To view the full Master plan, follow this link: 2019 Master Plan Update
The Napa County Regional Park and Open Space District Board of Directors adopted this Master Plan on July 8, 2019.
Executive Summary
The Napa Open Space District remains committed to the goals identified in the Master Plan adopted by the District Board of Directors in 2008. This Update reaffirms those goals, but adjusts specific objectives and provides greater focus, based on the achievements and experience of the District in its first twelve years of operation, as well as a better understanding of broader trends in the community and in the natural environment. Since formation, the District has:
- preserved 5,090 acres of open space through acquisition in fee title and 200 acres through conservation easements,
- developed and/or operates 53 miles of nonmotorized recreational trails,
- saved two State Parks from closing, including 1,900 acres of forest, a campground and day use area and the water-driven Bale Grist Mill along with other historic buildings,
- opened 900 acres of open space owned by other agencies for non-motorized recreation,
- established and now operates one youth-oriented camp
- acquired and is now restoring another group camp
- organized nearly 96,300 hours of volunteer service, worth just over $1.9 million of benefit
This Update describes 14 parks, trails and other open space properties where the District has made significant investment and public outreach. These 14 project sites are categorized as Committed Projects. In terms of priorities going forward, the primary and most essential focus of the District continues to be to protect, restore and preserve open space lands and their associated resources for current and future generations. Key aspects of this overarching goal include protection of water supplies and quality, maintaining and improving ecosystem health and protection of wildlife habitat including both core areas and connecting corridors.
Experiences and knowledge gained in the decade since the District Master Plan was adopted in 2008 have reinforced the importance of this goal, as well as suggesting how the District should sharpen its focus. In particular, the devastating wildfires of recent years have demonstrated the interconnectedness of public health and safety with ecosystem health, and the need to ramp up forest management activities.
In addition to protecting and stewarding valuable open space areas, the District also remains committed to making these areas accessible to the public. Considerable scientific research confirms what we innately know: spending time in nature is good for our physical, mental and spiritual well-being. It’s also an excellent way to gain an understanding of what we as humans should be doing to care for the environment on which our quality of life depends.
“Healthy Parks Healthy People” is more than just a slogan for the District; it is a guiding principle for all the District’s work. Thus, the District intends to continue its work providing public access to the open space lands it protects and manages.
With this update to the Master Plan, the District acknowledges the need for a more comprehensive and seamless approach to outdoor recreation. While the District’s focus continues to be on nature-based recreation, there is no sharp line between a tot lot in a residential neighborhood, a city bicycle and pedestrian path, a community sports field, and a regional open space park. For this reason, this Update calls for the District to strengthen partnerships with the cities within Napa County, for planning, funding and implementing projects.
In 1970, half of all Napa residents lived in rural areas; today, more than 80 percent live in one of the five municipalities in Napa County. With an increasingly urban population, deliberate and organized effort to educate the next generation is necessary if people are to value the natural environment and understand how to care for it. This Update calls for continuing and expanding the District’s naturalist program, providing field trips and outdoor education programs for students as well as the general population.
In 2015 the District convened a community advisory committee consisting of representatives from the County, each municipality and a range of community interests. The committee was asked three questions: (1) do you like what the District has done so far, (2) has the District done enough, or is there more to be done, and (3) if there is more to be done, how do we pay for it? The committee members concluded that they were impressed by what the District had accomplished with limited resources, that there was much more to be done, and that the District should seek voter approval for a small sales tax to pay for this essential work.
This Update renews the District’s commitment to seeking adequate dedicated funding for the District. The District intends to work with Napa County, the four cities and one town within the County, other special districts and interested organizations to develop compatible partnerships for funding projects and provide improved public access to our abundant natural resources. The intent is to place a measure providing dedicated funding before the voters in 2020 in support of the objectives contained in this Master Plan Update.
Three scenarios are discussed in this Update:
(1) Maintenance of Effort on Committed Projects. The Napa County discretionary grant based on a percentage of the County’s Transient Occupancy Tax receipts is assumed to continue, as well as the District’s ability to successfully compete for various other grants. Under this scenario, efforts to preserve Napa’s natural landscapes will be strictly limited; it will take an estimated 60-plus years to complete the repairs, restorations and improvements needed for the District’s already Committed Projects list.
(2) Enhanced Progress. In addition to continuing existing revenue sources, this scenario assumes new revenues are approved that are equal to a ¼ cent sales tax dedicated to the purposes identified in this Master Plan Update. Under this scenario, in the next 15 years the District would be able to preserve an estimated 20,000 acres of land. This is expected to be sufficient to protect many, though not all, of the most valuable open space lands in the County that come on the market during this period of time, to manage those lands for water supply, water quality, and wildlife habitat purposes, and to make necessary improvements so the public can responsibly enjoy these beautiful landscapes. This scenario assumes 20 percent of the new revenues would be made available to the four cities and one town within Napa County to implement their park and recreation goals. This scenario also includes dedicated funding for fuel reduction/invasive plant removal to help manage wildfire risk, and dedicated funding to provide at least one outdoor education experience annually for every school child.
(3) Accelerated Preservation and Implementation. This scenario assumes new revenues equal to a ½ cent sales tax dedicated to the purposes identified in this Master Plan Update. This scenario assumes 20 percent of the new revenues would be made available to the four cities and one town within Napa County to implement their park and recreation goals, and also includes the wildfire management and outdoor education activities contained in Scenario Two. The additional revenues in Scenario Three would enable the District to protect and manage an estimated 40,000 acres of additional watershed, habitat and other valuable open space lands that come on the market, with less risk of losing unique and irreplaceable resources to inappropriate development.
District Goals
Preserve, restore and protect open space lands, watershed resources and wildlife habitat.
Develop a system of parks, trails, and accessible open space that supports outdoor recreation and promotes physical and mental health.
Provide historical, cultural and environmental education.
Pursue effective District management and interagency partnerships.