Sustainability is not just doing what is environmentally correct, it is a holistic approach to an undertaking that produces a straightforward and lasting outcome. It is about minimizing our environmental footprint in all phases and processes of the business. It is about treating our employees, community and neighbors with respect and making them a stakeholder in our various pursuits. One of these pursuits is to be financially viable so our land can remain agricultural and our efforts contribute to the region’s prosperity.
Dry Creek Habitat Enhancement Project
The habitat project you see at Truett Hurst Winery is part of the Dry Creek Habitat Enhancement Project, a partnership between the Sonoma County Water Agency and private landowners to protect endangered fish species in the Russian River watershed while continuing to deliver water to approximately 600,000 customers.
The National Marine Fisheries Service and California Department of Fish & Wildlife biologists have determined that excessive water velocities and lack of suitable rearing habitat in Dry Creek jeopardize the recovery of endangered Coho and threatened Chinook salmon and Steelhead.
The Habitat Enhancement Project is creating low-velocity areas for juvenile Coho, Chinook and Steelhead along six miles of the 14-mile length of Dry Creek, while still allowing the Water Agency to use Dry Creek as a means of moving water downstream for water supply purposes.
These habitat features include backwater areas and side channels that create slow-moving pools and provide refuge for juvenile fish. Large woody debris is used to create log jams, stabilize banks and provide refuge areas.
Truett Hurst Winery is a project partner and has agreed to have a side channel and backwater habitat features constructed on their property. They are among the many participating landowners that are making this important habitat project possible.
Project Partners
