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12 CapitalPress.com December 15, 2017 ‘The bottom line is we want to go back to using common sense’ DUVALL from Page 1 visas with a new H-2C program — which passed the House Judiciary Committee in late October — Duvall said there are still some problems to work out with the proposal, but added, “We want a workable program that not only deals with seasonal workers but year-round workers to bring some sta- bility to our workforce.” Duvall went on to talk about “bur- densome” environmental regulations, though he was pleased with the Trump administration’s decision to revoke the contentious Waters of the U.S. rule. Landowners worried that WOTUS would give the Environmental Protec- tion Agency and Army Corps of Engi- neers regulatory authority over virtual- ly any waters, creating uncertainty for farmers and ranchers. While the rule has been scrapped, Duvall said farmers need to keep up the pressure on lawmakers to ensure new regulations are clear and work- able. “We all know the other side that opposes us on our effort to rewrite the rule, they’re going to be ready to challenge the next rule that comes for- ward,” he said. Unlike the previous administra- tion, Duvall said the current leadership is much more receptive to the Farm Bureau’s concerns and interests. He praised fellow Georgian Sonny Perdue, President Trump’s secretary of agricul- ture, as someone who relies on sound science and data to make decisions. “I’ve got high expectations for him doing the right thing,” Duvall said. Along with Perdue, Duvall said he has seen plenty of promise from EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke. Together, Duvall said the three men are committed to putting federal land, timber and grazing back to work for rural America. Duvall specifically mentioned Zin- ke’s recent proposal to shrink a num- ber of national monuments, including the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monu- ment in Southern Oregon. “The bottom line is we want to go back to using common sense,” Duvall said. “As they create those monu- ments, it becomes a huge burden on our farmers and ranchers who have been there for generations, using those federal lands to graze.” On the trade front, Duvall said re- negotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, has made for some concerns, though he remains confident the right people are in place to minimize the risk to ag- riculture. “(President Trump) swings a big stick,” Duvall said. “He’s a business- man. We probably really know his techniques. We’re just scared of who’s going to call his bluff.” Finally, Duvall said the Farm Bu- reau will be shifting its focus next year to the 2018 Farm Bill in Congress. The top priority will be to maintain federal subsidies for crop insurance. The Farm Bill is not a safety net, Duvall insisted, but rather a food secu- rity act. “Hungry countries and hungry armies are not very strong,” he went on to explain. Barry Bushue, Oregon Farm Bu- reau president, said the group was pleased to have Duvall on hand to talk about national agricultural interests. Closer to home, Bushue said they an- ticipate a fight heading into the 2018 Legislature against the proposed cap- and-invest energy policy, which he said could dramatically increase fuel and energy costs for Oregon farmers. “When you’re hauling product and you’re running equipment, those costs add up,” Bushue said. The annual Oregon Farm Bureau meeting is a chance for delegates from each county Farm Bureau to get together and set their policies for the coming year. The meeting began Tues- day and wrapped up Thursday evening with a reception and banquet. Duvall said local engagement is critical moving forward, as state and county voices eventually echo their way back to Washington, D.C. “We have people willing to listen now,” he said. Much of this year’s harvest was already finished before wildfires struck COMEBACK from Page 1 Two months later, Kruse is renting a house in nearby Sebastopol while she consid- ers whether to rebuild or sell her lot. In the meantime, she’s poured herself into her work, helping to get the word out to consumers that Califor- nia’s iconic wine country is still open for business despite the devastating wildfires that scorched the region. Authorities are still calcu- lating the damage to agricul- ture from the 21 wildfires in October that forced 100,000 people to evacuate, destroyed about 8,900 houses and other buildings and killed 43 people, according to the state Depart- ment of Forestry and Fire Pro- tection. About 1,800 homes and other structures were de- stroyed in the Fountaingrove area in northeastern Santa Rosa. While state officials have estimated the overall insured losses at $3.3 billion so far — among the highest of any U.S. wildfires in recent decades — wine industry groups are quick to note that while a handful of vineyards and wineries were destroyed, most others were spared or only minimally im- pacted. As much as 90 percent of this year’s harvest was al- ready finished by the time the wildfires blackened portions of Napa, Sonoma and Men- docino counties, generating international headlines. Of the area’s roughly 1,200 win- eries, only 11 were destroyed or heavily damaged, the San Francisco-based Wine Insti- tute reported. “I think we’re really lucky,” said Heidi Soldinger, mar- keting and communications manager for the Napa Valley Grapegrowers. The problem is the public’s perception that the damage was more widespread than it was. Customers are re- turning, but slowly. “We are seeing more foot traffic, although it’s definitely not to what it was last year,” Soldinger said. Tallying damage