LETTERS from Gazette READERS - May 2018
Shooting in Sonoma
I agree totally with Kathy Byrne about that
Judy Mikeska
Cannabis fact-checking
The letters in your April issue illustrate some serious confusion regarding cultivation of cannabis. For example, Rachel Zierdt threw out a figure of her neighbor using 38 million gallons of water a year. That is using 105,000 gallons a day! In other words, enough to cover an acre with 4 inches of water every single day!! Not possible.
I run a small family farm outside of Sebastopol. We grow 15 acres of organic vegetables and our total use roughly a few million gallons yearly.
The cannabis ordinance requires copious attention to water resources already, in addition to thorough biotic assessments for potential environmental impact! The standards are very high in Sonoma County already.
It is silly to talk about illegalizing a crop that was already illegal. Many illegal operations will simply continue illegally. The Board of Supervisors have done a great job of making the regulations very restrictive and have set the bar high. Cannabis operations that meet their criteria should be allowed to continue.
The whole point of legalization is to eliminate the criminal element. Cannabis is already a big part of our local economy, like it or not. We need to bring cultivators into compliance to bring the industry into the light, generate jobs and tax revenues, and continue Sonoma County’s rich agricultural heritage.
Remember, Sonoma County has a Right to Farm Ordinance! This means that you live in an area that has farming, whether or not you like the farmers or the crop. I understand keeping cannabis out of residential zones, but the Ag zones are zoned that way for a reason.
After it all, remember: cannabis is a plant. It should never have been illegal in the first place.
Ryan Power, Sebastopol
Sustainability? Fake News?
Thank you for the excellent, balanced April cover story: “Wine Our Best friend or Worst Enemy?”
When the Sonoma County Winegrowers buy full-page ads in local papers headlined “Love the land and the land loves you”, touting their goal of 100% sustainability, one has to wonder. If they love the land so much, why are they using so many harmful chemicals? Sustainability? Sounds like fake news to me.
In 2015, WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) declared glyphosate a “probable carcinogen.” That same year, just over 46 tons of glyphosate were applied to Sonoma County vineyards.
Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup; the most widely sold weed-killer in the world. In 2016, a consensus statement by a group of scientists blamed the heavy and rising usage of glyphosate on endocrine disruption, birth defects, kidney and liver damage, and gastrointestinal health issues. They also found that Monsanto’s “allowable daily intakes” in the US and EU were based on outdated science.
Meanwhile, sales of organic wine are growing, significantly faster than sales of non-organic wine, with each acre yielding about $1500 more for the grapes. If our local wine industry truly wants to be sustainable they will consider your author’s recommendations to move toward biodynamic or organic/pesticide-free farming for the health and welfare of everyone, not just business profits.
Jane Colman, Santa Rosa
I would love to know...
The article written by Aleta includes the sentence...”despite how much the wine industry benefits our local economy...”
My question is simple... how exactly does the wine industry benefit our economy? Does it pay for our roads that tourists drive and bike all over to taste test? Does it pay for housing for the multitude of service workers behind the scenes...out in the vineyards working under sometimes deplorable conditions? Does it pay for our children’s education? Does it pay to keep our waters clean and clear?
As Aleta says, let’s address the elephant in the room. It’s looming large.
Our county is forever changed. It’s lost so much of its charm with the rape of the land, outrageous water usage, continued building of wineries, and more and more venues to ‘taste’ and be entertained.
I appreciate your article Aleta, thank you. ...and I personally, don’t mind demonizing the industry. It’s theirs to own.
Jude Mariah
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Hi Jude, Thank you for your input on my article in the April issue. I understand your skepticism surrounding the wine industry and the apparent damage it does to our environment.
But we also must give credit where it is due. Wine has put Sonoma County on the map as a tourist destination, and whether you think that’s good or bad, it does generate revenue. All those tourists are paying taxes while they’re here, which does contribute towards road improvement, public services, human services, education, and environmental advancements. These tourists are also patronizing other businesses like restaurants, hotels, and shops, most of which are owned by locals and all of whom employ locals.