Blog

Featured Stories

Seven wildflowers of Sonoma County Sonoma in bloom: a springtime wildflower guide

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. A golden moment for nature: Sonoma Land Trust turns 50

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. The Right of Passage: Restoring Wildlife Movement in Sonoma Valley

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 Fostering inclusive community engagement

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…

All Stories

Filter by

Circular chart showing the seasons of fire by month. What El Niño means for fire season—and how to prepare

eNews

 | 

May 12, 2026

What El Niño means for fire season—and how to prepare

A powerful El Niño is building in the Pacific, and its effects will likely begin to influence California this month. We're breaking down what that means for fire season in Sonoma County—and sharing the steps you can take to protect your home, your family, and your community.
Quincey Tompkins Imhoff brings global vision home to Sonoma County

eNews

 | 

May 12, 2026

Quincey Tompkins Imhoff brings global vision home to Sonoma County

Growing up with one of conservation's great visionaries shaped her perspective, but for Quincey Tompkins Imhoff, the work is about more than scale. After decades of building her own path through international conservation, she's coming home to Sonoma County with everything she's learned—and a growing passion for building up the next generation of conservation superstars.
Aerial view of Lakeville Creek with green hills. How protected lands help buffer against extreme weather

eNews

 | 

May 12, 2026

How protected lands help buffer against extreme weather

A powerful El Niño is building in the Pacific, and its effects will likely begin to influence California this month. We're breaking down what that means for fire season in Sonoma County—and sharing the steps you can take to protect your home, your family, and your community.
View of the Sonoma coast, a headshot of Bianca Vargas, and Monterey pines. Natural Attractions—What to explore right now

eNews

 | 

May 12, 2026

Natural Attractions—What to explore right now

This spring, stewardship technician Bianca Vargas recommends heading to the Red Hill to Pomo Canyon Trailhead at Sonoma Coast State Park, where higher humidity drives stunning wildflower blooms and the ecosystems shift dramatically as you climb—offering a front-row seat to a rare coastal ecotone in action.
Sonoma Valley Wildlands Collaborative logos with landscape background of the Sonoma Valley. Fire changes everything—and shows us the way

eNews

 | 

May 12, 2026

Fire changes everything—and shows us the way

After the 2017 fires, Sonoma Land Trust faced a hard truth: protecting land from development wasn't enough. What followed—putting good fire back on the ground, landmark science studies, and innovative new models of collaboration—changed what it means to do conservation.
Sonoma Land Trust volunteers collecting data in a grassy field. There’s a place for everyone in conservation

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. The future of conservation starts here

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. Would conservation easements hold?

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. For the Hafner family, conservation is a way of life

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. Natural Attractions—What to explore right now

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.
Oak Hill Farm in the 1970s. A land trust grows in Sonoma Valley

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.
Field of wildflowers in bloom at Oak Hill Farm with inset headshot of Arden Bucklin-Sporer. Growing up together: Reflections on Sonoma Land Trust’s founding family

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.