Cal Fire approves Artesa forest to vineyard conversion

[Rue]

Here we go ...

Artesa is the precedent setting runup to Preservation Ranch. Now that Artesa (a neighbor to Preservation Ranch in the coastal hills of NW Sonoma County) has been "certified" (AKA approved) by Cal Fire, and the county has lead agency status on Preservation Ranch - the pressure is on.





State OKs forest-to-vineyard plan in Sonoma County
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/articl...p=all&tc=pgall

By BRETT WILKISON
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Published: Tuesday, May 8, 2012 at 5:34 p.m.
PD File/2011

The 324-acre site for a forestland to vineyard project stretches from the grass area to the redwood/ fir stand in the background at Artesa Winery's proposed Fairfax Estate on the outskirts of Annapolis.

State forestry officials on Tuesday approved a controversial timber-to-vineyard conversion project in northwest Sonoma County, following through with a decision expected months ago.

The 324-acre site for a forestland to vineyard project stretches from the grass
area to the redwood/ fir stand in the background at Artesa Winery's proposed
Fairfax Estate on the outskirts of Annapolis.
PD File/2011

The decision on what is considered the largest timber-to-vineyard project in state history clears the most significant regulatory hurdle facing Artesa Vineyards and Winery.

The Napa-based vintner, owned by the Spanish wine giant Grupo Codorniu, wants to turn 116 acres into chardonnay and pinot noir vineyards on 324 acres of second-growth forestland, former orchards and grazed meadows just east of Annapolis. Another 30 acres would be cleared for a reservoir, roads and a corporation yard.

The project has been on the drawing board for more than a decade and under state review since 2009.
Bill Snyder, a deputy director at Cal Fire, the state forestry and fire agency, signed off on the plans Tuesday, certifying a lengthy environmental impact report that he called a “well-written document.”

Artesa spokesman Sam Singer said company officials were pleased with the decision and were looking forward to advancing the project.

The approval came over the objections of a number of environmental groups, local Indian tribes and some neighbors, who have voiced concerns about harm to water, wildlife, archeological sites and disturbance of the rural landscape.

One Sonoma County supervisor and two state lawmakers had urged Cal Fire to hold off on a decision, calling for another round of public input on the project.

Opponents say safeguards and habitat reserves proposed by Artesa to protect biological and cultural resources are not sufficient.

And they express broader concern about the practice of clearing forest for wine grapes, pushing back at the reach of the region’s top-grossing crop into untilled parts of the county.

“The no-brainer issue is, should we be cutting down our forestlands when there are alternatives for where we put vineyards?’” said Chris Poehlmann, president of The Friends of Gualala River, one of three environmental groups considering a lawsuit over the project. The other two considering legal action are the Redwood Chapter of the Sierra Club and the Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity.

A coalition of tribes including the Kashia Pomo of nearby Stewarts Point Rancheria are exploring their legal options, sources said.

Noise from the Artesa operation remains a concern at the neighboring Starcross Community, but an attorney for the monastic order said litigation was not currently in the works.

Discussions involving Cal Fire, Artesa, the tribes and Starcross were factors in pushing back the final decision by three months.
Singer, the Artesa spokesman, said company officials believe the project will hold up in court and that the plan “meets and or exceeds all the requirements of the state and sound environmental practices.”

The project is one of two high-profile vineyard proposals to clear remote Sonoma County foreslands drawing nationwide media attention. The other project, put forward by the state pension giant CalPERS, would be 12 times larger than Artesa,clearing up to 1,769 acres for vineyards across a total of 19,652 acres.

Unlike Artesa, CalPERS’ project, known as Preservation Ranch, is subject to county rules governing timber conversions and is working its way through a county-led review. Artesa’s original application predated the 2006 county rules, making its conversion subject only to state approval.

Artesa still needs to clear two more hurdles. The first is approval of its logging plan, a step overseen by Cal Fire officials based in Santa Rosa. The largely procedural decision is expected in the next few weeks.

Artesa also must secure a vineyard development permit from the county Agricultural Commissioner’s office. The rules governing such permits have recently been strengthened to govern projects calling for tree removal on hillsides and ridgetops.

Artesa officials have said they intend to comply with the updated rules, which are aimed to control water runoff and limit erosion.

Given the additional state and county approvals, Artesa could begin work this summer. Under the county vineyard development rules, work this year would have to be completed by October 15.

[Bird Watcher]

There will soon be a glut of wine grapes in CA like never before. You'd think by now that business people would be leary of investing in additional vineyards, and this remote area likely comes with a high development cost. What a waste of precious resources and wildlife habitat! Folks who are against the Ratna Ling temple's publishing expansion should also consider the heavy truck traffic generated by the establishment and farming of these mega-vineyards.

I am ashamed of my species... Aren't we supposed to be the ones with the brains?

[The A Team]

If you have ever seen the beauty of this place, please act to help. I just went to the Friends of Gualala River site to make a donation.
In my opinion there are too many vineyards here, and it would be preferable to convert pastureland than forests if they must continue. The global corporate wine companies seem obsessed with deforestation.

My question is - will they work with local communities to find a solution that works for everyone?

Here we go ...

Artesa is the precedent setting runup to Preservation Ranch. Now that Artesa (a neighbor to Preservation Ranch in the coastal hills of NW Sonoma County) has been "certified" (AKA approved) by Cal Fire, and the county has lead agency status on Preservation Ranch - the pressure is on.


State OKs forest-to-vineyard plan in Sonoma County
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/articl...p=all&tc=pgall

By BRETT WILKISON
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Published: Tuesday, May 8, 2012 at 5:34 p.m.
PD File/2011

The 324-acre site for a forestland to vineyard project stretches from the grass area to the redwood/ fir stand in the background at Artesa Winery's proposed Fairfax Estate on the outskirts of Annapolis.

