|
Dear Supporter,
Greetings, and Happy Summer!
News from the Chair
by Nick Cheranich
“Climate change is here, it is terrifying, and it is just the beginning. The era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived. The air is unbreathable, the heat is unbearable, and the level of fossil fuel profits and climate inaction is unacceptable.” The UN Secretary-General António Gutierrez
----------------------------------
 As you know, Napa Group has partnered with the American Canyon Community and Parks Foundation to host the first “Outdoor Connection” pop-up event. It took place on July 25th. A few of us presented information to locals about the importance of Wetlands restoration, using the Sierra Club’s "Bay Alive Campaign," which deals with sea level rise.
We are also involved with the Foundation’s "Watershed Explorers Program." Please read more about these two projects, below. (Photo credit: Nick Cheranich)
----------------------------------
 Vine Trail News: Napa Group’s team, “Team Sierra Club and Friends,” had 26 members and raised $5,064 for the Napa Valley Vine Trail’s Locomotion fundraiser during the month of May. Thank you to all who participated in the event. Details are below.
----------------------------------
 Our three student interns, Paulina, Lilliana, and Kate are working together on an educational program for children regarding Monarch butterflies and habitat loss. They plan to present the program at two local libraries in the next couple weeks. (Photo credit: conservwildlifenj.com)
Also, read about intern Paulina’s summer environmental education adventure in Rhode Island.
Just a reminder, your donations to the Napa Group help provide these young environmentalists with a small but meaningful stipend. Please consider donating directly to us, below.
----------------------------------
Our next Conservation Committee meeting will be September 19, 2023 at 6:00PM (please note the new time). If you would like to attend, just click on the RSVP button below and I'll send you a Zoom invite in the near future. Thank you.
- Nick Cheranich, ExCom Chair
napavalleysierraclub@gmail.com
|
Whetting Interest in Wetlands Restoration in American Canyon
by Chris Benz, Photos by Nick Cheranich
 This year the Napa Group was awarded $5000 from the Rolhoff Bequest to partner with the American Canyon Community and Parks Foundation (ACCPF) and provide educational materials on sea level rise. It will also demonstrate how the Sierra Club is working for the protection and preservation of San Francisco Bay.
 This article describes what we’ve learned about the importance of local efforts to restore tidal wetlands in Napa County. The first opportunity to share these stories with our community took place at a trailside “pop-up” event on July 25 at Wetlands Edge trail in American Canyon. The event featured ACCPF’s trailside learning center, the “Outdoor Connection”.
 Napa Group’s student intern, Paulina Zambrano, along with ExCom members Scott Thompson and Nick Cheranich, were at the event on a beautiful afternoon, helping happy hikers understand the importance of restoring the Wetlands in order to help combat some of the effects of climate change.
 Wetlands Edge trail is an ideal location to provide information about the importance of restoring wetlands. It serves as a multi-use trail that winds its way along approximately 180 acres of restored tidal marsh wetlands and connects to the Napa River Bay Trail, part of the San Francisco Bay Trail, and is heavily used by residents of all ages (and their dogs!). Article continues here.
|
|
Team Sierra Club & Friends Raised Over $5K for Vine Trail Fundraiser
by Chris Benz
 This May the Napa Sierra Club raised funds for the Napa Valley Vine Trail by asking members and friends to join our team for the Vine Trail Coalition’s Month of Movement Challenge.
Team members set personal goals for miles “moved” via cycling, walking, skateboarding, etc. during the month of May. Team Captains Ellen Udoff and Chris Benz set a fundraising goal of $2500. Funds raised go to build the Vine Trail, Napa Valley’s world class bike and pedestrian path that will go from the Vallejo Ferry to Calistoga. The St. Helena-to-Calistoga segment is currently under construction.
Huge thanks to the 26 members of our team. A high five to John West, who logged the most miles (610) and raised the most money. In total, our team logged 3573 miles and raised $5,064—over twice our goal!
We hosted a 20-mile plus team ride from Napa to Yountville with a special stop at Kelly’s Filling Station and Wine Shop, home of the very best (and biggest!) scones in Napa Valley. Scones were enjoyed by all!
Carlos Rones of the Vine Trail Coalition thanked our team. “You all rocked it this year and we are immensely grateful for your team's dedication and unwavering support in helping us further our mission of creating a healthier and safer community through the Napa Valley Vine Trail. It is through the collective efforts of teams like yours that we can make a lasting impact on our community.”
Join us in 2024 for a fun fitness challenge. (Photo caption: Enjoying scones at Kelly’s are (l. to r. standing) Shana Bagley, Steven Deutsch, Kevin Hansen, Linda Brown, Ellen Udoff, Samantha Smith, Lauren Olson, (on ground) Chris Benz)
|
My Summer Environmental Program at Brown University
by Paulina Viera Zambrano
 Hello everyone! My name is Paulina Viera Zambrano (pictured center, with the big smile). I’m currently a rising Senior (class of 2024) at Vintage High School and one of the three interns with the Napa Sierra Club Group. This summer I applied and got accepted into one of the Pre-College programs at Brown University, which is an Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island. The pre-college program, called Summer@Brown , offered a variety of different courses from which students could pick. Courses involved classes in the fields of environmental science, math studies, medical studies, language studies, history studies, art studies, etc. I wanted to share with you some of my experiences with the program. (All photos by Paulina.)
