vines contradicts weenie too.

my neighbor sprayed his vines today. i always assume it's fungicide sulfur at this time of year, same as organic growers do. it's frightening to think beenie is right that conventional growers use different fungicides, so effective two ounces treats an acre. the same spray rigs are used for vines as well as apples, the cloud just drifts farther cause the lower plants catch less. my neighbor is kind enough to do it usually when the wind is low and prevailing away from me into the vineyard. even then the spray is visible tens of feet to the windward side and hundreds of feet with the wind.

I don't know him [Paul Hobbs] personally though I do know OF him, who in this county doesn't? I had not heard before that he was the one doing the conversion. Is this hearsay or fact?

[Pace]

Living next to the infamous Paul Hobbs must be a challenge. According to his reputation, he is at the far end of the unscrupulous grower's spectrum. There are many reasonable grape growers who aren't interested in increasing production at any cost. Maybe if financial incentives were given to these farmers like they have for solar power they would start farming organically and dry farming. As for Paul Hobbs' young vineyard being mowed every other row my guess is that he irrigates. Dry farmed grapes have to struggle when young due to their still shallow roots and can't afford to compete with other plants also seeking moisture. Maybe BW was speaking from his own experience with dry farming.

great question : ) i don't know and i want too. hearsay until confirmed as fact. maybe gratongirl aka susan upchurch efrans assistant is reading and could let us know?

paul hobbs got me banned from yelp for talking the truth about him. i notice hobbs new vineyard, the latest take from his neighbor jenkel, is plowed every other row. makes me think weenie is full of bean farts when he named the reason for this practice. i thought it was for erosion control in a dry spring year. makes no sense as a beneficial insect habitat strategy in a conventional vineyard where they spray pesticides. and hobbs doing this with one year old vines contradicts weenie too.

my neighbor sprayed his vines today. i always assume it's fungicide sulfur at this time of year, same as organic growers do. it's frightening to think beenie is right that conventional growers use different fungicides, so effective two ounces treats an acre. the same spray rigs are used for vines as well as apples, the cloud just drifts farther cause the lower plants catch less. my neighbor is kind enough to do it usually when the wind is low and prevailing away from me into the vineyard. even then the spray is visible tens of feet to the windward side and hundreds of feet with the wind.

[estrella3210]

Some of us took it upon ourselves to go to the Sebastopol Farmer's Market today and set up a table to get more signatures for this petition. We got 85 signatures with very little effort, folks were coming up to our table begging to sign. I envision this movement taking it to the bridge by enacting legislation along similar lines of many other counties in our state that have created 1/4 mile buffer zones of protection for schools and other vulnerable populations.

Please check out this link regarding Tulare County's reforms and see page 12 to view Sonoma County's current restrictions (which includes 1 fumigant that has been given a 250 foot buffer zone, this existing restriction barely touches the surface of what the vineyard industry in this county and in this neighborhood has gotten permits to use):

https://www.pesticidereform.org/downloads/SchoolProtectionZones.pdf

As Shepherd said to me earlier today, 'We are merely vessels for a movement that is happening beyond us.'

Our children WILL be protected.
In solidarity, Estrella

[Shepherd]

In response to Pace's legitimate question below, it is a fact that Paul Hobbs is the industrial vintner who has made the application to convert apple orchards into a vineyard. He is an internationally--known and active wine baron, who has been fined at least three times here in Sonoma County alone. Paying small fines for breaking the law are usual business expenses for such criminals, who pay much bigger amounts to politicians to support their dirty deeds.

We were at the Sebastopol Farmers Market today and after less than a week of work have nearly 150 signatures on the online petition and as many on the hardcopy petition. The signers include residents of Norway, Belgium, Poland, the United Kingdom, and Saudia Arabia, though most of the signers are from Sonoma County. Perhaps it could be said that we have a wine terrorist in our county, who would not think twice about the pesticide drift that would endanger the children, parents, teachers, staff, and neighbors (of which I am one) in the Twin Hills area.

If you have not already, please sign the petition below:

https://www.thepetitionsite.com/263/...ironment/#sign

I don't know him (Paul Hobbs) personally though I do know OF him, who in this county doesn't? I had not heard before that he was the one doing the conversion. Is this hearsay or fact?

[zenekar]

There is also something to be said about growing NUTRITIOUS FOOD, such as apples, rather than destroying habitat – including human habitat – to grow grapes for ALCOHOL.
...

