Thinking (green) inside the box: A winery job for owls at St. Francis Winery
October 21, 7:44 PM
Sonoma
County Wine ExaminerElissa
Morrash
owlbox used by green wineries
Star Dewar The Wildlife Center
St. Francis would have loved this: well-established green winery bearing his
name joins forces with local wildlife conservationists to utilize owls, natural
predators of vineyard pests, in its vineyard management. In a recent decision,
the folks at
St. Francis Winery
in Sonoma have taken things to a whole new level by adopting owl boxes
through
The Kenwood Wildlife Center.
This is one of those winning combinations – the hedonistic pleasures of wine
tasting can be enjoyed guilt-free, secured by wildlife protection, environmental
consciousness and healthier wine choices. While use of owl boxes doesn’t
completely eliminate the need for pesticides, it’s
an
effective component in an overall sustainable vineyard management program.
Owl boxes almost seem too simple. As Star Dewar says about The Wildlife Center’s
Nesting Box Programs, “Owls eat rodents. Bluebirds eat insects. Doesn’t this
make sense?” Owl and bluebird boxes are easy to install, require very little
maintenance and produce great results.
They provide wineries and vineyards with a natural, non-toxic and sustainable
form of rodent and insect control. The
California Wineries Mall
reports that inquiries about pesticide free wineries are increasing.
In St. Francis Winery’s case, there’s an added bonus: the purchase price of the
boxes goes directly to support the The Wildlife Center’s rescue and
rehabilitation of the North Bay’s resident wildlife.
St. Francis Winery was named to honor St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of
animals and the environment. The winery has for the past 30 years carried on a
tradition of responsible stewardship of the land and creatures in its
surroundings.
The owl nesting box program was readily embraced by the St. Francis staff who
are accustomed to thinking outside the box (pun intended) when it comes to being
green. Initially, six boxes were purchased from The Wildlife Center, a neighbor
of the winery on Pythian Road. The first two boxes were installed in early
September in the Wild Oak Vineyard. The installation coincided with the
impending release of two juvenile barn owls being cared for by Kenwood Wildlife
Center, in hopes that they would take up residency and in the spring (nesting
season is February to June) utilize the boxes for their young. The winery will
continue to monitor these boxes all year long to ensure that an inviting habitat
has been created to encourage these raptors to patrol the surrounding vineyards
for rodents. Installation of the remainder of the boxes will take place by the
end of this year at the Lagomarsino Vineyard in the Russian River area, Behler
Vineyard and Nuns Canyon Vineyard in Sonoma Valley.
Not to overshadow the wine,
a visit to St. Francis Winery’s mission style visitor center and patio is a
spectacular experience, with surrounding vineyard vistas and Hood Mountain as a
backdrop. The tasting room offers Merlot, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Old
Vines Zinfandel, all created from 100% Sonoma County grapes. A full menu of wine
tastings is available daily from Classic Wine tasting to a Zin Fanatic tasting
with wines available only in the tasting room. Wine and food pairings and wine
charcuterie are delectable.
Sonoma County’s owls are a treasure, and now they have a job that makes them
indispensable to humans. Wine lovers only have to come to Sonoma County to find
green wineries and practices they can personally support.