February 2015Serving Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito and San Luis Obispo Counties

Inside ...New park 2

Ag labor documentary 3

Fungus Fair 4

Florist celebrates 5

Bees project 6Please turn to Page 4

Please turn to Page 4Please turn to Page 2

By ALLYSON OKENOf the Land

TEMPLETON — A happy goat means healthy skin at Happy Acres Family Farm in Templeton.

Laurie Scattini, her daughter Stephaney and husband host school tours and all manner of interactive experience with the animals on their 30-acre property, but the most fascinating aspect of this family business is the production of goat milk cheese and skin care products.

Happy Acres started in 2009 with one special goat named Stella that Stephaney raised as a young 4-H student. Today the

family farm is home to a wide variety of goats that produce enough milk to keep Laurie’s cosmetics line supplied.

Happy Acres goat milk is all natural and hormone-free. The milk has a wonderfully high butterfat content, which is essential in producing dairy products such as fresh cheese, lotion, cleansers and other skincare products.

Laurie said, “I have been interested in this my entire life. I grew up in Lakewood, Ohio, and my mother’s friend was Bonnie Bell, who is know for her father’s skin care line. She was a big influence for me to create healthy skin care products. Then when my daughter

Laurie and her daughter Stephaney Scattini take special care of their animals, not just because these goats are their livelihood, but because they are family pets that they love.

Happy Acres Family FarmCreating goat milk products for five years

By TODD GUILDOf the Land

APTOS — Even before California’s new law mandating humane treatment of chickens went into effect Jan. 1, Aptos-based Glaum Egg Ranch allowed their chickens to roam free, a decision company founders say both followed the company’s philosophy of humane treatment and met community principles of animal rights.

“We’re cage-free already,” said Dorothy Glaum, one of the company founders. “We believe in treating them humanely. It just makes sense.”

As a result, the company will have to do little to comply with the new law, which requires chicken ranchers to give their chickens room to spread their wings, and requires imported eggs to come from producers that follow the same rules.

Still, as the law went into effect, the egg industry was sounding the alarm that egg prices are expected to rise by as much as 70 percent as farmers struggle to meet the requirements.

Also known as Proposition 2, the new rules state that chickens are each legally entitled to at least 116 square inches of floor space and must be able to stretch, turn around and flap their wings.

The law passed in 2008, with more than 60 percent of the vote. An addendum passed by lawmakers in 2010 requires out-of-state compliance.

Farmers say the rules have forced them to spend millions coming into compliance or cut their flock by as much as 50 percent, both of which they must then pass onto consumers.

“If farmers haven’t done that yet, there could be a shortage,” Glaum said. “We have to play it out, and we will have to see.”

Consumers could get fried by new egg lawAdvocates say chickens getting better treatment

County fair board cuts one day, raises ticket prices By TODD GUILDOf the Land

WATSONVILLE — The Santa Cruz County Fair Board of Directors on Dec. 16 voted to cut one day off the annual fair, a move that will reduce the event to five days.

Now, the fair will open Wednesday instead of Tuesday, a day fairgrounds spokesman Steve Stagnaro said has always had low turnout.

“Tuesday has been a sparse day, and it has been since time began,” he said.

Despite the low attendance, the fairgrounds must still pony up the full cost of security and other staffing, Stagnaro said.

“You’re purely talking about a lot of money spent on a day when not many people come,” he said.

Instead, the fairgrounds will invest the money in “more and bigger entertainment and attractions,” Stagnaro said.

It is unclear what entertainment fairgrounds officials have in mind, and such decisions will likely wait until the spring.

The decision to reduce the days was not made over concern about the fair’s financial health, Stagnaro said.

“It’s healthy and solid,” he said, adding that the venues are frequently booked during the off-season. “It’s just a nice time right now. They really are trying to fine-tune what already is there.”

It is unclear how much the move will save, but in a failed attempt in 2012 to reduce the fair by one day, Fairgrounds Manager Dave Kegebein said the fair costs $100,000 a day to operate, and by cutting a day, it would save $50,000 due to eliminating security, entertainment and other costs for the day.

By reducing the number of days, it would also ease stress on the volunteers who help run the fair, Kegebein said in 2012.