Damage to vineyards and other agriculture was less than originally reported. According to grower surveys: • In Napa County, early es- timates are that damage could end up totaling more than $10 million, with vineyards and tree crops accounting for about 3,500 of the nearly 75,000 acres in the fire zone, coun- ty agricultural commissioner Greg Clark said. • Sonoma County’s con- firmed crop loss so far has to- taled $153,000 but grower sur- vey participation has been low, agricultural commissioner Tony Linegar said. According to early reports, about 1,200 grapevines were damaged and will likely need to be replaced, he said. The century-old Stor- Tim Hearden/Capital Press Gary King, center, pours wine for patrons in the tasting room at Chateau St. Jean winery in Kenwood, Calif., on Nov. 24. The winery reopened in mid-November after being closed because of a wildfire in October that burned an adjacent hillside and forested area. Sonoma County Winegrape Commission The house of Karissa Kruse, president of the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission, was destroyed by flames in the Fountaingrove neighborhood of Santa Rosa, Calif., in October. She is helping the region’s iconic wine industry attract visitors in the wake of the wildfires. Though a handful of wineries were damaged or destroyed, most are open for business as usual. netta Dairy in Sonoma also had several buildings burned. • In Mendocino County, about 65 of the roughly 1,300 acres of vineyards in the fire zone sustained damage, agri- cultural commissioner Diane Curry said. Vintners figure they lost about 220 tons of grapes, though it could be more because of smoke taint, Curry said. “There were certainly vine- yards that were a total loss, but luckily for Mendocino County we didn’t see a lot of that,” she said. “We had damage to vines — usually the outside vines. It’s going to be interest- ing to see if they come back and whether they’re going to be OK or if they’re going to have to go ahead (and remove them).” The county also lost a sig- nificant portion of its roughly 30,000 acres of rangeland and as many as 40 head of cattle valued at as much as $45,000, she said. Total losses of fenc- ing, equipment, employee housing and other ancillary structures is preliminarily esti- mated at $1.9 million, she said. Devastating fires Among the most devastat- ing fires in the wine country were the 36,807-acre Tubbs Fire between Calistoga and Santa Rosa, which destroyed an estimated 5,300 structures, and the 56,556-acre Nuns Fire near Santa Rosa, which de- stroyed about 1,200 structures, according to Cal Fire. Some farms were also hard- hit, including about a half-doz- en belonging to members of the Community Alliance with Family Farmers whose diver- sified produce operations were completely burned, said Evan Wiig, the organization’s com- munications and membership director. Among those operations is Oak Hill Farm in Glen Ellen, Calif., where 700 acres of pro- duce and flowers on the west- Tim Hearden/Capital Press John and Samantha Speck of San Francisco taste wine at the Chateau St. Jean Winery in Kenwood, Calif., on Nov. 24. Behind them is a forested area blackened by a wildfire in October that temporarily shuttered the winery. ern slope of the Mayacamas Mountains sustained damage, Wiig said, but the farm is go- ing ahead with a cover crop- ping workshop it had sched- uled before the fires. “There’s definitely signs of resilience” among growers, he said. “Sales in October were down 50 percent at the farms in Sonoma County, and they’re starting to finally get back to normal or at least close to it.” Many of the region’s crops were in harm’s way. Among the area’s tree crops are olives, almonds, walnuts, apples, pears and other tree fruit, and timber, which was Mendocino County’s second-highest value commodity in 2015 at $83.7 million, according to county statistics. Within the wine industry, several wineries — including Signorello Estates and White Rock Vineyards in Napa and Paradise Ridge in Santa Rosa — were destroyed. While some early news reports suggested fire damage in the northern San Francisco Bay area could create a short- age of grapes or wines, the Wine Institute noted that 70 percent of California’s wine grape harvest by volume oc- curs in the inland valleys. Only 10 percent of the grapes by volume are grown in the Napa and Sonoma regions, accord- ing to spokeswoman Gladys Horiuchi. Still, the region’s grapes are the state’s most lucrative, with annual wine production valued at a combined $1.4 billion in Napa, Sonoma and Mendoci- no counties, according to the counties’ statistics. Wineries affected At Signorello Estate, winemaker Pierre Birebent and others were on the prop- erty trying to fight back the flames but retreated and made it out safely when the fire over- came the building. The build- ing housed administrative of- fices, a professional kitchen, tasting room and a residence, spokeswoman Charlotte Milan said. Signorello has been inter- viewing architects to build a new headquarters, which will likely take about two years, Milan said. “We’re not going to have any way to receive visitors for the next couple of years,” Mi- lan said. She added Signorel- lo’s wines, which were either stored in bottles off-site or in barrels that weren’t affected by the fire, will still be available in restaurants and wine stores and by direct sales to custom- ers. “They actually had a real- ly good October selling wine wholesale,” Milan said. “If there’s any sort of silver lin- ing, they have been really, really well supported with the wholesale community and restaurants in the last 45 days. Consumers are excited to see them rebuild.” Other