Winter storms test Lakeville Creek: Plants stay rooted!
We reached a major milestone in the Lakeville Creek Stage Zero restoration project, marking the 1-year anniversary in August. While we are still early in the process, we are seeing evidence to indicate that some things are working as planned, but building resilience takes time. It takes time to develop, for plants to get rooted, and for water to flow, spread, and sink effectively. February’s atmospheric rivers—some extremely intense—put the site to the test. “Think of your garden and then taking a fire hose to it before anything has taken root…it is going to cause some issues,” Julian Meisler explained during a recent interview. Watch this short video to see how resilience takes shape. It shows promising signs and reveals a few lessons from our team in their post-winter report.
Review the progress of this Stage Zero project and see the 35,000 new plants by visiting our webpage.
Adapting for climate change through fire
For thousands of years, fire shaped Sonoma County’s ecosystems. Both naturally occurring blazes and Indigenous cultural burning practices enriched the soil, encouraged diverse native species to flourish, and fortified landscapes against wildfires. But colonization disrupted this balance, decimating Indigenous populations, fragmenting the land, and replacing traditional fire stewardship with suppression-focused forestry. As a result, forests grew overcrowded, weakened by heat and drought, and more prone to destructive wildfires, threatening nearby communities. Our Living with Fire program is reversing this trend by partnering with local governments, communities, nonprofits, and Indigenous tribes to restore prescribed burns, enhancing biodiversity, ecosystem health, and wildfire resilience. Learn more about the positive changes already noticeable on our preserves.
It’s gratifying how quickly we’re able to observe the tangible benefits of Good Fire on our preserves, and the positive impacts continue to build over time. Stewardship Program Manager Chris Carlson has recorded the benefits from two consecutive seasons of prescribed burns. Benefits have included a decrease in invasive plant species like yellow star-thistle, an increase in native plant species like owl’s clover, and a reduced risk of wildfire at our Laufenburg Ranch Preserve in Knights Valley.
Managing invasive species
By carefully timing prescribed burns before the seed development phase of invasive plants like yellow star-thistle, medusahead, or barbed goatgrass, we can interrupt their natural reproduction cycle. To do this we must burn in June or July. We performed our first prescribed burn in 2022 and through this series of photos, we’re able to monitor a patch of non-native yellow star-thistle shrinking over three years as a result of consistent prescribed burn treatments. This has been extremely successful, with a reduction rate of about 90%! (See the image above to observe these results.) A third spring burn will finish this treatment sequence, and the team can shift their focus from invasive reduction to encouraging native grasses and stewarding oak health.
Reducing fuels and improving grassland health
Our second burn at Laufenburg Ranch Preserve was in partnership with CAL FIRE and burned a 15-acre unit in fall in 2023. The unit, a mix of grassland and live oak woodland, hadn’t experienced fire in over 50 years. Historically, this type of forest is thought to have been burned every five to 15 years. We’re pleased to report that by reintroducing beneficial fire to the area, we’ve achieved many of our goals – enhancing the resilience of both the forest and nearby communities to climate change and uncontrolled wildfires.
Tree density: Left unmanaged, oak forests become crowded with understory brush and small trees. These smaller trees and shrubs steal water and nutrients from the surrounding larger trees, making each compete for resources. This results in undernourished, thirsty, and disease-prone trees, making them more susceptible to severe wildfire behavior. In this photo set, you can see that the burn successfully reduced the density of small trees and shrubs but had minimal impacts on larger trees.
Forest fuels: When those unhealthy understory trees and brushes die, they accumulate in a mass of dry vegetation that acts as kindling for a fire. This burn successfully reduced the ground brush and ladder fuels (vegetation that allows a fire to spread from the ground to the tree canopy), which can slow the spread of a wildfire in that area. By proactively burning these fuels, we also recycle important nutrients and support the health of remaining trees.
Grassland management: Not only can small trees and brush accumulate over time, but so can a dense, compacted layer of dead grasses called “thatch”. During this burn, low-intensity fire successfully reduced the thatch and cleared space, allowing for a record number of native flowers to return.