The board also approved an increase in ticket prices for the 2015 fair, which is expected to help pay for the added attractions and entertainment.

For information, visit www.santacruzcountyfair.com.

By SAMANTHA BENGTSONOf the Land

KING CITY — 4-H and FFA members picked out their market hogs for the upcoming Salinas Valley Fair on Jan. 7.

King City Rural 4-H, King City FFA, Lockwood and Bitterwater 4-H members went to L.A. Hearne and chose the animal that they would be bringing to the Salinas Valley Fair. Nathan Copp from Power House Farms in Los Banos brought down 30 swine for the exhibitors to see.

“I really wanted a barrow, a straight back and a big back side,” said Haylie Sainz. “This will be my sixth pig.”

Sainz picked out a yorkshire cross, which is a white pig with a sprinkling of blue spots. King City Rural 4-H Swine leaders Frankie and Mike Hearne said that judges prefer the Yorkshire and Hamshire cross breeds over the Durocs which are a pig that is all red.

The selection process was alphabetical and after the 4-H and FFA’s had chosen a pig, the pig was then given a vitamin booster shot which helps with the pig’s health after traveling to L.A. Hearne and then to the fairgrounds or to

4-H and FFA members pick out swine project

Contributed by Happy Acres

Haylie Sainz with her yorkshire cross barrow. This is Sainz’s sixth animal.Photos by Samantha Bengtson/The Land

2 The Land - February 2015

Cody Bassetti 831.320.2667 831.970.1533

Serving the farming community since 1984

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The Land is published monthly. All rights reserved, material may not be reprinted without written consent from the publisher. The Land made every effort to maintain the accuracy of information presented in this publication, but assumes no responsibility for errors, changes or omissions. The Land is a division of the Register-Pajaronian and South County Newspapers.

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By SKYE RAVYOf the Land

PASO ROBLES — “When we said we were going to build a new park, we knew that we didn’t want another boring, primary color park, we wanted something cutting edge,” Julie Dahlen, the Director of Library and Recreation services for Paso Robles said of the new Uptown Family Park.

Recently, local dignitaries, members of the department of Parks and Recreation, and schoolchildren from Georgia Brown elementary came together to cut the ribbon on this new cutting edge creation.

The children came early to both enjoy the park for a little bit, and also to decorate the park with dozens of pinwheels. They opened up the ceremony by singing the traditional Spanish folk song, De Colores, which speaks of fields full of colors, butterflies and love, a fitting song for the opening of this new, beautiful park.

The park was created thanks to a $2.5 million state grant awarded to the city. Newton Construction was the company that created the park. The new park was done in bright green and orange, with features multiple new, state-of-the-art play structures.

According to Dahlen, “One of the contingencies for the grant was that the park needed to incorporate student art,” and so the park is decorated with beautiful, colorful ceramic tiles that the children painted.

The ceremony saw the attendance of many local elected officials, such as Mayor Steve Martin, Councilman John Hamon, and newly appointed Councilman Steve Gregory, also in attendance were former mayor Duane Picanco and former councilman Ed Steinbeck. The police chief, Robert Burton, was in attendance, and so were representatives from the offices of Assemblyman Katcho Achadjian, Kevin Drabinski, and Senator William Monning, Annie Aguiniga.

“It is a wonderful playground, it is not a bland, ordinary playground,” Martin said. “It’s created from things that we locally made, so that makes it our playground, it’s not somebody else’s.”

The new SLO County Superintendant of Schools, James Brescia, was also in attendance. “This is a great place to live, and now we have another great place to play. When we build projects like this, we improve our community,” he said.

Martin cut the ribbon with his appropriately giant scissors, and the crowd cheered as the schoolchildren descended upon the park. Uptown City Park is in an area of Paso Robles that has recently seen many efforts and ideas for improvement. It will set a shining example for new projects in the area.

City welcomes new parkMayor Steve Martin cuts the ribbon to officially open Uptown Park

The new uptown family park is officially open. Photos by Skye Ravy/The LandGeorgia Brown Elementary students sang “De Colores.”

But Paul Shapiro, a spokesperson for the Humane Society of the United States, pointed out that the law gave farmers a six-year phase-in period. Many squandered this time filing four unsuccessful lawsuits trying to block the law.

“Many farmers sat on their hands while the phase-in was occurring,” he said.

