[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15691]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING THE RUTHERFORD DUST SOCIETY OF NAPA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 14, 2010

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
Rutherford Dust Society. They are being recognized by the Friends of 
the Napa River this evening for their sterling work to restore the Napa 
River in the Rutherford area.
  The Rutherford Dust Society was founded in 1994 by growers and 
vintners in tribute to the legacy of our grape growing and winemaking 
forebears. In 2002, the Society's board voted to empower a subcommittee 
to be known as the Rutherford Dust Restoration Team (RDRT). The 
Restoration Team, chaired by Davie Pina, was tasked with initiating a 
plan to manage and restore the Napa River. Among other objectives, RDRT 
focuses on reducing sediment loading into the river downstream; 
restoring habitat for salmonids and other aquatic species; restoring a 
continuous corridor of riparian habitat for birds and wildlife; 
replacing invasive plants with native species; and engaging landowners 
in the process to maintain regulatory compliance.
  After seven years of hard work and planning, the RDRT broke ground on 
phase 1 of its restoration project, which will rehabilitate over four 
miles of the river. RDRT is a pioneering project in that it is one of 
the few comprehensive reach-scale restoration projects in the region to 
move beyond just planning into on-the-ground implementation. This rare 
achievement would not have been possible without the leadership of Mr. 
Pina and the Dust Society's board.
  Madam Speaker, it is appropriate at this time that we thank everyone 
involved with the Rutherford Dust Society for the example they set as 
consummate stewards of the land. We wish them the best of luck on their 
continued efforts to improve our environment for agriculture and the 
community.

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