wineries saw the fires come too close for com- fort. Fire on an adjacent hill- side and forested area forced the temporary closure of Cha- teau St. Jean in Kenwood, Calif., for cleanup of downed limbs and other debris. The winery reopened on Veterans Day, nearly fully surround- ed by blackened hillsides and charred trees. “We were welcomed by a line of guests out the door that Saturday morning,” said Brent Dodd, the winery’s com- munications manager. “It was definitely encouraging for the team and exciting for them.” The winery’s business was also brisk on Nov. 24, the day after Thanksgiving. John and Samantha Speck of San Fran- cisco had already planned a trip to the winery before the fires, but they were even more determined to come afterward. “I think there’s hardship (for affected wineries), but there’s also opportunity” to rebuild, John Speck said. He added the couple makes it a point to purchase California wines, and said he thinks the fires may have disproportion- ately affected smaller winer- ies. Efforts are underway to help vintners affected by fires recover. As Gov. Jerry Brown issued an order suspending some fees and rules to speed up recovery, the California Association of Winegrape Growers has pledged to work with the state’s congressional delegation, federal officials and other wine industry orga- nizations to make sure affected growers have adequate recov- ery resources, the organization stated in a news release. Regaining tourism County officials said they had not determined the eco- nomic impact of lost tourism because of the fires as result- ing road closures and cleanup restricted access for several weeks. But many businesses and industry organizations say there’s been a significant dip from a year ago. Among those comput- ing the extent of damage is the Wine Business Institute at Sonoma State University, which began its study on Oct. 11 to evaluate the immediate and long-term effects of the fires on the North Coast’s economy. Some damage to tourism has been indirect. For instance, a shortage of hotel rooms in Sonoma County has been made worse as people who lost homes have used them for temporary shelter, the coun- ty’s Linegar said. Tourists who want to visit are finding it diffi- cult to find places to stay. “It’s going to be imper- ative that we get these peo- ple who’ve been displaced into some form of temporary housing so we can open up the hotel rooms so tourists can come back and stay,” he said. “The agencies that deal with tourism are aware of that, and the county is aware that there’s a need.” Visit California, a nonprof- it organization that promotes travel and tourism in the state, announced in early Novem- ber it would spend $2 million to urge people to return to the wine country. Local tourism agencies are also urging visits, particularly by Bay Area residents. “I think all of our respec- tive organizations are working together to get the message out that the 2017 vintage was in by the time the fires came, and the wines on the shelf around the world are still great to buy,” the Sonoma County Wine- growers’ Kruse said. She and others say a sense of optimism permeates com- munities in wine country. “That is one thing I’m already seeing — the spirit of our community coming together,” Kruse said. “It’s pretty amazing in conver- sations. There’s not a lot of conversation about loss, but there’s a lot of conversation about rebuilding and making it better.” Oregon is estimated to have more than 100 wolves with numbers expected to climb WOLF from Page 1 Ranchers would like to see the agency create management units with caps on wolf numbers, but these sug- gestions have been largely disregard- ed, he said. Currently, Oregon is estimated to have more than 100 wolves. Based on trends seen in Idaho and Montana, however, that number can be expected to climb steeply in the coming years, for which the cur- rent draft plan fails to account, said Jim Akenson, conservation director for the Oregon Hunters Association. “I don’t know why in the world we would not look to our neighbors to see what will happen here,” Aken- son said. The Oregon Farm Bureau would like to see the plan provide a great- er allowance for lethal wolf control when they’re near homes or if they threaten livestock, pets and people, said Kevin Johnson, the organiza- tion’s representative. The agency should also increase its focus on collaring wolves as their population increases, so their move- ments and potential livestock interac- tions would continue to be monitored, he said. Ranchers feel the plan is overly prescriptive in its wolf management policies despite expectations of a surging population, Johnson said. “They don’t feel like their positions are being heard.” Environmental groups, on the other hand, claim the plan is overly reliant on lethal wolf control, which they say is often ineffective. “Lethal control has often not stopped depredations,” said Nick Cady, legal director for Cascadia Wildlands. The loss of a top pack member can cause the remaining wolves to become increasingly desperate and more likely to attack domesticat- ed livestock, said Greenwald of the Center for Biological Diversity. “There’s increasing science that it creates more problems than it fixes,” he said. The current draft plan doesn’t benefit anyone “whether they’re wearing cowboy hats or driving Pri- uses,” said Rob Klavins, Northeast Oregon field coordinator for Oregon Wild. “This irresponsible and unscien- tific plan should be shelved,” he said. Scientists who the agency found credible enough to cite in the plan have objected to how their re- search was applied, Klavins said. “Those scientists deserve a direct response.”