I am having a difficult time understanding why this is even an issue at all.

[rossmen]

fortunately i don't live next to hobbs, just another vineyard in north sebastopol. this year, for the first time it is plowed every other row. must be the hot new thing in vineyard management.

i get it why grapes have replaced apples. similar yealds, investment and work, 10 times the price per ton. this price is biased mostly on marketing. the reality is the wine industry is vulnerable to public perception. the more the word gets out about wine makers like the dastardly hobbs, the potent chemicals used to protect the crop, and the environmental harm from forest conversion and water diversion, the more the industry will shift practices. if they don't, drinking wine might become as uncool as wearing fur coats : )

Living next to the infamous Paul Hobbs must be a challenge. According to his reputation, he is at the far end of the unscrupulous grower's spectrum. There are many reasonable grape growers who aren't interested in increasing production at any cost. Maybe if financial incentives were given to these farmers like they have for solar power they would start farming organically and dry farming. As for Paul Hobbs' young vineyard being mowed every other row my guess is that he irrigates. Dry farmed grapes have to struggle when young due to their still shallow roots and can't afford to compete with other plants also seeking moisture. Maybe BW was speaking from his own experience with dry farming.

[Shepherd]

If you have not already signed the petition that follows, please do so as soon as you can and circulate it widely. Tomorrow afternoon a group of some eight mothers from the five schools that would be directly impacted by the vineyard conversion and their allies will be meeting with the Ag Commissioner and other authorities. Paper copies of the petition are also available. I will be taking some to the Sebastopol Grange meeting this evening on Highway 12, if you want paper copies; I should be there from around 5:30 to 8:30. We can also send you a PDF version to print out. The PD has contacted the mothers leading this struggle and an article is scheduled for tomorrow or soon.

I like what Zenekar says below, which reminds me that "an apple a day keeps the doctor away," whereas an immoderate amount of alcohol planting and consumption leads to the death of humans and others. We already have too many vineyards in Sonoma County and too much power in the bloated wine industry. It is time to rally around the mothers and back off the further expansion of the industrial wine industry and contraction of food farming.

Here is the link to online petition:
https://www.thepetitionsite.com/263/...ironment/#sign

There is also something to be said about growing NUTRITIOUS FOOD, such as apples, rather than destroying habitat – including human habitat – to grow grapes for ALCOHOL.
...

[Shepherd]

The following article on Paul Hobbs as a "clearcutting crook" was posted on Wacco on June 3, 2011. It is by Will Parish, who writes for the AVA in Mendocino county.

Paul Hobbs & Ken Wilson: Wine Country’s Clearcutting Crooks

Paul Hobbs & Ken Wilson: Wine Country’s Clearcutting Crooks
by Will Parrish on Jun 2nd, 2011


Paul Hobbs, internationally renowned winemaker with headquarters in Sebastopol, is described in his web site biography as a “trailblazer” and “prospector.” Those are fitting designations, if not always in the ways his publicist intends. Formerly the winemaker at two of the most prestigious wineries in the country, Opus One and Simi, Hobbs currently “crafts” — to use the term of trade — numerous acclaimed vintages under his own self-titled label, also working as a consultant on 30-35 other wines at a given time, in as many as six countries spanning three continents. By advertising Hobbs’ association with their brand, those who hire him automatically see a boost in sales.

Kenneth C. Wilson, real estate capitalist and winemaker with headquarters in Healdsburg, is not the first person wine industry observers would typically associate with Hobbs. Whereas Hobbs is widely regarded for his winemaking artistry, as a veritable winemaker’s winemaker, Wilson is better known as an opportunistic investor. The latter has built his own “mini wine empire” — to quote Wines and Vines magazine —- across northern Sonoma and southern Mendocino counties in recent years, largely on the strength, it seems, of superior access to wealth.

Yet, the two men’s activities are closely linked, if only by a single factor: their zeal for deforestation. The practice of clear-cutting is common to vineyard development across the Central Coast, North Bay, and North Coast regions of California. The land clearances Hobbs and Wilson have conducted stand out, however, largely owing to an impressive feat: Each man ran afoul of the law, in spite of the preferential treatment the state and county regulatory apparatus has for so long bestowed on the wine industry.

During the end of April through the beginning of May, Hobbs oversaw a 10-acre clear-cut on a 160-acre parcel he owns in Pocket Canyon, just east of Guerneville, known as Hillick Ranch. The deforestation took place even though Hobbs had not established an erosion control plan nor set forth what portion of the property he would place in a conservation easement, as he was required to do under an agreement with the California Department of Forestry. He also had not bothered to obtain a grading permit or use permit from the County of Sonoma.