He added that, thanks to a well-financed campaign by the egg industry, voters were well aware that egg prices might increase when they passed the law.

Shapiro acknowledged that confining chickens to small cages helps farmers cut expenses that would otherwise be passed on to consumers. But he said such cost-cutting moves have hidden effects, notably cruelty to the animals and increased diseases, as the chickens are confined in close proximity to their manure.

“Californians do not want birds cramped in small cages where they can’t spread their wings,” he said. “(They) were right to enact this law in 2008.”

New mayor Steve Martin cut the ribbon at the opening celebration of the new Uptown Family Park.

The new park features state-of-the-art play structures such as this one.

The Land - February 2015 3

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By ERIK CHALHOUBOf the Land

WAT S O N V I L L E — While driving past agriculture fields and orchards in Watsonville, Alejandro Santana Jr. noticed many signs asking for field labor work.

He began to wonder, why the shortage in workers?

Through research, he noticed a drop in migrant workers over recent years. While not drastic, it is noteworthy, he said.

The documentary “Manzana” will look to answer that question, while also gathering personal perspectives from the field workers themselves.

Produced by Blue Blondie Productions, Santana serves as the writer/director of the documentary. He is joined by Producer Gabriel Medina, a fellow Watsonville High School class of 2010 graduate, as well as Executive Producer Alicia Caldes.

The documentary, planned to have a run time of under 30 minutes, will be entirely filmed in the Watsonville area. It will focus on the changing trends in the agricultural labor force, while also looking into the top factors contributing to the drop in migrant workers, and what the future workforce may look like.

“We want to keep it centered in Watsonville,” Santana said. “We want this to be something we provide to our community.”

Both Watsonville natives, Medina studied film at UC Los Angeles, while Santana studied at UC Santa Cruz.

Filming is expected to begin on Jan. 26

and end in early February. Once production is complete in late spring, Santana said the goal is to submit the documentary to film festivals.

The crew looked for interns to help them out with the production. Open to high school and college students, internship positions include an assistant to the producer, production assistants, marketing manager and unit photographer.

Medina reached out to Watsonville, Pajaro Valley and Aptos high schools, as well as Cabrillo College, Monterey Peninsula College and CSU Monterey Bay, receiving a good amount of responses.

The number one goal is to give the students hands-on experience working with a camera and a production crew, Medina said.

“We want them to get experience,” he said.

Internships are non-paid, but provide an opportunity for students to build a résumé and potentially lead to a paid position with Blue Blondie Productions, Medina said.

For information, visit www.blueblondie.com.

Documentary looks at agricultural labor force

Gabriel Medina (left) and Alejandro Santana Jr. are working on Blue Blondie Productions’ “Manzana.” Courtesy of Blue Blondie Productions

STAFF REPORT

MOSS LANDING — Elkhorn Slough Foundation, in partnership with California State Parks, hosted a community planting on Jan. 10, as part of a two-year project to restore native plants on more than an acre of degraded sand dunes at Moss Landing State Beach.

Community volunteers joined this season’s efforts to plant approximately 10,000 native dune seedlings grown from seed collected at Moss Landing State Beach. Volunteers also helped propagate the plants at the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve greenhouse. Last season, volunteers helped get more than 6,000 plants in the ground.

“Our community is amazing,” said Katie Pofahl, ESF Outreach Coordinator. “People really care about this place. When they’re planting these seedlings, you can see the connection become personal.”

Native plants help stabilize the coastal dunes and minimize wind erosion, provide scenic natural access points for visitors, reduce park maintenance costs, and protect critical habitat for wildlife, including the endangered Western snowy plover. Moss Landing State Beach is an important breeding habitat for the threatened Western snowy plover, with portions of the dunes protected during critical nesting periods between March 1 and Sept. 30.

“Last year, researchers documented a pair of snowy plovers nesting and hatching three chicks in dunes we

helped restore,” said Pofahl. “That was a satisfying confirmation that this restoration work is making a real difference.”

In 2011, Moss Landing State Beach was slated for closure due to severe budget shortfalls within the California State Parks system. Elkhorn Slough Foundation and California State Parks are collaborating to reinvigorate the park and protect the adjacent slough, while enabling California State Parks to cut maintenance costs and keep the park open.