State forestry officials on Tuesday approved a controversial timber-to-vineyard conversion project in northwest Sonoma County, following through with a decision expected months ago.

The 324-acre site for a forestland to vineyard project stretches from the grass
area to the redwood/ fir stand in the background at Artesa Winery's proposed
Fairfax Estate on the outskirts of Annapolis.
PD File/2011

The decision on what is considered the largest timber-to-vineyard project in state history clears the most significant regulatory hurdle facing Artesa Vineyards and Winery.

The Napa-based vintner, owned by the Spanish wine giant Grupo Codorniu, wants to turn 116 acres into chardonnay and pinot noir vineyards on 324 acres of second-growth forestland, former orchards and grazed meadows just east of Annapolis. Another 30 acres would be cleared for a reservoir, roads and a corporation yard.
...

[eeeeeeow]

We are in a desperate situation. Wineries, beverage companies, and vineyard developers are having a field day with their devastation across the state. Tens of thousands of acres of eco-systems and habitats are being lost seasonally. The deep pockets of these companies are snapping up real estate and obliterating the landscape to make their product. Sonoma County alone has gone from an Agricultural community that once benefitted all, to a mono-culture that lines the pockets of a very few. "People" don't own Sonoma County anymore and our elected officials turn a blind eye to this.

WE NEED A MORATORIUM ACROSS THE STATE FOR NEW VINEYARD DEVELOPMENT.

We need to step back and thoroughly assess the damage done to our eco-system, our Ag endeavors and the health and well-being of our citizens. At last count, there are 65,000 acres of wine grapes planted in Sonoma County. There is 12,000 acres of everything else.

STOP NEW VINEYARD DEVELOPMENT.

[Stargazer]

Yes we do need a mortitorium on vineyards now. We also need to force some of these vineyards that are already planted to be pulled and replanted with real food that we can actually use for our sustainablility and health. Are we going to drink wine and eat grapes instead of nutrishonal greens, vegetables and clean water? Do we really need to breath the pesticide spray? Look at these little men in space suits with masks who are spraying the vines. Do you get it?? This is critcal. You will get sick or even die if you do not understand the magnitude of danger this presents. I really have to wonder. Why are most people so passive & lack common sense?
Life is precious. Sonoma county was the most beautiful place on the earth when I landed here many years ago. Let's take it back and plant what we need to live. Say NO to destruction of our natural resources and our land. Stop wasting our valueable water and land. It is over the top. Too much equals destruction.
I agree. We are in a desperate situation. Stop endorsing these money hungry land raping vultures. No more vineyards and get rid of some in this process. There are far too many grapes planted in Sonoma county. It is unhealthy for the envirionment
and for our longevity.

We are in a desperate situation. Wineries, beverage companies, and vineyard developers are having a field day with their devastation across the state. Tens of thousands of acres of eco-systems and habitats are being lost seasonally. The deep pockets of these companies are snapping up real estate and obliterating the landscape to make their product. Sonoma County alone has gone from an Agricultural community that once benefitted all, to a mono-culture that lines the pockets of a very few. "People" don't own Sonoma County anymore and our elected officials turn a blind eye to this.

WE NEED A MORATORIUM ACROSS THE STATE FOR NEW VINEYARD DEVELOPMENT.

We need to step back and thoroughly assess the damage done to our eco-system, our Ag endeavors and the health and well-being of our citizens. At last count, there are 65,000 acres of wine grapes planted in Sonoma County. There is 12,000 acres of everything else.

STOP NEW VINEYARD DEVELOPMENT.

[Barton Stone]

Even organic vineyards are a monoculture wasteland to most non-human species, stripped of the food and shelter they need to live. Can we bring cumulative impact on wildlife into the permit process?

Another issue is the size of vineyards. Where I live near Occidental a new vineyard is being built starting with 900 yards of fence along Harrison Grade Road, too close to the road even for a shoulder. These fences funnel deer and other wildlife onto the roads and prevent their normal foraging patterns. We should insist on hedgerows and wildlife corridors every 100 yards or so.

I would imagine that many vineyard owners would favor a moratorium too, as it would protect their part of the market, and also because they love this place for the same reasons most of us do.

We have to make it good here for the other forms of life, because if it's not good for them, it won't be good for us either.

[Dixon]

Even organic vineyards are a monoculture wasteland to most non-human species, stripped of the food and shelter they need to live.

If y'all will pardon me a slight tangent: Proponents of a post-civilized lifestyle point out that the degradation of the planetary ecosystem can be traced way back to the initial development of agriculture itself, which is in a sense a fundamentally imperialist enterprise. It involves exerting dominion over some area of land, denuding it of most of its species diversity, and in most cases sucking the nutrients out of the soil without entirely replacing them, like some sort of earth-vampire. As it allows the agricultural species (us) to prosper and reproduce wildly, more and more land is conquered to slake the ever-growing hunger. Agriculture allows the development of granaries, thus cities (i.e., "civilization"), which by definition require importation of resources from outside the city limits. This all complexifies into kingdoms and countries which vie for more land to farm and wage war to steal such land or to access resources from other lands.

I'm not so starry-eyed as to propose that we return to the pre-agricultural hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Very few of us modern folks could survive that way, especially in a world substantially depleted by the depredations of civilization. I too support more conscious agricultural practices--but that's not enough to save us as long as the human population continues to grow. We need to reproduce less, to substantially decrease the human population. As long as most people continue to behave as if they think they have a right to have as many babies as they want, the livability of this planet is doomed.