Book by adam galles

Grapes Of Ash Adam Galles

Grapes Of Ash Adam Galles

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or my family, my Grandpa and Grandma who have inspired me to do this project and to my parents who always support me.

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huge thanks to Freestyle Academy for helping me create this project and my Grandparents and Jose Hernandez for giving me good information and helping me learn about this topic. A special thanks to Mr. Greco for also helping me through the process and always being available to help me out.

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Table Of Contents

Spark

Droplet Introduction

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Works Cited Conclusion Action

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Southeast Vineyard Entrance

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Preface W

hen I started researching what I wanted to do for this project I was a little overwhelmed at first. We had to find a researchable documentary topic that was local and that we were passionate about. Knowing that this decision would decide my work for the next few months it had me a little nervous. I had realized that even though my location was considered a hub for technology, most of the things that I would enjoy documenting were either too far away or too corporate. After searching around for a good local topic, my parents suggested the idea that I do it on my grandparents’ vineyard, which I believed to be a great idea. After a few emails and a breakfast in Livermore, they agreed to help me with the project. Working on this project with my grandparents and experiencing their farming lifestyle has been a new and calming experience. The Vineyard, being forty minutes away, made it a little difficult to get to on the weekdays, so finding good time on the weekends was a challenge. Although the process was not as artistic as I would have preferred, being more out in nature and also enjoying the beauty of the Vineyard was a good step back from my normal technological buzz. The writing and documenting process could be slow at times and the project could feel monotonous and repetitive, it still gave me a new perspective and appreciation for not only the vintners but also the farming industry as a whole.

Welcome Sign in Winery

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Introduction

Up a hill from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is a small, five-acre plot of land owned by Linda and Harry Galles. In 2000, Harry and Linda decided to embark on an American adventure, developing their land into a commercial farm. Grape vines line up and down the hill, with a house on the north eastern side and a small complex used for maintaining the grapes, making up the Galles’ everyday lives and jobs. To get the vineyard started Harry and Linda contracted Wente Vineyards to convert the land that was once a horse ranch into a vineyard. Workers tore down all previous infrastructure, churning the dirt and putting in all the required irrigation and posts for the plants to flourish. The Galles’ had to carefully consider which root stock to plant. Every little factor from now on would affect their grape production and outcome. Settling on a Cabernet Clone 7, the plants were transplanted in November 2000. From then on the vines were carefully nurtured for two years, only starting to produce a substantial crop four years later. According to The San Jose Mercury News, whilst being in this humble setting, “Linda Galles... is quietly growing some of California’s most prized grapes, including Cabernet Sauvignon, and it is possible that the buzz 10

worthy wines made from their fruit finally will land the Livermore Valley and its 50 wineries back on the global wine map”(Yadegaran). Small vineyards like this grow grapes to be bought by larger wine makers, and used to make some of Livermore’s most exquisite wine. Every factor, from weather and pests to pruning and harvest, affects the wine they create. Linda Galles explains, “the vineyard is my garden and I treat it as such.”

Linda and Harry Galles take great pride and joy in their vineyard. Whether it is wine or wheat, the feeling of farmers is the same. This small Vineyard in Livermore Valley is a representation of other farms throughout California. Facing drought, pests, and fires while constantly keeping up with production are challenges farmers have to face in maintaining crops and livestock.

This small snapshot of California provides a much broader view of the rest of the people working diligently on our nation’s farms, providing an accurate view of common problems many farmers face and also trying to figure out possible solutions. This alludes to the much larger problem of the sustainability of farms decreasing constantly.

Droplet

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00, California has been no stranger to droughts. The two most recent droughts, during 2007 - 2009 and 2011 - 2017, caused the vineyard to see some hard times. For every year there is a drought, the total amount of grapes produced declines significantly, with a total of 6,000 - 8,000 dollars lost per year of drought (H. Galles). To put it into perspective, when the vineyard is moving smoothly, it is able to produce around 8 tons of grapes. On their best season they were able to hit a record peak of 10 ½ tons of grapes, but during the drought, production fell to 3-5 tons. Although Harry and Linda have avoided major financial issues, it is a considerable part of their income lost. Throughout the seasons, microclimates and pests constantly change, but these variations can be dealt with. Unlike more controllable problems, Linda states that, “weather is probably the only thing we can’t control.”

