Napa County's progressive land use policies and preservation efforts would be strengthened even further if the recipient of this year's Earl Thollander Environmental Award has his way.

Grapegrower and vintner Volker Eisele accepted kudos from the Napa chapter of the Sierra Club, telling more than 100 supporters gathered at the Christian Brothers Mt. LaSalle conference center Friday evening he intends to work to make the county's Measure J permanent.

"It's the firewall we've been able to build against development," Eisele said of the 1990 voter initiative. Measure J requires a vote of the citizenry to make a change to any land zoned for agricultural use. The measure is currently scheduled to sunset in 2020, but Eisele said he hopes to help place a county measure on the ballot next year, making the law permanent.

This is the sixth year the Thollander Award has been presented by the local Sierra Club. A parade of well-wishers including former county supervisors, grape growers and political activists praised Eisele's work dating back to the 1970s.

Thollander was a well-known artist and an ardent environmentalist who died in 2001.

"You can see Volker's fingerprints on the county's open space and preservation efforts," said Supervisor Brad Wagenknecht.

Ed Matovcik, former chief of staff to Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, noted Eisele's long friendship with the lawmaker and said, "Volker's never been afraid to take a position that's not popular."

The Napa County Farm Bureau's Peter Nissen equated Eisele's grape growing prowess to the legendary Nathan Fay. "We owe (Volker) a lot," he said. "Now we're fighting for a good General Plan update."

Eisele moved to Berkeley in 1963 from his native Muenster, Germany. He pursued his studies and eventually moved to Napa, teaching and writing. He and his wife Liesl tried country living and became involved in a dispute over a dirt bike track that was eventually shut down after he and others mounted a protest, taking the matter before the board of supervisors.

In James Conaway's 1990 book, "Napa, the Story of an American Eden," the author said of the encounter, "Volker learned two things from the experience: no natural place is safe from abuse, and political involvement is necessary to protect the land."

A standing ovation greeted Eisele when Sierra Club Vice Chair Tyler York made the presentation Friday. Eisele recalled that Thollander donated a piece of art to the Yes on Measure J campaign nearly 20 years ago, helping to fund advocates pushing for the measure.

"I've done a lot of things," said Eisele, "but nobody can do things alone."

He recalled a veritable who's-who of groups and individuals that have assisted in the preservation efforts over the years: Citizens Council for Napa Tomorrow, Napans Opposed to Wasteland, Keep Coombsville Country, Citizens Against Urban Sprawl, Keep Carneros Green, Get a Grip on Growth, Greenbelt Alliance and People for Open Space and its founder Dorothy Erskine, a name invoked by several during the evening.

Eisele also specifically cited John Tuteur, Ginny Simms, the late Ellen Buehler and Jack Davies, and former Supervisor Mel Varrelman.

"Normally when you get these honors, you are one step away from the grave," the Chiles Valley rancher told the group. "I'm not," citing the hard work he said that remains to be done, especially on the current General Plan revision.

The 1983 document is undergoing a major rewrite, and Eisele said all areas of the county need to be treated the same -- that is, with agricultural preservation as a top priority. He cast a wary eye toward proposed major development of Angwin, American Canyon and the old Napa Pipe property. "It usually leads to the demise of agriculture," he said.

He called the adoption of the 40-year-old Napa County Agricultural Preserve "one of the most courageous political acts in United States history," although Varrelman cautioned current supporters need to do a better job of communicating its importance to a new generation.