Grape Creek is a small stream that flows through the picturesque Dry Creek Valley in Healdsburg, surrounded by vineyards, rustic wineries, and a solid community of residents and grape growers—including many who have roots in this valley dating back several generations.  Grape Creek—a  tributary to Dry Creek, which flows into the Russian River—is home to several aquatic species, including endangered coho salmon and threatened steelhead trout. Despite the abundance of natural resources that Grape Creek supports, like many streams in the Russian River watershed, it becomes intermittent in the summer months when surface flows decrease and demand for water increases.

UC Cooperative Extension and CA Sea Grant's (UC's) Russian River Coho Salmon Monitoring Program has been monitoring salmon and steelhead populations in Grape Creek since 2005. In 2010, they expanded their work in the watershed through a collaborative effort known as the Russian River Coho Water Resources Partnership (Partnership), funded primarily by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.  The Partnership is working to improve streamflow and water supply reliability in five Russian River tributaries that offer critical refuge to coho. Other partners in this endeavor include the Center for Ecosystem Management and Restoration, Trout Unlimited, Occidental Arts and Ecology Center's Water Institute, the Sonoma Resource Conservation District, the Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District, and the Sonoma County Water Agency.  This multi-disciplinary team is helping Grape Creek landowners use the best available science to develop workable solutions that reduce the impact of dry season water diversions from Grape Creek, while increasing long-term water reliability.  

UC's primary role in this effort is to conduct a multi-year study designed to correlate instream flow and other environmental conditions to oversummer survival of juvenile salmon. Data from this study has given partners a better understanding of how much water coho need to survive the summer months in Grape Creek. Building on this science, the Partnership worked with landowners to implement several streamflow improvement projects and significantly reduce frost protection diversions in the watershed. Projects include the construction of an off-stream pond that eliminates irrigation use of a streamside well, installation of a frost protection fan in order to eliminate a direct diversion and on-stream dam (which was a fish passage barrier), a conservation project to reduce water use by installing a steam cleaning machine and three frost fans, and construction of an off-stream pond that eliminates the use of an on-stream pond for frost protection and irrigation water.  None of this would have been possible without the invaluable cooperation and contributions of streamside landowners, some of whom used their own resources for project implementation.

Thanks in good part to this work and the exemplary cooperation of local landowners, Grape Creek was named one of the National Fish Habitat Partnership (NFHP)'s Waters to Watch in 2013. It received this honor due to the importance of its fish species and the collaborative conservation action occurring within the watershed. Last month, NFHP released a video highlighting this collective work. 

In many ways, the Grape Creek watershed is a microcosm for the many types of water needs and potential conservation projects that can be implemented across California's coastal streams. UC and the Partnership are using the lessons learned in Grape Creek to continue this effort in other streams within the Russian River basin.

You can read more about the activities of UC's Coho Salmon Monitoring Program and the Partnership.

 

 

Mariska Obedzinski, Coho Monitoring Coordinator with UCCE Sonoma/SEAGrant was awarded a Staff Appreciation & Recognition Plan Award (STAR Plan Incentive Awards) from UC San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography under a program sponsored by University of California Office of the President.

STAR Plan recognition awards are discretionary and may be awarded to employees for the purpose of recognizing and rewarding excellence in University service; recognizing and rewarding significant achievements and contributions; and recognizing and rewarding outstanding individual and team contributions.

Mariska demonstrated exceptional leadership resulting in the integration of the Sea Grant Extension Program as a partner in a statewide Coastal Monitoring program for endangered salmon. The goal of this project is to gather data that will identify the status and trends of anadromous coho, steelhead, and Chinook populations in the Russian River Watershed.

This work is part of a larger effort by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) and NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to identify and improve our understanding of population drivers affecting coastal salmonid populations in California. Mariska independently collaborated with colleagues in DFW and the Sonoma County Water Agency to create a monitoring partnership and proposal to secure funding to support monitoring activities over the 2-year project period.

