Oppose the Walt Ranch Project

TO ALL NAPA COUNTY RESIDENTS CONCERNED ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE

Strenuous opposition to the development of the Walt Ranch Vineyard Conversion Project due to numerous concerns about how it will impact our environment resulted in the filing of Appeals by (5) organizations with the California Court of Appeals. After hearing before the Court of Appeals, they determined that Walt Ranch did not adequately address Green House Gas (GHG) emissions arising from this vineyard conversion project. It was returned to the Napa Courts which directed Napa County to prepare a revised mitigation to address the improper GHG mitigation for this project. (Photo: Chris Sauer)

In response to the Court’s findings, Walt Ranch offered to plant 16,790 Oak seedlings and double that number if no one appealed. The County of Napa accepted Walt Ranch’s proposal to plant 16,790 Oak seedlings in the conservation area. They did not require planting of an additional 16,790 seedlings “elsewhere” on the property and agreed to reduce acreage to be placed into a permanent conservation easement from 248 acres to 124 acres.

This litigation is in its final stages with the only remaining claim filed by the Center for Biodiversity coming before the Board of Supervisors once again on Appeal on December 14, 2021.

The developers of Walt Ranch (Craig and Kathryn Hall) intend to cut down over 14,000 trees on the Walt Ranch property to develop it into a new vineyard. Despite the Hall’s claim that over 97% of Walt Ranch burned, they were not required to determine how many trees survived both the Atlas Peak (2017) and LNU Complex (2020) wildfires. We know that many of these mature Oak trees did in fact survive only to face the chainsaw for this vineyard conversion project. We are outraged that at a time of global climate crisis, the Halls still intend to continue on this path of destruction. We feel that this is “fake mitigation” as science has demonstrated that planting 5,525 acorns resulted in the survival of only 936 Oak seedlings after 5 years.  These surviving Oak seedlings, if they survive under current drought conditions, would only replace about one-half of the carbon sequestered by one mature Oak tree. See Deforestation: Sounding the Alarm – a You Tube video featuring a local youth Oak seedling planting project and the results of that effort over a period of more than 8 years which dramatically illustrates that planting seedlings to offset the loss of mature oak trees is FAKE MITIGATION.

For more information about the issues on Appeal, see the comment letters: https://pbes.cloud/index.php/s/kbo3pXdNxaRecws?path=%2FWalt%20Ranch%20Comments

LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!!

The final Appeal hearing to consider whether the current mitigation plan is adequate to allow Walt Ranch to proceed with their planned destruction this mature Oak Woodland forest is now scheduled before the Napa County Board of Supervisors on December 14, 2021. There has been limited public notice about this hearing and it has been set on the same day as the Napa County’s Ground Water Sustainability Plan hearing. It is appalling that two major environmentally sensitive issues that affect the Napa Valley are being crammed into the same day for their final public hearings. Many of my neighbors believe the Board of Supervisors have already decided to allow the Walt Ranch project to go forward without a responsible plan in place to offset the environmental degradation.

We hope our elected officials realize just how harmful the effects of climate change have been for Napa Valley and around the world. When we cut 14,000 trees, as this vineyard conversion project is proposing, we permanently take away a forest’s ability to store carbon.

We hope our supervisors understand that when it comes to our warming climate, we are at a tipping point. We must reverse course by permanently protecting the forests that remain in our beautiful valley. We must demand more of the developers who want to profit off our beautiful land. Let’s not turn a blind eye on Walt Ranch

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

• Please send an email or letter ASAP to the Napa County Board of Supervisors requesting that they continue this Appeal hearing for at least (60) days to allow the public to meaningfully participate in the process.
• Let them know you share our concerns about the proposed mitigation for the Walt Ranch project. Our climate has changed significantly since the initial environmental studies were done for this project in 2008-2009.  The loss of carbon sequestration resulting from demolition of more than 14,000 trees is irreversible.   This is the wrong time and place for a project of this magnitude.

Write here:    Napa County Board of Supervisors

1195 Third Street, Suite 310

Napa, CA 94559

Email here:   

• brad.wagenknecht@countyofnapa.org

• alfredo.pedroza@countyofnapa.org

• diane.dillon@countyofnapa.org                           

• ryan.gregory@countyofnapa.org

• belia.ramos@countyofnapa.org

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact either of us for further details on how you can help. 

Sue Wagner – suezeeque19@yahoo.com

Lisa Hirayama-carr4X4@gmail.com