Warren Winiarski is broadly celebrated for prominently placing Napa Valley on the world map of great wine regions. Yet, his commitment to protecting Napa’s natural resources may be the accomplishment that out lives us all. Through the 1968 Ag Preserve, the 1991 Hillside Ordinance, and more recent political efforts (including Measure C) to protect the Valley’s oak and water resources, Warren was unmatched.

Over the last four years Save Napa Valley Foundation has, in collaboration with Water Audit California, developed a watershed wide program of watercourse optimization, using proven scientific techniques applied by adaptive management. The program has consisted of a sequence of logically related projects. The fundamental principle that “we manage what we measure” was introduced to the community at our first Forum in January 2020. A subsequent survey, nominated The Refugia Project, surveyed, and reported on all fish bearing watercourses.

Residents of St. Helena have seen their water bills soar over the last 23 years. The price has gone up 1,230% during this time, yet there has been little improvement in services.

Save the date for the 2014 Napa Water Forum and read the recap from last year event.

It's Time to Pick a Battle (or two). Two Big Issues Come Before the Public on Tuesday, February 6, 2024 One at Am Can City Council, other County BOS

...Here in Napa, the KJS & Sorrento vineyard project recently won tentative approval from the Napa County planning department. The project would destroy 100 acres of grasslands and oak woodlands off Sage Canyon Road in St. Helena to make way for more hillside vineyards...

Removing a forest to plant a vineyard seems unethical in this age of global warming, regardless of how 'green' the vineyard is promised to turn out. We are in a pivotal moment; we need to support fighting global warming and water conservation.

These wineries/vineyard operations are currently in some stage of the expansion permit proves; Duckhorn, Del Dotto, Rutherford Ranch, Vineyard 29, Forman, Hyperion Vineyard Holdings LLC., (A.K.A. KJS Investment Properties and Sorrento Inc.)

“The court has recognized that we can do the right thing and keep water flowing in the river without affecting the city’s water supply.” Center for Biological Diversity.

Save Napa Valley Foundation’s (SNVF) support has facilitated numerous Water Audit California projects that have been pursued over the last year through multiple mediums. They can be grouped into three broad categories: informing; instructing and compelling.

We at the Save Napa Valley Foundation (SNVF) write to share our firm belief that the recent changes in policy and in the political climate in Napa County is not only long overdue, but is beneficial for our residents, for the health of our natural environment, and for the future of our wine industry. Which is, after all, the industry whose health and success drives the economic viability of Napa County.

As Ginny Simms and Volker Eisley stated many times, on any given Tuesday, it takes only three supervisors to change the world. That happened this week. On Tuesday, August 15, 2023, in a 3-2 landmark vote, the Board of Supervisors (BOS) upheld the Center for Biological Diversity’s appeal of the Le Colline Vineyard Conversion, with supervisors Anne Cottrell, Joelle Gallagher, and Belia Ramos voting yes, and Ryan Gregory and Alfredo Pedroza voting no. With wisdom and foresight, the BOS voted to support our watersheds and hillside ecology as well as acting with the increased urgency that our rapidly changing climate demands.

A Utah developer wants to destroy nearly 30 acres of native Napa County forestland to put in a vineyard he bills as offering "net zero" loss of carbon sequestration. Local citizens and climate and forest protection advocates think differently.

When the Napa County Board of Supervisors convenes to discuss the Le Colline vineyard project later this month, proponents will likely throw around terms like “net zero,” “sustainable” and “zero emissions.” Don’t believe them. These buzzwords are meant to convey a sense of environmental responsibility, but in the case of Le Colline the sustainability claim is not only false but laughable.

Now is the Time to Show Up - Tell the Supervisors Le Colline Vineyard endangers Linda Falls, the City of Napa's water supply, a significant wildlife corridor and neighbors' safety and quality of life

When the Napa County Board of Supervisors convenes to discuss the Le Colline vineyard project later this month, proponents will likely throw around terms like “net zero,” “sustainable” and “zero emissions.” Don’t believe them. These buzzwords are meant to convey a sense of environmental responsibility, but in the case of Le Colline the sustainability claim is not only false but laughable.