Adaptación al cambio climático mediante el fuego
Durante miles de años, el fuego dio forma a los ecosistemas del condado de Sonoma. Tanto las llamas naturales como las prácticas culturales indígenas de quema enriquecieron el suelo, favorecieron el florecimiento de diversas especies autóctonas y fortificaron los paisajes ante los incendios forestales. Pero la colonización alteró este equilibrio, diezmando las poblaciones indígenas, fragmentando la tierra y sustituyendo la gestión tradicional del fuego por una silvicultura centrada en la supresión. Como resultado, los bosques se sobrepoblaron, se debilitaron por el calor y la sequía y se volvieron más propensos a los incendios forestales destructivos, amenazando a las comunidades cercanas. Nuestro programa Viviendo con Incendios (Living with Fire) está invirtiendo esta tendencia, colaborando con gobiernos locales, comunidades, organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro y tribus indígenas para comenzar de nuevo las quemas controladas, mejorando la biodiversidad, la salud de los ecosistemas y la resiliencia ante los incendios forestales. Ahora se puede observar los cambios positivos en nuestras reservas.
Es gratificante la rapidez con la que podemos observar los beneficios tangibles del Buen Fuego en nuestras reservas y los impactos positivos siguen aumentando con el tiempo. Chris Carlson, Director del Programa de Gestión y Protección, ha registrado los beneficios de tres temporadas consecutivas de quemas controladas. Entre ellos, la disminución de especies de plantas invasoras como el cardo estrellado amarillo, el aumento de especies de plantas autóctonas, como el pincel de indio morado, y la reducción del riesgo de incendios forestales en nuestra reserva del Rancho Laufenburg en Knights Valley.
Gestionar las especies invasoras
Si programamos cuidadosamente las quemas controladas antes de la fase de desarrollo de las semillas de plantas invasoras como el cardo estrellado amarillo, la hierba cabeza de medusa o la hierba rompesacos, podemos detener su ciclo de reproducción natural. Por eso debemos quemar en junio o julio. Realizamos nuestra primera quema controlada en 2022 y, a través de esta serie de fotos, podemos observar una parcela de cardo estrellado amarillo no autóctono que se ha ido reduciendo a lo largo de tres años como resultado de los constantes tratamientos de quema controlada. El éxito ha sido enorme, con una tasa de reducción de cerca del 90%. Una tercera quema finalizará esta secuencia de tratamiento, y el equipo podrá centrarse en otras zonas mientras mantiene y supervisa las mejoras conseguidas.
Reducir los combustibles y mejorar la salud de los pastizales
Nuestra segunda quema en la reserva del Rancho Laufenburg se llevó a cabo con la colaboración de CAL FIRE y quemó una unidad de 15 acres en el otoño de 2023. La unidad, una mezcla de pastizales y bosques de robles, no había experimentado incendios en más de 50 años. Históricamente, se cree que este tipo de bosque se quemaba cada cinco a 15 años. Nos complace informar de que, al reintroducir el fuego beneficioso en la zona, hemos logrado muchos de nuestros objetivos: mejorar la resiliencia tanto del bosque como de las comunidades cercanas ante el cambio climático y los incendios no controlados.
Densidad arbórea: Si no se gestionan, los robledales se llenan de maleza y árboles pequeños. Estos árboles y arbustos más pequeños roban agua y nutrientes de los árboles más grandes que los rodean, haciendo que cada uno compita por los recursos. El resultado son árboles desnutridos, sedientos y propensos a las enfermedades, lo que los hace más susceptibles de sufrir graves incendios forestales. En esta foto se puede ver que la quema redujo con éxito la densidad de árboles y arbustos pequeños, pero tuvo un impacto mínimo en los árboles más grandes.
