Land Love Letter Issue: Bats 2 – WILLIAMS, WATER
September 2022
Dear Land Lover,
Welcome to the second issue of the Land Love Letter (L3): Bats 2. The Land Love Letter is a collection of land, agriculture, and nature topics in bite-sized pieces. I hope to speed up the matchmaking of conservation buyers and sellers, support the regenerative agriculture movement, and rejoice in the love of the land. (Estimated reading time: 10 minutes.)
In this issue, you’ll find:
- Who Is a Land Lover?
- Water: What is Groundwater Recharge?
- Featured Properties
- Farm Town Highlight: Williams, California
- Featured Land Trust: California Rangeland Trust
- Bats: Big Brown Bat and How to Build a Bat House
- Shrinkflation – Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
- Your National Park and Soundtrack
- About Avis Kalfsbeek
Who is a Land Lover?
You might consider yourself a Land Lover for many reasons. Here are just a few:
- You understand that you are a steward of the land and just passing through.
- You have dirt under your fingernails because you are a farmer or gardener.
- You experience peace when you walk on a path outdoors and hear the sounds and sights of nature.
- You volunteer to clean up polluted areas or donate to these causes.
- When you drive through a national park, you want to leave everything behind and move there.
The Courtship
You had me at hello. Since the first Issue of the Land Love Letter, I’ve been on a deep dive into regenerative farming. I’m a huge fan of the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast [add link https://regenerativeagriculturepodcast.com/] by John Kempf. He has interviewed over 80 people in the field of sustainable agriculture.
In episode 63, Canon Michael, 6th generation California Farmer, says it’s important not to let the ideological overcome the practical, which, he says, can quickly happen if we don’t have farmers involved in the conversation bringing a grounded reality. That makes a lot of sense.
However, I was a kid in Colusa County in the 60s and 70s, and I wonder how is it that so much of our land is still bare from October to April?
South Dakota farmer Gabe Brown says this,
“When I was of the conventional mindset, I used to wake up every day trying to decide what I was going to kill that day. Was it going to be a weed? Was it going to be a fungus? Was it going to be a pest? I was going to kill something every day. Now I wake up thinking about how to get more life onto my operation, and it’s much more enjoyable working with life than with death.”
(Gabe’s full interview, Episode 2 of the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast, and the 80 others can be found under Resources below.)
If you are already married to regenerative agriculture, congratulations!
If you just saw her walk down the street and she sparked something in you, I hope you’ll start the courtship.
Healthy Soil
Stop by your local Resource Conservation District to find out what programs may help your farm. They can help you research grant programs and practices. The Colusa RCD says that The Healthy Soil Program (HSP) and State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) have not yet announced an opening date for their next funding opportunities. Sign up for email notifications about HSP and SWEEP by clicking here. https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/subscriptions/MailChimp-signup.html
A great private resource for soil and plant health is the well-respected Advancing Eco Agriculture www.advancingecoag.com. Their website offers complimentary grower guides for many crop types, including strategies based on budget and goals. Some say the transition to regenerative agriculture takes about five years, but many farmers experience exciting increases in soil health and productivity in a shorter time. (I am not an affiliate for these products, but I would be proud to be one!)
Water – What is Groundwater Recharge?
I attended the Colusa Groundwater Authority’s public meeting at the Arbuckle Firehouse this summer. There has been so much work done by the parties involved. I recently asked if there were any updates and found out they are awaiting comments on their Groundwater Sustainability Plan submitted earlier last year. Also, on December 18th, they submitted an application for grant funding for several projects in the Colusa Subbasin. (See Resources below for the list of projects.) The Colusa Groundwater Authority’s monthly board meetings are listed on the website and are open to the public. If you are an interested party, you may attend in person at 100 Sunrise Blvd. in Colusa or by dialing into the meeting. The Colusa Groundwater Authority’s website is here: https://colusagroundwater.org.
According to West Yost, one of the water consulting firms that worked on the Groundwater Sustainability Plan, at nearly three-quarters of a million acres, the Colusa Subbasin is the largest groundwater basin in the Sacramento Valley and the eighth largest in California. $16 million of the approximately $20 million of the Colusa Subbasin grant application projects are labeled “Recharge Focused.” What is recharge? This March 2022 National Geographic article, A Deceptively Simple Plan to Replenish California’s Groundwater, has a good summary.
