CALL TO ACTION: WALT RANCH PROTEST RALLY
When: DECEMBER 14, 2021 – NOON
Where: 1195 Third Street, Napa CA (in front of Administration Building)
What we need:
Can you give one hour of your time and attend the Protest Rally to let the Napa County Board of Supervisors know that you DO NOT APPROVE of the destruction of these 14,000+ trees, all for the sake of another Napa County vineyard?
Protest signs will be provided or bring your own.
We hope to see you there~!
Rain or Shine
Information:
Despite the outcry of hundreds of Napa Valley residents which was sent by email, letters and public comment made at the 12-7-2021 Board of Supervisors meeting directly to the members of the Board of Supervisors, they have refused to continue the Final Appeal Hearing. The Final Appeal hearing on the Walt Ranch Vineyard Conversion Project WILL GO FORWARD as scheduled on December 14th at 2:00 p.m., 1195 Third Street, Napa, California.
This project has far-reaching and irreversible cumulative impacts to Napa County and beyond. We are in a global climate crisis and the planned destruction of over 14,000+ trees for the sake of yet another vineyard under these circumstances is appalling.
The planned mitigation measures for destruction of over 14,000 trees on the Walt Ranch property allows them to plant about one oak seedling for every mature oak tree that they plan to chop and burn. We are baffled as to how the scientists that were hired by the County of Napa and the owners of Walt Ranch (Craig and Kathyn Hall – Hall Brambletree Associates) think that this is any kind of true mitigation for the damage that will occur with the loss of these trees.
This is ridiculous, as science has shown us that it takes decades for one oak seedling to even reach a size sufficient to provide meaningful carbon sequestration, not to mention the many other positive things they do for our air and soil. This is assuming that these Oak seedlings will even thrive during this time of prolonged drought.
The challenge by the Center for Biological Diversity asserts that the mitigation plan, which received county administrative approval, does not comply with the California Environmental Quality Act. Their appeal details the county’s flawed approach that allows the project proponent to preserve fewer existing woodlands in exchange for a planting program that is vague and unsupported by science. See their press release, here.
Napa County needs a much stronger policy for protection of our Oak woodlands. After all, isn’t it their (the Board of Supervisor’s) job as Stewards of our beautiful Napa Valley to protect our indigenous Oak trees from wanton destruction? Haven’t the recent wildfires destroyed enough of our Oak trees without losing any more for vineyard conversion projects and expansions?
Director Morrison’s decision and the revised environmental documents following the remand of Walt Ranch back to the Napa Superior Court was supposed to correct the inadequate mitigation of the green house gases that this project will release. We contend that it doesn’t and this is the crux of the Appeal filed by the Center for Biodiversity.
Many of us feel that Napa County has NOT truly considered the full cumulative impacts for the loss of these 14,000+ trees or included adequate details about how this project and the revised mitigation will be managed.
Instead, we are left with many more questions about how the revised mitigation measures will actually be monitored and enforced and by whom? Where will the oak seedlings be planted? If the Oak seedlings only need to survive 5 years to fulfill the mitigation measure, what happens after that? Will they be chopped down when they don’t suit the Halls future plans for this property? None of these answers are in the environmental documents.
Consider also writing a public comment letter to the Napa County Board of Supervisors expressing your concern about this project and requesting them to grant the Appeal of the Center for Biodiversity.
If you have any questions please contact Sue Wagner – suezeeque19@yahoo.com