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 get more interesting in the coming months as things continue to grow. But already we’ve seen the land respond with tender green sprouts, stems and grasses. As spring approaches, wildflowers – including rare “fire followers” like the Kellogg’s snapdragon, whose germination is stimulated by wildfire – will emerge in ever-greater numbers.

To continue sharing these wonders, Sonoma Ecology Center is adding several new outings to our Fire Recovery Walk Series. So far, Sonoma Developmental Center, the Keen Property and Arrowhead Mountain all have been traversed by our hikers, who joined us to learn how to interpret fire landscapes and watch the countryside come alive again. And starting in early February, more Fire Recovery Walks will be held in Sonoma Valley Regional Park and Sugarloaf Ridge State Park.

Please join us on this free walk series by watching our events calendar and signing up as soon as possible. The walks are sponsored in part by the Sonoma Valley Ecological Fire Relief Fund.