With great pleasure, Napa Vision 2050 announces our support for the Napa County Watershed and Oak Woodland Protection Initiative of 2018.
Last year more than 6,300 citizens signed petitions to qualify the Water, Forest and Oak Woodland Protection Initiative for the November 2016 ballot. All those signatures were gathered by over 80 local volunteers with the sole aim of protecting our county’s hillsides, streams and oak woodlands. Napa Vision 2050 activists collected thousands of those signatures.
Unfortunately, that Initiative was disqualified by Napa County officials who perceived the document contained a legal technical flaw. Ultimately the courts sided with the County. However, proponents of the Initiative were not dissuaded, and as they proceeded on a new process for the 2018 election cycle, the Napa Valley Vintners elected to join in the movement, which has ultimately led to a collaboration of industry and the signatories on the previous initiative.
Water affects the quality of life of every Napa County resident. This new initiative will protect the water quality, biological productivity and economic and environmental value of Napa County’s streams, watersheds, wetlands and forests. It will safeguard public health, safety and welfare for residents.
The new initiative, renamed the Napa County Watershed and Oak Woodland Protection Initiative of 2018, adopts policies and zoning requirements for Napa County’s Ag Watershed district that protects forests and tree canopy near stream and wetlands. It ensures the long-term preservation of Napa’s Oak Woodlands. The initiative complements the protections wisely established by community leaders exactly 50 years ago for agriculture and open space lands in the Agricultural Preserve. Click here for the full text of the Initiative.
Citizens will, once again, be collecting the required signatures to place this on the ballot for June 2018. Volunteers are needed. If you are interested, please contact: Iris Barrie, barrie001@comcast.net