SEC’s Garrett Gradillas Leads Firefighting Team in North County
Garrett Gradillas is no stranger to fighting wildfires. After earning a B.S. in forestry from Humboldt State, and before becoming a restoration specialist for Sonoma Ecology Center, Gradillas was a wildland firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service, working fires around...
SEC Researchers Sound Alarm over Dry Sonoma Valley Waterways
Lack of Rainfall, Continued Pumping Cause Sonoma Creek and Its Tributaries to Run Dry “Try to give the creeks a break for the rest of this year.” That’s the message from Sonoma Ecology Center’s Senior Scientist and Research Program Manager Steven Lee, speaking...
How to Fight Wildfires Before They Start
Forestland Tended by Sonoma Ecology Center Is Helping to Protect Pacific Union College With smoke filling the skies around California, and wildfires burning out of control in Sonoma and Napa counties, Jason Mills is more convinced than ever that the restoration...
Emergency Information You Can Use — 2020 Edition
An unprecedented lightning storm has kicked off Sonoma County's fire season even earlier than usual this year, forcing everyone to pay closer attention to fire, weather, air quality and other conditions in order to stay informed and stay safe. That's why we're posting...
Removing Our Region’s Worst Invasive Weed
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...
SURVEY: With School Starting, What’s the Best Path Forward?
[Español abajo] As we work on ways to teach kids safely in the time of coronavirus, we’re asking parents, guardians and other members of the community for input. Please fill out our brief online survey and tell us what you think. Online? Outdoor? Other? Both online...
Research Team Monitors Stream Temps
This past month, our Research team expanded on a system to monitor water temperatures throughout Sonoma Creek and its tributaries, giving us important new data on the watershed’s overall health. Responding to a need for more complete data on temperatures in the...
Mobile Kilns Bring Biochar Production to Forest, Farm and Ranch
As the planet heats up, so does interest in practical, affordable and scalable methods for drawing carbon out of the atmosphere. This helps explain the growing popularity of biochar, a “super charcoal” that improves soil, conserves water and sequesters carbon all at...
Valley Succotash
Sonoma Ecology Center Victory Gardens are now yielding summer squash, peas, and beans in gardens throughout Sonoma Valley. We asked our friends at Valley Bar + Bottle to create a recipe using these ingredients. Indigenous farming traditions across America and Mexico...
Local Experts Give Fire-Smart Landscaping Advice in Upcoming Workshop
The Grove Street Fire Safe Council, a tax-exempt Sonoma Valley organization dedicated to mitigating wildfire risk, will co-sponsor an online workshop later this month on how to create landscapes that are beautiful, sustainable and fire-smart. The free workshop,...