We had a great tour at the the Husary Olive Mill and Nursery on October 12th!  Mousa Husary gave us the full tour of his oil processing equipment, most of which was made in Italy and shipped directly here to Graton. He also showed us how he propagates olive trees, and offered for tasting two different olive oils that were pressed on site last year.  By the time we were done, he had walked us through the entire process from starting a baby tree, through caring for an orchard, harvesting fruit, pressing and filtering the oil, and bringing it to the table!

We are lucky in this watershed to have local producers of a variety of organic, quality food! Thank you, Mousa, for being so generous with your time, knowledge - and olive oil!

- Jean Redus, Co-chair, AGVWC Board of Directors

Watershed Council members and friends met in Ragle Park today to share information about the watershed and to learn more about how to support native bees. Our speakers, Carol Ellis and Kelli Cox, of the Sonoma County Beekeepers Association, were generous with their time and knowledge, answering our overflowing questions about honey bees, native bees, native plant landscaping, and on and on. I learned a lot about the different types of native bees, and left feeling energized and inspired.

I also learned how the Sonoma County Beekeepers Association has expanded its original mission to include not only helping people keep honey bees, but also helping to educate people about, and provide habitat for, native bees.

What I like best about our gatherings is meeting new environmental champions for the first time. Their enthusiasm and commitment rub off on me. And the connections keep rippling outward with each new person we meet there. (The coffee and pastries are my other favorite thing!) 

- Jean Redus, Co-chair, AGVWC Board of Directors