Dear Supporter,

Greetings, and Happy Autumn.

News from the Chair
by Nick Cheranich

Many things are happening. I’ll briefly describe them here, and then I hope you’ll take the time to read the associated articles below, written by our Excom members.

First, congratulations to Anne Cottrell, who received our endorsement for her candidacy for the District 3 Board of Supervisors. We interviewed both candidates and selected Anne because of her commitment to protecting Napa’s agricultural lands and natural resources.

Back in January we also endorsed Joelle Gallagher for District 1 Board of Supervisors. We recently spoke with her again, and found that she is highly supportive of several environmental issues that we are working on.

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Trying to save Skyline Wilderness Park is an ongoing endeavor. Our motto: Family, Nature, Skyline: Keep Us Together. We recently sent letters to both Governor Newsom and Director of the CA Dept. of Housing and Community Development explaining that although we support the mission of creating more affordable housing, we are against developing any part of the park.

Please write to your Board of Supervisor member as well as State Senator Bill Dodd about your opposition to any type of development in our park. Heck, you might as well include the Governor (all contact info is at the end of the letter). (Photo credit: Josiah Roe)

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Other issues:

• We oppose Measure J in American Canyon, which seeks to annex agricultural land for industrial development. As our Excom member Scott Thomason wrote to the AmCan City Council, “We hold that the highest and best use of all land in Napa County is that it be maintained as it is currently; farmlands should remain farmland, wildlands should remain wild.”
• In that same vein, we want the Ghisletta property to remain an Open Space. See David Campbell’s letter to the Napa City Council explaining why this land should not be developed.
• Poison rat bait traps continue to be an issue of concern. The traps are scattered around the businesses in the Corporate Park area near the Napa Airport. They are potentially killing other animals, including birds of prey. We received the Napa County Agricultural Commissioner’s report responding to our complaint about these poisons, which stated that the risk is legitimate.

You can also read updates about the American Canyon Eco-Center and about what our student interns are working on. Finally, check out Chris Benz’ article about the recent Electric Mobility event we helped host last weekend.

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Our next Conservation Committee meeting will be November 15th, 2022 at 6:30PM. Just click on the RSVP button below and I'll send you a Zoom invite in the near future. Thank you.

- Nick Cheranich, ExCom Chair
napavalleysierraclub@gmail.com
 

The Sierra Club has endorsed Joelle Gallagher (right) for District 1 County Supervisor and
Anne Cottrell (below) for District 3 County Supervisor. These candidates have distinguished themselves by their knowledge of, experience in, and commitment to protecting Napa’s agricultural lands and natural resources. Climate change is causing serious environmental threats, including drought and wildfire, and we need strong, experienced leadership to address this.

Gallagher led the Napa Valley Farm Bureau and the Napa Valley Grapegrowers Association. She is now the Executive Director of First 5 Napa working on behalf of Napa County’s children and families. Cottrell has served on the Board of the Napa County Land Trust, on the Community Wildfire Prevention Plan Core Team, and currently serves on the Watershed Information & Conservation Council. Gallagher and Cottrell will work to keep Skyline Wilderness Park free from development. Both are the current County Planning Commissioners for their districts and so are intimately familiar with the latest development concerns and county policies. They will be able to hit the ground running and guide the County to a more equitable and climate-resilient future.

Please join us in voting for them this November.

Dear Governor Newsom,

The Sierra Club Napa Group supports the mission of creating more affordable housing in our expensive area. We are also aware that selecting sites is fraught with community reaction. NIMBY responses are strong, particularly in affluent areas where organized homeowners have a litany of reasons why people of more modest means would be better off elsewhere. We also understand that the elected officials who represent those areas will do their best to appease their constituents.

In Napa County, we are witnessing what we consider irregularities in the process of selecting sites for affordable/low-income residences. These irregularities are causing an extremely popular and well-used park, Skyline Wilderness Park, to be targeted for development. It has happened before, and this attempt seems more focused. We oppose converting an open space park, particularly the most used park in the county, into housing. Click here to read the entire letter.

Reasons to Keep the Ghisletta Property Area as Greenbelt Land. Our Letter to the Napa City Council
Letter written by David Campbell; Photo by Chris Robbins

Dear Mayor Sedgley and City Councilmembers,

The Napa Group of the Sierra Club wishes to signal its opposition to that part of the proposed City General Plan that contemplates the annexation and up-zoning of the parcels of land commonly known as the Ghisletta property. We believe, for several reasons, that this property is best treated as Greenbelt land, as proposed by the Napa Planning Commission.

We hold that the highest and best use of all land in unincorporated Napa County is that it be maintained as it is currently; farmlands should remain farmland, wildlands should remain wild. A corollary is that cities should not expand into undeveloped areas of the county and urban sprawl must be curtailed. The proposed General Plan violates both tenets. Click here to read more.

Yes, there were plenty of Teslas at the September 25 Electric Mobility event, but there was so much more. This year the event, part of National Drive Electric Week and sponsored by the Napa Sierra Club, Récolte Energy, and MCE, was held at the American Canyon Walmart Supercenter.


Napa Group Chair Nick Cheranich pedaled his E-bike down from Napa. He was joined by Rick and Ray who also rode down from Napa on E-bikes converted from non-electric bicycles. Ray did the conversions in 2015. “I didn’t expect to get the battery longevity, but they’re still running and we’re able to ride from Napa to St. Helena and back with cruise control.” Click here to read more.