One of the best things about living in Sonoma County is the moderate weather. Even our rainiest weeks are punctuated by days of sunshine, which means hiking in Sonoma County can be a year-round pleasure. From Petaluma to Windsor and the Sonoma Valley to the Sonoma Coast, here are some of our favorite winter hikes.
Did you resolve to make that running routine a reality in 2019? So did we! Join us this month for two new trail running series: Beginning Trail Running starts Jan. 12 at Foothill Regional Park in Windsor. Intermediate Trail Running begins Jan. 19 at Helen Putnam Regional Park in Petaluma. Both are free and are happening rain or shine.
After several years of study and public feedback, we've drafted a plan to improve Maxwell Farms Regional Park in Sonoma by adding our first bicycle pump track and pickleball courts. We also envision a new playground and off-leash dog area, renovated sports fields and walking trails, and other upgrades. An environmental study of the park's master plan update is available for review through early February.
How are city waterways connected to the Laguna de Santa Rosa? Find out by joining us and our partners at the city of Santa Rosa and the Laguna Foundation for a "Laguna Watershed Perspectives" walk Jan. 13 on the Colgan Creek Trail. Rain or shine, we'll observe plant and animal life along the urban fringe and learn about creek stewardship on this 3-mile outing.
Ice plant might seem like a pretty coastal groundcover, but it's actually a fast-spreading, non-native species that imperils local habitat. We owe a huge thank you to California Native Plant Society volunteers, whose hard work clearing the plant from the Bird Walk Coastal Access Trail is featured in this Press Democrat article.
Make Martin Luther King Jr. Day more than just a day off by joining us for a volunteer project Jan. 21 at Hood Mountain. We'll pull French broom from the Lower Johnson Ridge Trail and would love some extra hands. Broom, pictured above, is another harmful invasive that chokes out native species and can be highly flammable.
