Lynn Pelletier welcomes fellow Sugarloaf Volunteer Eric Beckman across the finish line at the Annual Headwaters to Headwaters Hike in April 2025. Photo courtesy of Austin Noble.
As 2025 draws to a close, we want to highlight the vibrant community of volunteers that help keep Sugarloaf Ridge State Park open and thriving. While Sugarloaf is a California State Park, Sonoma Ecology Center does not receive operating support from the State to run it. Our volunteers play a vital role in restoring and maintaining the park’s 4,900 acres, contributing to a wide range of programs, information, and guidance, making meaningful connections with its many visitors, and ensuring everyone here feels a sense of belonging.
Sugarloaf Ridge State Park has become a regional model for community-powered land stewardship and equitable access to lifelong outdoor learning. Sonoma Ecology Center is honored to serve as the steward and organizing home for this extraordinary community—helping connect people, resources, and purpose in service to the park we all love.
One of our senior volunteers, Roy Tennant, who is part of the Trail Crew and a History Docent shared:
I doubt I’ve ever experienced such a large group of truly dedicated volunteers, most of whom have been coming out for years, and whom I expect to see for many more years…There is so much to gain [from volunteering] having a great time, being in the outdoors with others, getting or staying fit, great views, interesting wildlife sightings, the self-satisfaction of seeing the physical impact of your work, and the deep appreciation from park staff for your volunteering…I always feel so loved and appreciated at Sugarloaf, it’s addicting!
This past year, Sugarloaf welcomed 191,000 visitors to enjoy 25 miles of trails, 47 campsites, and hundreds of events including our Park Rx Program, Hiking for Fitness, Senderos Naturales, Forest Bathing, and educational Guided Hikes. Each week, we get first-time visitors to the park who are curious about how we have an open visitor center, clean restrooms, well-maintained trails, and are willing to accommodate camper requests whenever possible.
Tim Mayer and Doug Lewis, members of Sugarloaf’s volunteer Trail Crew, remove dead branches and debris along the Vista Trail. Photo courtesy of Austin Noble.
Our volunteers this year enabled us to keep the visitor center open seven days a week and the kiosk open on weekends and holidays. This makes a huge difference in the quality of the experience for first-time visitors. By directing them to a hike that is suitable for their level, and the weather on any given day, they are more likely to have a great experience and return to the park.
Volunteers to our Community Science program allow the park to operate 45 cameras to track and learn more about Sugarloaf’s diverse animal population which includes bobcats, foxes, coyotes and even bears. And it is because of the volunteers to the Parks Rx Program and Interpretive Hikes that we are able to have the most active Parks Rx program in the nation on a limited budget.
Ron Dodge, who has volunteered for the past 10 years helping with construction, mechanical work, maintenance, and tree cutting, finds camaraderie with his fellow volunteers. He loves being able to support “one of the most varied and popular recreation destinations in the state,” and shared that one of his greatest rewards this year was hearing from hikers who express appreciation for his work as they head out on the trails.
Volunteers play an important role in keeping the park safe and accessible for everyone—participating in regular drills and safety trainings to ensure the park community is prepared in the event of an emergency. Seen above: volunteers and staff plan for a park-wide evacuation drill in June, 2025. Photo courtesy of Alma Shaw.
Many Sugarloaf Volunteers work as docents, helping park visitors build confidence outdoors and grow their connection to nature through guided hikes like the “Summit Saturday” advanced hiking series (above). Photo courtesy of Sugarloaf Volunteer and Summit Saturday Hike Lead, Dana Glei.
The success of the Advanced Hiking Series, coined “Saturday Summit Hikes,” over the past year is something that volunteer Dana Glei is especially proud of. She was initially concerned that they may not be able to garner enough participants for these longer, more arduous hikes which can span 11 miles and 2,500 feet of ascent, but the hikes are now filled to capacity nearly every weekend! On one of these long hikes, she had a participant who was very apprehensive about the difficulty level, but was nevertheless determined to try so she could tell her 28-year old, “I did it.” Dana stayed by her side for the entire hike, and not only did they finish the hike together, but because they ended up behind the rest of the group, they had a lot of time to chat and forge a meaningful connection.
Dana enjoys supporting hikers like this who are trying to push themselves to new limits physically and the opportunity to bond in nature. She appreciates the range of offerings at Sugarloaf and how programs like Senderos Naturales and Slow Journeys make the park more diverse and inclusive. Getting to explain the life cycle and spawning process of Chinook Salmon last winter to a park visitor who had just seen the fish for the very first time in a creek near her house was another highlight of her volunteering experience.
Dana shares:
I am an introvert at heart, [so] for me, the opportunity to be outside in nature and help introduce other people to hiking and the appreciation of nature is a huge perk…Regardless of your physical mobility, there is a way you can help make a difference. Even if you cannot hike or do trail maintenance, there are lots of very important jobs that do not require much physical exertion: kiosk, visitor’s center, helping code data collected by the critter cams, and more.
This past year Sugarloaf volunteers donated a combined 17,217 hours of work, a value of over $800,000, a truly unprecedented amount that goes so far in making Sugarloaf such a safe, beautiful and welcoming park. We have tremendous gratitude for all our volunteers and the variety of ways they contributed their time and unique gifts over the past year.
Sugarloaf Docent Dana Glei helps park visitors hone their birding skills on a Senderos Naturales hike—part of Sugarloaf’s bilingual program. Photo courtesy of Alma Shaw.
For anyone considering dipping their toes into volunteering, we leave you with the thoughts of Michael Sheffield, the Park Poet who has volunteered at Sugarloaf for 30 years on and off: “For someone who loves the earth and wants to support others in their loving relationship to the earth, being a Volunteer would be a rewarding and joyful experience.”
If you are interested in learning more about volunteering or how to get started, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Maria Mauricio, at [email protected] or click on the button below.
If you’d like to try out volunteering at Sugarloaf, coming to one of our Trail Crew Saturdays is a great way to dip your toe into community stewardship! You do not need to attend a volunteer orientation prior to participating in Trail Crew Saturday, just sign up (the next one is Saturday, December 13, 9:00 am-1:00 pm) and show up ready to learn some new skills, meet new friends, and work hard!