Combustibles forestales: Cuando los árboles y matorrales del sotobosque mueren, se acumulan en una masa de vegetación seca que sirve de combustible para un incendio. Esta quema redujo con éxito la maleza del suelo y los combustibles de escalera (vegetación que permite que un incendio se propague desde el suelo hasta la copa de los árboles), lo que puede ralentizar la propagación de un incendio forestal en esa zona. Cuando quemamos estos combustibles de forma proactiva, también reciclamos nutrientes importantes y apoyamos la salud de los árboles restantes.
Gestión de pastizales: Con el tiempo no sólo pueden acumularse árboles pequeños y maleza, sino también una capa densa y compactada de hierbas muertas. Durante esta quema, realizamos un fuego de baja intensidad que redujo con éxito la paja. La limpieza de ese espacio permitió que volviera un número récord de flores autóctonas.
Keeping up with our stewardship technicians this season
We often share stories of our large-scale stewardship and restoration projects – the Lakeville Creeks and the prescribed burns – but there are so many other aspects of our stewardship team’s jobs that don’t get the spotlight as they may seem routine. That couldn’t be further from the case, as these day-to-day stewardship tasks and projects enable us to pursue the larger pieces of work.
Our dedicated and talented Stewardship Technicians, Grant Coleman and Bianca Sophia Vargas, who joined the team in March, spend much of their time out of the office and on the land, getting to know the habitats and ecosystems on our preserves and conservation easements, and what challenges they face that require their attention and care. Grant and Bianca play a crucial role in our conservation efforts, taking on tasks that often go unsung but are vital. Their days range from surveying for nesting birds before mowing, to testing how grasses respond to small burns, to installing boot-sanitizing stations to protect oak trees from disease. These day-to-day projects are essential to safeguarding our landscapes and communities against climate change.
Bianca’s field notes:
Watering the wetlands
The other day, Grant and I were out at our Lakeville Creek project site helping Stewardship Project Manager Riley Scaff with wetland restoration tasks. There was a concern that the heavy machinery moving soil could potentially damage the irrigation system, so we watered the new plants – Arroyo willows, Baltic rush, Brown-headed rush, Pacific rush, and California grey rush – by hand with a 2-inch hose line. The topsoil in the area is sandy, but underneath is clay, and a good soak is all the rushes and willows need since clay can hold water for a long time.
Bear Canyon monitoring
It’s important to conduct routine monitoring of our preserves, and annual inspections are instrumental in determining what kind of land management may be needed in the future based on what is happening on the property over time. For example, Bear Canyon experienced a series of landslides over the past few years, which partially buried the established trails, so this will need attention. The last time I was there I had to navigate around these landslides and reroute myself back to the entrance. It took a bit longer but on the bright side, I ended up finding some pretty cool views!
Misplaced picnic table
This was an odd “side quest” during our workday – there was a picnic table that slid down a hill at Pole Mountain that we had to rescue. Puzzled by how it got there, we decided to get it back to where it belonged. So, we pushed it further down the hill, put it on a UTV and drove it back to the top of the mountain. We suspect a cow displaced it, but that mystery may never be solved. We learned two things: picnic tables are surprisingly heavy, and cow pies sneak up on you when you’re not looking!
Grant’s field notes
Surveying for Black bears
I recently teamed up with North Bay Bear Collaborative biologist Megan Walla-Murphy to co-lead black bear surveys on our Laufenburg Ranch and Live Oaks Ranch preserves. We do this by collecting scat samples and extracting DNA to track individual bears over time to better understand their movements, habitat preferences and needs. This is part of a multi-year study to assess the population and dispersal patterns of black bears across Napa, Sonoma, and Marin counties. The data gathered will help inform critical decisions regarding habitat connectivity, wildlife corridors, and biodiversity conservation.
Supervising restoration at the coast
I have been assisting with an oak woodland restoration project on our Little Black Mountain and Pole Mountain coastal properties, focused on creating prescribed fire control lines and forest health thinning. This project is small in scope, and the work itself is typical of fire line treatments, but the challenging terrain – mostly ridgelines and slopes between two properties – makes it difficult for crews to navigate. Because of this it’s important we’re present to closely supervise and support the work being performed for safety. My role has included assisting with contractor bid walks, delivering the California Vegetation Treatment Program (CalVTP) talk to the crew, answering questions about the project scope, ensuring best management practices are followed, and maintaining quality control.
