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2018 salinas river bbqMay 12, 2018

Over 100 people gathered at the Salinas Sports Complex on Friday, April 20, for the Salinas River Partners BBQ fundraiser, joint-hosted by Resource Conservation District (RCD) of Monterey County, the Salinas River Channel Stream Management Program’s River Management Unit Association, and the Salinas River Channel Coalition. Sponsorships, donated auction items and ticket sales for the event raised over $12,000 for land and water stewardship work along the Salinas River. The Salinas River and adjacent farmland are frequently impacted by flooding and invasive weed problems, particularly that of invasive arundo, and these funds will help offset the costs to landowners along the river who disproportionately bear the burden for work that benefits the broader valley community.

 At the event the RCDMC also held the premiere screening of their film ‘Within Reach: Releasing Arundo’s Leafy Grip on the Salinas’, featuring the collaborative work on the river, and honored John Warner as our ‘RCD Partner of Distinction’. As a USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Soil Conservationist of almost 20 years, Mr. Warner’s dedication to conservation agriculture has been a critical asset to Monterey County in times of drought, fire and flood.

The Salinas River work celebrated at the BBQ includes the following accomplishments since 2013.

  • Implementation of 449 acres of arundo treatments by RCDMC contractors (mowing and herbicide application) between King City and Soledad
  • Another 77 acres of arundo treated by private landowners and contractors under the Salinas River Stream Maintenance Program
  • Over 37 secondary channels and selective treatment areas have been managed between San Ardo and Salinas under the Stream Maintenance Program
  • Permits for all project work secured by the partnership of Monterey County Water Resources Agency, The Nature Conservancy, RCDMC, Salinas River Channel Coalition and Salinas River Channel Stream Management Program’s River Management Unit Association

Sponsors for the event included Driscoll’s, Fresh Harvest (Scaroni Family of Companies), Rava Ranches, Bill Lipe, General Farm Investment, American AgCredit, Alliant Insurance Services, Graniterock, Noland Hamerly Etienne Hoss, and an anonymous landowner.