It appears that Hobbs had grown tired of waiting for the permitting process to play out, so therefore took a gamble that he would not face any punitive measures if he took matters into his own hands, speeding things along toward installing yet another parcel of grapes to source for his wines.

The clear-cut is in close proximity to Pocket Canyon Creek, where erosion would — and perhaps already did — further damage this fragile waterway, thereby only adding to the cumulative destruction activities of this sort have wrought on the Russian River basin, where the sight of a living fish grows increasingly rare. Owing to complaints by residents, a forester for the Sonoma-Napa-Lake unit of CalFire named Kimberly Sone came to the site and issued a stop-work order based on Hobbs’ failure to attain the adequate permits.

“CAL FIRE was not notified regarding the start up of timber operations as required by the Forest Practice Act,” Sone stated via e-mail. “After conducting a field inspection and reviewing the plan, I requested the Licensed Timber Operator and Registered Professional Forester to stop operations.”

She also stated, reassuringly, that “logs are on the ground and logging debris is still on-site, thereby reducing significant amounts of erosion.” That would seem to be a tacit acknowledgment, however, that some significant degree of erosion has either occurred or is in danger of occurring.

The Hillick Ranch clear-cut has even escalated into a rare instance of county officials being at odds with a vineyard developer. John Roberts, a member of the Sonoma County Water Coalition and the Atascadero-Green Valley Creek Watershed Council, is one of various West County residents who has been active in trying to put a halt to Hobbs’ clear-cutting. Roberts met with Sonoma County Fifth District Supervisor Efren Carrillo on May 18th to provide him documentation on the environmental destruction Hobbs and other vineyard developers have wrought, as well as try to compel him to take action to rein in the star winemaker.

“Efren was aware of the situation and was able to say that based on the visit by officials, enforceable actions took place on the property,” Roberts says. “Since it is under investigation, he could say no more, except that he and many others are very unhappy with Hobbs.”

Hobbs’ action is especially significant because it is the first serious test of Sonoma County’s Timber Conversion Ordinance, which ostensibly governs felling of designated timber land to make way for winegrapes and other “agriculture.” The Board of Supervisors passed the ordinance in 2006. It requires that all timber-to-agriculture conversion projects set aside at least 75 percent of a given parcel in a conservation easement. That’s as opposed to an outright ban on such conversions, as regional environmentalists originally sought. The conservation easement provision is widely seen as having been shaped by Premier Pacific Vineyards, the massive vineyard development corporation run by the infamous William Hill and Richard Wollack, who are attempting to clear approximately 1,700 acres of forested land in the Gualala River basin, on a 20,000-acre parcel, to install miles of grapes.

Ironically, Hobbs has been in the spotlight across recent weeks not because of his precedent-setting Hillick Ranch clear-cut, but because of his court-sanctioned fleecing of Sebastopol neighbor John Jenkel. The saga has attracted a pair of stories in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, though the North Coast’s paper of record has failed to mention several significant details of the story, while framing others far too leniently toward Hobbs. Jenkel’s side of the story, though entirely absent from the pages of the PD, is worth considering in detail, particularly since it sheds considerable light on the sort of mindset that drives people like Hobbs, whose sense of entitlement seems to be so overwrought that it even surpasses his renown as a winemaker.

A grove of roughly 60 douglas firs stood adjacent to the property line shared by Hobbs and Jenkel just outside of Sebastopol. A few years ago, Hobbs drilled a well roughly 200_ from Jenkel’s existing well, presumably to nourish the thirsty grapes he had planted on the site. Jenkel had a sand filter installed by a pump co. that was supposed to purge itself on a periodic basis. Soon after Hobbs drilled his well, Jenkel’s well started drawing sand for the first time in its many years of service.

The filter malfunctioned, however, and water ran continuously for a few months, with the deluge seriously damaging the root systems of two trees on the Hobbs parcel and affecting six others. A tree blew down and clipped a corner of one of Hobbs’ buildings. Hobbs then took what was apparently, in his mind, the logical next step: he removed the entire grove of trees, claiming all of them were compromised . That’s in spite of the fact that Jenkel had already identified and corrected the malfunction in his pump.