“The idea is straightforward: When extra water rushes through the state’s waterways, some of that could be ‘peeled off’ and diverted to fields, recharge basins, wells, or other floodable sites. In some ways, this would mimic California’s historical, pre-settlement water cycle… Before the era of dams and long-distance canals, California valleys flooded much more frequently when mountain snowpack melted in huge spring gushes or big storms dumped heavy rains. The floodwaters would seep down into aquifers below. But enormous 20th-century state and federal water projects replumbed the region, draining natural flood zones, channelizing rivers, and fundamentally disrupting the natural water cycle to support agriculture and hydropower. ‘The water cycle wants to operate the way it’s done for millennia. But our institutions have sliced and diced it to the point where it’s become dysfunctional,’ Kaymar Guivetchi, an engineer at the California Department of Water Resources, says.” (A link to the full article is below.)
If flooding our agriculture fields turns out to be a viable process to recharge our groundwater, some important things need to be figured out. One of those things is what locations are the best for recharging. In this 2020 report by the University of California Agricultural and Natural Resources Department titled “Agricultural managed aquifer recharge — water quality factors to consider,” the authors studied how we might manage the potential for contamination of ag land flooding for recharge.
“The resilience and productivity of California’s agriculture is threatened by groundwater overdraft, reduction in aquifer water quality, increased land subsidence damage to infrastructure and an irreversible reduction in groundwater storage capacity. Intentionally flooding agricultural fields during winter — a practice referred to as agricultural managed aquifer recharge (AgMAR) — can help counteract overdraft. However, the potential for AgMAR to exacerbate nitrate/salt leaching and contamination of at-risk aquifers remains a critical concern. To quantify the risk of groundwater contamination with AgMAR, we took 30-foot-long soil cores in 12 almond orchards, processing tomato fields and wine grape vineyards on low- and high-permeability soils, measured nitrate and total dissolved solids concentrations and calculated stored nitrate-N.”
“AgMAR is a promising practice for replenishing California’s groundwater after decades of overdraft. However, historic NO3 buildup in the vadose zone and current rates of NO3 loss below the root zone represent a potential threat to groundwater quality and a barrier to adoption of AgMAR.” (A link to the full report is below.)
If recharge (flooding fields) is determined to be the solution and pesticides are a risk because they will have a more significant negative impact on water quality, will this provide greater impetus to move to regenerative farming methods? One after another, the experts interviewed by John Kempf speak to the natural biological farming systems that strengthen plants to control pests without poisoning them and us. I’m very grateful for all the work being done to find solutions to our water challenges. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if it moved us to regenerative practices more quickly?!
Featured Properties
Ten (10) Acres on the Sacramento River $235,000: This riverfront property has prime soil and is located in Colusa County, just outside Meridian off Highway 20. Zoning allows for a residence and multiple agricultural-related uses. The property may be eligible for sustainable/organic certifications due to no synthetic herbicide/pesticide use (buyer to confirm). The adjacent riverfront property is also for sale. Please call or email for property brochures: 707-210-2595 or akalfsbeek@showcaseagent.com, Showcase Real Estate, DRE#01062009.
Farm Town Highlight: Williams, California
I love Williams because of its valley views of the Coastal Range, proximity to the coast and Sierra Nevadas (less than 3-hour drive), and lively, multicultural agricultural community. I grew up on Meyers Road in Williams, California, and I remember riding my bike with my sisters and brother a mile down the road to the tomato weigh station in the off-season. My mother, Judy, tells me that my great-grandmother Kathryn “Mimi” Stovall, who married into the pioneer Jesse Curl Stovall family, was the first telephone operator in Williams. I went to Williams schools through the 8th grade, then moved to Arbuckle.
Williams was founded in 1874 and was first known as Central. In 1876, Williams was later renamed to honor William Williams, who gave much of the land for the town site. The County of Colusa recounts the history of Williams here: https://www.countyofcolusa.org/216/Williams. The Williams 2010 General Plan https://cms7files1.revize.com/williamsca/Chapter%202,%20Background%20Analysis%20(May%202012b).pdf also has some great history and information. The small town had a population of 1,971 in 1970 and 5,615 in 2021.
Visiting Williams: When you’re in Williams, make a stop at the Sacramento Valley Museum located at 1491 E Street (https://sacvalleymuseum.org, closed for the winter and reopening Spring 2023), followed by Garrison’s Vestiges, a well-curated antique store owned by Pamm Garrison within her father’s legendary Garrison’s Army Surplus store, located at 603 E Street. Next, stop for lunch, ice cream, cappuccino, and food gifts at Granzella’s https://www.granzellas.com or an equally delicious but more low-key experience at Orv’s Farm Market https://www.facebook.com/orvsfarmmarket.
