How Our Research Helps Sonoma Valley Thrive
When Sonoma County’s Permit and Resource Management Department was tasked with reducing sediment pollution from roads in the Sonoma Creek watershed, they knew that clear, precise data would be essential to getting the job done. Sonoma Ecology Center was able to help....
Today Is Our Favorite Day of the Year
It was the end of Earth Day, 1990, when a few local environmentalists gathered together to talk about the day and about Sonoma Valley’s future. This small group – Richard Dale among them – saw that our Valley could use some guidance in dealing with its environmental...
10 Ways SEC Makes a Difference
Earth Day, April 22, is Sonoma Ecology Center’s de facto birthday. And every spring, as the next Earth Day nears, we always get to thinking about the many ways SEC has improved the wellbeing of our Valley and its residents – and how, with your support, we’ll continue...
Statement on SVHS student Brandon Barmore
Sonoma Ecology Center is deeply saddened by the loss of Brandon Barmore, a Sonoma Valley High School student who died tragically on March 26 in Nicaragua. We extend our sincerest sympathies to the Barmore family. Among his many talents, Brandon was an aspiring...
Doctor’s Orders: Get Outside to Sugarloaf
The Japanese call it shinrin-yoku, or “forest bathing.” Now, medical professionals are calling it medicine. A simple walk in nature shows measurable health benefits, doctors say – so much so that a new nationwide initiative called “ParkRx for Health” has them...
Changes in the Biochar Landscape
As word about biochar grows – thanks in large part to the efforts of our own Sonoma Biochar Initiative – coordination grows among biochar’s many advocates, who note how this super-charcoal can help California save water while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Last...
With Water Comes Watershed Education
The rains give us our best opportunities for teaching Sonoma Valley kids about watersheds. Which is why Sonoma Ecology Center’s Watershed Education Programs are in full swing right now. Our in-house educators, Holland Gistelli and Tony Passantino, are busy as ever...
The Path Forward
Environmentalism should not be a partisan issue. Healthy land, clean air and water – these things benefit everyone. And yet, amid today’s extreme political polarization, there is a fear that our environment is in the crosshairs – and this fear has many in our...
VIDEO: Sonoma Creek Falls Is Raging
Thanks to the recent rains, Sonoma Creek Falls is currently putting on quite a show (see video below). This beautiful cascade in Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, at the headwaters of Sonoma Creek, is easy to reach and always rushing after winter rains. To get there, take...
Nathanson Volunteers Honor King’s Legacy
Service was a big part of Martin Luther King’s message, which is why many celebrate his legacy by volunteering on MLK Day. Last Jan. 16 was no exception, as Sonoma Ecology Center’s Restoration crew organized a large group of volunteers at Nathanson Creek Preserve,...
Water: Too Much in Winter, Too Little in Summer
The big storms hitting our region this winter have been unusually powerful. And one of them was just plain unusual. The Dec. 15 storm which caused some minor flooding around the Valley was stronger here than at the coast, and it dumped more rain in unexpected places....
How green was my Valley (in 2016)?
We're very proud of this op-ed piece which ran last week in the Sonoma Index-Tribune. Sonoma Valley's environmental accomplishments of 2016 weren't small, and they demonstrate how patience and dedication can pay off. They also provide a positive example for those of...
From ‘Side Hunt’ to Christmas Bird Count: How Citizen Science Won the Day
In the late 1800s, an unfortunate holiday tradition was hastening the extinction of bird species all over North America. The Side Hunt, held each year on Christmas Day, was a festive slaughter whereby armed participants wandered the countryside shooting at every bird...
Salmon in Sonoma Creek, Part II
Check out these Chinook salmon spawning in upper Sonoma Creek! Sent in by Ian Morrison, who took the video three days ago at his creek-side home, the footage shows a female and male salmon on a “redd” or nest, with another hanger on to the left. Several more Chinooks...
Salmon in Sonoma Creek!
This video shows the ripples of some sizable Chinook – at least three of them, each about two feet long – seen on Nov. 11 in Sonoma Creek near the Glen Ellen Bridge. They splashed around there for a while before heading further upstream to spawn. Chinook have been...
A Post-Election Message from our Executive Director, Richard Dale
It looks as if the outcome of this bitter election season will be a president, congress and judiciary with new plans for America, plans that might include some hard times ahead for the natural world and the rules and institutions we’ve built to help care for it....
Yes on Measures K, J for a Better Sonoma
With so much zaniness surrounding the upcoming election, it can be hard to stay focused on the local races. But here are two measures that must not be missed, and that we at Sonoma Ecology Center strongly support: MEASURE K This one is near and dear to our hearts, and...
SEC in NYC for Climate Week!
These are heady days for locals who have dedicated much of their time and energy to making Sonoma County and Sonoma Valley better prepared to deal with climate change. Sonoma Ecology Center’s Caitlin Cornwall is among them, part of the Sonoma County Climate Resilience...
Don’t Miss Our Next Climate Readiness Workshop on Sept. 15
The following announcement comes from the North Bay Watershed Association, which has been working hard on its Climate Ready North Bay project and now seeks more input from the public. Details on how you can help are below, with emphasis on the Sonoma Creek watershed...
Returning to a Waterway Near You: Coastal Cleanup Day
Once a year, nature lovers come together in an effort to rid our beaches and waterways of trash. Across the nation, plastic bags, wrappers, cans and bottles, cigarette butts, etc. -- literally millions of pounds of trash -- are picked up in just a few short hours....