What were RCDs up to in August?
California is home to 96 unique RCDs operating in ten regions throughout the state. RCDs are California’s boots-on-ground, providing everything from technical assistance to design and installation of conservation projects to community education — and more. Each month, we work to compile a small sampling of the incredible work that the districts are doing in and on behalf of their communities.
Sonoma RCD’s Range Tailgate 2: Cows, Compost + Carbon
The Sonoma RCD’s workshop, Range Tailgate 2: Cows, Compost + Carbon, was held on the morning of Tuesday, August 27. The RCD and Sonoma Mountain Institute invited ranchers to come learn the latest findings from their Healthy Soils Demonstration Project. This demonstration field trail was established on a private 300-acre ranch owned by the Sonoma Mountain Institute, with the goal of examining how compost application influences soil health and forage productivity on a working rangeland. The tailgate included a discussion on the comparison of baseline versus year one soil samples on both treatment and control plots, as well as a discussion of practice adoption pros and cons from the ranch manager. The flyer can be found here.
Napa County RCD’s Drip Irrigation Management Workshop
The Napa County RCD hosted their Drip Irrigation Management Workshop on August 27 at Huichica Creek Vineyard. One of the best actions growers can take is accurately predicting the timing and amount of irrigation water to better suit their production goals. In this workshop, growers learned about soil properties that affect water retention and movement, technologies for soil moisture and water stress monitoring, and how to use soil moisture monitoring and plant water stress to develop an efficient irrigation scheduling strategy.
RCD Cannabis Sustainability Workshop
The Upper Salinas-Las Tablas RCD, the Coastal San Luis RCD and the Cachuma RCD hosted an informative workshop discussing the latest developments in cannabis licensing, regulations, and sustainability efforts. The free workshop took place on August 27 at the San Luis Obispo Botanical Gardens. The RCDs spoke about their services and gave an overview of the GRASS-C third party verification program, alongside presentations by the San Luis Obispo County Planning Department and California Growers Association.
Contra Costa RCD’s Save Earth. Drink Beer.
Community members joined the Contra Costa RCD for an “Environmental Hoppy Hour” on Wednesday, August 28 at Creek Monkey Tap House. Creek Monkey donated a portion of their proceeds from the evening to the RCD in support of their efforts to facilitate conservation about the natural resources in Contra Costa County. During the Hoppy Hour, the RCD wanted to make sharing information and getting to know other environmentalists in Contra Costa easier. Environmental Hoppy Hour is a time where folks can casually come together, mix and mingle without pressure, play games, share ideas, and drink beer.
Napa County RCD’s WILD Napa Lecture on Squirrels
The Napa County RCD hosted an event in their reoccurring WILD lecture series on Wednesday, August 14 at the Napa County Library. Their guest speaker identified which tree and ground squirrel species are found in the Napa area, provided information on the natural history of these species, and explained how damage caused by these squirrel species can be managed in California.