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Greenbelt Alliance In the News

July 22, 2004

SUMMER OUTTINGS (sic): FROM HIKES AND BIKE RIDES TO NATURE PRESERVE TOURS, GREENBELT ALLIANCE'S SERIES OFFERS CHANCE TO EXPLORE THE BAY AREA

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This weekend's stop on the Greenbelt Alliance summer series at a family farm in Napa is supposed to be about sustainable agriculture, sheep raising and eggs. But R.D., resident Australian cattle dog, is a pretty tough act to compete with if you're a vegetable or a sheep.

"R.D., juggle," says Jim Wilkinson.

The compact red-haired herding dog, whose initials stand for Red Dawg, zips around until he finds a suitable stick, lifts it in his mouth and tosses it in the air. He runs under the falling stick, catches it in his teeth and tosses it in the air again. And again. And again.

"R.D., make splashes," Wilkinson says.

The dog leaps into the swimming hole in the Napa River at the far end of the vineyard and slaps his front paws on the water.

"Sometimes, I think he's too smart for our own good," says Kirsten Niesar, who runs Omi's Farm on Silverado Trail in Napa with her husband, Wilkinson. Omi's is Sunday's destination on the Greenbelt series.

Each season of the year, Greenbelt Alliance schedules a series of outings -- mostly free -- in the nine-county Bay Area. Hikes, bike rides and tours mostly explore open spaces from beaches to the mountains, on farms and nature preserves. Urban tours are sprinkled into the mix with an emphasis on good examples of infill development, affordable housing, transit-oriented development and urban revitalization.

Greenbelt Alliance, a nonprofit organization formed in 1958, is an advocacy group for open space and sustainable urban development. The outings program is a mix of education and proselytizing. Most of the dozen or so outings each season stick to a theme: winter waterfalls, spring wildflowers, summer farms and fall mountain peaks.

So far this season, Greenbelt outings have explored the Straus Family Creamery near Tomales Bay, Purisima Greens, an organic farm near Half Moon Bay, and J&P Farms in San Jose.

Healdsburg, Petaluma and Penn-grove farms are on the schedule for later this summer.

This weekend, the outings are Morningsun Herb Farm in Vaca-ville on Saturday and Omi's Farm in Napa on Sunday.

Omi's is an old farm trying to find new life in a modern world surrounded by huge, rich vineyards in the Napa Valley.

Omi's -- "Grandma's" in German -- is named after Kirsten Niesar's grandmother, who lived on the property for years.

Niesar and Wilkinson are turning the 20-acre property on Silverado Trail into a sort of demonstration small farm. The main goal, of course, is to make enough money to keep the farm afloat, but a secondary goal is to use the property as an educational tool, showing school kids and group tours like Greenbelt Alliance what small farming is about.

In a word, it's about diversity.

"We have to have balance to make it all work," Niesar says. "We're not big enough to make it with just one crop or one animal so we do a little of this and a little of that."

They have sheep, chickens, grapes, vegetables, herbs, fruit trees, olives and walnuts and they breed Australian cattle dogs. They attend sustainable farming seminars and try to maintain environmentally friendly habits.

And they've both kept their day jobs. Niesar is a massage therapist and Wilkinson works for Monticello Winery on the other side of the river.

For Niesar, Omi's is a labor of familial tradition as much as a business.

"We had always had three sheep here, wethers (neutered males) as lawn mowers, but Jim pointed out we needed more sheep to keep up with the grass and if we got ewes and a ram, we could supply our own sheep and have some for the table too," Niesar says.

"Since then our flock has grown to our current number of one ram, two wethered and nine ewes. We had a nice batch of 10 lambs born this year."

Grandma also had lots of chickens and a following of people who purchased eggs each week. Niesar and Wilkinson expanded the flock and now have 45 laying hens and a flock of Guinea fowl. They sell eggs and vegetables to visitors and to local restaurants and caterers.

The vineyard, 5 1/2 acres of cabernet sauvignon, was planted in the summer of 1999 and is now the financial engine that keeps the farm running.

The vegetable garden started as a summer project of Niesar's parents, Gerry and Ortrun Niesar, who live in Oakland. It has grown steadily for 15 years and is now about 4,000 square feet and year-round.

"My parents are still the main gardeners," Niesar says. "They come up nearly every weekend. Jim and I do the weekday watering and maintenance."

The main house on the property was built in 1908 and was originally at the far end of the long narrow parcel near the river. After a decade of winter flooding, the house was moved to its current location nearer the road in 1918. In the 1950s the farm produced prunes, walnuts and chickens. The old barn was a 500-chicken coop.

"My vision here is to keep in the feeling of old-time Napa as much as possible with a variety of farm activities, garden, fruit trees, nuts, vines, olives and animals." Niesar says.

"Jim and I are very much aware of how lucky we are to be living this life here and we enjoy sharing what we have with others."

You can reach Staff Writer George Lauer at 521-5220 or glauer@pressdemocrat.com.

GREENBELT ALLIANCE OUTINGS:
The Greenbelt Alliance offers a seasonal series of hikes, bike rides and tours -- from beach and the mountains to farms and nature preserves -- throughout the Bay Area. Most, by the way, don't cost a cent.

SUMMER SERIES

All outings free, unless otherwise noted. Physical exertion ranges from easy stroll to strenuous hiking. Reservations required for most outings; call (415) 543-6771 or on the Web at www.greenbelt.org.

Solano Herbs and Fruit: Tour Morningsun Herb Farm, a nursery and demonstration garden of medicinal and culinary herbs in Vacaville. Then visit Aliki's, an organic fruit, vegetable and nut farm with a produce stand loved by locals. 9 a.m. Saturday, Vacaville.

Napa Valley Harvest: Omi's Farm: vineyard, sheep, organic vegetables, herbs, walnut, olive and fruit trees, chickens, guinea fowl and Australian cattle dogs. $5. 10 a.m. Sunday, Napa.

Rockridge to the Hills: Explore historic neighborhoods of Oakland and Berkeley. Ascend to Claremont Open Space for a picnic and views before returning to Rockridge. 10 a.m. July 31, Oakland.

Tierra Vegetables: Tour Tierra Vegetables, a 15-acre farm in Healdsburg that sustainably produces vegetables and wool. Also hear about a recent collaboration between farmers and environmentalists to prevent sprawl. 10 a.m. Aug. 22.

Briones by Moonlight: Check out views along the Briones Crest by the light of the August full moon. Set out by day, enjoy a spectacular sunset, and return after nightfall on this strenuous but rewarding hike. 5 p.m. Aug. 28, Contra Costa County.

San Francisco to Sausalito: Walk through San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge and over the Marin Headlands. Return by ferry. Great views on challenging route. 10 a.m. Sept. 6, San Francisco.

Sonoma County Cornucopia: Two farms in one day. Learn organic farming techniques at Grossi Farms near Penngrove; pick strawberries if you'd like. Next stop, Peterson's Farm near Petaluma, with animals, a veggie garden and a demonstration beehive. 9:45 a.m. Sept. 11.

Summer Day on Mount Tam: Hike from Muir Woods to Stinson Beach and back via the Dipsea and Matt Davis trails. Great views, leisurely stop at the beach. 9:45 a.m. Sept. 12, Marin County.

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