Respectively to the Napa Valley Supervisors: Please accept my comments on the Le Colline Vineyard Agricultural Erosion Control Plan, FEIR, its findings P14-00410-ECPA.

Resolution of the Board of Education of the Napa Valley Unified School District authorizing the call to climate change action and requesting the board of supervisors of the county of Napa to issue said notes

The Le Colline Vineyard in Angwin, set on narrow Cold Springs Road, is causing trauma to nearby residents, much like the locals felt for years during the buildup for the Walt Ranch project. It is another potential development set on the county’s eastern hills. Both are right in middle of the two watersheds for the city of Napa’s drinking water reservoirs.

Appealing Duckhorn Vineyards Winery - May 3, 2023, decision of the Napa County Planning Commission’s adoption of the Mitigated Negative Declaration and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program, and approval of Use Permit Major Modification Application P19-00097-MOD

Napa County Resource Conservation District (“Napa RCD”) is coordinating a renewed effort to remediate artificial fish migration barriers across the Napa River watershed (approximately 430 square miles). This project will take a strategic prioritized approach at the watershed scale, and bundles implementation, design, and ranking with a focus on 36 identified barriers.

The extremely successful, March 24, 2023 Water Forum, hosted by Save Napa Valley and The MennenEnvironmental Foundation, can best be described as a rare opportunity for experts in hydrology, fish biology, groundwater/surface water and their interconnectivity, to join with local resource conservation leaders, state and local regulators and the leading research strategists from around the country to share and discuss new ideas concerning how to best manage Napa Valley’s water. Though Napa Register’s headline, “Forum looks at how nature, humans can thrive,” missed the mark, SNVF appreciated their coverage. Knowledge is the first step to change.

Letter Submitted to the Napa Register & San Francisco Chronicle An out of state developer, David DiCesaris is pulling out all the stops to influence environmental groups that his deforestation project for vineyard in Angwin is good for the environment. He calls it a “zero-emissions” project. He’s going to use electric tractors!.The description sounds great at first. Why wouldn’t Napa want a zero-emission vineyard? But this catchy slogan requires a closer look and a deeper discussion.

The upcoming Napa Water Forum is the result of 3 years of work by Save Napa Valley Foundation. While creating a true collaboration of community, federal, state, and local regulators, SNVF’s goal has been to remediate over 60 barriers to assure clean, free flowing water in our rivers, creeks, and streams through a project named, Refugia.

Water Audit California wishes to comment on the Brent Randol article in the Napa Register highlighting "salmon making their way up Putah Creek,” which outlined the admirable success from Solano County efforts at reestablishing salmonid populations. A similar project is just about to make its much-needed public launch in Napa County.

Unprecedented has become the word of our times; unprecedented heat, drought, wildfires, winds, storms, and floods, not to mention tornados and hurricanes in other parts of the country and around the world. As these realities confirm the climate crisis, are we in Napa County stepping up to take unprecedented action?  Sadly, the answer remains no.

We see every day, with our own eyes, that water is in short supply. Water trucks crisscross the Valley making deliveries to customers with dry wells and empty reservoirs. The mainstem Napa River is more dry than wet above the tidal zone. Parts of it, like St. Helena at the Pope Street Bridge, are choked with algae. While we hope that the fishes found someplace to go, we know many of them did not.

As Napa Valley Subbasin groundwater resources stakeholders, we wish to bring the lack of management effectiveness by the Napa County Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) to your attention. Since the submission of Napa’s Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) in early 2022, signs of groundwater scarcity have been evident and the drought has continued. Yet the Napa Valley Subbasin GSA has shown no indication that they intend to manage groundwater in a way that addresses the unprecedented conditions facing our community.

Thirteen waterways in Napa County once supported Central California Coast Steelhead at population densities of greater than one fish per square meter. Steelhead populations show evidence of decline in all thirteen waterways (Leidy et al 2005). In 1997, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) listed Central California Coast steelhead as a distinct evolutionary unit that is threatened with extinction.

A Utah developer wants to destroy nearly 30 acres of native Napa County forestland to put in a vineyard he bills as offering "net zero" loss of carbon sequestration. Local citizens and climate and forest protection advocates think differently.