- US House Passes Historic Legislation Defining Special Districts
- Fuels Reduction Project near Trinity Road
- CalFire Wildfire Preparedness Week
- Now Hiring! Administrative Manager
- Healthy Soil's Grant, Now Accepting Applications!
- Humboldt County RCD - Now Hiring!
- Upcoming partner workshops, trainings, and events
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US House Passes Historic Legislation Defining Special Districts in Federal Law
Federal Legislation Would Open Funding Opportunities for Special Districts Providing Essential Services to Nearly All of California’s 39 Million Residents
May 7, 2024, marked a major victory for special districts and the National Special Districts Coalition (NSDC), the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the Special District Grant Accessibility Act (H.R. 7525), legislation that would codify a first-ever definition of “special district” in federal law.
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Critical Fuel-Break Project Completed on Trinity Ridgeline Protecting Communities and Aiding First Responders
Earlier this month, project representatives gathered to tour the completed work on the Trinity Ridgeline Fuel-Break Project accompanied by 1st District Supervisor Susan Gorin. This project, funded by the Sonoma County Vegetation Management Grant Program, and managed by the Sonoma Resource Conservation District (SRCD), improves resiliency to wildfire by implementing strategic fuel breaks along key ridgelines. The Project site rests near the Mayacamas Mountains, between Trinity Road and Nuns Canyon Road, and borders Hwy 12 with the Trinity Oaks community just beyond the highway. Calabazas Creek, a tributary to Sonoma Creek and a steelhead stream runs on the northwestern border of the property on the project site. As such, the benefits of appropriate vegetation management and wildfire resilience efforts in this watershed have co-benefits to important native fish and wildlife populations.
The Sonoma County Vegetation Management Grant Program provides resources and grant funding for vegetation management in areas at high risk of wildfire. This county-wide grant program is managed by Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District (Ag + Open Space) and has provided funding to 65 projects throughout the County since 2021. The RCD developed the Trinity Ridgeline Fuel Break Project in partnership with local landowners and was awarded funding in 2022. Spye General Engineering was hired to create the fuel breaks along the ridgelines between Trinity Road and Nuns Canyon Road. These breaks will protect the Trinity Oaks community, a 150+ house neighborhood. The project consisted of clearing 30' of fuel on both sides of access roads that lead to the ridgelines on properties totaling 500 acres. Hand crews cleared fuel on over four miles of roadways! After cutting and clearing brush, they burned debris in brush piles on site.
Additionally, the RCD hosted two workshops with the support of the Sonoma Ecology Center (SEC), Resilient Landscape Coalition, and Fireline Mitigation. One was for landowners to learn about defensible space and landscaping around their homes. The second was for landscapers to learn how to develop fire-safe landscaping around homes.
This work is part of the LandSmart On-the-Ground programs, through which the RCD helps landowners plan for and conduct voluntary conservation best practices. Since the October 2017 fires and subsequent devastating fires across our county, the RCD has provided information and advice to hundreds of rural and agricultural landowners and conducted fire recovery projects on dozens of properties. If you want to learn more about our fuel reduction work, please get in touch with Jason Wells, Director of Forestry, at jwells@sonomarcd.org.
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CalFire Wildfire Preparedness Week
The first week of May has been recognized in California as CalFire Wildfire Preparedness Week. As the days get warmer, and the combustible material grows, now is the time to prepare for the potential of wildfires in Fall. The RCD has home hardening and defensible space tips to help make your home ready for wildfire season.
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Fire and Earthquake Safety Expo Recap
Last weekend Sonoma RCD participated in the Fire and Earthquake Safety Expo at the Cloverdale Citrus Fair. This event was held to help Sonoma County residents prepare for and respond to wildfires and earthquakes with diligence and safety. Over 60 exhibitors participated, including COPE Northern Sonoma, CAL FIRE Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit, and Fire Safe Sonoma. Sonoma RCD was located in the landscape room where we discussed vegetation management and wildfire resiliency. Some of the activities included an emergency response helicopter demonstration and a shake trailer.
What better way to see the importance of emergency response than the HENRY-1 helicopter being called to respond to an emergency near the coast cliffside right before the expo! Luckily, the man involved was saved and the HENRY-1 helicopter made it back in time for the expo!
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We are Hiring an Administrative Manager!
The Administrative Manager position is a great opportunity for an experienced administrative professional with a diverse skillset to directly contribute to the effectiveness of our mission-driven organization. Through administrative, human resource, and financial responsibilities, this position plays a critical role in facilitating productive and efficient operations that enhance the RCD’s capacity to serve our community. The Administrative Manager reports to the Director of Finance & Administration and works closely with the Executive Director and Staff Accountant. The ideal candidate will be an anticipatory professional who can navigate shifting priorities, is highly dependable, and possesses a positive attitude and continuous learning mindset. This position is open until filled. For more details and to apply click the link below.
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Sonoma County RCDs Now Accepting Applications to fund conservation practices!
Sonoma and Gold Ridge RCDs are accepting applications to fund conservation projects for local socially disadvantaged and historically-underserved farmers and ranchers. Some project ideas include cover crops, grazing, compost application, hedgerow installation, and many more! The first-round of applicants will be reviewed on June 14th!
