We're slowly but surely amassing a playlist of soothing natural images and sounds from our open spaces. Expect more gifs in the coming year. Meanwhile, give yourself the gift of getting outside. You're going to have to chase down these presents as it is awfully hard to package towering trees, running water, falling leaves, madrone berries, and muddy trails (please don't damage the trails inadvertently-- see below). Get out there alone, with some friends, or join us to hike or volunteer, and you can again and again open up that blue sky box full of wonders!

Last month's deluge is becoming a distant memory, but we're hopeful that there's more rain on the horizon. We fared well overall during the last storm and had minimal long-term damage to any of our trails. Thanks again to everyone who let us know about downed trees and obstructions so that we could get out and address them.

Those clear days after a storm breed some spectacular views like the Oat Hill Mine shot below. While it's amazing to get out for a hike or ride once the storms have passed, it's also good to remind ourselves that trails need the chance to dry out and that high impact activities like cycling and horseback riding are best left until the ground gets firm again. Same goes for intense fitness regimens like snow shoeing on bare ground, dragging a sled full of rocks, or running while pushing a german shepard in a wheelbarrow (actually saw that last one once so you can't tell me it won't happen!) Note: please also check napaoutdoors.org to see which trails allow dogs.

Same reminder goes out to anyone parking a sleigh with a handful of reindeer smack dab on a soggy section-- you might have a lot to do and need a quick break before another flight, but please be considerate of others! We don't mind if you cry or shout, but we do mind if you ruin the trails for others. . .

To the Top! Mt Saint Helena

New Year’s resolutions are kind of arbitrary, right?  We figure that if Christmas decorations are sold before Halloween is over, and trees are going up before Thanksgiving is done, then we’re quite entitled to push fitness goals down the calendar a bit.

Whatever your goals or motivations we welcome you to start with the micro-decision to join us on one of our “endurance” hikes this December. We’ll be hiking to the top of Mt. Saint Helena. Yep. 10 miles total. But we’ll also have a guided option of a route half-way to the top. 5 miles. Not bad. Good, in fact.

This will also be a good primer for our endurance hikes in 2022. On these hikes our naturalists will be sucking air like everyone else so there will be less explanation and more of a focus on, well, getting through it together.

It was certainly something to crow about. (Sorry, couldn't help it) Ashley from the RCD brought her formidable knowledge of corvids to Bothe park, as well as a life-sized cut-out of a raven! Though both birds are intelligent, she spelled out just how much smarter ravens are. She provided some interesting cultural context as well as to why ravens are viewed in a positive or negative light around the world. Thanks to Ashley and all the hikers who shared their own corvid stories out on the trail.

We'll be posting full details and RSVP links soon for the 2022 slate of 3rd Saturday Hikes. Stay tuned for more details and check the 3rd Saturday Hike web page here.

Whether on the old Bale Grant, or when it was heaped with ivy, or now when our "modern" millers run the show, people have been coming over to the mill for almost 200 years. Pretty amazing.

So. . . We're continuing the celebration of the Bale Grist Mill's historic 175th Anniversary (since it lasts all year long)!

In early November we were able to celebrate again in person, this time with US Congressman Mike Thompson, State Senator Bill Dodd, and staff from State Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry's office with us to formally present commendations for the Bale Mill.

NOSD and NVSPA staff were presented with official plaques entering recognition of the mill's anniversary into the Congressional Record and a Resolution in the California State Legislature. We're grateful to have the support and focus on stewardship from all three of our elected officials and are always glad to host them at the Bale Mill!

Jay grew up in Hawai’i and South Dakota. Yep, not a misprint. Kind of cool and weird. He went to St. Olaf College in Minnesota (no Golden Girls jokes, please) where he majored in History and got a well-rounded liberal arts education-- also kind of cool and weird and incalculably valuable in a non-monetary kind of way. He is currently getting his masters in pandemic parenting (just waiting for accreditation to occur). He is also your long-time, friendly co-writer of this newsletter. He hopes to write with compassion, inclusion, adventure, and hopefully, good humor.

Though a life-long hiker and backpacker, he came to park work through the back door—backdoors generally being the homey, familiar (if somewhat messy) entrance, mind you. He has sold books in Anchorage, taught English in Japan, welcomed refugees in Minneapolis, run international exchange programs at Stanford, and tutored writing at City College of San Francisco. He likes to read, write, garden, paddle, swim, ski, surf, and he has run a handful of marathons. I guess he just likes to be active and reward himself with a long stint in a sauna. He has also traveled to 16 countries, but that seems oh so long ago. . . More recently, he has focused on California, traveling from the Smith River NRA to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, and many points between. If this all sounds too wonderful, alas, it is.

There have been obstacles like heaps of laundry, and toys like living room flotsam between him and all the tantalizing stuff over the years.  Did he mention he has a loving and awesome family!  He helps take his kids on adventures and soon enough they will drag him along on theirs. Fine by him—“hey kids, you go ahead and drive the boat, I’ll just grab these water skis. . .” His wife is an incredibly talented musician whose day job is as a 7^th grade teacher—bless her heart. Which reminds him, Jay is genuinely thankful for the variety of tasks on the NOSD menu that only occasionally involve middle school.

A couple of things on his plate that he is currently enjoying: helping to maintain the Native American Plant Garden at Bothe Park, and coordinating the 3^rd Saturday Hike Series for the District. He suspects he also has a talent for driving the campground loop at Bothe blindfolded and backwards though he has yet to test this out. If perchance you see him and regardless of whatever state of mind he is in, please say hello! Though he is a better writer than a talker he promises never again to refer to himself in the third person.

It's that time of year again when we all gather together among friends and family, celebrate the year gone by and look forward to the one to come. It's also the season of giving and we're grateful to everyone that supports our parks, trails, and open spaces every year.

We've got two ways that you can support your local parks if you're looking for holiday giving ideas - both of which help your amazing parks get even better!

We're grateful for all of the community support for the ReLeaf Napa Fund over the past year and encourage everyone to get involved to help support the parks and trails you love.

Join us with an annual membership to get some great benefits for yourself, get your company involved as a Releaf sponsor, or make a one-time donation to help support and grow our work.

The Napa Valley State Parks Association is featured in the Can Do Napa Valley Give!Guide again this year and you can support their work with a donation of any amount.

All donations to NVSPA through the Give!Guide will be doubled by the Two Friends Foundation!

Every weekday morning we post the current status of parks and trails in the news section of our homepage so that you'll know what's open/closed and what to watch out for if there are any trail obstructions or construction activity.

Know before you go & check the homepage before you get on the trail.

You can also help keep the trails you love in great shape by letting us know when something needs a little TLC! You can report a trail maintenance issue here - the form link is also in the menu on the NOSD website.