Next, Hobbs sued Jenkel for the cost he incurred in removing the trees. Not only did the judge side with Hobbs, but the winemaker received a judgment of $360,000 — more than twice what he originally sought. Jenkel, who sought to defend himself in the case, is notoriously clumsy in court, making him easy picking for Hobbs. The winemaker has since poured a foundation 50 feet in length for future buildings exactly where the doug fir grove previously stood.


cont. at https://theava.com/archives/11113

[Sara S]

It's true, isn't it, that in the Napa Valley they placed a moratorium on any new vineyards years ago, because the industry had nearly destroyed the valley's ecological system?

[Shepherd]

Following are some of the public comments on the petition site by some of the parents and staff at the five schools on Watertrough who would be impacted by Paul Hobbs making a vineyard conversion near those schools. They need our support.

Please sign the petition that follows:
https://www.thepetitionsite.com/263/...ironment/#sign

Hobbs is internationally-notorious for his disregard of local culture and the environment. He has vineyards in at least half a dozen countries, which is why those signing the petition include people in Norway, Belgium, Poland, and the United Kingdom. This campaign has been happening for only about a week.
Shepherd


Ms. Lori Gatmaitan, CA
Apr 28, 18:41
# 145
My daughter goes to this school and it will be tragic if this comes to pass. It is my understanding that when the orchard took into account the devastating effects of the chemicals used to grow apples and changed their practices to organic, the children's health at Apple Blossom improved. That should be enough of a reason to keep the orchard there as organic. We do not need more vineyards.

Mrs. Michelle Muse, CA
Apr 28, 18:35
# 144
We have children at Apple Blossom and Orchard View Schools. Our children will be within feet of herbicide and pesticide application. The dust and debris from conversion will saturate our school buildings. The buildings are literally within 50 feet of the perimeter of the orchard, and the parking spaces are within one foot of the fence. The children eat lunch outside in the summer, and will be directly exposed to drift as well as runoff from the vineyard in the winter. Presently, there are no herbicides sprayed on the fenceline. Hobbs Winery makes a practice of pesticide application. This is not acceptable so close to our children's school. We will consider switching to another school if this happens. Sincerely, The Muse Family

Ms. Barbara Stockton, CA
Apr 28, 09:35
# 128
As the Director of a preschool on the Apple Blossom Campus I am utterly appalled that this development might occur. One of the primary draws to our preschool is the environmental consciousness we promote. We are a Certified Natural Wildlife Habitat! How can we ever teach our children to care for this planet if what we say and what we do are polar opposites? The highest priority and obligation of all is to protect our children. Money should never trump their health. This will harm our children, not to mention the environment. Please, do your job!!!!

Ms. Amy Taganashi, CA
Apr 26, 21:20
# 69
My two kids go to Apple Blossom and under no circumstances do I want them or their classmates exposed to additional agricultural pesticides. How can the school continue to be called Apple Blossom if there are not apple trees to be found nearby?

Name not displayed, CA
Apr 26, 09:24
# 49
I was first told about this vineyard by my daughter who attends Apple Blossom school. We are both shocked the wineries would go this far and without concern for anyone but their investors.

[Pace]

Yes I think you are right.

fortunately i don't live next to hobbs, just another vineyard in north sebastopol. this year, for the first time it is plowed every other row. must be the hot new thing in vineyard management.

i get it why grapes have replaced apples. similar yealds, investment and work, 10 times the price per ton. this price is biased mostly on marketing. the reality is the wine industry is vulnerable to public perception. the more the word gets out about wine makers like the dastardly hobbs, the potent chemicals used to protect the crop, and the environmental harm from forest conversion and water diversion, the more the industry will shift practices. if they don't, drinking wine might become as uncool as wearing fur coats : )

[spam1]

It's true, isn't it, that in the Napa Valley they placed a moratorium on any new vineyards years ago, because the industry had nearly destroyed the valley's ecological system?

More likely, existing winery owners didn't want new wineries to compete with their market for Napa valley wine.

[Barry]

Sounds like an (un?) holy coalition! I wonder if it could work here....

It's true, isn't it, that in the Napa Valley they placed a moratorium on any new vineyards years ago, because the industry had nearly destroyed the valley's ecological system?

More likely, existing winery owners didn't want new wineries to compete with their market for Napa valley wine.

