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....
VIDEO: Check Out the Amazing New Bear Footage from Sugarloaf
When a hiker told California State Parks biologist Bill Miller about fresh bear tracks at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, Miller decided to check his motion-activated camera to see if it had any interesting recordings. He wasn’t disappointed. The video footage on Miller’s...
Learn to Compost: a Three-Part Workshop at Sonoma Garden Park
Heard of Bokashi? How about Compost Tea? Green-thumbed locals who would like to learn more about these topics -- and who have their Saturday mornings free this month -- are encouraged to sign up for our three-part workshop at Sonoma Garden Park, featuring the...
Go with the Flow: SEC Studies Stream Health
It’s the dry time of year. So how is our creek flow going? The water in creeks is the lifeblood of riparian forests, water creatures like fish and kingfishers, land animals needing to drink, and water well users who irrigate vineyards and landscapes. Recently, Sonoma...
Work Continues on Nathanson Creek Restoration Project
A flood plain restoration project by the Sonoma Ecology Center that incorporates storm water management, habitat enhancement and educational elements has broken ground along Nathanson Creek near East MacArthur Street. For the next few weeks, workers will displace...
Jack London, Sugarloaf and Regional Parks Share Parking Passes
This June, your favorite parks in Sonoma Valley and beyond – Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, Jack London State Historic Park and the entire Sonoma County Regional Parks system – are allowing pass holders for one park to use that pass at all of the other parks, free of...
Donations needed for Summer Science Camp scholarships
Sonoma Ecology Center’s Summer Science Camp provides children with the opportunity to learn about science and connect with nature through hands-on, interactive experiments, explorations, and adventures. Campers make new friends, develop new skills, and learn more...
Closing the Circle: an Op-Ed Piece by David Morell
David Morell, operations manager of Sonoma Ecology Center's Sonoma Biochar Initiative, has done more than most to spread the word on the water-, energy- and carbon-saving benefits of biochar. In the following Earth Day op-ed, Dr. Morell explains why biochar could...
Why Measure AA matters
Before it even had an official name on the June 7 ballot, Measure AA, the Clean and Healthy Bay measure, has enjoyed broad support from environmental groups around the Bay, including us. That’s because Measure AA – a Bay Area-wide parcel tax of $12 per year for the...
New methods for tracking old waterways
The Press Democrat has a story on how our own Alex Young, GIS manager at Sonoma Ecology Center, is working with historical ecologist Arthur Dawson and others in an effort to map Sonoma Valley's waterways before they were altered by settlers: Sleuthing for Sonoma...
In Recognition of Earth Day: Send Us Your Nature Photos!
Sonoma Ecology Center was born on Earth Day. It was April 22, 1990, and organizers of the local Earth Day celebration were still basking in the afterglow of the music, revelry, speeches and parades held that day in Sonoma Plaza. So much interest in environmental...
THE NEWTS ARE COMING! THE NEWTS ARE COMING!
NeWTs? What are those? In this case, we’re not talking about the cute little amphibians. "NeWTs" stands for Neighborhood Water Teams, a program we’re spearheading in Sonoma Valley that will help residents save money on water, improve water quality and security, access...
Fostering calm, and First Aid skills, in the backcountry
Bobbie Foster's first and most important message is: stay calm. Foster, a first aid instructor specializing in teaching people how to handle a wilderness emergency, begins every class with that message, as she did Monday morning at the start of a 16-hour training...
Now’s the time for Summer Camp sign-ups
Spring is not yet here, but it’s already time to sign the kids up for summer camp – so how about SEC’s Summer Science Camp series? We are looking forward to another adventure-filled summer at Sonoma Garden Park and Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, with popular camps...
A Vote for Wildlife, People and the Bay Area’s Future
One month ago, a unique governing body called the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority put a measure on the upcoming June ballot that could, in effect, keep us all from treading water. The Clean and Healthy Bay ballot measure, which will come before voters in all...
Hooray for the Watershed Education Program!
Science Opportunity for Sonoma Valley Students: Watershed Education Program! Fall is upon us, and Sonoma Ecology Center is gearing up for our Watershed Education Program for the 2015-16 school year. The Watershed Education Program consists of three unique grade-level...
