Will it be Wine or the Endangered Species??

[jack]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/26/us..._r=1&ref=earth

"Battered by a long history of habitat loss, logging and development, a dwindling number of coho struggle to survive in the rivers and streams where they return every year to spawn. Now they must contend with water-hungry vines, and especially a frost-prevention method that involves spraying plants with 50 gallons of water per acre, per minute. In smaller tributaries, the technique can literally suck stretches of a stream dry.

“There are a lot more grape vineyards than there really is water for,” said Brian Cluer, a scientist with the National Marine Fisheries Service."


"In the last three years, the fisheries service has documented more than 60 vineyard-related deaths of juvenile coho, an endangered species, and steelhead trout, a threatened species, in three streams. It estimated that in one of the events more than 25,000 fry, or baby fish, were probably killed.

Sonoma County enacted an ordinance last year that asks vintners to register with the county if they use water from streams, but it imposes no limits on such use and allows landowners to monitor stream flows themselves. The State Water Board is now preparing to step in with much stricter rules to protect fish."

[sprucetree]

Let the Water Wars begin. Of course the article hit the nail on the head when it explained that the vineyards go from the stream bank to stream bank,,These farmers weren't taught about riparian buffers? Didn't the Quakers grow their grapes in the Original 13 colonies that had hard winters? They probably brought generations-old techniques from Europe one of which was that hedgerows should be planted in the valleys where the cold air drops and the grapes up high. The Fishing Industry shouldn't suffer because the Vineyards won't drill wells and install retention ponds or simply construct hoop houses, Another "Common Sense Fix". As for me I only buy Great Lakes Wines and Salmon from Lake Michigan.