See Tim Wetzel’s Fire Recovery Time Lapse Video
Not long after the fires, Sonoma filmmaker Tim Wetzel of 9 Mile Productions came to us with an idea: he’d photograph various burned locations in Sonoma Valley, then return to those same spots over time and photograph them again to record how the land was healing. The...
Upload Your Fire Photos to Our Wildfire Story Map
The wildfires that recently swept through the North Bay left behind ruined homes and charred landscapes, and researchers are now studying those fires to better understand how and why they burned the way they did. To support this effort, Sonoma Ecology Center announces...
Fire Walk Series Continues in Beauty
Burned areas are healing across the Valley, showing in colorful splendor the swift regeneration of our landscape – and giving us multiple opportunities to take the public on walkabouts that are both gorgeous and educational. Our ongoing Fire Recovery Walks will only...
Reasons for Cheer in the New Year
Bill Clinton once advised Americans to “Follow the trend lines, not the headlines.” We have always agreed with this approach (both locally and globally), and here at the start of 2018 one big, positive and very important trend line is readily apparent. Put simply,...
MLK Day of Service Leads to a Better Sonoma Valley
Each year on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Sonoma Ecology Center organizes volunteer efforts in Sonoma Valley as part of the nationwide MLK Day of Service, held in honor of that great American who told us that “Everybody can be great … because anybody can serve.” Part...
Rejuvenated by Fire
All around the Valley now, we’re seeing new sprouts from the branches and roots of fire-scarred oaks, madrones, toyons, and coyote brush. Grasses have transformed blackened ground to bright kelly green. (The photo above shows beargrass rising from its roots in the...
See Our ‘Healing with the Land’ Slideshow
Many have asked to see a copy of the slideshow presented by Sonoma Ecology Center staff during our "Healing with the Land" community forum held last Monday, Nov. 27 at Burlingame Hall. HERE IT IS, in pdf format. The forum was a great success, with several dozen...
Don’t Cut Those Trees!
Sonoma Ecology Center has an urgent message for local residents cleaning up fire-scorched properties: Please don’t cut down those trees and shrubs. They may look dead after last month’s wildfires killed their leaves and blackened their bark. But most are not dead –...
SEC Maps Help Residents Get Their Bearings
If a picture is worth a thousand words, what’s a map worth? For many Sonoma Valley residents, maps displaying the regions burned in October’s wildfires have been invaluable. Three such maps produced recently by Alex Young, our geographic information systems (GIS)...
Post-Fire Tips for Sonoma Valley Residents
UPDATE: For more complete tips and information, please see our new Sonoma Valley Fire Recovery page. Wildfires swept through more than a quarter of Sonoma Valley in October 2017. Many returning residents want to expedite the healing of their land but aren’t...
A Message on the Fires
Dear Sonoma Valley Friends and Neighbors: It’s been a frustrating, heartbreaking, terrifying week – possibly the worst few days for Sonoma Valley in living memory. And yet, we’ve never been so full of respect and hope for this place and its amazing people. Since the...
What’s Your Vision for Sonoma Garden Park?
Help determine the future of Sonoma Garden Park! Take part in the Master Plan Update: * Read the Plan * Leave Comments * Attend our Dec. 9 Community Workshop * Sonoma Garden Park was once the home of beloved local schoolteacher Pauline Bond, who granted it to the City...
Preparing for Sonoma Valley Wildfires
Certain wildfires remain fresh in people’s minds in these parts. One was in 1923, when a fast-moving blaze swept westward through the Mayacamas and into Sonoma Valley, reducing much of the Springs to ashes. Four decades later, in 1964, the Nunns Canyon Fire followed a...
Exploring Nature Together
As summer marches along, so do we – leading a group of engaged youngsters through the wilderness of Sugarloaf Ridge State Park as part of our Introductory Backpacking Camp. That’s just one of several educational camps we’ve provided this summer, both at Sugarloaf and...
Tracking Streamflow in Sonoma Valley
How’s your local stream flowing? At Sonoma Ecology Center we’ve been watching the streams closely, and in some cases – along specific streams where landowners gave us permission – we’ve set up gauges that are generating useful data on streamflow in Sonoma Valley. It’s...
Sustainable Sonoma Offers a Better Path Forward
At times the problems facing our Valley can seem insurmountable. But we know from experience that with enough patience, commitment and teamwork, there is no obstacle that can't be overcome. Which is why we're proud to announce a new initiative dedicated to making our...
SBI Builds ‘Forest to Farm’ Biochar Operation in Mendocino
The reach of our Sonoma Biochar Initiative continues to grow, with SBI director Raymond Baltar – who is also executive director of the newly formed California Biochar Association – now making weekly trips to Mendocino County as a project manager for Redwood Forest...
30 Ways to Honor World Environment Day Locally
Did you know today is World Environment Day? Recognized globally, June 5 is a chance for all of us to show the world our love and support of the natural environment on which we depend. This worldwide day reminds us that the most profound environmentalism is...
Team Sugarloaf Turns 5!
Five years ago, California’s State Parks system was hurting financially, leading to a decision to close several of its parks including Annadel, Jack London and the 3,900-acre Sugarloaf Ridge State Park. But Sonoma Ecology Center came to the rescue, forming a group...
Sonoma Garden Park’s Seasonal Harvest Market Starts this Weekend
Sonoma Garden Park is kicking off its seasonal Harvest Market this Saturday, May 20 – and aside from the usual variety of fresh locally grown produce in a rustic and beautiful setting, the market will also feature members of UC Master Gardeners of Sonoma County, who...