North Bass Island, August 2008

This is North Bass Island, OH. It's postal address is "Isle of St. George", with its own discrete zip code. The US Post Office here is the white house at the upper right corner of the clump of trees to the right of the airstrip.

At one time, the THREE BASS Islands produced more wine and grape juice, than the NAPA valley region, in CALIFORNIA.

Our limestone soil, and environment of more than 200 FROST FREE growing days per year make this area IDEAL for growing grapes.

When the STATE OF OHIO recently purchased most of the property on this ISLAND, THEY insisted on the COMPLETE removal and destruction of most of the vinyards. Including tearing up all the fence posts, and all fencing wire, to be shipped off the Island or burned.

Only a very few vinyards remain, which are leased to a winery on the mainland.

The State of Ohio doesn't seem to have any plans for the "denuded" areas they created. State officials seem to be unaware of a "global food shortage".

The bulldozed areas I show in photos of nearby Middle Bass Island, were also at one time, very productive vinyards.