June 2020 Newsletter

Your Friends of Open Space and Vineyards Board of Directors hope you are all staying safe and healthy as we continue to deal with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
 
Special Giving Efforts
During the extraordinary time we are facing, FOV recognizes the impact of COVID-19 in our local communities and  the need to serve in different ways. We are committed to our regular mission to preserve and protect open space and vineyard lands, as circumstances permit. In addition, we are supporting the Las Positas College COVID-19 Giving Initiative (#LPCTogether). This program provides equipment and materials to students who need assistance due to distance learning requirements. The pandemic has impacted our ability to provide our regular scholarships this year for students in the Viticulture and Winery Technology Program at Las Positas College. We believe that that supporting all students in need right now, regardless of program, is critically important.
 We will continue to support our regular scholarship program. We hope to be able to see you at our annual Twilight Tasting at Page Mill Winery in October to raise funds for the students studying Viticulture and Enology at Las Positas College. No one knows yet when tasting rooms will be open, but we will adapt our event to any restrictions in effect at that time so that we can continue to provide scholarships that promote winemaking and viticulture in our region.
 
Call to Action for Tesla Park
The pandemic has stalled efforts to pursue legislation to save Tesla during the current legislative session. Nevertheless, the fight continues. One way you can help is to join the social media campaign to Save Tesla. Our partner, Friends of Tesla Park, has shared easy ways that you can help:
Please re-tweet, follow, share, and post with the hashtag #SaveTeslaPark
on Twitter and SaveTeslaPark on FB.
The Tweets and posts are coming from the Sierra Club's SF Bay Chapter account, @SFBaySierraClub, and the Friends of Tesla Park Twitter account, @tesla_park. Please follow us and share with your circle of contacts with the hashtag #SaveTeslaPark on Twitter and SaveTeslaPark on Facebook. Here is link to a recent #SaveTeslaPark tweet.
NOTE: There may be some OHV user attacks in response to your posts. Please ignore the trolls and do not engage with them. We only want to post positive comments about Tesla.
 
Please help spread the word about Tesla and build support for its preservation.  This will help us gain support when we are able to work with the legislature and governor again.

Support Local Wineries
Our local tasting rooms are still closed due to the pandemic. Please support them if you can. Many wineries are offering curbside pick-up and deliveries, as well as virtual tastings. If the wineries don’t succeed it will affect the long-term stability of the South Livermore Valley Area Plan. For information about what’s available check your favorite wineries’ websites. For a list of options, click here.