Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation

Happy Earth Day! We hope you’re getting outside today to enjoy our beautiful planet! As part of Earth Week, we’d like to highlight some of our incredible staff in-action! Staff members Sarah Gordon and Asa Voight systematically survey endangered Burke's goldfields (Lasthenia burkei) near the Sonoma County Airport. All surveys for rare plants are conducted in strict accordance with the standardized guidelines issued by the regulatory agencies and require a qualified botanist ...and meticulous documentation. This Preserve, protected in perpetuity for rare plant conservation, is managed by the Laguna Foundation. Protecting endangered species is important because of their inherent value, beauty, and their representation of rare and unique habitats. They are part of the web of life, supporting many other living beings, from insects and birds to amphibians and mammals. Photos by Gary Morgret

Please join us in congratulating Anne Morkill on completing her first year with the Laguna Foundation! Anne became Executive Director of the Laguna Foundation on March 1st, 2020. Two short weeks into her tenure, shelter-in-place took hold so all meetings became virtual! Yet during this year of virtual conversations, Anne has been able to build a stronger team within the organization, strengthen our partnerships, and garner the support needed to continue our programs, whether on the ground or virtually. We want to take this moment to celebrate Anne for her compassionate leadership at such a difficult time, for her ability to be flexible and innovative, and for her style with a smile! As we hope for easier times ahead, the Laguna Foundation Board of Directors and Staff extend a huge thank you to Anne!

Staff members Annie Madden and Sarah Labberton took a short break from monitoring vernal pool wildflowers to check out the recent wildlife movement within SSU's Fairfield Osborn Preserve. They worked with the Preserve Manager, Benjamin Bravo, to collect data from motion-activated trail cameras as part of the larger Copeland Creek Wildlife Corridor Assessment. While on site they focused their attention on developing wildlife track and sign skills, learning data classification protocols and familiarizing themselves with the equipment. During Earth Week, we want to share our deep appreciation for the many minds and observations that have helped make this wildlife tracking project successful and for the flora and fauna who we share this unique watershed with. Photos by Gary Morgret

Happy Earth Week! Leading up to Earth Day, we’d like to highlight a few of our incredible staff members in-action! Allison Titus, Community Education Manager, (center with clipboard) led an outing last Saturday to visit vernal pools near the Laguna Trail. It was our first field trip since March 2020 and it was a wonderful return to in-person events! Participants enjoyed learning about vernal pool ecosystems and seeing their showy wildflowers such as rare Sebastopol Meadowfo...am and Maroonspot Calicoflower. The Laguna Foundation is proud to offer a wide range of online programs, presentations, and outings all year long. Whether you’d like to learn a new skill, enjoy the beautiful scenery, or attend a fun event with your family, the Laguna Foundation has a variety of offerings to deepen your appreciation for the Laguna de Santa Rosa, connect with nature, and inspire a vibrant community dedicated to lifelong learning. Visit our website to see all of our events coming up!

Spring is in the air at the half-acre vineyard where North American Press vintner Matt Niess is nurturing his 60 year old vines among the blooming meadowfoam and soaring red-tailed hawks. This begins the third vintage of producing his Baco Noir, The Rebel. Matt has graciously chosen the Laguna Foundation to receive 10% of the profits to support our work! The 2019 vintage is available for sale at https://northamericanpress.wine. He offers free local delivery in the North Bay. And keep a look out for our video interview with Matt later this summer to learn more about his journey of crafting authentic wines made from responsibly grown native and hybrid grapes in California.

Do you know about the Laguna Uplands Preserve in Sebastopol? Hundreds of years ago this was an indigenous Pomo village known as Batikletcawi or Village Where the Elderberry Grows. Despite it being part of the traditional Pomo homeland, this beautiful property became slated for a housing development in the late 1980s, drawing protest from local community members. That eventually led to the permanent protection of the site through a conservation easement by Sonoma County Ag + O...pen Space and donated to the Laguna Foundation. The Laguna Foundation has been stewarding this land with help from partners, volunteers and donors for the last 24 years (volunteers in February 2020). In addition to clearing invasive species and planting native plants, we added trails and interpretive signs to highlight landmarks visible from Laguna Uplands. The site has an expansive view of Taylor Mountain, Hood Mountain, and Mount St. Helena across the Santa Rosa Plain. You can visit this small gem (8 acres) at 6700 Palm Ave, Sebastopol, to check out the scenic views and have a picnic. Approximately 0.5 mi. of dirt trails traverse the property. We are hosting an Earth Day event at Laguna Uplands Preserve on April 22, but it is sold out.