“We’re pleased with our ongoing collaboration. State Parks staff has expressed much satisfaction with working with ESF. The planting days have been a huge success,” said Steve Bachman, Senior Parks and Recreation Specialist for California State Parks Monterey District. “The work of ESF, State Parks, and community volunteers has enabled us to improve the park for visitors and wildlife, while reducing maintenance costs.”

“Last year these planting days brought out hundreds of community members to support this effort, and this year we are seeing similar involvement,” said ESF Executive Director Mark Silberstein. “The Elkhorn Slough Foundation is excited to be able to share our land and volunteer management experience to help restore the beach that is the door to our amazing slough.”

For information on Elkhorn Slough Foundation and the Reserve visit www.elkhornslough.org.

Community restores dunes, help threatened Western snowy plover

By SAMANTHA BENGTSONOf the Land

KING CITY — In August, the Monterey County Agricultural and Rural Life Museum received a grant for the Children’s Garden collaboration with the Casa K’inich Children’s Museum in Honduras.

MCARLM has also been partnering with the Greenfield Community Science Workshop to establish the Common Ground: Connecting Communities through Gardens program.The participants have been able to establish relationships with children in Honduras through the Internet as video exchanges and pen pals.

The two groups first video chatted on Dec. 13 with Copan, Honduras students.

The garden gives local elementary school students an opportunity to be actively engaged in environmental stewardship.The garden program activities have been occurring at the Workshop and the garden was built at San Lorenzo Park.

The students have already planted squash, beans, tomatoes, cabbage and pumpkins. The students have learned about the pests that come with the garden project including rabbits, gophers and birds. The students have incorporated plant cages and fences to keep the fruit protected. The garden has also had an sustainable water system installed.

Students from the Greenfield Community Science Workshop video chatted with children from the Casa K’inich Children’s Museum in Honduras. The project is a gardening project that teaches elementary students about making friendships and engage in environmental stewardship. Submitted photo

Greenfield, Honduras students partner for

Common Ground project

4 The Land - February 2015

Happy Acres

Swine Project

Continued from page 1

Continued from page 1

Tillage • Trellising • Macro Bins • Totes • Bearings Spray • Winemaking & Vineyard Supplies

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Stephaney started raising goats I saw it as an opportunity to make goat milk skin products. I did a great deal of study and lots of testing. My kids call me a mad scientist. It is really a fun and interesting process.”

Each member of the family takes care of their own facet of the business. Laurie makes the skin care products, her husband makes the goat cheese on their property in Napa and S t e p h a n e y takes care of the animals.

A c c o r d i n g to Laurie, goat milk has long been known as a rejuvenator of the skin. Goat milk contains the highest percentage of naturally occurring compounds, which help to moisturize the skin and contribute to its softness. Laurie explained that because goats have the same pH as humans, all of the products are readily and effectively absorbed into human skin.

“Goat milk contains essential amino acids, vitamins A, B, and K, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and phosphorous,” Laurie said. “For years, goat milk has been used for medicinal and cosmetic purposes and recommended by dermatologists for conditions such as psoriasis, eczema and acne. We use 100 percent fresh goatmilk along with high quality effective oils, natural raw shea butter and essential oils in

our products, which are handmade and paraben-free.”

The Happy Acres skin care line has grown to include a variety of handmade

fresh, natural goat milk products, offering day and night

moisturizing creams, facial cleanser, hand

cleanser, lip butters, moisturizing eye

cream, shower gel, whipped shea body butter and a variety of lotion in multiple scents.

H a p p y Acres offers

a daily facial moisturizer to

hydrate your face all day. Made

with fresh goat milk it delivers directly

into the skin all-natural ingredients such as jojoba oil,

avocado oil and green tea extract. According to Laurie, this is perfect for a morning routine with vitamins A, C and E and Cranberry. Other options include rose night cream, peppermint vitamin E lip butter, natural handmade whipped shea butter and a large line of lotions in scents from lavender and plumeria to honey oat and satsuma.

All of these Happy Acres products can be purchased online by visiting their web page at happyacresfamilyfarm.net. Happy Acres Family Farm is located at 1875 Templeton Road. For information, call 434-7580.