California has amazingly been able to withstand the current drought, in a statistic from pacinst.org, production only wavering 1.4% after the start of the latest drought. Even though this may be a good thing for California’s production, the long term effect of drought can be worrisome. The way that farmers maintain a stable water income for their crop is to drill wells and use underground water, which is a limited source. Soon farmers are going to have to find a better and more permanent way to get water. In the past decade two major droughts have swept through California, and with it being the #1 agricultural producer in the U.S., even a 1.4% loss in production translates to 480 million dollars out of the production report by pacinst.org. Drought in California has proven to be a problem, but after withstanding drought, many are able to build up resiliency. Although there are some communities and ecosystems that will have lasting damage done, improvements in water conservation and techniques can minimize the impact of drought. Recent trends from drought.gov show improvement from previous years, but also forewarns that we may be facing more drought in the years ahead. We can never tell exactly when drought will strike, but we can still prepare for it.

With drought in California being so frequent it can draw our attention from the complete opposite problem, mudslides and floods, which dramatically affect farms and the agricultural economy as a whole. In 2017 the end of the drought also brought along a substantial amount of water. Digging out beets, carrots, and lettuce from mud and water can be extremely difficult and nearly impossible if all the surrounding land is also flooded.

“The Vineyard is my garden and I will treat it as such.”

- Linda Galles Left: Full view of Vineyard from the Northwest

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Spark “Well it’s terrible when it (fire) goes through Santa Rosa and burns houses, but fires in general in the mountains or on prairie lands and just about anywhere... I don’t think that they are harmful, they do more good than bad” - Linda Galles

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iving in the dry hills of Livermore comes with more problems besides drought. In 2013, a wildfire threatened to destroy the Galles Vineyard. Only two properties away, past a dry creek and across a road, someone had the convenient idea to mow tall dry grass on a very hot day. It didn’t take long for the blade of the mower to catch the edge of a stone and shower the dry grass with sparks. Soon, an inferno was blazing, and the fire department and Cal Fire were on their way. The fire snaked across the road and between two houses, barely missing three different agricultural structures and animal pens. On a 95 degree day it didn’t take long for the heat and wind to blow the fire very quickly up tall grass fields and dangerously close to the vineyard. No homes were burnt, but the fire approached a line of Eucalyptus trees along the South border of the vineyard. Bulldozers were desperately trying to clear away grass and control the fire so it didn’t get to out of hand. Then, to make sure the highly-flammable trees did not make the situation worse, Cal Fire used two planes to drop fire retardant and one helicopter to drop water on the blaze.

The orange dust was cascaded from the plane and down onto the edges of the fire to try and contain the spread. The small defence that the vineyard had against the fire was the drip system that was running at the time to wet the ground. Even though it didn’t do much more than wet the leaves to prevent the fire from spreading, any contribution to fighting the fire would help. By the end of the fight, with multiple helicopter drops, plane runs, and bulldozers trying to contain it, the fire burned 35 acres. The only real damage was the olive orchard down the hill, most of it had been consumed by the inferno. Luckily, the vineyard was not touched and nobody was hurt.

However, another problem arose shortly after: the retardant that had been dropped by the planes covered 15% of the plants, completely coating the leaves. Soon the grapes on these plants were completely destroyed, the retardant had caused all of the water within them to disappear. The plants were able to recover eventually, but remain unharvested for two years. The Galles’ were well-prepared for this event, and although they were impacted by it, the vineyard was able to recover quickly and get back to full production.