In addition to this new activity, Mariska plays a central role in ongoing coordination and personnel management of multiple research projects supported by NOAA, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to monitor the recovery of endangered coho salmon in the Russian River. 

Mariska is clearly deserving of this award. Congratulations Mariska!

It's getting close to turkey time and no one is more aware of this than the members of the Slow Food/4-H Heritage Turkey project! This year nine youth members are raising a total of 175 heritage turkeys for the Thanksgiving market. The varieties offered will be Black, Bronze, Holland White, Lavender, Narragansett, Royal Palm and Slate.

Support this project:
Heritage Turkey Dinner & Auction 
Oct 12, 3-7pm at SRJC Shone Farm.

Slow Food Russian River in collaboration with Sonoma County 4H started this project 9 years ago to re-introduce the heritage turkey varieties to the market. This year, over 95% of the turkeys were bred and hatched by project members and their families here in Sonoma County. This was one of the goals that Slow Food Russian River had when discussions began with two 4-H families in 2005 about starting the Heritage Turkey project. Turkey poults, in spite of being larger than chicks, are more fragile and do not endure shipping well. Each year, the 4-H turkey growers have been able to reduce the number of day old turkey poults purchased from out-of-state hatcheries and now are even able to make locally grown turkey poults available to other farmers in the area.

Why all the fuss about heritage turkeys? The commercial broad-breasted turkeys commonly found in grocery stores today have been selectively bred and intensively managed to produce meat in the fastest, most cost-efficient manner possible. Along with these economic improvements it has nearly eliminated their ability to mate naturally. By the early 1960's the Broad-Breasted White had become the industry standard, leaving little or no market for the heritage breeds. Commercial turkeys take a little over 3 months to reach market weight. Heritage turkeys, most varieties of which can be traced back to before the 19th century, are long-lived, natural mating birds with a slow growth rate of approximately 7 months to reach market weight. This allows them time to develop the unforgettable succulence and complexity of flavor found in the heritage turkey.

There's a great way for you to meet your holiday turkey and the 4H youth who raised it! Plan to attend the Heritage Turkey Dinner and Auction on October 12th at Shone Farm. Enjoy an artisan cheese, charcuterie, and wine reception overlooking the beautiful Russian River valley where you can browse a diverse selection of silent auction items. A harvest dinner prepared by popular bay area chefs from A16 and Hillside Supper Club will be followed by an exciting live auction where each of the project's young turkey growers will offer one of their turkeys for bid immediately following dinner. Additional "experience" packages will be offered at this lively auction, including an aerial tour with lunch. This is SFRR's most important fundraiser of the year. Proceeds from this event help support the breed preservation of these fascinating birds through the Heritage Turkey Project, and other projects including the Gravenstein Apple Presidia and the 3-Sisters High School Gardens Project. Tickets for the event. 

If you can't join in for the dinner and auction, you can always order your 4-H Heritage Turkey for Thanksgiving by contacting Catherine at thodefamilyfarm@pacbell.net for more information.

In the interest of a very tasty Thanksgiving feast, we challenge you to use local produce, meats and value add products as much as possible.

For the turkey, you have a variety of options available from free range heritage breeds to conventionally raised. You can pick up your fresh local vegetables and fruits and crunchy breads at farmers markets and local markets or visit the farms and don't forget to pick up some tasty cheeses and butter along the way. Purchase some extra squash for table decorations. How about some fresh squeezed local juices, too. And don't forget the wine! 

If you are fortunate enough to live in or have the opportunity to visit and shop in Sonoma County, visit the Farm Trails site to Find Our Farms & Produce by Criteria and California Cheese Trail. Both include maps and Farm Trails site lets you search by a variety of criterion including product type, region, method and more.

It is entirely possible to create a traditional, or un-traditional, Thanksgiving dinner using all local products (well, except the cranberries).  Fresher products, reduced carbon footprint and supporting our agricultural heritage are just a few of the benefits of locally sourcing your meals. Your taste buds will thank you.  

Happy Thanksgiving from UCCE Sonoma County!