Together with the City of Sonoma, we are partnering with Perennial Grazing to bring grazers to Montini Open Space Preserve from June 2-12, 2023. By grazing at the Preserve, the sheep will perform much-needed fire fuel reduction work. The method, developed in South...
“Sonoma is a fountain of fountains.” So wrote Father Jose Altimira in 1823, while seeking the ideal location for Mission San Francisco Solano, California’s northernmost mission and Sonoma’s founding edifice. In writing those words—Sonoma es un manantial a...
Yellow Star Thistle (Centaurea solstitialis) is the most noxious weed in western North America, covering more area here than any other invasive species. It is rampant throughout Sonoma County, degrading our native grassland habitats, ruining local ranchlands (cattle...
On Friday, May 22, Sonoma Ecology Center and its partners conducted a 35-acre prescribed burn at Van Hoosear Wildflower Preserve west of Sonoma. The burn was a success—and a glimpse at our possible future here in Sonoma Valley. As Restoration Program Manager Jason...
In order to reduce fuels at Montini Open Space Preserve, Sonoma Ecology Center has hired a grazing service to bring approximately 80 sheep to specially designated wildland-urban interface areas of the city-owned Preserve. Besides sustainably controlling flammable...
Use of controlled or “prescribed” burns is both an ancient art and a new science. Here in the North Bay, the practice was used for centuries before the arrival of Europeans. Today, it is an essential tool in promoting both fire resiliency and biodiversity. That’s why...
