We were proud to present this year’s inaugural First Leaf award to Tom Aspitarte of Martha’s Vineyard of Skamania County for their exceptional first year efforts.
Martha’s Vineyard of Skamania County is a lovely two-acre site on a 20-acre farm along the Washougal River with 16 acres of ecological infrastructure including a beautiful riparian area and woodlands.
During his first year in the LIVE program, Tom asked many questions, engaged in the inspection process cheerfully, and submitted his report to healthily earn his certification in 2024.
He offered his site as an open inspection for his region’s winegrowers, including one Southwest Washington grower who also just got certified for the first time in 2024. He has offered to showcase this work at the region’s Savor tasting event and continues to promote it to his fellow growers.
Thank you Tom and team for your exemplary work.
Biodiversity-Focused Academic Poster Session
This year's biodiversity-focused was curated by Dr. Eleanor Gaines, Director of the Oregon Biodiversity Information Center at Portland State University within the Oregon State University’s Institute for Natural Resources.