Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 20, 2017)
October 20, 2017 CapitalPress.com 9 California Water officials seek to improve Wine industry contributes forecasting of major storms $220B to economy, study finds Subscribe to our weekly California email newsletter at CapitalPress.com/newsletters By TIM HEARDEN Capital Press By TIM HEARDEN SACRAMENTO — With the coming water year shrouded in uncertainty, California officials want to improve their ability to track “atmospheric river” mega- storms and plan for them be- fore they arrive. But whether that would lead to faster decisions on water allocations for agricul- ture is itself uncertain. The state Department of Water Resources is working with the National Aeronau- tics and Space Administra- tion and the Scripps Insti- tution of Oceanography to improve sub-seasonal and seasonal forecasting. Developing accurate long-range forecasting is “critical for our ability to plan for California’s highly variable weather,” DWR di- rector Grant Davis said in a statement. But it would be of less Capital Press California Department of Water Resources This aerial view of Silverwood Lake nestled in the San Bernardi- no National Forest, formed by the 249-foot-tall Cedar Springs Dam. California Department of Water Resources officials say that better long-range storm tracking would improve management of reservoirs, but whether it would expedite agricultural water allocation decisions is uncertain. help in determining wa- ter distribution, agency spokeswoman Erin Mellon said. The State Water Project makes its initial allocation on Dec. 1 based solely on water in storage. Its updates during the winter are largely based on the snowpack, Mel- lon said. Improving precipi- tation forecasting helps more with reservoir management and drought planning. Wine production and mar- keting will contribute nearly $220 billion to the U.S. econo- my in 2017, a new study by a vintners’ association asserts. While California wines ac- count for 85 percent of the to- tal, wine is produced in all 50 states, according to the study by John Dunham and Associ- ates of New York for the group WineAmerica. The figure includes $84.5 billion in economic contribu- tions directly attributed to the wine industry and its nearly 1 million jobs, plus the ancillary benefits from supplies, invest- ment, tourism, taxes and other transactions that come as a re- sult of the wine businesses be- ing there, the report states. All told, wine production and supporting industries create more than 1.7 million jobs and $75.8 billion in annual wages nationwide, according to Wine- America. “I won’t say it was a sur- prise, but it was a delight,” WineAmerica president Jim Trezise said. “I knew the number would be really big. I thought it would be in the neighborhood of $200 (billion), but to have it be $220 (billion) ... was a nice delight.” The study was done before wind-whipped wildfires swept through California’s prime growing region in Napa and Sonoma counties beginning Oct. 8, destroying several win- eries and forcing thousands to be evacuated. If production in the Na- pa-Sonoma region is signifi- cantly curtailed in the next several years, the study points a valuable spotlight on produc- ers in other areas that will meet consumers’ ever-expanding demand for wines while the northern Bay Area recovers. There are 10,236 winer- ies in all 50 states, and grapes are grown on 677,629 acres of vineyards in 49 states, accord- ing to the study. The nearly 43 million tourist visits to wineries nationwide generate more than $17.6 billion in expenditures, and the wine industry generates a total of $36.5 billion in total taxes, the study found. “One of the reasons we wanted to do this study is that when people think of wine, they think of California, as they should,” Trezise said. “But wine is one of the few agricul- tural commodities ... that are made in all 50 states. We want- ed to get that point across.” Trezise said he had com- missioned similar studies on a statewide level as a former president of the New York Wine and Grape Foundation. He said the national study aimed to help improve the business and regulatory cli- mate for the wine industry ev- erywhere. BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR: Early detection can save your life NAMPA, Idaho — Breast cancer survivor and Capital Press employee JoAnn Vanderwey wants other women to know that early detection of the disease can improve their chance of surviving it. Vanderwey, 52, has survived breast cancer twice, and she credits early detection with helping her survive both ordeals. “Do your breast checks, do your mammograms, because early detection is what’s going to save your life,” said Vanderwey, the Capital Press advertising representative in Idaho. “Death could be the other alternative ... if you don’t detect it early enough.” According to the American Cancer Society, the death rate for female breast cancer declined by almost 40 percent between 1989 and 2015. “These decreases are believed to be the result of finding breast cancer earlier though screening and increased awareness, as well as better treatments,” the Cancer Society states on its website. SEAN ELLIS/CAPITAL PRESS JoAnn Vanderwey, a Capital Press advertising representative in Idaho, is a two-time breast cancer survivor. She wants other women to know that the disease can be successfully treated if detected early enough. “It was deep enough in and so small the doctor couldn’t even feel it,” she said. “Do your self breast checks but you also have to do a mammogram because not everything can be detected through self examination.” A close friend who accompanied her during her breast cancer-related surgery this year had a mammogram done the day Vanderwey went in for surgery and found out she also had breast cancer. “She did that because of what I was going through. It saved her life,” Vanderwey said. Vanderwey’s breast cancers were nine years apart and different types. According to the Cancer Society, 1 in 8, or 12 percent, of American women will develop breast cancer during their lifetime. “Typically they say five years is your safe point once you’ve had cancer, and mine were nine years apart and they were totally different types,” she said. “Always keep checking; always be on top of it.” Vanderwey was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008 after she felt a lump during a self-examination and then went in for a mammogram that confirmed the disease. Vanderwey wants other women to know that breast cancer is not necessarily a death sentence and can be treated successfully, especially if caught early enough. “Not everybody does self breast checks but everybody should,” she said. She recommends doing them once a week, at least. “The first time I had breast cancer, I thought it was a death sentence,” she said. “I’ve now learned enough about breast cancer in the nine years that I know it’s very curable with early detection.” A mammogram confirmed her second case in February of this year but she did not catch that one with a self breast examination. The message is simple, she said: “Early detection. Get your mammograms. Save your life.” 41-2/HOU By Sean Ellis Capital Press 42-2/HOU
