by Margaret Carrero

Created on: February 11, 2009   Last Updated: February 12, 2009

From Napa and Sonoma counties north to Mendocino, rows of vineyards adorn the landscapes sweeping green hills, but the vast woodlands that once dominated the area have suffered as a result. The nearby Russian, Napa, and Navarro rivers have also taken a hit because many growers siphon their waters to feed their crops. Since at least the 1980's, ecologists, environmentalists, and local grape growers have been working side by side to ensure that viticulture and the natural culture of California's wine country maintain a sustainable relationship.

The problems plaguing the woodlands are directly attributed to the fact that both grapevines and the area's native oaks feed off the same energies: soil and climate. The result is the dilapidation of native oaks and dwindling populations of animals who depend on the woodland trees like songbirds, and native bees. Gretchen LeBuhn, a San Francisco State University conservation biologist whose studies focus on native bees, has been working with wine country grape growers to find ways to keep the native bee population thriving. In a "San Francisco Gate" article from 2006, LeBuhn said that not only has the native bee population diminished, but their composition has been altered. LeBuhn says there are a few reasons for the changes, cultivation practices may be destroying their nests since these particular bees make their home in the ground and their favored native food plants are no longer available.

Tackling the issue of the thinning rivers is another problem altogether, especially with California facing its third year of drought conditions following several consecutive years of less than normal rainfall. Besides the potential for disrupting the flow of rivers by drying out riverbeds, the erosion caused by vineyards has adversely affected the spawning abilities of salmon and steelhead with salty, dirty buildup.

A series of dramatic sedimentation events in the 1980's throughout the Napa Valley wine country spurred the Napa County Board of Supervisors to adopt legislation to control hillside developments. As a result, any development (vineyard or otherwise) seeking to build on a slope with a 5% grade or better needed to have an Erosion Control Plan in place and approved before being green lighted to build or plant. The ordinance restricted any grading or other changes to the "original footprint" of existing vineyards to avoid disastrous erosion and sediment runoff into nearby waterways. Despite the potential problems, there is nothing more beautiful than a drive through California's fruitful wine country.

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