If you are curious about home and land prices in or near Williams, I’d love to help.
Featured Land Trust: California Rangeland Trust
The California Rangeland Trust (CGT) was formed to protect the stewardship, natural resources, and open spaces of California’s ranches. Since its formation in 1998, it has helped permanently save over 365,000 acres of privately-owned rangeland. Why is this important? The CGT website states:
“Throughout the country, our landscapes are disappearing. Every 2.5 minutes, a football field’s worth of open space in the American West is lost. In California alone, more than 500,000 acres of land were converted to industry and housing in the last ten years.” …And “62% of California’s undeveloped land is private rangeland.” … And “67% of endangered species spend time on private rangeland.”
The following Colusa County ranches have been conserved through California Rangeland Trust easements:
Epperson Place Ranch: 1,547 acres in Bear Valley.
Keegan Ranch: 2,500 acres in Bear Valley, owned by the family since 1880.
Payne Ranch: 3,147 acres adjacent to Bear Valley Ranch, BLM’s Cache Creek Natural Area and Sulphur Creek.
Bear Valley Ranch: 12,893 acres conserved in partnership with the American Land Conservancy and Gabrielsen Cattle Company.
If you have a property you would like to protect from development, a conservation easement may be the answer. I’m sure California Rangeland Trust would love to provide you with more information. You may reach out to them at 916-444-2096, or fill out their contact form https://rangelandtrust.org/contact/ or call me for help at 707-210-2595.
Bats: Mexican Free-tailed Bat and How to Build a Bat House
“All things in nature have a purpose. Our challenge is to understand the value of these natural gifts and use them responsibly.” Malcolm Beck, known in San Antionio Texas as the father of organic gardening, regarding bat dung
I used to operate an organic rose farm in Meridian, and at dusk, I would sit on a couch on the upper floor of the large barn as the summer air cooled down. Bats would fly above my head, around the rafters, and in and out the hay bale window. Afraid of bats as a kid, now, I am grateful for their voracious appetite for mosquitos and other insects. My father, Peter Kalfsbeek, built a bat house for that barn. I have a wonderful memory of him delivering it proudly and hanging it. The bats moved right in! We would cohabitate from spring through fall when they would migrate south. Bat guano is an excellent fertilizer!
The bats that would visit may have been Mexican Free-tailed Bats - Tadarida brasiliensis.
Description: Body length about 3.4-4.3″, with a 12-14″ wingspan.
Range: Migratory. Found from central North America to northern South America.
Habitat: Form large colonies in caves, buildings, under roof tiles and bridges.
Diet: Forages mainly on moths and mosquitoes. A farmer’s friend, eating moths whose larva eats crops. Feed on migratory moths at very high altitudes, up to 10,000 feet. It also eats flying ants, weevils, stink bugs, and ground beetles.
Behavior: Emerge at sunset in columns. Young left in a large group. Each mother gives birth to one pup, which she finds and nurses among the many young. Able to fly at about 5 weeks. Lifespan is about 15 years. Predators include Red-tailed hawks, other birds of prey, and cats and dogs, which locate roosts and wait for emergence.
Risks: Colonies once numbering in the millions have been dramatically reduced in size due to human disturbance, habitat destruction of caves, problems with pesticide poisoning, and deliberate eradication attempts. (Courtesy of Northern California Bats.)
Instructions to build your own bat house can be found on the NorCal Bats website: https://norcalbats.org/bat-houses/. They have plans for a multi-chamber house, single chamber house, and a rocket box for mounting on a pole. Build it now to host bats for the summer!
Shrinkflation - Accessory Dwelling Units
You’ve likely noticed that ice cream containers, loaves of bread, toilet paper, and cereal boxes have gotten smaller. It’s called “shrinkflation.” As housing prices soar and demand exceeds supply, one solution is putting more units on a lot, including Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). An accessory dwelling unit (ADU), also known as a “mother-in-law” or “granny flat,” is an attached or detached residential dwelling unit that provides complete independent living facilities for one or more persons on the same parcel as the main dwelling unit. Out-of-reach housing prices affect many of us, and the good news is that an Accessory Dwelling Unit may help make houses more affordable by allowing owners to rent their ADU.
The City of Chico has a well-organized plan for rolling out the ADU regulations. The catastrophic Camp Fire brought many Paradise residents down into Chico, and the ADU regulations helped make housing rules more flexible in Chico and throughout the state. Chico established pre-approved plans to speed up the process. Their website is a great place to get up to learn about ADUs https://chico.ca.us/pod/want-learn-more even if you’re not in Chico.
