October 1993 Issues Online June 2007 April 2007 February 2007 December 2006 October 2006 August 2006 June 2006 April 2006 February 2006 December 2005 October 2005 August 2005 June 2005 April 2005 February 2005 December 2004 October 2004 August 2004 June 2004 April 2004 February 2004 December 2003 October 2003 August 2003 June 2003 April 2003 February 2003 December 2002 October 2002 August 2002 June 2002 April 2002 February 2002 December 2001 October 2001 August 2001 June 2001 April 2001 February 2001 December 2000 October 2000 August 2000 June 2000 April 2000 February 2000 December 1999 October 1999 August 1999 June 1999 April 1999 February 1999 December 1998 October 1998 August 1998 June 1998 April 1998 February 1998 December 1997 October 1997 August 1997 June 1997 April 1997 February 1997 December 1996 October 1996 August 1996 June 1996 April 1996 February 1996 December 1995 October 1995 August 1995 June 1995 April 1995 February 1995 December 1994 October 1994 August 1994 June 1994 April 1994 February 1994 December 1993 October 1993 August 1993 Select any issue from the menu in this bar.

Vineyard Management Practices: An Environmental Approach to Development and Maintenance

Growing grapes using environmentally considerate techniques is the subject of a new planning manual produced, in part, with an Estuary Project grant. Compiled by the Southern Sonoma County Resource Conservation District, the manual addresses all aspects of vineyard planning, installation and maintenance from the perspective of reducing impacts on the environment. Soil conservation in particular is thoroughly addressed (a co-sponsoring agency is the U.S. Soil Conservation Service), which translates to cleaner creeks and, downstream, a healthier Estuary.

The manual is a direct response to neighboring Napa County's erosion troubles. Waterways throughout the wine country have experienced increasing siltation as vineyards move into ever-steeper terrain. The problem was so acute in Napa that in 1991, the county enacted an ordinance requiring erosion control plans of all new vineyards on slopes greater than 5 percent. Sonoma County growers requested an erosion control manual to "help circumvent an ordinance," says the Soil Conservation Service's Linda Woo Shanks.

The report's reliance on the Service's technical specifications makes it somewhat user-hostile. But the authors are upfront about the material's dryness, and introductions to each section by local experts go a long way toward rescuing the reader from bureaucratic overload.

"It's a reference manual geared to those who know what they're doing," says Shanks. But even an agricultural old hand would wonder at the inclusion of highly technical descriptions of friction losses and depth of application formulas - information more relevant to an irrigation designer than a farmer. And all but the most jargon-hardened readers will shudder at the use of the term "water impoundment structure" to describe a pond.

The information is all there, however, and the manual deserves high praise for so thoroughly addressing soil erosion. Whether or not it can keep the regulators at bay will depend on how well it is used.

Copies from (707)794-1242

«To @@(newsletter_title)@@ Index

[ ABAG HOME | SFEP HOME ]

Copyright © 2002, San Francisco Estuary Project