Reviving Tolay Creek: A Decade of Restoration and Renewal
In December 2007, Sonoma Land Trust purchased the 1,665-acre Tolay Creek Ranch to permanently protect the open space and to enhance and restore Tolay Creek. Once restored, the plan was to transfer the property to Sonoma County Regional Parks for inclusion in the Tolay Lake Regional Park. In November 2009, a robust restoration plan was produced that focused on two main objectives: to replant the riparian areas with native species and to protect it from cattle grazing, which was the source of much of the degradation in this area.
In January 2013, Sonoma Land Trust and Caltrans entered into an agreement to complete the implementation of the riparian restoration plan and provide the funding from the off-site mitigation funds for the Highway 101 Marin-Sonoma Narrows HOV Widening Project.
During the ten-year restoration, we installed over 30,000 feet of wildlife-friendly fencing to prevent livestock from entering the project area along the creek and further eroding the streambank. A structure was also installed to help stabilize 4,160 feet of the upstream section of a major tributary, likewise preventing further erosion. In the watershed zone, 3,503 oaks, willows, and other native trees were planted and maintained adjacent to the main stem and four tributaries along 26,500 linear feet (five miles) of Tolay Creek. In addition, approximately 700 native oaks that sprouted from seed were also protected with cages to prevent deer from browsing and maintained to improve their survival rate.
These efforts involved many hands, including hundreds of student volunteers from STRAW (Students and Teachers Restoring a Wetland), a program of Point Blue Conservation Science. These volunteers learned how to properly plant trees, among other practical skills for stewarding our natural resources. Sonoma Land Trust volunteers provided additional assistance with annual maintenance and invasive plant removal to ensure the new plantings were healthy and taking hold.
Today marks the end of the ten-year restoration project and its transfer to Regional Parks who will continue to maintain the health of this restored area.
We are proud of this accomplishment that achieved remarkable success with an 84% survival rate at Year 10, exceeding the required 65% for this period. And perhaps a metric of success that we celebrate most is the return of native narrow leaf milkweed and the migrating Monarch butterfly that has been found in the riparian zone for the last 3 consecutive years!
We are grateful to the funders, partners, and volunteers who helped make this a successful transition and we are excited to see it flourish under the care of its new land stewardship team.
Thanks to all who attended Member Appreciation Day at Laufenburg Ranch! It was so wonderful to see old friends and make new ones. The cool morning was perfect for a sound healing experience, which opened to a lovely afternoon of hiking, tours, music, food, and more. We hope you had a great time, and we look forward to hosting you again next year!
If you’re not a member yet, now’s the time to join. Your support helps protect, care for and connect people to the land.
Tax-smart ways you can help
Sonoma Land Trust’s work to permanently conserve land is one of the most powerful defenses to protect against climate impacts. You can propel our efforts to build a more resilient future, preserve wildlife habitats, connect urban areas with nature, and nurture the next generation of conservation leaders by considering these three tax-smart ways to support our work:
- Gift of stock: Donating stock that has appreciated in value helps you save on taxes and make a lasting difference.
- Donor Advised Fund (DAF): If you have a DAF, please recommend a grant (or recurring grant) to Sonoma Land Trust.
- Qualified Charitable Distribution (or QCD) can reduce the taxable share of income from your IRA when you take the Required Minimum Distribution (RMD).
Please let us know about your gift so we may update our records and provide a tax receipt. Contact shawnalee@sonomalandlandtrust.org or (707) 526-6194, ext. 832.
In November, Californians will have the opportunity to support a ballot measure that is unprecedented in both its importance and its potential to combat climate change. Prop. 4, the Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act, offers state funding ($10 billion!) for crucial projects and programs that harness the power of nature to protect our communities and landscapes from the worst impacts of the climate crisis.
Prop. 4 aligns with the work that we are doing with our partners to meet our 30×30 goals, and represents the single largest investment in protecting the environment and addressing the challenges of climate change in California’s history! Learn more.
