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... to protect the land forever | November 2021
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Advocating for a healthy, resilient landscape at SDC |
Two recent public meetings on the future of the Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC) turned out hundreds of community members unified in their message: The three redevelopment alternatives proposed by Sonoma County for 1,000+/- new homes and millions of square feet of commercial and “R&D” space do not adequately protect the Sonoma Valley Wildlife Corridor and the health of the surrounding landscapes. In response, Sonoma Land Trust submitted a comment letter proposing that a new approach is needed for planning a future for SDC. Rather than purely a financial feasibility calculation of how many houses must be built to offset a $100 million cleanup liability for the State, our proposal includes performance standards for wildlife corridor protection, fire preparedness and water quality protection. With good science and community input, it is possible to meet the State’s public health, climate, clean energy, wildlife conservation and natural resource protection goals, while also reaching affordable housing targets.
For more information, visit our Transform SDC blog site.
Grant supports wildlife corridor protection at SDC
Sonoma Land Trust thanks the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation for a generous grant of $176,500 to support scientific and other research to establish specific wildlife and habitat protection criteria for SDC. Having more detailed information on the wildlife flow and sensitivities of the corridor will help advance appropriate development (especially of affordable housing) on the campus by providing clear parameters protecting this vital link of the Sonoma Valley Wildlife Corridor on the SDC property.
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Be among the first to have your gift matched this #GivingTuesday! |
We’re excited to announce that, for the first time ever, we’re able to match your gift up to $100,000 on #GivingTuesday thanks to Simon and Kimberly Blattner. Give early — anytime from now until midnight on December 1 — and see your generosity double. When you join #GivingTuesday and donate today, your gift will be counted toward the End-of-Year $1.3 Million Challenge and make a tremendous impact. Despite the many challenges Sonoma County faced again this year, you helped protect land for clean air, water, wildlife and to help buffer our communities from the impacts of climate change. This #GivingTuesday, we’re able to double your donation, which helps implement nature-based solutions to make a more resilient Sonoma County. |
Hello and good-bye
Welcoming Ariana Rickard to our team
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Ariana Rickard has joined the Sonoma Land Trust in a brand new position: public policy and funding program manager. In this role, she will work with state and federal agencies and legislators to ensure that the Land Trust’s programs and projects receive adequate government funding and support. Ariana’s experience in advocacy stems from her time as political director at TOGETHER Bay Area and with the San Francisco Bay Joint Venture, where she was the staff lead for the government affairs committee. She has also worked for several federal government agencies, including the Peace Corps in Ecuador, and numerous environmental nonprofits, such as Audubon California. Ariana earned her BA from Harvard College in environmental science and public policy and her MS from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, with a focus on ecology. In 2020, she co-founded the Bay Area chapter of Environmental Professionals of Color to increase equity, diversity and inclusion within the Bay Area’s environmental community. Welcome, Ariana! |
Saying good-bye to our longtime communications director |
After 14 years at Sonoma Land Trust, communications director Sheri Cardo is leaving to enjoy a few adventures and pursue new career opportunities. “Sheri has been a stalwart colleague and friend, and has contributed so much to our mission,” says executive director Eamon O’Byrne. “Her management of the local press has been masterful and, when she calls, editors drop everything and listen. Those of us who got to work beside Sheri on a daily basis will miss her warmth and ready smile, and ability to bring much needed humor to the (all too often) deadly serious business of conservation." Sheri says, “It has been a tremendous privilege to work for this organization. Know that I will be cheering from the sidelines as Sonoma Land Trust becomes ever more pivotal to life in this region.” Her last day in the office will be December 17. |
Conservation Corps North Bay stewardship at Pole Mountain |
Thanks to the generous support of the State Coastal Conservancy’s Wildfire Resilience Program, Conservation Corps North Bay crews worked to address regrowth within shaded fuel break treatment areas at Pole Mountain Preserve. Crews used hand tools and chainsaws to provide follow-up treatment of multi-stem resprouts of bay and madrone, address sudden oak die-off afflicting tanoaks and remove Douglas fir conifer encroachment of oak woodlands within established treatment areas. This shaded fuel break project along the ridgetop ranch road is the foundation of our forest health and fire resiliency efforts, and also serves as an important community safety access corridor. |
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Update
Sears Point levee & trail
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The recent atmospheric river provided an early test for our Sears Point Living Shoreline project. Though we are incorporating some modifications, the site performed well and it’s looking like the Eliot Trail will be open in time to take a winter solstice hike! Watch this page for when the trail reopens. |
Tues., Dec. 14, 6−7pm
Pole Mountain guided virtual hike
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Join us for an interactive, guided virtual nature experience of Pole Mountain. We’ll “hike” up the north side of Pole Mountain, reach the summit for amazing 360-degree views, and then hike down the south side, ending at the Jenner Headlands.
Register here
There is no charge for this event, which is made possible by the voters of Sonoma County who fund the work of Ag + Open Space with a quarter-cent sales tax.
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We have begun sharing short wildlife and other videos on the social media platform TikTok and invite you to join and follow our page. Here’s a hint: You’ll be ‘beary’ happy you did! |
Stuart Creek flows across four of our Sonoma Valley preserves and we have been working for many years to restore fish habitat in it. In 2014, we reconfigured Glen Oaks’ historic dam to allow steelhead to pass upstream during low flow, but, as this video from the recent storm shows, the dam can also handle high flows!
Watch it here
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Not-to-be-missed recording
on SDC & wildlife corridor
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On Nov. 9, Eamon O’Byrne and John McCaull provided a virtual presentation on SDC and the Wildlife Corridor to more than 200 viewers who were so highly engaged that they asked more than 70 questions! If you missed it, be sure to watch it here. |
If you didn’t receive it in your mailbox, please read it here! |
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Questions or comments? Email Sheri Cardo, managing editor.
Copyright 2008–2021 Sonoma Land Trust. All Rights Reserved.
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