We all experienced the extreme weather the last few weeks. Whether you liked it or not, it was a very wet few days! The rain brought many uprooted plants and displaced soil all around the county. One of the ways we help control the eroding soil is by using straw wattle. Straw what? Yes, you read correctly, straw wattle. These straw tubes are man made cylinders of compressed weed free straw 8-12 inches in diameter and 20-25 feet long. They are installed in a shallow trench forming a continuous barrier along the slope to incept water running down a slope. Their main purpose is to increase infiltration, add roughness, reduce erosion, and help retain eroded soil on the slope.

This year to celebrate the holidays & get a little break, we booked a company retreat up to Santa Barbara with our corporate officers & families. We stayed at the Spanish Garden Inn close to state street and spent our weekend touring the city, going to the zoo, and spending quality time together eating good food. :) It was a short and sweet trip, but just what we needed to start 2017!

Why not make learning fun? To end this year with a bang, we had a taco party complete with a raffle and prizes for our employees. We came up with questions that pertained to our policies and safety plans and correct answers were rewarded with prizes ranging from "Beats By Dr. Dre" headphones to gift cards to food, gas, and restaurants, to apparel, including jackets, shirts & hats! It was a fun way to end the year with some brush up learning and bring in 2017 with a bang!