Laurie Scattini spends her days on the farm in her laboratory creating concoctions for her goat milk skin care line. Photo Contributed by Happy Acres

By TARMO HANNULAOf the Land

SANTA CRUZ — Fungus fans, from amateurs to experts, converged Jan. 9-11 at the 41st annual Fungus Fair. Refreshing this year was a colorful explosion of wild mushrooms coaxed on by recent heavy rains, a bold contrast to last year’s meager showing.

“I like this fair because it is one of the best opportunities to see a huge array of mushrooms up close,” said Suzanne Pfeil of Santa Cruz. “You don’t have to trek out into the forest — it’s all here. Being in a wheelchair, that’s huge for me. I also like to stock up on dried mushrooms here as well, like black trumpets and shitakes. They do an incredible job here. I’ve been coming to the fair for about 10 years. I love the food, the vendors, the art and the classes.”

Presented by the Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz, the Fungus Fair is an educational arena for the entire family

with hands-on activities, arts, crafts, cooking demonstrations, lectures, colorful exhibits, mushroom identification tables, and a habitat display that includes hundreds of wild mushrooms.

Josh McKee said he has been attending the fair for the past three years. “I come here to try to get a better understanding of the world of mushrooms,” he said. “Their habitat exhibit of the forest floor is incredible. There’s always something to learn.”

John Leih of Boulder Creek called the event a “mushroomer’s dream.”

“There’s just so much variety, and so much to learn,” he said. “It’s never-ending, especially this year — the wild mushrooms are going crazy. This year I’ve found a bunch of chanterelles.”

Numerous experts were on hand to aid the public in identifying mushrooms that they brought to the fair.

For information about ongoing mushroom forays, events and photographs, visit www.ffsc.us.

Big year for mushroomsAnnual Fungus Fair returns to Santa Cruz

the new owner’s home.Over the next four months, the 4-H and

FFA members will be raising their pigs which weigh about 50 pounds right now, practicing showing them, and feeding them.

“We’re going to be doing some showmanship clinics over here (at L.A. Hearne) too to help the kids,” said Copp.

“In March we are going to start doing that.”By the Wednesday of the fair, the hogs are

expected to weigh anywhere between 200 and 260 pounds. As part of the requirement of showing an animal at the Salinas Valley Fair, the exhibitors are expected to enter and deliver a non-livestock project.

This year’s Salinas Valley Fair will occur May 14-17.

Kayla Tankersley and Kyla Lambert pose before checking out which pig they want to take home. This year’s fair marks Lambert’s first year showing an animal. Photos by Samantha Bengtson/The Land

The Power House swine snuggle together before going to their different homes.

Visitors at the Fungus Fair view an exhibit that contains hundreds of local wild mushrooms.

Stella Maddox serves a mushroom quiche that features porcini, shitake, and white button mushrooms. Photos by Tarmo Hannula/The Land

The Land - February 2015 5

By SKYE RAVYOf the Land

PASO ROBLES — Kay McClain, the owner of Country Florist, always knew that she wanted a career as a florist.

“I started in high school, when I was 17,” she said. “I learned about it in FFA. From that point on I knew that I wanted to open my own shop.”

Today, McClain successfully runs that dream shop, Country Florist, which celebrated its 30th anniversary on Saturday, Dec. 13.

Raised in a military family, McClain was moved around a lot as a kid. She wanted to provide a stable upbringing for her family, and found Paso Robles to be the perfect place to do so.

“I wanted to move to a small community to raise my children, and I wanted to make sure that my kids were born and raised and grew up in the same community, because I knew how important that was,” she said.

“Paso Robles is a wonderful and supportive town and when we found it we just fell in love.”

Paso Robles clearly loves her back, judging by the store’s 30 successful years.

“We specialize in fresh flowers, we have a large selection of plants, gourmet and fruit baskets, and have a huge selection of gift items,” she said.

Customers can pick out a gift for a friend or loved one to pair with their flowers, and have it gift-wrapped free of charge. Country Florist ships worldwide, and can also ship any purchased gift items for their customers.

“I owe it all to my parents and my father’s best friend, who gave me the initial investment to open the business. They believed in me and I can’t thank them enough,” she said. “And of course, I would be nowhere without my wonderful customers.”

In fact, when asked what her favorite part of being a florist is, McClain simply stated, “my customers.”

