Green Wednesday: Introducing the Green Library
Today we’re doing something a little different with Green Wednesday.
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“Until now, those stories lived scattered across our archive, easy to miss and hard to find again.” — Napa Valley Features
Introducing the Green Library
Since Napa Valley Features launched in 2023, we’ve published hundreds of stories about the gardens, wildlife, watersheds and climate of Napa County — most recently through our weekly Green Wednesday series with the UC Master Gardeners of Napa County and our environmental contributors. Until now, those stories lived scattered across our archive, easy to miss and hard to find again.
Today that changes. We’re opening the Green Library at NapaServe.org — a growin permanent home for our environmental coverage that you can actually explore. Slide through it by subject, from Climate to Garden to Wildlife. Search it by keyword, whether you’re hunting for a piece on drought-tolerant natives or the return of the beavers. More than 130 stories are there now, and every Green Wednesday adds more.
Investing in Our Forests: North Bay Forest Improvement Program Opens Soon
By Monique Byro
Grants covering up to 80% of forest-health and wildfire-resilience projects are open to landowners in Napa, Lake, Sonoma and Mendocino counties — but the window is short. The application period runs through Aug. 5, so this is the one to read first if you own forested land. Monique Byro walks through what the program funds, from thinning overgrown areas to removing diseased trees, and how to apply.
“After creating 200 burn piles, the work is complete, and we’re much better protected from future wildfires.”
Read the full story in the Green Library →
Cultivating Biodiversity in the Vineyard: Grgich Hills Estate
By Ben Mackie
At Grgich Hills Estate in American Canyon, vine rows given over to habitat show what a regenerative vineyard can look like. Ben Mackie tours a working landscape where cover crops, owl boxes and diversified plantings turn acres of monoculture into islands of biodiversity — and makes the case that a resilient vineyard looks a lot more like a diversified farm.
“It seems that a truly resilient, regenerative vineyard looks a lot more like a diversified farm than a vineyard.”
Read the full story in the Green Library →
Wildlife Habitat Conservation Finds a New Voice in Napa
By Yvonne Baginski
Napa County is one of California’s top biodiversity hotspots, and a volunteer coalition is building the local movement to keep it that way. Yvonne Baginski introduces the Napa County Wildlife Habitat Conservation Coalition and the surprising abundance — 44 bird species, beavers, river otters and more — that a single habitat survey turned up.
“Our wildlife and native habitats are in peril.”
Read the full story in the Green Library →
The Magic of Fungi in Your Garden
By Lloyd Christopher Jones Jr.
Beneath every healthy garden runs a hidden network of fungi trading water and nutrients with plant roots. Lloyd Christopher Jones Jr. explains arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi — the underground partners that unlock resources your plants can’t reach on their own — and how to cultivate them.
“The soil here stores more carbon than you might think.”
Read the full story in the Green Library →
An Ode to Brassicas
By David Shubin
Kale, cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts are all the same species — the story of how humans turned a single Mediterranean weed into a global pantry. David Shubin traces the improbable family tree of the brassicas and makes the case for growing them in your own Napa garden.
“Once I’ve grown it, I usually like it.”
Read the full story in the Green Library →
Plant a Garden, Connect With the Land
By Gail Pavlosky
A Master Gardener reflects on how song, soil and memory connect the home garden to the land we’ve lost and the land we can still tend. Gail Pavlosky’s piece is the quiet one in the bunch — less how-to, more why.
“Sometimes while I am in the garden, my hands in the soil and the scent of hummingbird sage rising in the Napa sun, a song comes to me.”
Read the full story in the Green Library →
Local Climate Champion Earns Accolades
By Linda Brown
Rep. Mike Thompson has named Napa Climate NOW! co-founder Christina Benz the district’s 2026 Climate Crisis Champion. Linda Brown profiles a lifelong Sierra Club member whose grassroots advocacy has helped shape climate action across the county.
“We have been able to do a lot with a little over the past 20 years.”
Read the full story in the Green Library →
That’s seven stories to start. The Green Library holds more than 130, and it grows every week. Explore the whole collection at NapaServe.org →
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As we continue the mission of Napa Valley Features, we’re also building new tools and community resources that readers can explore at NapaServe.org. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber, renewing your subscription or joining as a founding member.
Explore These Related Articles:
Browse All Napa Valley Features Stories
Browse All Sonoma County Features Stories
Browse All Lake County Features Stories
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The views, opinions and data presented in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position or perspective of Napa Valley Features or its editorial team. Any content provided by our authors is their own and is not intended to malign any group, organization, company or individual.
thank you for this new library