Napa Measure C is defeated

[MikeH]

This was very contentious. I am disappointed at the result. We need to do better protecting natural environment, trees grass, streams. The vineyards have so much tilled soild between the rows, that cannot be good. That is my opinion, and here is a link to KQED article on the issue. Not sure if this has been debated on this board before.

Measure C, Limiting Napa Vineyard Development, Falls Further Behind as Count Continues




Excerpt -

What You Need to Know About Measure C

• It establishes a buffer zone around streams of 25 to 125 feet, where trees of any kind may not be removed.
• This doesn't affect vineyard footprints that have already been approved.
• Only 795 acres of oak trees may be removed from the designated hillsides in order to plant vineyards. Once the 795-acre limit is reached, permits will be required to cut down any more oaks.
• In agricultural watershed zones, the measure requires replacing or preserving three times as many acres of oak woodlands as were lost.
• Opponents, which include industry trade groups, plan to spend $1 million to defeat the measure, according to a Guardian report. Meanwhile the Press Democrat reports that supporters have raised $163,504 for their "Yes on Measure C" campaign.

How did Measure C Get on the Ballot?
Measure C is the culmination of a three-year grassroots campaign by local community activists and environmentalists. Supporters gathered enough signatures in 2017 to place the measure on the ballot.

Why Do People Support It?
With Napa's valley floor planted to capacity, the only remaining land for vineyard development lies along the hillsides, the area that concerns Measure C.

Supporters say that cutting oak trees reduces groundwater levels and threatens water quality. Oak woodlands help to protect local water supplies because their roots filter out harmful fertilizers, sediments, pesticides and herbicides. Supporters of Measure C include veteran winemakers, who say further development is unsustainable because resources are limited.

"The largest users of groundwater in Napa Valley are vineyards and wineries, which use over 70 percent of our groundwater," Chriz Benz, a retired winery manager and Sierra Club member, told KQED's radio program Forum. "And over half of that groundwater comes from the hillside's watersheds, where the oak woodlands play a very vital role in capturing and sinking it into the aquifers."

A 2010 management plan estimates that vineyard development will destroy up to 3,065 acres of mixed woodland by 2020.

[Shepherd]

This is sad news about Napa and does not bode well for the over-growth and environmental threats of Big Wine in Sonoma County.

[Lilith Rogers]

Money wins again. Wish more people would understand how much more important it is to protect Mother Earth than a few people's pocket books.

Lilith Rogers

[wisewomn]

I am reminded of Bob Dylan's words: "Money doesn't talk. It swears."