To show their appreciation for 30 years in this town, Country Florist hosted an open house, with raffles and also offered “a fun promotion, where we are putting coupons in balloons and when the customers bring up their balloon, they pop it to see how much their coupon is for.”

Country Florist celebrates 30 years

Kay McClain is the owner of Country Florist. Photos by Skye Ravy/The Land

STAFF REPORT

PASO ROBLES — Pelletiere Estate Winery and Vineyard are inviting the public to come swirl, sip and celebrate with them at the opening of their newly re-done tasting room.

The winery is located at 3280 Township Road, just off of Highway 46 West in the heart of the Willow Creek district on the Westside of Paso Robles.

According to the winery’s website, “The property has a rich local history as part of the Mennonite community that had settled there over a century ago. The original house has been lovingly updated, and sits proudly on our estate. “ The tasting room, and the vintage farm-house has now been updated as well, creating a cohesive, “modern, yet rustic,” style.

The Pelletiere Estate vineyard was originally planted in 1993-1996, and is family owned and operated, “with a commitment to the traditions of fine winemaking and responsible stewardship of its vineyard land for future generations to savor and uphold,” their website stated. In fact, today, “100 percent of Pelletiere Estate wines are sourced from

its sustainably-farmed estate grown varietals.”

The soft opening festivities will involve tasting estate wines, and enjoying light appetizers. Guests can also go on a guided tour of the winery and wine production facility. Attendees can also get, “a sneak peak at the romantic Farmhouse, adjacent to the tasting room and surrounded by vineyards,” according to the press release submitted by the winery.

The winery is owned and operated by Janis Denner and the Pelletiere Family. According to the press release, “What began as a personal interest soon became a passion that couldn’t be denied. Janis Denner also has an eye for design and has been involved in the planning process from start to finish, meticulously hand-picking each and every detail from tasting room, to Farmhouse, to wine labels.”

The winery specializes in Italian varietals including Lagrein, Montepulciano and Sangiovese. Pelletiere Estate produces limited production luxury wines for the enjoyment of people who appreciate, “fine wines and the family farm lifestyle.”

The tasting room will be open daily from 11 a.m.- 5 p.m. For information, visit pelletiere.com.

Pelletiere Estate Vineyard and Winery hold soft openingNewly remodeled tasting room is ‘modern, yet rustic’

Pelletiere winery will be hosting a soft opening celebration Jan 16, 17 & 18 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Country Florist offers a wide array of flowers, plants and gifts.

The Power House swine snuggle together before going to their different homes.

6 The Land - February 2015

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By SKYE RAVYOf the Land

PASO ROBLES — Martha Van Inwegen, of Therabee, runs a raw honey company that distributes their artisan honey and honey-infused products in more than 30 retail locations around the Central Coast.

They run a “save the bees” project, where they rescue local hives and swarms and place them on the Zoo to You ranch in Paso Robles.

They extract the honey and source additional honey from other small bee farms in the USA, and create a wide variety of artisan products. All of their honey is 100 percent raw, and minimally processed to keep as much of the “bee goodness” in it as possible.

The “save the bees” project has been a labor of love for Van Inwegen, a bee lover who, for years, had been observing what is called Colony Collapse Disorder across the country.

“It’s a culmination of things,” she explained. “Here the drought is a big factor, there hasn’t been very much bloom so there is a lack of food.”

Vineyards have also been replacing a lot of the local habitat with grapes.

“Until more vineyards start planting cover plants, there will be nothing really for them to survive on,” she said.

Not only that, but pesticides are deadly as well, “not all of the vineyards and farms are chemical free, they don’t all practice sustainable practices,” she said.

Van Inwegen explained that when bees become contaminated with pesticides and attempt to return to the hive they may be denied entrance to it by the other bees. The dejected bees will then circle the hive until they drop dead of exhaustion. This is something that Van Inwegen was familiar with.

“The first year we started, we lost 85 percent of out hives,” she said.

In fact, similar collapses were reported nationwide. Van Inwegen felt like she needed a way to help rescue the local bees and educate people about Colony Collapse Disorder and her wishes were granted when she heard about Zoo to You.

Van Inwegen chose to place the bees on the Zoo to You ranch after hearing about the rehabilitation center.