#GlobalVolunteerMonth is here! We’d like to kick it off by thanking our dedicated Board of Directors. They work tirelessly in steering our organization, providing their time and expertise to move our mission forward. We are so grateful to: Carolyn CJ Johnson, President, Linda Fraley, Vice President, Janine Barnes, Treasurer, Suzanne Knecht, Secretary, Morgan Marchbanks, EdD, and Michael Shklovsky. We’d also like to give a warm welcome to Dr. Lisa Vollendorf and John Dell’Osso for joining our Board of Directors. Lisa has worked in higher education for 25 years and currently serves in the California State University system. John recently retired after 36 years in the National Park Service. We look forward to working with these incredibly talented volunteers!

As part of #NationalWildlifeWeek, we’d like to highlight the work of local illustrator Molly Eckler Art! We recently asked Molly to make a bookmark for us and she did an absolutely outstanding job. Molly painted each animal or plant in watercolor individually then transposed them into the final product. This bookmark not only captures the beauty and biodiversity of the Laguna de Santa Rosa, but it reminds us of ALL the wildlife under the waterline!

Happening TODAY at 4pm! Free. Pre-registration required. Event will also be recorded and sent to registrants. https://vernal-pools-of-the-santa-rosa-plain.eventbrite.com Dive into the unique biology of vernal pools with this free presentation by local experts! Panelists Kandis Gilmore, Michelle Halbur, and Trish Tartarian will highlight the endemic pollinators, native flora, and the endangered California Tiger Salamander found in vernal pools of the Santa Rosa plain. We will end by discussing land protections and conservation of vernal pools in the Laguna watershed. There is no charge for this presentation, which is made possible by the voters of Sonoma County who fund the work of Sonoma County Ag + Open Space with a quarter-cent sales tax.

It's International Beaver Day - let's bring back the beavers! In the summer of 2017, a couple enjoying a stroll along the Laguna observed a beaver near the Occidental Road Bridge. This was extremely exciting news since the last documented occurrence was in 1881! Our staff, plus staff from Occidental Arts & Ecology Center (pictured), quickly headed out in kayaks to scout the area, but couldn't find any signs or tracks. After more than 100 years, beavers are recolonizing the wa...tershed. Beaver are found along Sonoma Creek (just a few blocks from Sonoma Plaza!) and recently moved north into Santa Rosa Creek and Spring Lake. So it seems possible that beaver could eventually move into the Laguna. Beaver dams improve ecosystem functioning and water health by enhancing water quality and increased water storage. In some cases dams can cause problems, too, but most of the time it can be mitigated with a little effort. Our colleagues at OAEC are co-sponsoring the California Beaver Summit online TODAY and Friday, April 7th and 9th, from 1:00 5:00pm PST. "Climate change is making California hotter, drier, and harder for people and wildlife. Beaver can help." See details and register online here: https://oaec.org/ca-beaver-summit-4-7-4-9/

Yay for #CaliforniaPoppyDay! Our state flower is so joyful, with its robust orange petals and ferny foliage. Plus the flowers provide pollen that is favored by native bees, bumblebees and honey bees. Poppies are especially abundant at the Laguna Environmental Center and a welcome sign of spring and sunny days ahead.

Camp Tule is back! Do you know special young explorers who need to get outside and engage their senses in nature? If you answered yes, send them to Camp Tule! This summer we will be in-person, out in nature at Irwin Creek and the Laguna, with the Laguna Environmental Center as our home base. Each camp day will be filled with creativity, stories, a little science, and lots of fun nature games all designed to connect children to the natural world. Registration opens May 1! We ...are offering three 4-day sessions comprised of 12 children each, for mixed age groups ranging from 6-11 years old. Each camp day starts at 9:00am and ends at 1:30pm. Session 1: Tuesday Friday, July 13-16 Session 2: Tuesday Friday, July 20-23 Session 3: Monday Thursday, July 26-29 Tuition is $250. Limited scholarships will be available. Keep an eye on our website for details and for the registration button on May 1. We look forward to youth summer adventures!

