[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 62 (Tuesday, April 17, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E480-E481]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NAPA VALLEY AGRICULTURAL PRESERVE

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                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 17, 2018

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate 
the 50th anniversary of the Napa Valley Agricultural Preserve.
  In 1968, the Napa Board of Supervisors passed a zoning ordinance to 
preserve open space and prevent future over-development by creating the 
Napa Valley Agricultural Preserve, the first agricultural preserve in 
the United States. The ordinance established agriculture and open space 
as the best use of the land in the valley and foothill areas of Napa 
County.
  Originally the ordinance protected 26,000 acres of land and today the 
preserve includes

[[Page E481]]

31,609 acres. The Napa Valley Agricultural Preserve has been a vital 
component to the health of Californian agriculture and has lead the way 
in agricultural protection and preservation in California for the past 
half century. As we continue our efforts to preserve the Napa Valley, 
property owners have voluntarily placed their land into conservation 
easements to ensure the acreage remains rural through the preserve.
  The ordinance was written to monitor development and ensure that the 
natural landscape would be protected and that the environment would be 
utilized in a mutually beneficial way for residents, farmers and 
developers. The protection from rapid urbanization has enabled 
agriculture to flourish in the 21st century and has allowed Napa to 
remain the premier county for California wine growers.
  The preserve has ensured the long-term conservation of Napa County's 
agricultural legacy and its future as an essential agricultural region 
in the United States. Because of the preserve the region will continue 
to be the ideal location for producing wine grapes and other types of 
agriculture.
  Mr. Speaker, Napa Valley Agricultural Preserve is crucial to the 
preservation of the agricultural output of Napa County and all of 
Northern California. It is therefore fitting and proper that we honor 
its 50th anniversary.

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