Blog — Sonoma Land Trust

Featured Stories

eNews

April 1, 2025

Sonoma in bloom: a springtime wildflower guide

Spring has arrived, and Sonoma County’s hills are bursting with color! Now is the perfect time to get outside and…

Joan Vilms holding plants with poppies nearby.

Advocacy

March 16, 2026

A golden moment for nature: Sonoma Land Trust turns 50

To celebrate our jubilee year, we’re kicking off our celebrations by chatting with one person who’s seen it from the start: Joan Vilms. Read on to hear her amazing story.

A mountain lion walking juxtaposed next to a truck driving on highway 12.

eNews

September 1, 2025

The Right of Passage: Restoring Wildlife Movement in Sonoma Valley

In Sonoma Valley, forested hills, meandering creeks, open grasslands, and oak woodlands stretch across the landscape. So does Highway 12….

Rendering of Petaluma River Community Park with people walking on the trails and paddle boarding on the water

eNews

March 1, 2024

Fostering inclusive community engagement

In the heart of Petaluma lies a new home for community, art, and nature: the Petaluma River Park. Spearheaded by…

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Sonoma Land Trust volunteers collecting data in a grassy field.

eNews

April 7, 2026

There’s a place for everyone in conservation

After the 2020 pandemic shuttered in-person activities, Sonoma Land Trust took the time to reimagine its volunteer program. Now it’s back, transformed from one-size-fits-all field days to specific roles shaped around each volunteer’s skills and experience. Here's your official invitation to join the community of passionate and talented volunteers today!

Conservation Council members attach a wildlife camera to a tree.

eNews

April 7, 2026

The future of conservation starts here

The next generation of conservationists is more diverse, more climate-aware, and more determined to be part of the solution. Teen-focused programs like Conservation Council are helping equip them with the tools, access, and confidence to lead and envision a greener, more equitable future.

Trees, a grassy field and blue sky with inset of a bulldozer.

eNews

April 6, 2026

Would conservation easements hold?

What happens when the terms of a conservation easement, meant to permanently protect land, are violated? In Chapter 2 of the Sonoma Valley Story, the stakes are high as Sonoma Land Trust fights to uphold the protections of an easement—setting legal precedent and demonstrating why conservation easements remain one of the most powerful tools we have for protecting land.

Kate Bernal-Hafner and her grandmother, Mary Hafner.

eNews

April 6, 2026

For the Hafner family, conservation is a way of life

What does three generations of conservationists look like? Meet Kate Bernal-Hafner, the third generation of a Sonoma County family where connection to nature is part of everyday life. Her story shows how conservation lives not just in protected places, but through the values passed down from one generation to the next.

Circle photos of a tree swallow, Grant Coleman, and the Sonoma Coast.

eNews

April 6, 2026

Natural Attractions—What to explore right now

From coastal hiking, biking, and equestrian trails to where to find migrating and nesting bird action, hear from Grant Coleman on his favorite ways to enjoy early spring in Sonoma County.

Advocacy

March 16, 2026

A land trust grows in Sonoma Valley

In the early 1970s, a group of Sonoma Valley residents began to realize that the landscapes they loved could disappear within their lifetimes. With development pressures rising and few tools available to protect land permanently, they set out to create something new: a community-based land trust. What followed would change the future of conservation.

eNews

March 16, 2026

Growing up together: Reflections on Sonoma Land Trust’s founding family

Nearly fifty years after Otto and Ann Teller helped launch Sonoma Land Trust, their legacy continues at Oak Hill Farm. Their daughter, Arden Bucklin-Sporer, now stewards the land her family helped protect. We are honored to have had the opportunity to learn more about our history from Arden and why she still supports the organization today.

eNews

March 16, 2026

Natural attractions—what to explore right now

Chaparrals, lilacs, and poppies—oh my! Where to find a shrub that smells like lilacs, a poppy that smells like a melon, and more. Read on for Chris Carlson’s insider guide to springtime in Sonoma Valley.

Screenshot of the Sonoma Land Trust website home page.

eNews

March 16, 2026

“Crawl” on over to our new website

Our website just got a refresh. It’s easier to navigate, more accessible, and full of new stories, photos, features, and illustrations celebrating Sonoma County’s landscapes, wildlife, and community. Take a look around and see what’s new!

Advocacy

March 16, 2026

A golden moment for nature: Sonoma Land Trust turns 50

To celebrate our jubilee year, we’re kicking off our celebrations by chatting with one person who’s seen it from the start: Joan Vilms. Read on to hear her amazing story.

Science & Technology

January 9, 2026

Nature-based solutions rank top choice for climate change

Nature-based solutions are the future—if we want to have a future! Read on to learn more about what they are, how they work, and where we’re incorporating them in our work.

Adult Ridgway's Rail and chick at a marsh.

eNews

January 9, 2026

Are the birds alright?

If a canary in a coal mine can warn us of imminent danger, what are other birds telling us? In a study led by Point Blue Conservation Science and SF Bay Joint Venture, a new interactive website and published report—the 2025 San Francisco Bay State of the Birds—highlights the success of one of our long-term science-based restoration and stewardship projects that helped an endangered bird species rebound.