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If you have any questions, please reach out to:
Sonoma RCD contact: Anya Starovoytov, Agricultural Program Director, astarovoytov@sonomarcd.org
Gold Ridge RCD contact: Emma Wood, Climate and Agriculture Resilience Fellow, emma@goldridgercd.org
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Public Meeting for the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board
Friday, June 14, 2024
1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
USDA, NRCS Service Center 5401 Old Redwood Highway, Suite 100 Petaluma, CA 94954
The San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board (Water Board) staff will be holding a public meeting to discuss the Conditional Waiver of Waste Discharge Requirements for Grazing Operations (Grazing Waiver) in the North San Francisco Bay Region, and the upcoming renewal and geographic scope expansion. Members of the public will be able to ask questions and/or make comments following the presentation.
Currently, The Water Board regulates about 96,000 acres of grazing lands in the Tomales Bay, Sonoma Creek, and Napa River watersheds with two separate Grazing Waivers. A revised multi-watershed Grazing Waiver is proposed to renew expired existing waivers and to implement the recently adopted Petaluma River Bacteria Total Maximum Daily Load. In addition, grazing operations located within unregulated watersheds of Point Reyes National Seashore will be included in the revised Grazing Program. The Grazing Waiver requires implementation measures to minimize and control discharges of animal waste and sediment runoff by evaluating current operating practices, identifying current and future effective pollutant control measures, developing a timeline for management actions, and annual reporting on actions taken.
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Humboldt County RCD is hiring a Regional Forest Health Program Manager!
This position will support Resource Conservation Districts (RCDs), Tribes, partner organizations, and communities within the North Coast RCD Collaborative region. It will be focused on managing a State Coastal Conservancy grant to implement the North Coast Wildfire Resilience Planning and Implementation Grant Program to provide grants to increase wildfire resilience. This is a full-time, exempt position. The ideal candidate will be based within the North Coast RCD Collaborative region.
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Voluntary Well Monitoring Program
Seeking property owners with wells in Santa Rosa Plain, Sonoma Valley and Petaluma Valley to participate in a local voluntary groundwater well monitoring program, and a voluntary well metering program. The goal of these programs is to have a more accurate understanding of our local groundwater levels in our groundwater basins, to understand how to use this essential resource efficiently so it will be sustainable for many years to come and continue to bring benefits to our local community, economy and environment. To learn more about this new program and how to get involved, click the link below.
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Pollinator Habitat Planting
Hosted by Conservation Works
Saturday, June 1, 2024
9:00am – 12:00pm
4375 Wallace Road, Santa Rosa
Join Conservation Works to plant a pollinator-friendly hedgerow! They will be planting a rainbow of blooms for beloved pollinators with support from the Gold Ridge RCD and California Wildlife Conservation Board. You will support local pollinators, promote biodiversity, increase the intersection of agricultural and natural landscapes, and grow climate resiliency by planting native pollinator-friendly species with year-round blooms.
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UCCE Soil Sampling Field Day
Field Day hosted by UC-Cooperative Extension
Monday, June 3, 2024
10:00am – 1:00pm
Dolcini Red Hill Ranch
FREE, lunch provided
English/Spanish
UC Cooperative Extension will be holding a soil sampling field day. Learn how to collect soil samples in rangeland and crop systems. Those who complete the field day will then be given a stipend to use on future on-farm soil samples.
Spanish interpretation will be provided as well as lunch.
For more information reach out to Ellie Andrews at: eandrews@ucanr.edu
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Climate-Smart Grazing Management Planning Training for Conservation Planners Soil Sampling Field Day
Field Day hosted by North Coast Soil Hub
Wednesday, June 5, 2024
9:00 am - 4:30 pm
Eames Ranch, Sonoma
Lunch in included
This training will focus on resource assessments, carbon dynamics in rangeland agroecosystems, and grazing management in the carbon farm planning context. This opportunity is designed to improve the ability of conservation planners to develop grazing management recommendations within carbon farm plans and increase knowledge and familiarity of current grazing management strategies. Topics will include resource assessments, grazing management and carbon farm planning, and carbon dynamics in rangeland systems.
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SCVTG Irrigation Masterclass
Event hosted by Sonoma County Vineyard Technical Group
Thursday, June 6, 2024
10:00am - 3:00pm
SRJC Shone Farm
Registration is $15 for members and $75 for non-members, Lunch is included
Join the Sonoma County Vineyard Technical Group alongside SRJC, and the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission for a half-day centered around irrigation! From rootstock selection to irrigation needs and techniques to water monitoring to conservation, there are topics for all to learn!
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Regenerative Ranching: 101 Educational Series
Event hosted by San Mateo RCD & partners
Wednesdays August 2024-April 2025
10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Ranches throughout the Bay Area
FREE to sign up for most participants!
This is an awesome opportunity to learn about the benefits from regenerative ranching from experts in the field. Participants will gather once a month to learn how to manage rangelands in a way that is both economically and environmentally regenerative. Locations will range from Pescadero to Petaluma. Registration closes June 14th!
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Regenerative Farming Viticulture Field Day
Event hosted by Jackson Family Wines and partners
Friday, June 21, 2024
8:00 am - 12:00 pm
3575 Slusser Rd, Windsor, CA 95492, La Crema
FREE to attend but spots are limited!
Interested in learning more about regenerative viticulture and how it can support the future of California's wine industry? If so, this event is for you! It will include an overview of regenerative principles and practices, how to increase water infiltration and storage, and the costs and benefits of transitioning to regenerative. It will also include an in-field demonstration with sheep grazing and compost production! This is a bilingual event!
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Conservation at Work with LandSmart®
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