Letters to the Editor 2-4-16

Luminarias
Editor: The initial launch of the Healdsburg Literary Guild’s Luminarias speaking series at SHED on Jan. 28 was a great, sold-out success. It was a perfect pairing of author and winemaker. A big thanks to Bo Simons, whose skills, resources and passion in the literary arts created the Luminarias series. These series enrich our quality of community and culture through the written word. To have renowned authors comne speak locally in our backyard is a treasure not to be missed. Thanks to all who attended. Our next two authors speak April 14 and May 19.
Ted Calvert, President
Healdsburg Literary Guild
All beings
Editor: The “Sonoma County Winegrowers’ second Annual Sustainability Report” is just another spin project. While their “Defining Sustainability” is laudable, vineyards by definition are not sustainable. Grape growing is monocropping, which is bad for the soil, bad for the natural ecology and in reality does not reap nearly the dollars per acre as, for example, Singing Frogs Farm does.
This small farm, where their practices actually are sustainable, grows life giving food, and sensitive humans can not only taste the resulting quality but can feel the differences in his or her body.
I drive by acres and acres of nothing but grape vines and feel no life giving energy at all. The massive spraying of Roundup or other deadly chemicals to “control weeds” is lethal to not only humans but to any being who inhabits the soil. Soil is a living, breathing organism that survives and thrives when we focus on restoring the degradation that monocropping agriculture has caused over the years here in Sonoma County.
Humans buying up ranch land and turning them into designer wines may bring in tax dollars, but at what costs to all being living in Sonoma County? My husband, a friend and I, along with our four-legged family member, recently drove to the Lodi area to partake in a free tour offered by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to hear about and see the Sandhill Cranes that overwinter in this area.
You can see the detriment of vineyards on the prehistoric and awesome birds. They have no access to the land on which grape vines are planted since their wingspan is much too great to negotiate these fields that have been planted between levies. The Nature Conservancy, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife plus numerous “duck clubs” are working to revert more of the land back to wetlands where Sandhill Cranes have come to overwinter for millennia.
When are we humans going to expand our thinking to include other being besides ourselves?
Respectful of all beings,
Cathie Haynes
Sebastopol
You made it a joyful holiday
Editor: On behalf of the Adopt-A-Family/Presents Project 2015, we are writing to extend an enormous thank you to countless people in the Healdsburg community who generously sponsored families, donated funds for gifts, and contributed volunteer time to provide a joyful holiday for a record number of needy families.  Because of your generosity, a record 100 recipient families (up from 93 in 2014) and 459 people (up from 423 in 2014) experienced a joyful holiday they may not have otherwise had.
The families you helped were most appreciative. Some of the comments received in thank you notes included: “Thank you for the presents, they were the only presents we had this year”; “To the selfless people who filled the hearts of my family. We write with endless gratitude for your gifts. Seeing the mile long smiles on my boys’ faces was all I could ask for.”
Thank you again for your support and we hope you will choose to join us again for Adopt-A-Family/Presents Project 2016.
Presents Project Coordinators, Beth DeCoss, Debbi Crapeau, Tracy Tucker
Healdsburg