10 a.m.–1 p.m.
John Wick leads a tour of his ranch, explaining the methods he has pioneered to manage grasslands so as to keep carbon locked in the soil.
10a.m.–1 p.m.
Rancher John Wick is a pioneer in managing grasslands to remove carbon from the atmosphere and hold it in the soil. He cofounded the Marin Carbon Project to demonstrate and promote agricultural practices that improve soil health and lessen climate change. Increasing soil carbon automatically increases soil water-holding capacity, plant production, and overall ecosystem function. Six years of peer-reviewed and published research support the methods used in Marin to manage working landscapes that produce healthy food and durable fiber while enhancing soil carbon and fostering high biodiversity and thriving native plant communities.
Plant materials (cellulose, starches and sugars) are carbohydrates; all of the carbon in carbohydrates comes from air. Common agricultural practices—including driving a tractor, tilling the soil and waste management—result in the return of CO2 to the air and a net loss in production. As much as one-third of the surplus CO2 in the atmosphere today is carbon lost from agricultural lands.
Co-Sponsors: CNPS Yerba Buena & Milo Baker Chapters
Contact: Jake Sigg jakesigg@earthlink.net
Directions: Follow the signs from 4499 Nicasio Valley Drive to 250 Road to the Ranches, Nicasio.