“I was looking for a place to put bees and also really wanted to educate people about bees and about Colony Collapse Disorder, and David at Zoo to You was thinking it would be great if he could have rescued

bees on his ranch,”she said. David Jackson, the owner of Zoo to You, rescues abused, neglected and unwanted wild animals and uses them as educational ambassadors in schools.

She also chose the location for its proximity to vineyards and farms that practiced sustainable growing. This year, the bees have been doing better, but because they travel so far, they still sometimes pick up poisons.

Bees are a key factor in maintaining not just a healthy ecosystem, but also in propagating valuable food crops. Many agricultural industries depend on them. Because of Colony Collapse Disorder’s deadly effect on California’s bees in recent years, East Coast bees have been shipped in to pollinate plants.

“It’s become a multi-million dollar industry,” she said. For Van Inwegen though, “It’s really more of a passion for me.” A very expensive passion; what little profit she yields after costs goes back to Zoo to You.

There are a variety of ways that the community can help to “save the bees.” If there is a swarm or hive gathering in your house or property, you can call Van Inwegen and she will come and collect them, free of cost. She’ll also let you keep

the bees if you have a farm or garden, and lend you the bee boxes in exchange for just a small percentage of the honey. She will also come to your home and check on the bees for you to make sure that they are doing well.

Supporting vineyards and local farms that grow without the use of pesticides is another great way to support the rehabilitation of the local bee population. There are many options in the North County, as more and more farms and vineyards are converting every day to sustainable, eco-supporting practices.

As Therabee’s mission statement explains, “We are fortunate to live in a community where we are surrounded by artisans, farmers, culinary enthusiasts and a population highly tuned to their environment and the importance of healthy, sustainable products.” Planting flowers and growing gardens also helps to provide bees with food.

To find out where to purchase Therabee products, and for more information about CCD and beekeeping, or to contact Martha Van Inwegen for swarm removal, check out therabeehoney.com or call 423-6529.

Martha’s been a busy beeLocal business owner’s ‘Save the Bees’ project

STAFF REPORT

SANTA CRUZ — The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County purchased 280 acres Dec. 22 as part of its planned wildlife crossing on Highway 17.

The group went ahead with the purchase even though it is $150,000 short of its $1 million goal for the project.

“We have gone out on a limb here,” said Executive Director Terry Corwin, “and we are trusting that the community will step forward.”

Corwin said the Land Trust had raised $850,000 from more than 1,000 donors since September.

The nonprofit began work on the wildlife

crossing project earlier this year, with the protection of 10 acres at the future site of the wildlife tunnel. Corwin said the Land Trust will protect a third property in 2016 — 190 acres on the west side of Laurel Curve. Once the three properties are protected, Caltrans can begin construction of a wildlife tunnel under the highway.

Land Trust Projects Director Dan Medeiros said the organization has been working with Pathways for Wildlife on a camera trap study and corridor design for the past couple of years.

“In October a male lion that we’d been tracking was hit and killed at Laurel Curve just 100 yards from where the tunnel will

Van Inwegen rescues a local hive out of an oak tree. Courtesy of Martha Van InwegenA tire filled with fresh honey.

A swarm of bees at Loo Loo farms were rescued and kept on the property in loaned bee boxes to benefit the farm.

Land Trust purchases 280 acres for wildlife crossing

Continued on next page

The Land - February 2015 7

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By ALLYSON OKENOf the Land

TEMPLETON — Cecil Horton is a Templeton resident and photographer. Daily, he captures what is happening in the North County.

Not only is he a talented photographer, he is a sculptor as well.

Horton said, “I create all of these at home out of avocado tree stumps and

limbs. I dream them up. They are all hand-carved. I just start carving and when I am done there they are. I don’t have a website, but people are welcome to email me to purchase a carving.”

Horton creates all of his carvings from found wood, using everything from redwood to avocado wood to bring the intricate carven faces to life.

His largest work to date was a totem of sorts with about seven to 10 faces carved

into redwood. He has an eye for the intricacies of the human face. Looking at every piece he shaves away it is obvious that this artist sees every variation breaking the face down into its most basic shapes.

To see more of Horton’s work, visit his Facebook page at facebook.com/cecil.horton. He also delivers. To contact Horton and find out more about his artwork, email cecilcarvings@aol.com.