[estrella3210]

"Worse Than a Clearcut" 4 minute movie about clear-cutting in Sonoma County to create vineyards:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIrJRc4P94Q

[Shepherd]

PLEASE FORWARD

The following article by the pro-wine industry PD is better than I had expected. "Any publicity, even bad publicity, can be helpful" is a classic statement in the Public Relations field. This article opens a space for various important developments--many letters to the PD editor and better articles in publications such as waccobb.net, Sonoma West, Sonoma County Gazette, and the North Bay Bohemian and radio stations such as KRCB and KPFA. Paul Hobbs is perhaps the most notorious "bad apple" vintner in Sonoma County, so keeping his operation as a target would be essential.

In the following article, three anti-vineyard conversion mothers are quoted and only the Ag. Commissioner, a Winery spokeswoman, and a school official. Even short letters are important, even if they do not get published, because they encourage editors to publish other similar letters. My experience is that the online responses (which can be anonymous) are less important than the published letters, which are held to a higher standard. Be sure to include your phone number, in case the editor wants to verify that you wrote it.

Since parents only found about about this vineyard conversion a week ago, they have done a lot already. This evening there was a conference call in which a dozen people participated to develop strategy. Tomorrow around eight people will meet with the Ag. Commissioner and others. There are currently well over 300 people who have signed online and paper petitions against Paul Hobbs' vineyard conversion of an apple orchard near five schools on Watertrough in the Sebastopol countryside. The online petition is at the following link: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/263/...ironment/#sign. Please forward it widely, even beyond Sonoma County, since Hobbs is active in six countries.

This is a winnable struggle, in my opinion,
Shepherd

https://www.pressdemocrat.com/articl...p=all&tc=pgall

Sebastopol parents seek to stop vineyard project

By MELODY KARPINSKI
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Tuesday, April 30, 2013

A plan to convert a Sebastopol apple orchard into a vineyard is causing concern among parents whose children attend several schools bordering the property.

Many parents learned of the project last week when a house and barn on the Watertrough Road property were demolished, said Christine Dzilvelis, whose daughter attends nearby Orchard View School.
“Word spread like wildfire and within two or three days we had dozens and dozens of families on board (opposed) to this,” said Dzilvelis.

Paul Hobbs Winery purchased the property in 2012 and applied to develop the vineyard in March. The property is situated across from several schools including Apple Blossom School, Tree House Hollow Pre-school, Orchard View School and SunRidge Charter School.

Parents started an online petition seeking to halt the vineyard April 25, garnering more than 170 signatures by Tuesday.

“Nobody wants their child exposed to something that could hurt them,” said Dzilvelis. “This is hundreds of students and not just one school.”

Agriculture Commissioner Tony Linegar said the permit for the vineyard project is still under review, but the winery plans to use methods that would actually reduce the amount of pesticide substances drifting off the property.

“The type of equipment used for this conventional orchard leads to much more potential for drift,” Linegar said. “The fact that a vineyard is going in exponentially reduces the potential for pesticide exposure.”

Tara Sharp, a spokeswoman for Paul Hobbs Winery, said the winery’s goal is to be “good stewards of the land.”

Paul Hobbs Winery has come under fire in the past for not obtaining the proper permits for some of the work it has done on other properties purchased for vineyard use, including clear-cutting trees.
The vineyard will be maintained sustainably, and the winery is drafting a written agreement with the school district to perform no work during school hours, Sharp said.
Parents remain unconvinced.

“I think there’s a lack of communication between the agricultural community and the residents within the area,” said Nicole Baum, the mother of a SunRidge School kindergartner.
Baum said part of the reason her family migrated north from Southern California was to find an environment with cleaner air.

Twin Hills Union School District superintendent Barbara Bickford confirmed the district is in talks with both the agricultural commissioner and the winery to discuss neighbors’ concerns.
“I am very confident we will continue to provide a safe and healthy environment for our students and teachers,” said Bickford.

The winery will be using wettable sulfur which is considered a “soft” pesticide, resulting in significantly less product going into the ground, said Sharp.

The winery also plans to install organic trellised apple trees, and hopes to work with educators to allow students the opportunity to help harvest the apples, Sharp said.

“Hobbs understands how important the orchard and the identity of the apples is to the school’s namesake,” said Linegar. “I think it’d be a great learning experience for the kids.”

Linegar will meet with the school district and parents at 5 p.m. this evening at his office to discuss concerns over the vineyard project.

“We’re just concerned parents,” said Estrella Phegan, who serves on the pre-school board and is the mother of a pre-schooler. “We’re trying to find out (whether) what we have now is better or worse than what we will be getting.”

