Sierra Club
Redwood Chapter Newsletter
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Napa Group Report Elisabeth Frater | |
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The advent of spring with its dynamic river life, verdant landscape, and vibrant wildflowers brings our goals of conservation and restoration into sharp focus. To that end the Napa Group will pay tribute to Ralph Ingols, an extraordinary naturalist and environmentalist on April 18, Earth Day Sunday. Ingols, 92, will be the 2004 recipient of the Earl Thollander Environmental Award at our annual dinner and fundraiser, held in conjunction with the California Native Plant Society. Ingols' contributions to Napa have deep roots. Following a retirement in 1971 from teaching, Ingols and his late wife Evelyne became active in the California Native Plant Society. This volunteer work gained traction when their friend Martha Walker, the gardening editor of Napa Valley Register, and Society member, died in the late 1980s. The Society placed a park bench in Skyline Park as a memorial to Walker, and Evelyne and Ralph began planting native foliage in what proved to be the beginning of the Martha Walker Native Plant Garden. From that time on Ingols has been the garden's curator and has led field trips, held wildflower symposiums, and the ever popular wildflower walks at this peaceful garden, and natural bird habitat that receives visitors from all over the world. For more information about the Earl Thollander Environmental Award Dinner to be held at the Napa Elks Club on April 18, or for ticket information please call 259-1628 or go to http://www.redwood.sierraclub.org/napa/. |
This past month also saw a county-wide election with pivotal issues on the ballot for the environmental community. Most widely known were the two land-use preservation measures called O & P. Measure O sought to promote sustainable watershed management planning by prohibiting timber harvesting and conversions to vineyards. Measure P would have affirmed a county ordinance that established stream protection setbacks. The Napa Group endorsed Measure O, and took no position on Measure P. At the final count Measure P was rejected by 65 percent of the voters, while Measure O was defeated by 73 percent of voters. Also significant to the Napa Group were the three "spot-zoning" measures Q, R, & S. These measures were supported by private landowners and would have provided exemptions to Measure J - Napa County's landmark agricultural preservation measure. The three initiatives, which were trounced at the polls, were opposed by the Napa Group based on recommendations by the conservation committee because none of the rezoned locations would have provided enough environmental or other benefits to off-set the cost to the agricultural preserve. |