Fires in California are not an uncommon occurrence, and any

sized business, small or large, are potentially vulnerable. Even if a business survives, its income is not only affected for the first year, but for years to come, due to lesser production. Wildfires threaten vineyards, farms, and much of California’s rural population. Because of how spontaneous fires are, if they are able to start and quickly grow, they will be able to devastate a small business or family. With the overhanging threat of fire for everyone, it is important to prepare and act responsibly.

Major fires can also have a large impact on the local economy and community: if multiple vineyards burn down in a fire, it could affect the vineyard association as a whole and production could be halted for multiple years. According to the Napa Valley Vintners Association, “Napa Valley contributes more than $13 billion to the local economy and more than $50 billion to the national economy annually.”

Even though fire is a natural occurrence, it is rather hard to say that fires are not harmful to certain businesses. In the specific event of the fire in the small Galles Vineyard, their income was affected for 2 years. The retardant used to drop onto the vineyard can actually be used as a fertilizer, which ended up growing perfectly healthy plants. They were lucky to get away without the fire running rampant through their vineyard and home, although the olive orchard down the hill was not so lucky. The fire was able to sweep through it and because of the extensive amount of damage, the olive orchard was completely removed and changed back into a farm. In an article on Forbes.com they list several ways fires can harm vineyards: “Burning the actual vineyard… contaminating grapes with smoke… and destroying vintages, tasting rooms”(“How Will The Napa Fires Impact The Napa Valley Wine Industry?”).

Some argue that because of new first action responses and new technology, fires are not as much of a problem and we should focus on other issues, such as drought. However, drought is a problem that shouldn’t take our view off of fires. The Napa and Sonoma Valley fires just recently proved that fires are still a major issue in California. Technology can not completely save us from fire, or even be 100% effective at deterring them. Fires will always be a problem in the dry hills and grasslands of California.

There is always the constant threat of fire but being prepared and having the right countermeasures in place can determine how extreme of an outcome fires can have. In the case of this small vineyard a very similar story can be told of farmers and homes throughout California.

As described by Linda Galles, you have to be calm because there is nothing you can do once the fire is raging. The Galles’ were optimistic that they were not going to affected because they had a fire break, and they could also know what they needed to do in case of an evacuation.

Fire should be a top priority in California because of its immediate destruction and also the possibility of long term loss. In order to be prepared in any environment, A plan B is critical to have in place, just in case plan A burns down.

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Action

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ith the cost of living increasing for farmers and more problems arising towards their crop, it has been harder for farmers to address these problems in a satisfactory way. According to the California Farm Water Coalition, “UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences reported net farm profits were down 11% due to higher overall costs on farms, despite rising overall farm income.” Many farmers rely on seasonal rains to provide for their crop to produce a good yield. Due to the drought and not having easy access to cheap water, the ground reserves that many have been relying on are being used up. Groundwater is not a sustainable source due to the constant drought that California faces. With surprisingly fast rising rates for water in California farmers face the problem of getting less and less profit from their crop. Eighty percent of California’s water goes towards agriculture, and maintaining a stable irrigation system can prove troublesome. Jose Hernandez, an advisor of Linda Galles and a professional vinter, states, “People forget that farmers make the food… and it is getting more expensive to survive.” Jose explained that people are not aware of the problems farmers face because when they go outside they can see rain, and have easy access to drinking water, but don’t realize that when it comes to farming it is completely different. If water costs keep rising and the cost of living for farmers also keeps rising, they will be pressured into farming fewer acres, which will make California’s agricultural output significantly less diverse.

Just like the cost of water is rising the cost of fires have also increased dramatically. On December 6th, the Daily News had reported that Cal Fire had totaled their expenses at 490.3 million dollars which greatly exceeds their budget of 426.9 million dollars. In 2017 wildfires in California within the month of October alone burned 5,300 homes and killed 42 people, by December over a million acres had been burnt by the fires.

The most destructive fire in California history was in 2017, the Thomas fire, burning a grand total of 281,893 acres. When a fire completely destroys any farm it poses a problem for the local economy and can significantly impact the family. All income is lost, and to rebuild the farm it would take a substantial amount of money to replace infrastructure and replant. Although ash and the remains of a fire can be a good fertilizer, there is still a significant problem. There is an immediate financial issue, but if this can be overcome, the farm can then prosper with the ideal fertilizer and conditions.