Due to the new Stay-At-Home order, we need to cancel our next Garden Volunteer Day scheduled for this Friday, December 18. Thankfully, this lovely rain will water our native plant garden during the hiatus. We look forward to seeing our volunteers in the new year. This native Checkerbloom (Sidalcea malviflora) is currently flowering in the garden. The flowers open in the morning and twist closed at night. Butterflies nectar on the flowers and also use checkerbloom as a larval host plant. West Coast lady, painted lady, checkered skipper and gray hairstreak butterflies all depend on this species to support their caterpillars.

The Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation is your local expert dedicated to restoring biodiversityfrom rare plant conservation and vernal pool protection, to riparian restoration, watershed planning and environmental educationthe Laguna Foundation helps restore life in balance with nature. Today, I hope you choose to give a gift to the Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation to restore nature and rebuild our connection to the natural world. Thank you! https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/LagunaFoundation Photo Steve Gibbs photography

Who else is egg-cited for Easter?!! We found these beautiful Killdeer eggs at the Laguna Environmental Center in April 2014. Killdeer make nests on the ground, so speckled eggs help blend-in. But since the eggs are out in the open, killdeer distract predators by calling loudly, bobbing, and running away. They also use a broken-wing display, an attempt to lure predators away from a nest by feigning injury. Since its egg season, please be on the lookout for active nests. Her...e’s a reminder from our friends at Native Songbird Care & Conservation: Trimming trees is generally best left for fall and winter when there is no risk of displacing nesting songbirds. Songbirds are masters at concealing their nests, which helps keep them safe from predators. Their well-camouflaged nests are also difficult for the human eye to detect. If you begin trimming, pruning, or clearing vegetation and discover an active nest, you must cease the work immediately. If emergency tree trimming is necessary, please consult our Songbird-safe Tree Trimming Guidelines before the work begins. Always check for nesting songbirds before you begin trimming and pruning vines and hedges.

December has brought cold mornings and the season for collecting some important seed sources for propagation. Nursery intern Michelle Knutson braves chilly temperatures along the Santa Rosa Creek to discover an Acer negundo (box elder) full of glimmering samaras. The morning’s seed collection hike had not looked promising as Michelle and Nursery Manager Anne Wick examined several box elders but all appeared to have moldy seed. Until, this tree appeared in a beam of sunlight near the end of the trail. They collected an abundance of seed some soaked in water and then directly sown into pots and some put into stratification for the winter all to begin the year’s next cycle of growing plants for restoration projects along the Laguna.

Did you know that the Laguna begins in Cotati? Autumn is a wonderful time of year to check out the fall foliage along the Laguna headwaters. This fairly flat 3-mile loop walk includes part of the Cotati Creek Critters 1-mile restoration site, a low-water permaculture pocket park, and the surprising historic headwaters of the Laguna. Explore the southern reach of the Laguna with this detailed route map: http://lagunafoundation.org//2018-Laguna-Headwaters-Loop.p Oak leaves show the last fall color along the Laguna de Santa Rosa in Cotati, Thursday Dec, 21, 2017. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)

It’s getting warm out there today - need a hat? Show your support for the Laguna by wearing this 100% organic cotton cap with embroidered logo and adjustable strap. It comes in 4 colors: tan, dark grey, brown and green. $17 plus $2 shipping. Order through our website: http://lagunafoundation.org/store.html

We just hosted our last virtual program of 2020! 84 active participants attended our Kayaking the Laguna webinar yesterday. The recording is now available on our YouTube channel. With your support and participation, our Community Education program reached almost 2,000 people since March! Most participants were local, and thanks to our successful pivot to virtual programs, we reached nature enthusiasts from states as far away as Alaska, Michigan, and Virginia. We also had international participants from Canada, France, and around the world. https://www.youtube.com/user/lagunafoundation/videos

At the end of this year, we will bid a fond farewell to three long-term directors: Dianne Smith, John Weinstein and Raini Sugg. They have contributed a combined 22 years of dedication and leadership on the Laguna Foundation Board of Directors! Plus Raini and Dianne both served terms as board president and John served as board treasurer. Thank you for your volunteer commitment and best wishes!