In this month's edition:
- While home: Create defensible space
- Staff highlight: Farewell to Jason Hoorn
- Healthy Soils Program Assistance
- Landowner highlight: Freestone Ranch
- The Value of Working Landscapes
|
|
Reminder: Temporary RCD Operational Changes
|
|
Beginning Tuesday, March 17, Gold Ridge RCD staff members will be working from their home offices until further notice. This is in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic. We do not expect any changes in the depth of our ongoing work with you all, for the most part, as we have always used telephone, videoconferencing, and email effectively in our partnerships. Staff will continue to check email, phone messages, and mail.
We hope you and your community are well. Please take care of yourselves.
|
|
What to do while sheltering in place? Create home defensible space!
|
|
During this public health emergency, many people are sheltering at home and seeking activities to keep them active. Spring is the perfect time to get outside and get proactive about creating safe space around your home and other structures in preparation for wildfire season.
|
|
The key is to start at the house and work out.
Though we are accustomed to having greenery right up to our windows, it is essential to rethink and redesign your garden's layout. There should be 5' of non-vegetated space in the area immediately around your home's footprint (that includes decks and attachments). Consider replacing those flowering bushes or climbing vines with colorful pea gravel, metal sculpture or a concrete bench! Stone, metal, ceramic and concrete are your friends in this zone.
In the 5'-30' zone, aim for well-spaced plants, pruned of any dead or dying branches. The goal is to break up the continuity of plants that could be fuel for a wildfire. Work to create both
vertical
and
horizontal
space by removing filler plants and pruning low branches on trees.
|
|
Pruning tools like pole saws or loppers make removing low branches easy. It can be meditative, too! Remember branches should be 6' above the ground or understory vegetation for fire safety.
|
|
Remove ivy growing on trees and over bushes. Sever all vines from their roots with pruning shears or a knife. The remaining vines will die on the tree. Just be sure to come back and remove those dead vines before summer.
|
|
This March marks a transition for Project Manager, Jason Hoorn. After serving the RCD for nearly 5 years, Jason will be leaving the team and beginning work with Marin County Open Space District. We are grateful to Jason for supporting our work with his deep knowledge of stream hydrology, erosion control, fisheries health and vegetation management, and we thank him for championing numerous successful projects, including the Upper Green Valley Creek Fish Habitat Restoration Project. We know he will be an all-star in Marin!
|
|
Healthy Soils Program application assistance
|
|
CDFA is now accepting applications for its Healthy Soils Program (HSP), with $28 million in funding available for
on-farm soils health practices
that sequester carbon, reduce greenhouse gases and improve soil health.
This round includes several changes to the Incentives Program, including a rolling application period, with awards granted on a first-come basis. The HSP Demonstration Projects applications are due by April 23.
Additional changes are as follows: Inclusion of budgetary payments in the greenhouse-gas calculator COMET-Planner Tool; use of the RePlan Tool for agricultural field identification; a reduced number of questions for a more streamlined application process; and unprecedented technical assistance, including CDFA-funded providers and 10 dedicated Community Education Specialists through the UC Cooperative Extension Services Agriculture and Natural Resources.
The Office of Environmental Farming and Innovation is offering a “How To Apply” video that includes tutorials on the RePlan and COMET-Planner tools. The video link, a list of Technical Assistance Providers and additional solicitation details can be found on the
Healthy Soils Program
webpage.
RCD staff are available to assist you in your application. Please contact William Hart,
William@goldridgercd.org
, to get started, or call (707) 823-5244 ext 15.
|
|
2020 Working Lands Calendar: March landowner highlight
|
|
Working Lands Calendar 2020
|
|
Who doesn't want a beautiful 2020 calendar with Sonoma County working lands as the backdrop?
We worked with our partners Ag + Open Space, Sonoma Land Trust, Sonoma RCD,
UCCE
and USDA NRCS to create a beautiful calendar.
They make great gifts for your friends to learn more about our working lands.
|
|
The Value of Working Landscapes
Published by University of California Cooperative Extension
|
|
In 2018, California's working landscapes supported more than 1.5 million jobs, paid out $85 billion in earnings, and generated $333 billion in sales. These are the major findings from the recently released study and report, California's Working Landscape: A key Contributor to the State's Economic Vitality. UC Cooperative Extension Sonoma County Director, Dr. Stephanie Larson, provided leadership and served on the committee that developed this study and report. A two-page executive summary is available.
Some California counties have recently pursued valuation of their ecosystem services.
Data from Sonoma County showed a range of $2.2 billion to $6.6 billion in natural capital in 2015:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
