Corralitos vineyard showcases resource conservation

CORRALITOS — It’s a beautiful, sunny morning at the idyllic Hidden Springs Ranch here, where Steve and Pamela Storrs grow more than 10 acres of organic chardonnay and pinot noir grapes for their award-winning wines.

The 56-acre former apple orchard also serves as a showcase for resource conservation and wildlife preservation.

Champions of organic and permaculture growing practices, the Storrs also worked with the Wild Farm Alliance, a Watsonville-based organization that promotes conservation-based agriculture, to transform an underutilized orchard into a thriving vineyard that restores native habitat, creates safe thoroughfares for wildlife and minimizes water usage.

According to Jo Ann Baumgartner, director of the Wild Farm Alliance, the project at the Storrs Vineyard is part of a state-funded initiative from the California Department of Conservation’s Wildlife Conservation Board.



For the complete article see the 07-10-2012 issue.

Click here to purchase an electronic version of the 07-10-2012 paper.

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