[eeeeeeow]

Composite of Paul Hobbs in front of Jenkel property. A bit more accurate than the usual vineyard setting background.


Composite of Paul Hobbs

[dominus]

Paul Hobbs received a judgement for $360,000 against John Jenkel. The story states that was twice the amount he was suing for. How much could it cost to take down 6 Douglas Firs, presumably not $160,000? Even with legal fees factored, 160K seems insane not to mention 360K. I can't help but think that what Paul Hobbs did was premeditated and borders on elder abuse. I enjoy a glass of wine with my dinner on occasion but this kind of thing has begun to turn me off to drinking it.

Paul Hobbs & Ken Wilson: Wine Country’s Clearcutting Crooks
by Will Parrish on Jun 2nd, 2011

[eeeeeeow]

I don't remember the amounts, but Hobbs took that money to public auction when the property went up. When no one showed, Hobbs won the auction for a few thousand dollars. Please do the research, as I'm not able to do it at the moment. But it was, from where I stand, a crime the way this property was transferred. It is something worth getting out there.

[There's lots more about that here on WaccoBB.net - Barry]

Bear in mind, this guy is not alone. There are many like him ready to pounce on available properties. I have, and will be posting more info on my blog: thegravenstein.blogspot.com. I will be posting more on this. There are a few petitions floating around around and letters to be written. Please make your voices heard.

Paul Hobbs received a judgement for $360,000 against John Jenkel. The story states that was twice the amount he was suing for. How much could it cost to take down 6 Douglas Firs, presumably not $160,000? Even with legal fees factored, 160K seems insane not to mention 360K. I can't help but think that what Paul Hobbs did was premeditated and borders on elder abuse. I enjoy a glass of wine with my dinner on occasion but this kind of thing has begun to turn me off to drinking it.

[Shepherd]

What a great composite photo, revealing the real situation. This thread has been very informative. I now hope that some of you will write letters to the PD editor after its article yesterday and to Sonoma West after its article today. Such letters will expand the readership of diverse points of view. If this struggle is to be won, it will be done so partly in the court of public opinion.

Composite of Paul Hobbs in front of Jenkel property. A bit more accurate than the usual vineyard setting background.

[taurusmoon]

thank you for the petition! I have forwarded it on to my mailing list
as an orchard view family I am devistated by what I have learned today regarding the conversion

as I am anytime I drive down the country roads of the west county and see the trees being slaughtered for vines

monoculture is not the answer

[taurusmoon]

food for thought... has the topic of honeybees been mentioned??

grapes are not bee pollinated and apples are!!
if we continue to loose our orchards, the bees loose their food and we loose the bees!!!

diversity is key!!

[Barry]

There's a new article in the Sonoma West by David Abbot about this issue.

Vineyard conversion at Twin Hills District in the works

Here's a a couple of salient sections:

According to the Ag Commissioners office, as long as the vineyard application conforms to the county’s Vineyard and Orchard Site Development Ordinance (VESCO) standards, the project will be allowed to go forward.

“They’ve submitted the original plan but we sent it back and asked for modifications. The second set is being studied,” Ag Commissioner Tony Linegar said. “It’s a ministerial process, so as long as they meet VESCO standards … they don’t need to go through a CEQA process.”

The ministerial process allows “permitted use” approved or denied based on compliance with “fixed, measurable standards” (VESCO).

“It’s like: here’s a box. If it fits into the box, it’s a go,” Linegar said.

Linegar said that the conversion from apples to grapes may actually lessen the use of pesticides and other chemicals and may also reduce water use and the chances for erosion.

“The types of equipment used for apple trees tosses (pesticides) into the air,” he said. “The types of pesticides used for the coddling moth — the worms you find in an apple — are more toxic than what’s used on vineyards.”

...

“Hobbs will be using wettable sulfur and Roundup. The way those are used is not prone to drift,” he said. “There won’t be dusting or use of pesticides when school is in session. ... He understands the relationship with apples and is going out of his way to work with the community.”

THUSD Trustee Maben Rainwater wants assurances that Hobbs is actually going to follow through with the promises he is proposing though.

“As a parent and trustee, we need to have a very good idea of the implications of what the farming practices are going to be,” Rainwater said. “They say it’s going to be 90 percent organic. It’s one thing for them to say that. We need to make sure this isn’t hearsay.”

He also wants to be sure that water issues will be addressed and that Hobbs will not use chemicals to kill off the trees.