Hall Protest Napa County 11-18-2016 (image by J.L.Souza)

Napa Vision 2050: Victory in Court against Walt Ranch

Climate, Community Rights/Rights of Nature, Groundwater, News, Resources / October 9, 2019

“A California appeals court ruled that Napa County violated state law in approving the large Walt Ranch vineyard development in the mountains east of the city of Napa. The decision sends the project, which would have destroyed more than 300 acres of riparian, oak and native grassland habitat for vineyards, back to the trial court. “This is really an important victory for our climate and forest,” attorney Aruna Prabhala of the Center for Biological Diversity said on Tuesday.”  

Napa Vision 2050: Victory in Court against Walt Ranch

Court Against Walt Ranch

“It’s time for Napa County to rethink its reckless rubber-stamping of vineyard conversions.” 
— Aruna Prabhala, urban wildlands director at the Center for Biological Diversity

Healing Walk - Napa Valley
Healing Walk, Napa Valley from vineyards destruction of groundwater and oak woodlands. .

A California appeals court ruled that Napa County violated state law in approving the large Walt Ranch vineyard development in the mountains east of the city of Napa. The decision sends the project, which would have destroyed more than 300 acres of riparian, oak and native grassland habitat for vineyards, back to the trial court. “This is really an important victory for our climate and forest,” attorney Aruna Prabhala of the Center for Biological Diversity said on Tuesday. 

Prabhala called the ruling “a blow to the project.” More must be done before it could go forward, she said.  Responding to an appeal from the Center for Biological Diversity and the Sierra Club, the court held that Napa County failed to provide a clear plan to address the climate harms from the vineyard’s proposed destruction of 14,000 large trees.
“As we find ourselves in a moment of reckoning with irreversible climate tipping points being crossed, wine grapes, as with other food products, must be kept from furthering forest destruction.” 
— Jim Wilson, Board Director, Napa Vision 2050 & Napa Climate NOW
“This is a victory for Napa County’s forests and California’s fight against climate change,” said Aruna Prabhala, urban wildlands director at the Center. “The court agreed that officials can’t let a developer destroy thousands of trees with no concrete plan to address the resulting harm to our climate. It’s time for Napa County to rethink its reckless rubber-stamping of vineyard conversions.”  Allowing the absurd mitigation practice of protecting trees in an already protected area is no longer acceptable.
Sources:
What Could This Mean for the Future?
After years of work on this, it feels as though things are changing. Call it the “Greta” effect if you will, or an awakening as to the seriousness of our climate situation but one thing is clear, this is very important. We will keep a close eye on this issue.