If you’re a property owner or buyer interested in adding an ADU, I’d love to help you navigate the process. 707-210-2595.
Your National Parks and Soundtrack
It’s time to book your campsite for summer! Go to www.recreation.gov to book your reservation. Many parks fill up fast and some open up their dates six months before, so don’t delay.
Here are four fun songs (some with videos) to inspire your reservations:
The Parklands by Jimbo Scott String Trio https://youtu.be/KkS6sLaa_RM
The National Park by Barenaked Ladies https://youtu.be/OuSG5RHGaBg
Time by The National Parks https://youtube.com/watch?v=f0JsseifDug&si=EnSIkaIECMiOmarE
Sligo Creek by Al Petteway, Theme Song from the Ken Burns film, National Parks, on PBS https://youtu.be/O1CBXPgSe_8
You can stream the Ken Burns film National Parks - America’s Best Idea here: https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-national-parks/
Thank you for reading the Land Love Letter. Are you a subscriber?If not, please subscribe to receive future issues here: www.AvisKalfsbeek.com/LandLoveLetter. Will you please forward to a friend? Thank you!
Slow down. Take the long view. Love land more.
Yours in peaceful love of the planet,
Avis Kalfsbeek 707-210-2595
Subscribe and Past Issues: www.AvisKalfsbeek.com/LandLoveLetter
Broker Associate DRE# 01062009
Showcase Real Estate
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I acknowledge that we are on the traditional, ancestral, unceded lands of the Wintun Indians from central California including the Cachil Dehe Band of Wintun Indians.
Avis Kalfsbeek
Avis Kalfsbeek is a Real Estate Broker (DRE #01062009) with over 20 years of real estate experience. Her current focus is conservation real estate. Avis holds a Master of Business Administration in Wine Business from Sonoma State University. She has represented buyers and sellers in land transactions in Northern California (Colusa, Sutter, and Napa Counties), including orchards, row crops, recreational and ranch properties, vineyards, and wineries. Her MBA coursework in marketing, financial statements, strategy, and sustainability and her business, legal, and hospitality work experience help her solve problems and guide clients in their property decisions. Avis writes an environmental adventure book series called Pedro the Water Dog Saves the Planet.
Resources:
Regenerative Agriculture Podcast with Host John Kempf: https://regenerativeagriculturepodcast.com/
Quality Agriculture: A print collection of podcast interviews by John Kempf of the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast. https://www.qualityagriculture.com/
The Deceptively Simple Plan to Replenish California’s Groundwater – National Geographic (3-23-22) https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/the-deceptively-simple-plan-to-replenish-californias-groundwater
Agricultural Managed Aquifer Recharge — Water Quality Factors to Consider - California Agriculture (10-20-20) https://calag.ucanr.edu/archive/?type=pdf&article=ca.2020a0020
The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) prepared this white paper to explore opportunities to use flood water for managed aquifer recharge (Flood-MAR): https://water.ca.gov/-/media/DWR-Website/Web-Pages/Programs/Flood-Management/Flood-MAR/DWR_FloodMAR-White-Paper_a_y20.pdf
Colusa Groundwater Authority Grant Application Projects being submitted for approval on 12/18/22 (not all are expected to be funded):
Orland-Artois Water District Land Annexation and Groundwater Recharge,
Sycamore Slough Reconnection and Recharge
GCID Groundwater Recharge
Tehama-Colusa Canal Trickle Flow to Ephemeral Streams
Colusa County Water District In-Lieu Groundwater Recharge
Colusa Drain MWC In-Lieu Groundwater Recharge
Sycamore Marsh Farm Direct Recharge Project
Sycamore Marsh Farm In-lieu Recharge Project, Sycamore Slough Colusa Basin Drain Multi-Benefit Recharge Project, and Spring Valley and Sycamore Multi-Benefit Recharge Project.
Information on the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act can be found here:
https://water.ca.gov/Programs/Groundwater-Management/SGMA-Groundwater-Management.
Bat House Instructions: https://norcalbats.org/bat-houses/
Bat Guano Gift to Gardeners https://www.batcon.org/article/guano-bats-gift-to-gardeners/
Accessory Dwelling Units: https://www.hcd.ca.gov/policy-and-research/accessory-dwelling-units
Shrinkflation: https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/cereal-boxes-ice-cream-containers-getting-smaller
Land Lover Letter (L3) Copyright 2023.