The creation and preservation of Napa Valley's cultural landscape

Located northeast of San Francisco, Napa Valley today is a world renowned wine region. The valley has undergone a unique development process that has preserved its agricultural landscape and way of life at a time of increased urban sprawl. The creation of the first Agricultural Preserve in the United States in the late 1960s was vital to this effort. Now, due in large part to its agricultural protections, Napa Valley attracts millions of tourists a year. This rapid increase in tourism has generated large amounts of income for the valley, yet has also threatened the valley's highly recognizable and unique cultural landscape through traffic congestion and added pressure to develop vacation housing, resorts, and lavish wineries. Currently, efforts are being made in Napa County to make tourism more sustainable and to mitigate its negative impacts. A non-profit group is working with the County to develop a 44-mile bicycle and pedestrian trail running the length of the valley to allow tourists and locals to experience the valley outside the confines of an automobile. The trail will also feature an interpretative program to educate users about the physical geography and agricultural practices of Napa Valley. However, the educational program should also work to interpret the cultural landscape and create the much sought after idea of 'sense of place'. An interpretative trail will increase awareness and appreciation of Napa Valley's heritage and culture for both residents and visitors thereby creating a public that is more likely to fight for future landscape protections and preservation planning.