Legacy Fund

Welcome to the Dry Creek Valley Legacy Fund!

Natural Resources As members of the Dry Creek Valley Association, we share a common mission. Our mission statement is clear and concise.

The mission of the Association is to protect and enhance the natural resources, rural aspects and agricultural heritage of the Dry Creek Valley and its watershed while safeguarding the interests of the valley's present and future community.

Participation by our membership toward this mission has been outstanding over the past 34 years. The tireless work of so many individuals and families, working on committees, helping with events or serving on the Board, has made a real difference, one we all enjoy today. It is no accident that our Valley remains so rich in all of those things our Association has dedicated itself to protecting.

As you may be aware, our mission, to protect our natural resources and watershed, is in direct conflict with plans to dispose of billions of gallons of Santa Rosa's treated wastewater onto our Valley. We believe these plans to be short sighted and foolish, at best. The "cross hairs" are on our Valley due to powerful forces. These include a need by Santa Rosa to dispose of its waste and a desire by the Water Agency to substitute this waste water for the pristine fresh water our residents and farmers have always enjoyed. Due to the vast amounts of wastewater planned for disposal each year, our groundwater could quickly become as polluted as the wastewater itself, spoiling our Valley's watershed, for us and for everyone. A pipeline running directly from Lake Sonoma to the Windsor Intakes and several very large production wells will complete their plans to take all of the fresh water and replace it with waste too toxic to legally discharge into the river.

This wastewater threatens our Premium Wine-Based economy. Consumers have choices regarding their wine purchases and wine country visits. Signs warning the hazards of the wastewater, posted in vineyards throughout our valley, could signal the end of our prestigious reputation in wine making. Our vineyards and other agriculture protect our valley from development and without them our mission could be lost.

Integrity is doing what you say you are going to do. Through the years our organization has maintained its integrity and plans to continue in this tradition. In response to these latest challenges to our environment and in an effort to maintain the integrity with respect to our mission, the Board has created The Dry Creek Valley Legacy Fund.

The primary purpose of The Legacy Fund is to provide financial resources in support of the Association's Mission Statement. In years past we have been able to meet this need through smaller fund raising efforts including bake sales, picnic revenue and membership dues. We are so lucky to have several world-class experts in various aspects of environmental science and policy in our membership and that they regularly donate time to work on our behalf. We will continue to draw on this extremely cost effective vehicle for getting our work done. Nevertheless, the tasks ahead of us are far larger than ever before and hence our financial need to support this critical effort is larger than ever.

As a member of the DCVA, you have been participating in our mission in various ways including membership dues, participating in building community (picnic, zin taste off, annual meetings, valley clean up), making donations (scholarship fund, annual auction) and/or serving on committees or the Board. Now you are presented with a key opportunity to participate in a most important way. All DCVA members are being given the opportunity to become Founding Members in the Legacy Fund. Our Founding Members will lay the foundation for a major fund raising effort that will continue and will extend far beyond the Valley. These initial funds will allow us to begin, immediately, the necessary scientific studies and to prepare responses to regulatory and county agencies that are critical to our success. These initial funds will also be used to help us organize additional fund raising events and activities aimed at reaching all those who enjoy our Valley.

We believe that the Dry Creek Valley is a Jewel, to be cherished by its residents, but also by all who come and experience what the residents enjoy every day. Just as national parks are set aside and preserved as treasures, the Dry Creek Valley needs protection and deserves preservation. As good stewards of this land, our mission will benefit both present and future generations; this is a legacy to be proud of. Please consider joining us in becoming a Founding Member of the Legacy Fund; this is a great opportunity to support the mission we have joined into together.

A copy of this letter is being mailed to each member, including all residents and businesses in the Valley. We have included with this letter, a Dry Creek Valley Legacy Fund Pledge Card, specifically for our Founding Members. The card has instructions as to how it is to be used. We understand that financial resources vary greatly among our membership. For this reason, we have provided several different levels at which you may participate. Once every resident has been given ample opportunity to contribute during this initial period, we will close out our Founders Membership and begin our general fund raising efforts. Our goal is to reach the $200,000 level within six months before expanding the effort beyond our residents, the Founders.

Without our Founding Members there will be no Legacy Fund; it is up to us to lay this foundation. The first step is to make your pledge and from these initial pledges we will build this fund. The resources of our opponents are large. They are well armed with scientists, engineers, consultants, and lawyers. To succeed we need to be equally resourced. Our mission encompasses far more than this one issue and our hope is that the Legacy Fund will continue to safeguard our wide-ranging interests into the future.

We realize that you may have questions regarding the Legacy Fund and the best way for you to participate. Please bring your questions to the Chair of the Legacy Fund Committee, Richard Kagel. He is best reached at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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