 Because of my love for the environment and for nature, I decided to enroll in a course involving both. Since Rhode Island is right next to the Atlantic Ocean, I decided to take a course involving the ocean. This course was called Setting Sail: History of the Water, and was taught by Dr. Rebecca Marisseau. This class was about two weeks long and in the course of these two weeks our class learned about the history, fauna, and flora of the New England coastal region, including Rhode Island. Being able to learn about these topics and to experience the East Coast in Rhode Island was a truly memorable experience which I very much appreciated. Article continues, here.
|
Napa Group To Take Part in Wetland's Watershed Explorers Program
by Chris Benz
 The American Canyon Wetlands are a marvelous place to be on a May morning: open, expansive views over the marshes, the tang of saltwater from the incoming tide, and a cacophony of birdsong. They are also a dynamic classroom for the fourth graders from Donaldson Way Elementary who will spend time here today as part of the "Watershed Explorers" program put on by the American Canyon Community and Parks Foundation (ACCPF). (Image caption: Local 4th Graders in the Watershed Explorers Program learning about wastewater treatment at one of the stations. Photo credit: Chris Benz)
 All 300 plus fourth graders in American Canyon go through the "Watershed Explorers" program which was started in 2019. The three-part series is focused on protecting and learning about our watersheds. The field day takes place in the Wetlands along the Bay Trail where students visit different “learning booths” hosted by community organizations. (Image caption: Learning about Plankton with Eric McKee of the Napa County Resource District. Photo credit: Chris Benz)
They learn about the diversity of shorebirds, songbirds, and raptors in the area with the Napa-Solano Audubon Society. The Napa County Resource Conservation District teaches about plankton, including throwing plankton nets in the water to pull up plankton samples for a closer look.
Students learn how the first peoples used the natural resources of the wetlands from the Suscol Intertribal Council. And the American Canyon Wastewater Treatment plant, located nearby, lets students see how water is transformed from sewage to clean water in the ponds attached to the wetlands. Article continues here.
|
|
EV Event in Napa; August 19th
By Nick Cheranich
 It’s back! Please join the “Ride and Drive Clean” event in Downtown Napa to check out popular EVs and Ebikes. You'll have a chance to ask questions of EV and Ebike experts and owners. Learn how you can save time, money, and the planet when you go electric.
Do you have an EV you can bring and show at the event? They are looking specifically for the following EVs: A VW ID.4, Hyundai Ioniq 5 or 6, or a Kia EV6. They are also looking for a few E-bikes. If interested, email Annika Osborn at aosborn@cooltheearth.org .
When and Where: Saturday, August 19 from 10-3, in partnership Downtown Napa and sponsored by MCE. For more information, click here.
|
|
Save the Planet, Put Down That Burger
By Cara Buckley (courtesy of the New York Times)
 People who follow a plant-based diet account for 75 percent less in greenhouse gas emissions than those who eat more than 3.5 ounces of meat a day, and a vegan diet also results in significantly less harm to land, water and biodiversity, according to new research from the University of Oxford. (Photo Credit: Steven May/Alamy)
While the link between animal agriculture and environmental harm is well established, earlier studies used scientific modeling to reach those conclusions. By contrast, the Oxford research drew from the actual diets of 55,500 people — vegans, vegetarians, fish-eaters and meat-eaters — in the United Kingdom and used data from some 38,000 farms in 119 countries.
The peer-reviewed study, led by Peter Scarborough, a professor of population health at Oxford, was published on Thursday in the journal Nature Food.
If meat eaters in the United Kingdom who consumed more than 3.5 ounces of a meat a day (slightly less than the size of a quarter pound burger) cut their intake to less than 1.7 ounces a day (roughly the amount of a single McDonald’s meat patty) it would be the equivalent of taking 8 million cars off the road, Dr. Scarborough said.
The study found that, compared to meat-heavy diets, vegan diets resulted in 75 percent less land use, 54 percent less water use, and 66 percent less biodiversity loss. A vegan diet avoids all animal products, including meat, eggs and dairy. The article continues here.
|
|
Wondering What Your Legacy Might Be?
 As you know, the Napa Sierra Club Group has a mission to conserve natural ecosystems and work for sustainability in land and water usage, and to reduce the carbon release into the air. We take on projects that we think are significant to Napa that may be helped by local action.
We are looking for people to join our Executive Committee team who have knowledge and experience relevant to our mission and skills in research, presenting, organizing, and/or educating our neighbors. People who are willing to learn.
Is that you? Or do you know someone? We have openings on our team. Looking for motivated volunteers. Prepare for your legacy now.
Email us, in care of Nick Cheranich, at napavalleysierraclub@gmail.com. Thank you!
|
|
You're Invited to Learn More
 Learn more about PG&E's decision to decomission the Potter Valley Project on the Eel River and the opportunity to restore a great wild Salmon river. Register for the zoom event, here.
----------------------------------
Speaking of PG&E, here is a short video by the Redwood Chapter on the needless destruction of healthy trees in order to replace PG&E's infrastructure.
|
|
|
