Letters to the Editor for March 1, 2010

Let’s have an Edible Schoolyard Volunteer Coordinators program

Dear Editor,

After producing a successful eco-themed film festival in Sonoma for the past three years, I decided to take a similar program to Napa. I partnered with Valley Oak High School because of its edible schoolyard. I found out that most schools in Napa’s unified school district have been “adopted” by a winery. The wineries host fundraisers for their adoptive schools and in the case of VOHS, its adoptive winery – St. Supery – also brings in compost for the garden, sourced from its vineyards. This relationship between winery and edible schoolyard is a sustainable one.

I learned in January, after the film about the first edible schoolyard in an elementary school in New Orleans, that people of all ages from that community come together two times a month to work in the garden. The school district does not pay for the garden’s development or maintenance. The community does the work free. This arrangement is a sustainable one.

I have great respect for The Sonoma Valley Education Foundation and its commitment to have edible schoolyards at every school in our district. But the idea that the school district would need $100,000 to develop and maintain such a program is not sustainable.

I have time on my hands. I would love to donate hours every week to the vegetable garden at Dunbar School just a block from my house. I bet there are many people in our communities that have some time to work in school gardens. All we need are people to step up and organize what needs to be done in each one.

Emulate current Master Gardener programs and docent programs at Bouverie and Jack London State Park. Rather than spending endless hours raising money, let’s create an Edible Schoolyard Volunteer Coordinators program! These coordinators are free and can rotate. We can be taught basic gardening techniques. We can rally folks in the community to come out and help raise healthy food. Let’s give this idea – a sustainable one in my opinion – a chance to grow and flourish.

Justine Ashton
Glen Ellen

Fire Dept. says “Thanks”

Dear Editor,

The Kenwood Firemen’s Association would like to thank and recognize the following people listed below for their overwhelming support and for donating so graciously to our Third Annual Crab Feed.

Kenwood Market, Kenwood Press, Joan Dinner, Mickey Smith, Eusebio Joves, Dee Sand, Roseann’s Hair Cutting, Paradise Ridge Winery, Calvary Tire & Brake, Glenelly Inn & Cottages, Caf Citti, Doce Lunas Restaurant, Ledson Winery & Vineyards, Kenwood Restaurant & Bar, Massage Envy, Valley of the Moon Winery, Kenwood Vineyards, Mr. Matt Clawson, Marshall’s Machine Shop, MacLeod Family Vineyard, Landmark Vineyards, St. Francis Winery, Chateau St. Jean Winery, Kunde Estate Winery, Jackson Family Wines, Don Sebastiani & Sons, Eric & Simone Lang, Mr. & Mrs. Ed Geib, Mr. & Mrs. Myron Clark, and Eileen & Nick Zaharioudakis of Porky’s Original BBQ Style Onions.

The event was a great success and the Firemen’s Association raised over $10,000 to help fund equipment for our Fire Department. Your continuing support is greatly appreciated – Thank You!

Adrienne Uboldi and Teresa Reiss
2010 Crab Feed Coordinators

Help the honeybees

Dear Editor,

Spring is almost here, which means healthy colonies of honeybees will “swarm,” sending dark clouds of these beneficial insects into the open to look for new homes. If you are lucky enough to see a swarm of honeybees clustered on a telephone pole, fence post, grape vine or tree-limb, please, don’t call a pest control company. Call me, local beekeeper Randy Sue Collins (707) 365-4330, or Thea Vierling (707) 483-0426. We will come out and see if we are able to relocate them.

Swarming honeybees have gorged on honey before landing in your yard. They have filled their stomachs so that they have enough food to build their new home and are very gentle in this condition. They just want to find a place to rest; they are not out to sting anyone.

Please remember, bees are not pests. Honeybees are pollinating insects essential to human livelihood and are responsible for pollinating one-third of the U.S. food supply! They are non-threatening, non-aggressive vegetarians who aren’t interested in stinging you unless you swat at them, step on them barefoot, or disturb their hive.

Pest-control companies will charge a considerable fee to poison and kill these gentle, beneficial, necessary insects. Let them deal with yellow-jackets and termites, and let your local beekeeper collect and protect that honeybee swarm in your backyard.

Randy Sue Collins
Kenwood

Watch out for coyotes

Dear Editor,

Last Thursday [Feb. 18] my husband and I went for a walk around the animal farm on the east side of the SDC in Glen Ellen where John Mesa Soccer field is located. At around 5:30 p.m. we heard a bark in the fenced-off center of the field. At about 50 yards or so I thought I saw an animal, but since it was dusk it was hard to ID. As we continued towards the horse stalls an animal came running at us as if it were preying. This shocked me as I have been hiking here since I was a kid, and though we have seen many kinds of wildlife, we have never seen an animal behave like that. I started yelling aggressively as I had nothing to defend myself with. Fortunately the yelling stopped the animal. We came back the next night with binoculars and discovered there were two coyotes in the same place. I then reported this to State Police and Fish and Game. In doing research I find that coyotes are overly populated and have attacked. There are multiple incidents in Southern California. I feel that people should be careful and carry a stick or a horn. If anyone has a problem near their home they can use wolf urine repellant. Don’t leave pets out at night, or food/garbage.

Regina Conkright
Glen Ellen