Farmers understand that fires are a part of the natural cycle. In the case of a vineyard, if a fire were only to scorch the vines or burn them down to the root, the plants can still regrow as long as the roots are still alive.

Left: NorthWest Fence of Vineyard

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Another major factor when considering fires, specifically in vineyards, is the side effects of smoke. Smoke can come billowing out of a fire and affect a wide range of crops, but post fires effect can mean a wide range of both bad and good effects for vinters. When a grape vine is affected by smoke, two significant effects can happen.

One of them is that the grapes can turn black. This is not favorable because at this point it can darken the wine and make it unappetising; the grape’s skin color has a heavy effect on the look and quality of the wine. Another effect that smoke has on grapes is that it can change the taste. In the case of some specific grape growers, this can be seen as a positive thing and some even try to smoke the grapes themselves. Wine can have the distinct taste of smoke, and it can even be a feature of its tasting profile. Some winemakers buy barrels, costing them hundreds of dollars per barrel, to get a specific smoked taste out of their wine. If a grape grower has their crop affected by fire, they can still sell it to a wine maker that wants a more smoked wine.

Fire is used as a tool to change the way the flavor of grapes can taste, but it can also be used as an effective weeder. A common strategy that farmers use is controlled burns. A convenient example is the 260 acre patch of land that borders the Galles Vineyards. The growers there create large amounts of Red Oat Hay. To eradicate any large growth of an unwanted weed or to fertilize the soil they use controlled burns in designated areas to help the land clear and regrow.

It is clear that fire has many uses and also many complications. Although it can be used for controlled burns and exquisite tastes, the destructive problem remains. The cost to stop a fire before it happens is much less than the cost of putting one out, especially when lives could be on the line.

“I wish more people were aware of what we’re doing in the farming epartment... It is getting more expensive to survive.”

- Jose Hernandez

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Problematic Planning C

alifornians have to be wary of the dry climate, regardless of the situation. Even though we are used to dry weather we have to be more prepared for the problems that come along with it such as drought and fire. Even when California is having plentiful rain we have to be careful to not become complacent and ignore problems that come with large amounts of water.

There are many solutions to the various problems that California has, and although many have been proposed and even put into place, more needs to be done to lessen the amount of damage a disaster can do. One problem is that the regulations on fire are different and safer in cities compared to rural areas, even though rural areas have an even higher chance of being affected from fires. Steve Pyne, a Historian and Life Sciences Professor at School of Life and Sciences at Arizona State University, explains, “Seeing fire in Santa Rosa is like watching a plague return because people decided to dispense with public hygiene and vaccines.” These zones should have the same codes when it comes to dealing with not only fire but also various other issues. This might be straightforward on the city front but can get a little hazy when dealing with nature. One perspective towards fire is that it should not be contained, only controlled when it threatens people and homes. Linda Galles concludes, “I don’t I think fires are a problem. Well, when it goes through Santa Rosa and burns houses it is, but fires, in general, in the mountains, on prairie lands and just about anywhere – I don’t think that are harmful. They do more good than bad.”

This view is optimistic and it is true that fire can have a positive outcome on forest lands and nature, fire in residential and populated areas are still a major problem. Fire is a natural process and, frankly, to stop it from ravaging the countryside and getting too close to people, you need to be able to control where it can go once it starts. The easiest solution would be deforestation and concrete, replacing nature with industrial barriers against fire. Although it is a solution, the resources required and also the destruction of natural land is not acceptable.

A better solution would be through controlled burns. Instead of leaving it up to nature to burn down everything there can be regular surface burns in high risk areas. This would help the spread of fire into populated areas.

Another way to get around this issue is to have regular grazing with livestock and herd animals to cut down the 24

sheer amount of dry vegetation and instead use it for an agriculturally productive reason.

