NEW! Napa River Cruises - Raising Funds for Friends!

 

EVENING CRUISES ON THE NAPA RIVER:

Join us for an evening cruise along the beautiful Napa River. This two-hour guided cruise aboard a luxurious electric-motor launch will cruise through downtown Napa and the surrounding wetlands. See first-hand the exciting developments of the Flood Control Project that is not only solving our periodic flooding problems, but also is creating over 600 acres of protected restored wetlands. The largest project of its kind in the United States, the Flood Control Project is rewriting the textbooks on riparian habitat in downtown and urban environments. Many of the positive aspects of this project are due to the hard work and dedication of the Friends of the Napa River. Cost is $50 per person and proceeds benefit the Friends of the Napa River General Fund. Space is limited, so reserve your seat now. Call (707) 224-9080, or email Kevin@napariveradventures.com. DATES: July 19, 6-8 pm, Main Street Dock, AND october 20, 4-6 pm, Kennedy Park.



LANDSCAPE AND NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY CLASSES WITH LOWELL DOWNEY

Join award-winning photographer Lowell Downey on the Napa River and on the lakes of Napa County. Catch the rising sun, expand your vision, and journey on Napa River Adventures’ electric boat and learn to photograph the living beauty surrounding us. Space is limited to ten people per class. Cost is $80.00 per student. Bring your camera, digital or film. DATES: May 10, June 9, September 19, October 31. E-mail artclarity@aol.com, or call (707) 257-1166 for reservations and additional details.



SKAGGS ISLAND CRUISE

Join us on a two-hour guided cruise around Skaggs Island. Skaggs Island generally is closed to visitors as work continues to ready a 3300-acre portion of the island for transfer from the U.S. Navy to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge. A wide variety of buteos, including Red-tailed, Red-shouldered, Ferruginous, and Rough-legged Hawks (and even a Merlin), as well as Peregrine and Prairie Falcons, and Golden Eagles, call this protected area home. DATES: April 26, May 10, June 7, July 28, August 23, September 19, and October 18.

HUDEMAN SLOUGH CRUISE

While agriculture is the predominant land use along the Skaggs Island route, Hudeman Slough gives way to a very different North Bay wetland use. The former Cargill salt evaporators, now part of the vast 28,000-acre Napa-Sonoma Marshes Wildlife Area, are adjacent to the dikes through which this slough meanders. Also visible as the slough winds its way to the Napa River are the remains of old duck hunters’ accommodations. The spectacular scenery of distant vistas is the only reminder that you are so near the Napa and Sonoma Valleys - and not far from the greater Bay Area. As you ride low on the water, surrounded by tall stands of wetland vegetation, the world vanishes from view and you are transported to an earlier era. DATES: April 26, May 10, June 7, July 28, August 23, September 19, and October 18.

Your guide for both cruises will be Myrna Hayes, a well-known local guide and wetland advocate for Northern California. Myrna has an intense passion for the San Pablo Bay and its baylands, both agricultural and natural, the Carneros winegrowing region, the Carquinez Strait, and Mare Island. She is the co-founder and coordinator of the popular San Francisco Bay Flyway Festival that is held each January when migratory shorebird and waterfowl visits are at their peak. The cost for each of the above cruises is $75 per person and includes guided tour and wine tasting at Bouchaine Winery. Space is limited. For reservations call Myrna Hayes at (707) 557-9816, or e-mail her at: myrnahay@pacbell.net.

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