Instead of making the land purchases in its own name, Harvard is using a wholly owned subsidiary—named Brodiaea after the scientific name for the cluster lily —to buy vineyards. Harvard created Brodiaea in 2012, and by 2015 the unit had already purchased 10,000 acres in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties for about $60 million, according to an earlier report by Reuters.
Earlier this year, the Harvard Crimson reported that Brodiaea had continued to buy up land in the area, especially vineyards with good access to ground water. Unlike many California vineyards, the ones owned by Harvard don’t welcome tourists to tastings but instead feature “no trespassing signs” on the properties, the Wall Street Journal said on Monday.
California’s central coast has, like much of the state’s farming region, suffered a long and serious drought since 2011. The drought has led many farms and vineyards to draw from ancient aquifers, making land rights to their underground water an increasingly precious resource. According to UC Berkeley’s California magazine, more than 100 water basins throughout the state have reached critical levels of overdraft.
While some local farmers say they aren’t worried about Harvard’s purchases of vineyards, others—as well as some local politicians—are expressing concern that […]
Full article: Harvard’s $39B Endowment Is Reportedly Buying Up California’s Vineyards—and Their Water Rights
How a private water company brought lead to Pittsburgh’s taps
Watergrabbing — A Story of Water
Hirst decision protects salmon and water rights for farmers, tribes
Baltimore first large U.S. city to ban water privatization
U.S. Forest Service firefighters in the Angeles National Forest burn piles of forest debris below…
New hub will connect communities with resources and funding available through President Biden’s Investing in…
Sea spray rereleases large amounts of PFAS from the ocean into the atmosphere. Credit: Pexels/Jess Loiterton…
(LtoR) Katie Kim, Fisher Parry and Kira Anderson with the Southern Nevada Water Authority's Youth…
A container ship navigates through the Miraflores locks of the Panama Canal on Nov. 3. Drought…
Private investors are poised to profit from water scarcity in the west. Photograph: Rich Pedroncelli/AP Bill…