Every 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month, Sugarloaf Ridge State Park’s volunteer Trail Crew gathers to conduct park and trail maintenance together. Trail Crew is one of several volunteer opportunities available at Sugarloaf, which build community amongst volunteers while contributing to the important work of restoring, maintaining, and educating within the boundaries of the state park.
Volunteers are an integral part of Sugarloaf’s functioning—without them, many of the park’s programs and functions would not be sustainable. Volunteers are involved in numerous aspects of Sugarloaf’s operation, from Trail Crew, to helping man the Visitor’s Center kiosk, to leading guided hikes that educate guests on natural history and ecology, to operating field projects like Sugarloaf’s “Critter Cams,” and more. While maintaining these offerings at the park is an invaluable contribution, there is another aspect of our volunteer program that is just as impactful: the community.
Sugarloaf Park Manager John Roney explains the day’s projects to Trail Crew volunteers on a cool morning this December.
At the end of every Trail Crew workday, volunteers gather at the picnic tables behind the Visitor’s Center to enjoy lunch together. Together, they catch up, share stories, discuss their trail projects, and simply enjoy the time spent with their fellow volunteers and Team Sugarloaf members.
“Part of building community is finding connection within a common space,” says Sugarloaf Volunteer Coordinator Maria Mauricio, “Here we all share common ground. This space means something to everyone here.”
Trail Crew Volunteers share soup, sandwiches, and a variety of potluck desserts together after a morning of trail maintenance.
The Trail Crew community is made up of a myriad of individuals from different backgrounds; there are volunteers with experience as school teachers, firefighters, pilots, construction project managers, and more. “People tell us what their skills are, and we’ll use those skills,” says Maria. Because volunteers join the team with unique expertise and experience, their ideas for the park are taken into sincere consideration. Suggestions from volunteers influence trail maintenance projects and educational programming. With their knowledge, leadership, and teamwork, volunteers are the lifeblood of Sugarloaf Ridge State Park.
Bringing community members together through volunteer work has significant benefits. Volunteering has been shown to improve individuals’ senses of connectedness—in fact, people that volunteer typically rate their overall well-being and health as higher than those who do not. Similarly, there is a direct connection between spending time outside in nature and psychological well-being. Those who spend at least two hours a week immersed in an outdoor environment demonstrate improved mental health and lowered levels of stress. Volunteering outdoors, like members of Sugarloaf’s Trail Crew, is an excellent way to foster connection while digging your hands into the local environment.
Community members gathered together for a Volunteer Appreciation Hike at Van Hoosear Wildflower Preserve in April 2024.
Importantly, it is the togetherness of volunteer work that furthers its physical and psychological benefits. Collective action—working together within a group towards a shared goal—is shown to reduce symptoms associated with climate anxiety, loneliness, and overwhelm. After a morning of Trail Crew work on Pony Gate Trail, volunteer Dave Chalk says of the community connection at their shared team lunch, “This is what makes it. This is the best part of the day.” Other volunteers expressed similar sentiments.
“A big reason why people continue to come back to volunteer for years is because the work here is meaningful, and people have established a deep relationship not only with other volunteers, but with the land,” says Maria Mauricio.
Sugarloaf’s volunteers are invariably as connected to the land as they are with each other. They are experts on the park’s ecology, from its native species to its geological history. They keep the natural history of the land alive through storytelling. They carefully address the impacts of storms and atmospheric rivers on Sugarloaf’s trails and waterways. They protect spawning Chinook salmon and ensure their access to Sonoma Creek’s headwaters. And they are consistently open to learning more—from each other, from Team Sugarloaf, and from the land.
In the face of growing climate impacts, involvement with local action is one of the best ways to deepen connection to community and to the environment, as well as ease potential climate anxiety. Our Sugarloaf Trail Crew volunteers are just one exemplary demonstration. Sonoma Ecology Center offers a variety of volunteer opportunities, from those at Sugarloaf to additional roles at Sonoma Garden Park, local creek clean-ups, and more. In the new year, volunteering may be just the thing to improve your sense of well-being and community building while making a true impact.
Sugarloaf Ridge State Park’s Volunteer Orientation in early 2022, where prospective volunteers came together for a community meal and information about the park’s volunteer program.
The next Sugarloaf Volunteer Orientation will take place on February 16, 2025. You can register here if you are interested in joining the team.