Controlled burns and grazing are good examples of possible solutions that we need to improve California’s wildfire threat. We don’t just need better fire engines or more people to help attack fires. Firefighters help after the fire has started, they are neither cost efficient nor are they working to help protect the environment.

California has taken some good steps towards fire prevention and making sure that what happened in 2017 does not happen again, but there still needs to be a more sustainable and efficient solution. Due to the abnormal amount of fire and drought in California, state legislatures need to work together with farmers and firefighters to combat this problem to make California a safer and more sustainable place for farms and livestock.

Farms can be the farmer’s pride and joy, and even help keep a families economical situation afloat. In the case of their vineyards, which have been struck by many of these constant issues, the Galles’ have been able to stay resilient and prosper despite the difficulties. California is a plentiful and fertile area for crops and farms. While there are many problems that need to be addressed, it remains a beautiful and ideal location to live in.

Galles Plaque in Winery

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Works Cited Downey, David. “California Keeps Going over Budget as Costs of Fighting Wildfires

Continue to Increase.” Daily News, Daily News, 9 Dec. 2017, www.dailynews.com/2017/12/07/rising-

/. Accessed: 15 Mar. 2018.

“FIRE & DROUGHT IN CALIFORNIA.” Fire & Drought in California, UC Berkeley School of

Information, people.ischool.berkeley.edu/~cameron/infoviz2014/fire_and_drought/.

Galles Harry. Personal Interview. 12 March 2017.

Galles Linda. Personal Interview. 11 February 2018.

Galles Linda. Personal Interview (Follow Up) 25 March, 2018 Hernandez, Jose. Personal Interview. 25 March 2018.

“Impacts of California’s Ongoing Drought: Agriculture.” Pacific Institute, 26 Aug. 2016,

pacinst.org/publication/impacts-of-californias-ongoing-drought-agriculture/. Accessed: 22 Mar. 2018.

LaVito, Angelica. “California Wildfires Threaten Napa and Sonoma Wineries and

Vineyards.”CNBC, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2017,

www.cnbc.com/2017/10/09/california-wildfires-threaten-napa-valley-and-sonoma-winerEs-and-vineyards.

html. Accessed: 30 Mar. 2018.

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Pyne, Steve. “Bulldozing Forests Isn’t the Answer to Controlling California’s Wildfires. Here’s

What Is.” Fortune, Steve Pyne, 11 Oct. 2017, fortune.com/2017/10/11/wildfires-in-california/.

Accessed: 30 Mar. 2018.

Quora. “How Will The Napa Fires Impact The Napa Valley Wine Industry?” Forbes, Forbes

Magazine, 25 Oct. 2017, www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2017/10/25/how-will-the-napa-fires-impact-the-

napa-valley-wine-industry/#2e11fd445985. Accessed: 9 April 2018.

“Rising Water Prices Hurt Our Farms and Communities.” California Farm Water Coalition,

California Farm Water Coalition,

www.farmwater.org/farm-water-news/rising-water-prices-hurt-farms-communities/. Accessed: 10 April.

2018.

Yadegaran, Jessica. “Three Livermore Valley Vineyards May Hold the Key to the Region’s

Future Success.” The Mercury News, The Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2016,

www.mercurynews.com/2013/03/15/three-livermore-valley-vineyards-may-hold-the-key-to-the-regions-

future-success/. Accessed: 10 April. 2018.

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About the Author Adam Galles is a student pursuing Animation and Game Design at Freestyle Academy.

He frequently plays soccer and swims for fun but also loves to play video games. In his free time he likes to read and write to fill up his creative landscape while also exploring drawing and photography. After taking a breather outside he will frequently see how he can change photos and create something new with his mind. Adam enjoys traveling and being able to view the world and the mysteries it has to offer. On most holidays and every few weekends he will visit his grandparents vineyard in Livermore California to relax and spend time with family. He wishes to one day be able to design characters and animate influential stories of his own to inspire others.

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Grapes Of Ash Adam Galles