What should I expect from a prescribed burn?
Returning good fire to the land is an essential tool for restoring balance and resilience in our forests. A couple of hours of smoke from a prescribed burn could reduce the risk of days and weeks of harmful smoke from a wildfire. Watch this video to hear from the experts.
Celebrating Latino Conservation Week
We were thrilled to partner with Latino Service Providers (LSP) on a special outing in September in celebration of Latino Conservation Week 2024! We spent an afternoon hiking and exploring Foppiano Ranch, a 758-acre conservation easement property near Healdsburg we protected in 2021. Our group learned about the variety of habitats on the property – oak woodlands, serpentine grasslands, and riparian habitat – and the special species that live there. Youth participants were especially curious about lichen, moss and bay trees, and had the chance to examine a fully intact, newly shed snake skin.
LSP works to actively engage the Latinx community on health-related issues impacting Sonoma County and inspire the next generation of community health professionals through its youth internship program. This collaboration is just one way we are connecting young people with nature and fostering community together.
Estuvimos encantados de asociarnos con Latino Service Providers (LSP) en una excursión especial para celebrar la Semana Latina de la Conservación 2024. Pasamos una tarde caminando y explorando el Rancho Foppiano, una propiedad con servidumbre de conservación de 758 acres cerca de Healdsburg que protegimos en 2021. Nuestro grupo aprendió sobre la variedad de hábitats en la propiedad: bosques de robles, pastizales serpentinos, hábitats ribereños y las especies especiales que viven allí. Los jóvenes participantes tuvieron ganas de aprender acerca de los líquenes, el musgo y los laureles. Además, tuvieron la oportunidad de examinar la piel de serpiente completamente intacta y recién mudada.
LSP trabaja para implicar activamente a la comunidad latina en asuntos relacionados con la salud que afectan al condado de Sonoma e inspirar a la próxima generación de profesionales de la salud comunitaria a través de su programa de pasantías para jóvenes. Esta colaboración es sólo una de las formas en que conectamos a los jóvenes con la naturaleza y fomentamos juntos la comunidad.
Free Language of the Land Webinars
Language of the Land: Environmental Justice and Climate Change
Join Sonoma Land Trust on October 23 at 7pm for a presentation by Beatriz Guerrero Auna, a trailblazing health and equity planner and a leading voice in environmental justice in the Bay Area. In this talk, Beatriz will address the intersection of climate change, health, and social equity, highlighting successful local strategies for empowering equity priority communities and fostering sustainable urban environments. Spanish interpretation provided.
Watch On Demand: Prop 4, California Climate Funding
On November 5, Californians will have the opportunity to vote on Prop. 4, which would provide $10 billion in funding to address the climate and biodiversity crises. Learn more about Prop. 4 and how the funding provided through this bond will support our climate resilience and 30×30 priorities. Policy consultant Kim Delfino and SLT Policy and Funding Program Manager Ariana Rickard discuss how our projects would benefit if Prop. 4 is passed by voters this November, and share how you can get involved in the campaign.
Free outings
Join us out in nature this month! In addition to our monthly bilingual Familias al Aire Libre/Families Outdoors outing, we’re hosting a series of weekend hikes across the county, and raptor walks with California Certified naturalist Larry Broderick are in full swing!
Many of these hikes are in partnership with Sonoma County Ag + Open Space.
Check your voter registration!
As this important election nears, it’s a good idea to double check your voter registration and make sure your information is correct and up-to-date. You can check your voter registration status here, and register to vote here. The deadline to register to vote in California is 15 days before the election, so make sure your registration is postmarked or submitted electronically no later than October 21!
Staff recommendation
The Gift of Good Land by Wendell Berry
Recommended by Chris Carlson: “Wendell Berry is one of the fathers of the modern conservation land ethic, and in this collection he explores the interdependence, wholeness, and oneness of humans, animals, and the land. These seminal essays, written between 1978-1981 remain just as relevant today.”