Help Stop Napa Vineyard from Killing Bears for Eating Grapes

Pope Valley, located in the foothills of Napa County, Calif., is home to both famous vineyards and various species of wildlife. Many vineyard operators practice good stewardship of the land, and respect the fact that they are merely guests living in territory that was occupied by wild animals well before human settlers arrived. While these original dwellers - including black bears, coyotes, deer, and wild pigs and turkeys - have been known to eat the vineyards' juicy grapes, most established growers in the wine business simply accept some crop loss as the price of doing business in the animals' natural habitat.

However, not all vineyard operators are sensitive to animals, and some use deadly violence to guard their profits. Whole herds of deer have been killed to protect grapevines, and vineyard owners successfully lobbied to pass a state law in 2005 to add wild turkeys to the list of animals that can be killed to protect their harvest. Most recently, black bears have become the target of at least one vineyard operator. Paul Maroon, who purchased a vineyard in Aetna Springs just six years ago, has already had four bears and two mountain lions officially killed by federal trappers whose salaries are paid by Napa County taxpayers. Flourishing permits issued by the California Department of Fish & Game, the Napa newcomer says the bears destroyed fences surrounding his property, ate his grapevines and threaten his staff's safety. The permits are still effective, and legalize the killing of any bears or mountain lions that damage Maroon's assets in the future.

Leaving fruit open to wild animals with inadequate protection is like "ringing the dinner bell for all the bears in the area" said Chris Malan, executive director of the Napa-based Institute for Conservation, Advocacy Research and Education. Instead of shooting the bears, Maroon could have simply used electrified fencing. Beekeepers commonly use electric fences to keep bears away from honey, so the same strategy would certainly be effective in deterring animals from eating Maroon's prized grapes. Priced at $5,000 to $7,000 a ton, Cabernet grapes like the ones grown at Aetna Springs Vineyards are among the most profitable crops in the world. Maroon is a multi-millionaire, and can undoubtedly afford to spend a few thousand dollars to protect his investment, leaving him no excuse for killing animals who are more entitled to be in Aetna Springs than he is.

What You Can Do:

- The California Department of Fish & Game and the California Resources Agency claim that they want to preserve wildlife, and the black bear population in particular (you can read Fish & Game's official policy at http://www.dfg.ca.gov/hunting/bear/statewidepolicy.html ). Yet the state agencies automatically side with business owners when animals encroach on private property. Please contact officials at these state agencies and politely ask them to revoke Maroon's permit to kill black bears and mountain lions. Be sure to remind them that when top predators are eradicated, prey species become overpopulated and eat even more vegetation, upsetting the delicate balance between flora and fauna within the entire ecosystem. Also urge them to change Statewide Black Bear Policy 2071 to require the construction of electric fences around vineyards before permits are issued to kill category 3 bears (i.e., those that have caused damage to property).

California Department of Fish & Game
Attn: Jim Kellogg, Executive Director of the California Fish & Game Commission
1416 9th Street
Sacramento, 95814

California Resources Agency
Attn: Mike Crisman, Secretary for Resources
1416 9th Street, Suite 1311
Sacramento, 95814

- Click http://ga0.org/campaign/SaveBlackBears to ask your State Representative to revise the depredation permit policy so that vineyards are require to build electric fences before a permit is issued to kill animals. You can also get contact information for your elected officials by clicking http://ga0.org/indefenseofanimals/home.html and entering your zip code, or by calling the Government Information Hotline at (916) 322-9900 and giving the operator your address.

- The Redwood chapter of the Sierra Club is lobbying Sacramento lawmakers to change the permit policy. To find out how you can get involved, call their office in Santa Rosa at (707) 544-7651.

- Contact Paul Maroon at Aetna Springs Vineyard and tell him you will not buy wine made from his grapes until he learns to operate harmoniously with wildlife, as responsible vineyards have done for decades.

Aetna Springs Vineyard
Attn: Paul Maroon
1325 Imola Avenue #508
Napa, CA 94559

- Click http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/12/26/BAGMDGD9711.DTL to read the San Francisco Chronicle article "Wine country casualties: Grape-eating bears killed as vineyards' territory expands." Also write a letter to the editor at letters [at] sfchronicle.com condemning Maroon's behavior and calling for a state law requiring the use of electric fences before the state issues permits to allow the killing wild animals. Be sure to keep your letter under 250 words and include your name and telephone number.