Napa Measure C: Ecological health vs. grape cultivation

Angela Johnston for KALW, May 30 2018

STAN SHEBS /  WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

STAN SHEBS /  WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

We would argue that this is a false choice, to say it has to be either ecological health or grape cultivation. The ability to continue with grape cultivation requires taking care of Napa's ecological health.

It does come down to a simple choice, although we would frame it a little differently than the author does here.

If you want to limit the number of trees that can be cut down, you vote YES. If you don't, you vote no.

 "These hillsides are covered with dense oak woodlands that help replenish and filter groundwater. Proponents of Measure C say that if we don’t preserve the streams and oak trees we eventually won’t even have a Napa Valley. 

So they’re going to the ballot box for a solution. 

Measure C is called the the Watershed and Oak Woodland Protection Initiative. It puts a cap on the amount of oak trees that can be removed from the Napa Valley hillsides. 

Once that quota has been met, landowners will have to apply for a permit to cut down additional trees. And for every tree cut down, landowners would have to plant three more elsewhere. The Measure also creates a buffer zone around streams where no trees of any type can be removed."

Read the full article here