New Year, New Watershed Awareness Calendar

If you still need a paper calendar for 2013 and you cherish the many oak trees that beautify Napa Valley, have I got a deal for you.

The Napa County Resource Conservation District, the Watershed Information Center and Conservancy of Napa County, and Friends of the Napa River have produced a beautiful, educational 2013 Watershed Awareness Calendar: “Preserving and Restoring the Oaks of Napa County.”  This colorful guide gives an overview of the history of oaks, where to find them, what their impact on cultures has been, what other species they support, what threatens oaks and what we can do to protect them.  It is instructive, lovely and free.

Some of our most talented local photographers have captured images of oaks, their habitats, their leaves and their acorns throughout the changing seasons.

The first page introduces you to the common oaks of Napa County, with clear photos of distinguishing leaves and acorns and descriptions of where each type grows. Armed with this calendar, you will be able to identify the valley oak (Quercus lobata), coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), blue oak (Quercus douglassii), interior live oak (Quercus wislizeni), canyon live oak (Quercus chrysolepis) and black oak (Quercus kelloggii). 

The calendar's authors describe the state of our oak woodlands and why becoming more aware of our oaks is so important.

January's page starts with the Angwin Audubon Christmas Bird Count, already marked onto the square for January 1; and the Boy Scout Christmas Tree Collection the following weekend. The calendar is not only clear and easy to use, but also a wealth of information.  

At the bottom of the first page is an introduction to Napa County oaks. I was surprised to learn that Napa County has the highest density of oaks of any county in California. In fact, 33 percent of our county is covered by oak woodlands.

On the February page, we learn that oak woodlands cover over 167,000 acres of Napa County. Mixed and coast live oaks are most prevalent in the southwest part of the county, while black oak woodlands are found in the Atlas Peak region and other higher elevations. The calendar describes where other oaks can be found, too.

The March page explores the history of oaks and the important role they played for earlier cultures that thrived in this area. The Wappo tribe, thought to be the sole inhabitants of the Napa Valley until the late 1700s, depended heavily on acorns from several oak species. Acorns were leached of their tannic acid and ground into flour, which was an important part of their diet.  If you want to try cooking with acorns, check out this link where you can learn how to process these nuts. Then you can try some of the delicious acorn recipes on the site.

The April page digs deeper into oaks and their impact on cultures. In times past, people were drawn to oaks for a variety of reasons. The acorns provided food for them and their animals. The trees, often huge, provided welcome shade and protection for man and beast in summer. Because of their size and ability to be seen from long distances, oaks were often used as monuments and landmarks or boundary markers.

The May page looks at the habitat that oaks support. Oak woodlands nourish “at least 300 vertebrate species (including at least 120 mammal, 147 bird and 60 reptile and amphibian species); 1,100 plant species; 370 fungal species; and 5,000 arthropod species (insects and mites).”  Yikes. 

The June content explores a typical situation in Napa County: oaks and vineyards living in harmony. Oaks provide habitat for animals that keep vineyard pests at bay. And with this page on your wall, you won't forget Connelly Ranch Family Farm Day on June 15 or the Wine Country Truck and Tractor Pull on June 29.  

The second half of the calendar is as handsome and informative as the first. An extensive listing of local resources on the back page is a bonus. Here you will find information and contact numbers for 19 agencies concerned with our environment, including the Land Trust, Audubon Society, Fish and Game, and the Napa County Master Gardeners.  

To obtain a calendar, call the Natural Resource Conservation Service at 707-252-4188; Friends of the River at 707-254-8520; or the Watershed Information Center and Conservancy at 707-259-5936.  The calendars are free, but donations are welcomed.

Master Gardeners are volunteers who help the University of California reach the gardening public with home gardening information. Napa County Master Gardeners are available to answer gardening questions in person or by phone, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to Noon, at the U. C. Cooperative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa, 707-253-4221, or from outside City of Napa toll-free at 877-279-3065. Or e-mail your garden questions by following the guidelines on our web site. Click on Napa, then on Have Garden Questions?