Sonoma Valley Wildlife Corridor

In 1995, a volunteer named Christy Vreeland approached us with an idea: create a habitat corridor in Sonoma Valley connecting Sonoma Mountain with the Mayacamas, keeping its ecosystem healthy and diverse. Sonoma Ecology Center took Vreeland’s idea to local agencies and districts, and a Sonoma Valley habitat corridor began to take shape: local property owners worked with preservation organizations to place easements on their land, fences were removed, passageways cleared, and habitat restored.

Today, more than 5,000 acres of what is now called the Sonoma Valley Wildlife Corridor have been protected thanks to one person’s vision. Approximately five miles long and 3/4 miles wide, the corridor encompasses a wide array of habitats including conifer forests, chaparral, wetlands, grasslands, riparian forests, blue oak savanna, and two reservoirs, and supports a rich collection of fauna including threatened species such as steelhead trout and northern spotted owl, as well as wide-ranging animals such as bobcats and black bears.