Farewell, Friends

A note from the outgoing General Manager

As I face retirement, my mind is full of big thoughts and lots of memories, though perhaps not much guidance.

I’ve just reviewed today’s “news.” Massacre in Peru blamed on the Marxist Shining Path…or is that just a Fujimori election dirty trick? Continued ethnic cleansing in Thailand. Belarus commandeering a private jet to arrest a journalist who said the wrong thing. Yet another mass murder just down the road from us.

Wow. My retiring hardly measures up.

But 16 years of friendships at least qualifies as Local News, so here goes.

I’ll be forever grateful that I got paid to do something I could believe in.

I wish I could have done more.

I’m not as sure as I once was about what is significant and worthwhile, but don’t plan on just fading away. I have too many unfinished ideas that involved getting sweat on my brow and dirt under my fingers.

When I created my Napa career some 16 years ago, I vowed to spend more time outdoors than in my previous jobs. Don’t ask me how that turned out (even though over the years I have indeed experienced some pretty awesome places).

It’s time to renew that vow of getting outdoors. I promise myself I’ll do better this time.

I remember my first big project like it was yesterday: more than 150 people volunteering for two days in over 100 degree heat to legalize public use of the iconic Oat Hill Mine Trail.

After seeing and talking to many people–friends as well as strangers—for whom Moore Creek Park has been central to their Covid survival strategy…my heart is full of gratitude that I was given the chance to help make something good.

In my work prior to coming to Napa, I learned that the best way to conserve open space resources was through the combined coordinated efforts of non-profit land trusts and resource-focused public agencies. When I started working in Napa in 2005, Napa County had an effective non-profit land trust, but was the only county in the entire Bay Area that had no public agency dedicated to preserving the county’s open space resources.

Thanks to the support of the Land Trust of Napa County and many citizens, in addition to the land trust we now also have the Napa Open Space District. The District today protects and provides access to over 5,000 acres of our natural landscape through donations and grant-funded purchases, and provides public access to another 8,000 acres of open space owned by other public agencies.

That’s great, but not good enough. The Open Space District still has no dedicated funding (63% yes support from the voters isn’t enough in our current political climate). Skyline Park is still on the chopping block, and will be lost as a public park in 2030 unless we find local funding to keep the State from selling it for development. The spread of houses and wineries into the countryside, combined with climate change and the effects of more than a century of fire suppression, has resulted in more than half of the entire county burning since 2017, with huge loss of homes and livelihoods and lives, and the other half of the county is primed for the next fire season (which we’re already into–the first north bay fire evacuation took place the last week of May!).

It’s clear that if we’re going to live in this beautiful place we’re going to have to do more than just prevent inappropriate development—we need to actively manage our ecosystem. That takes lots and lots of willpower, money and community engagement.

The Open Space District today has a very capable and dedicated group of staff to whom I gratefully leave the paperwork and mundane and frustrating details of everyday business.

The mantra of Silicon Valley is to move fast and break things. I too believe there’s value in moving fast, but I’d rather strengthen community than destroy it. Going forward I hope to do so by getting dirty with all of you–making trails, restoring forest health, and repairing leaky roofs.

Happy trails to you, until we meet again.