pleasant valley

NOPOC’s Drawing to Raise Funds

October 8, 2014 by Seb Frey

Saw-Whet Owl Illustration is the prize for the drawing

The grassroots Aptos organization Neighbors Organized to Protect our Community (NOPOC) is working to raise funds to support their fight against PG&E’s plans to install a series of massive steel power poles through one of the most scenic areas of Santa Cruz County. As part of that effort, they are having a drawing for a stunning piece of original art: an illustration of a Saw-Whet owl.

Any contribution of $25 or more gets you an entry in the drawing; each multiple of $25 gets you an additional entry (e.g. $100 gets you 4 entries). You can donate on-line via PayPal or drop a check in their mail. Click here for more information on the drawing.

NOPOC is very transparent about where the money goes, they have built a web page for that too. Their goal is to raise $45,000 by February 2015. If you’re interested in help preserve a beautiful slice of Aptos for future generations and appreciate fine art, consider making a donation today.

Santa Cruz 115kV Reinforcement Project

October 6, 2014 by Seb Frey

Santa Cruz County residents and concerned citizens have joined collectively in a new grassroots group, Neighbors Organized to Protect Our Community (NOPOC), to voice their issues concerning a proposed power line project. The neighborhood alliance believes the Santa Cruz 115kV Reinforcement Project as proposed by PG&E will have an adverse effect on the surrounding hills, wildlife, livestock, agriculture, and residents within the impacted areas of Day Valley, Aptos, Corralitos, Plesant Valley, and Watsonville.

According to NOPOC, the proposed project will see greater than eighty metal poles, many as tall as 10-story buildings, erected in rural residential neighborhoods. To put in these monumental steel structures, PG&E plans to assemble touchdown pads in an apple orchard and fly heavy cargo helicopters six days per week for 10 hours a day over properties, faculties, and companies for as much as 18 months. The venture could even require the destruction of greater than a hundred and fifty mature trees and the ongoing elimination of vegetation, which can adversely impression the ecosystem and the aesthetics of the area.

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Nicholson Vineyards

April 25, 2014 by Seb Frey

Nicholson Vineyards is Located in idyllic Pleasant Valley. They are a boutique vintner with an exclusive run of just 1,000 cases per year of hand-crafted wines, including Chardonnay, Viognier, Pinor Noir, Syrah, Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon. The wines are excellent – they won three Silver awards at the 2012 California State Fair Wine Competition, the oldest and most renown wine competition in the country.

The winery has four acres of wine grapes, and another four acres of Tuscan olive trees, which they use to produce an olive oil which they also sell.

They are open most Saturdays from noon to 5 PM for wine tastings. They also have a wine club for those who are interested in regularly enjoying their wines.

Tip: The winery can be reserved for special events, so it’s best to check to make sure they’re open if you plan on dropping by on a Saturday.
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