$25,000 Challenge Grant to Support Napa Open Space District
Napa, Calif., Tuesday, February 21, 2017--For 50 years Warren Winiarski has championed open space and agriculture preservation in Napa Valley. On Thursday, February 23rd at the 10th Anniversary celebration of the Napa Open Space District, Mr. Winiarski will announce his donation of a $25,000 challenge grant to the Napa Open Space District to expand outdoor education,volunteer involvement and public outreach, thereby broadening community support for open space preservation.
In November 2016, Measure Z narrowly lost by less than 2%, with 64.7% of voters supporting its proposed funding for parks and open space restoration and preservation. Among the most vocal supporters was Mr. Winiarski, a longtime Napa resident and open space advocate, who donated $50,000 toward the Measure Z campaign. Mr. Winiarski is among the original promoters of the Napa Ag Preserve passed in 1968, Measure J in 1990 and its extension Measure P in 2008, Measure I in 2006 and Measure Z this past year.
"A financial model to ensure the longevity and success of Napa County's open space for future generations and the health of our beautiful Napa Valley is so important. With this challenge grant, I want to promote education and outreach to our community to raise awareness of the good work being done by the Napa Open Space District, and the critical need for funding to protect the environmental quality of life that makes the Napa Valley so special," said Mr. Winiarski. "Our legacy as a community today is to provide a sustainable method for preservation. I am proud to support our open space and to continue the work I began 50 years ago when I moved to Napa Valley."
"Warren has been a terrific partner in supporting our work to preserve Napa County’s open space resources," said John Woodbury, General Manager, Napa Open Space District. “The Board of Directors is committed to redoubling its efforts to reach out to the community this District is here to serve. We hope Warren’s challenge grant will encourage others to also step up and enable us to launch a greatly expanded effort.“
From Ag to Z, Mr. Winiarski has devoted time, energy and invested his personal finances into the success of these campaigns spanning 50 years in Napa Valley. Mr. Winiarski came to Napa Valley in 1964 as an apprentice winemaker and quickly recognized the importance of the unique environment of Napa terroir to the success of its wines. The enormous efforts behind the historic legislation of the Ag Preserve of 1968 turned into a life-long campaign for Mr. Winiarski to support and sponsor the agricultural and natural preservation of Napa Valley. Since 1990 Mr. Winiarski has donated six conservation easements to the Land Trust of Napa County, protecting almost 200 acres of both vineyard and wild land in perpetuity.
About Warren Winiarski--
Warren Winiarski is a Napa Valley resident, grape grower and philanthropist. His well noted Arcadia Vineyards in the Coombsville AVA of Napa Valley grows Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. He planted his first Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard in 1970 in what is now the Stag's Leap District. A longtime advocate of Napa Valley land preservation, Mr. Winiarski has backed legislation over the past 50 years to protect agricultural and open space for future generations. He has donated six conservation easements to the Land Trust of Napa County, protecting almost 200 acres of wild land and vineyards in perpetuity. He is an avid supporter of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's American wine programs and has established funds to support the UC Davis Library's collections of prominent wine writers' manuscripts and papers. Founder and former proprietor of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Mr. Winiarski is a Napa Valley winemaking icon with a deep legacy commencing when his 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon won the Judgment of Paris in 1976, helping put Napa Valley on the global wine map. He lives with his wife Barbara overlooking the Napa Valley that he loves.
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