Strike for Your Future!
“We will never stop fighting for this planet, for our futures, and for the futures of our children and grandchildren.” –Greta Thunberg Climate change is the issue of our time. And people all over the world, including in Sonoma Valley, will get another chance to make...
Bald Eagle over Montini
This Bald Eagle was seen in Sonoma this afternoon, circling with some vultures over the Vallejo Home and the Montini Preserve. Bald Eagles have made an impressive comeback, along with a few other animals protected by the Endangered Species Act. Eagles and many other...
What Can You Do to Help Fight Climate Change?
Step One: Listen to the Experts We want to thank everyone who came out Monday night for a special screening of “Ice on Fire,” the climate change documentary featuring a segment on biochar by our own Raymond Baltar. The show sold out completely, and the Sebastiani...
Mapmaker Alex Young Helps Tackle Erosion
Our GIS Manager Alex Young has been working with the county’s Watershed Task Force in order to help identify post-fire erosion risk – which can remain high for several years after a wildfire – in Sonoma Valley and the county. Alex has been performing “GIS landscape...
Cameras Capture Eldridge Lions and Sugarloaf Bears
On a sunny Sunday afternoon in late July, a black bear strolled through Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, pausing in the shade to mark a tree before continuing on its way. Two days later, just past midnight in an undeveloped part of Eldridge, something moved in the...
Climate Change Documentary ‘Ice on Fire’ Comes to Sebastiani
An HBO documentary on climate change produced and narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio has sparked interest and conversation since its debut at Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. Now the film – and the conversation – is coming to Sonoma as Sonoma Ecology Center proudly...
Sugarloaf Honored at Forest Bathing Conference
As the practice of shinrin-yoku, or “forest bathing,” gains worldwide popularity, Sugarloaf Ridge State Park remains at the forefront, offering its powerfully therapeutic meadows, streams and oak woodlands for regular walks and hikes as part of the local ParkRx...
Montini Sheep Munch Flammable Grasses
Locals out for a hike saw them on the slopes of Montini Open Space Preserve earlier this month: several sheep (and a few goats) brought in to “reduce fuel loads” to a more manageable level. Because Sonoma Ecology Center manages Montini for the City of Sonoma, we hired...
Creek Camps Offer Watershed Fun
Our Summer Science Camps have been a blast – but summer’s not over yet! And we still have a few open spots in our two upcoming Creek Camps for kids ages 8-12. Scholarships are available too. Creek Camp – from July 15-19 and again from July 29 to Aug. 2 – is a five-day...
Biochar Goes to Hollywood (and Forestville, and Sonoma Garden Park)
These are exciting times for our biochar program and its director, Raymond Baltar, who is currently having a minor brush with fame due to his appearance in “Ice on Fire,” an HBO documentary on climate change solutions produced and narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio....
Workshop Gives You a Say in Eldridge’s Future
The upcoming Eldridge Vision Workshop will be an important step towards guiding the future of Eldridge and the recently closed Sonoma Developmental Center. This free community workshop, hosted by SDC Coalition, is Saturday, June 15, from 9 a.m. to noon in the Hanna...
Sonoma Ecology Center Named Nonprofit of the Year
Sonoma Ecology Center is thrilled to be named Nonprofit of the Year by state Sen. Bill Dodd in acknowledgment of our 30-year history of environmental stewardship in Sonoma Valley and, most recently, for our leadership role in post-fire recovery and the closure of SDC....
Fifty Fabulous Years
Memorial Day was especially memorable for us fans of Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, as the park celebrated 50 years of being open to the public. Many people joined us throughout the day, taking part in guided nature hikes and history hikes, great food, and a lovely...
Get Ready for Sugarloaf’s 50th Anniversary Celebration
Guided hikes, down-home barbecue and a Sugarloaf Reunion are among the Memorial Day festivities planned for Sugarloaf Ridge State Park’s 50th Anniversary Celebration, happening all day at the park on Monday, May 27. Sugarloaf became part of the California State Park...
The Real Numbers on Rattlesnake Bites
This is the time of year when our region’s only common venomous snake, the northern Pacific rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus), appears in greater numbers in Sonoma Valley. Individuals are emerging from their winter dens to mate and hunt in the fields and meadows – and...
Best Way to Stop French Broom? Hold a ‘Broom Pull’
With the arrival of spring, the invasive shrub called French broom, with its long woody stalks and pretty yellow flowers, is popping up all over Sonoma Valley. But French broom is unwanted here because it’s environmentally destructive, a fire hazard, and very hard to...
Join Us for an Earth Day Celebration at Larson Park
Sonoma Ecology Center is hosting a neighborhood festival on April 20 to celebrate our favorite day of the year: Earth Day. The goal of our Earth Day Celebration at Larson Park is to build community and reconnect people to the land around us. Activities include an...
Harvest Market Returns for Growing Season
Sonoma Garden Park turns 25 this year, and as the park’s operator, we’re celebrating with special occasions and with our usual great events – for example, the weekly Harvest Market offering fresh locally grown vegetables, eggs, flowers and more. The market reopened...
New Book Explores Iconic Sonoma Mountain
We’re excited about the release of Arthur Dawson’s “Where the World Begins: Sonoma Mountain Stories and Images,” and proud to have played a role in the making of this beautiful book in collaboration with Dawson, Sonoma Mountain Preservation and other area nonprofits...
We Are Looking for a Few Good Volunteers
Martin Luther King, Jr. said that “Everybody can be great ... because anybody can serve.” We couldn’t agree more, and find that giving time to our community is the most rewarding thing a person can do. For Sonoma Valley residents looking to make their community a...