By DEBORAH MILLSOf the Land

SOLEDAD — The third generation Braga Fresh Family Farms newest certified organic fresh vegetable coming straight from the fields is cauliflower as part of their USDA certified line of produce named after their grandmother, Josie’s Organics.

“One of the benefits of being a vertically-integrated grower-shipper is we can respond very quickly to retailer needs and consumer trends,” said Peter Cling,

vice president of sales at Braga Fresh, “Plus, we’ve been growing organically for nearly 20 years, we control a lot of organic farmland in California and Arizona. We are acquiring and converting more land all the time, so we’re well positioned to consistently deliver on our commitment to providing premium service as well as premium quality product.”

At the Nov. 14 Rotary meeting Braga Fresh President and Farmer Rod Braga was the guest speaker where he shared his family’s farming operation with the members.

He highlighted that even though they have been a grower-shipper operation for three generations upon the launch of their own Josie’s Organics produce line they had to adjust with the concept of marketing in a new way.

His grandmother Josie who was ahead of her time in many ways and inspired the organic produce line. Long before baby lettuces became popular in packaged salad mixes she was clipping leaves of baby iceberg lettuce by hand.

One example is they launched the Josie’s Organics website where they include not only their history but recipes, videos and a section for kids that has coloring pages and games to engage children to eat fresh vegetables.

The home page of the Braga website states, “Inside every package of Josie’s Organics we honor our grandmother’s commitment to goodness allowing families everywhere to enjoy fresh organic vegetables of the highest quality.”

Retailer demand for Josie’s Organics products has continued to increase

since Braga Fresh launched the brand approximately two years ago, and Braga Fresh has more than doubled their acreage committed to the Josie’s Organics product line in order to meet retail customer demand this winter season.

Josie’s Organics cauliflower is available immediately, both wrapped and naked. The wrapped product will allow retailers to take full advantage of the popular and award-winning Josie’s Organics packaging with its friendly logo and signature blue

polka dots.In addition to cauliflower, the Josie’s

Organics line includes broccoli, sweet baby broccoli, celery, chard, collards, kale, spinach, beets, cilantro, parsley, radishes, romaine hearts, green leaf, red leaf, and more.

Josie’s Organics products can be found in most Whole Foods, Central Market, Kroger, HEB and Safeway locations throughout the U.S., as well as in many other grocery stores and supermarkets.

Josie’s Organics grows cauliflower to meet consumer demand

At the Nov. 14 Rotary meeting, (from left) Rod Braga, Rotarian Pauline Tomasini and Rotary President Michael Larsen pose for a picture after the meeting. Braga gave the history of his third generation farming operation where recently they developed and are marketing Josie’s Organics, which was named after his grandmother. File photo

Soledad-based farming operation, Braga Fresh introduces their new organic cauliflower to the market place. Submitted photo

Chance meeting a sculptor in the ruffCecil Horton shares art

Cecil Horton of Templeton is known for his photography skills through his work at KSBY. He is also a sculptor.

These five carvings illustrate the range of Cecil Horton as a sculptor and all are available for purchase. Contributed photo

be built,” Medeiros said, adding that there is already a new male in the area. “I really hope this young lion doesn’t fall to the same fate.”

Medeiros said 13 mountain lions have been hit on Highway 17 since 2007, most of which were young males. As a natural drainage, Laurel Curve is a popular area for animals to travel and attempt highway crossings. The pattern puts both animals and drivers at risk.

In 2011, the Land Trust’s Conservation Blueprint identified the 280 acres on the east side of Laurel Curve as having the most development potential in all the

Santa Cruz Mountains, and if sold to a developer — which was the original plan, said Medeiros — the land would have lost its appeal as a wildlife corridor.

In addition to the $1 million the Land Trust is seeking to raise, funding for this project comes from the Gordon and Betty Moore and the David and Lucille Packard Foundations. The Land Trust also drew funds from its Opportunity Fund, which was raised as part of its 2011-2012 Campaign to Protect 10,000 Acres.

Donations can be made on the Land Trust website www.LandTrustSantaCruz.org or by calling 429-6116.

Land Trust Continued from page 6

8 The Land - February 2015

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