Celebrate Hispanic-Latinx Heritage Month (September 15 - October 15): This month is celebrated nationwide as National Hispanic Heritage Month. It traditionally honors the cultures and contributions of both Hispanic and Latino Americans as we celebrate heritage rooted in all Latin American countries.
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In this month's edition:
- Sign Up for the RCD's Annual Newsletter!
- Featured RCD Projects:
- Growing Stewardship Opportunities for Forest Landowners
- Increasing Outreach and Education on Fire and Forest Resources
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Staff Highlight: Cailin Notch, Civic Spark Fellow
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2020 Working Lands Calendar: Sangiacomo Family Vineyards
- Upcoming Workshops and Activities
- Partner News
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Annual RCD Newsletter: Stories & Stats from 2020
Sign up now to get on our mailing list!
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As the year 2020 begins to wind down, the RCD wants to share with you the amazing work being done in our district. In this year's print newsletter, we highlight several completed and ongoing RCD projects, including western monarch conservation, fire fuels management, and climate adaptation planning! If you'd like, you can view our past RCD annual newsletters here.
The 2020 newsletter will be distributed for FREE in late November. Receive yours by signing up for our mailing list today:
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Growing Stewardship Opportunities for Forest Landowners |
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California’s forests are some of the most diverse and abundant ecosystems in the entire world. When in balance, these forests provide ample timber, wild foods and medicine, wildlife habitat, recreation opportunities, support to watersheds, and significant carbon sequestration. When out of balance, they suffer from overgrowth, disease, pest pressure and invasive plants, and they sustain intense wildfire. It’s our goal to connect forest landowners with the resources they need to steward the forest back to a healthy balance. |
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RCD Forest Management Planning and Technical Assistance
In 2018, the Gold Ridge and Sonoma RCDs hired Jason Wells, registered professional forester, to jump start the RCDs’ new Forest Management Planning program. Jason has helped numerous landowners prepare holistic management plans that will be used to access funds from EQIP (NRCS’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program) and to guide the landowner’s actions long-term and achieve their management goals.
Sonoma County Forest Conservation Working Group
This group is a diverse network of forest managers and natural resource professionals, a catalyst for collaborative projects, a source of information, and a point of contact for forestland owners. Become a member!
UC ANR Forestland Stewards Workshop Series
We encourage forest landowners to participate in this essential program hosted by the University of California. This workshop series will help landowners develop plans to improve and protect their forest lands in an ecologically and economically sustainable manner.
The Good Fire Alliance
The Good Fire Alliance is a group of private landowners and land managers in Sonoma and Marin Counties who have come together to learn how to manage the vegetation needs of their properties through cooperatively conducted controlled burns and other techniques.
The North Bay Forest Improvement Program
Starting January 2021, the North Bay Forest Improvement Program (NBFIP) will support planning and implementation of projects on private forested lands to reduce risks of wildfire and promote forest health. The program will provide financial incentives to landowners to conduct this critical work.
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Increasing Outreach and Education on Fire and Forest Resources in Sonoma County
A partnership between Fire Safe Sonoma and the RCDs
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"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much."
– Helen Keller
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Connections are vital for success. This remains true whether we're talking about forest root systems or partnerships between human organizations. Together, with support from others, we can achieve more than we can alone. This is why we are so thrilled to announce our partnership with the Sonoma RCD and Fire Safe Sonoma (FSS) in an effort to expand resident resources and help our community acquire the education and tools they need to better prepare for wildfire.
Since the Tubbs Fire in 2018, Gold Ridge and Sonoma RCDs have been working to build a strong partnership with FSS. All parties agree we will have better success being prepared for wildfire and wildfire recovery if we work closely together. We have jointly worked on several grants to increase the areas in the county with Community Wildfire Protection Plans, advance implementation of those plans, and boost our capacity to serve the great need for community preparedness in the face of wildfires. In early 2020 Fire Safe Sonoma received a contract from the County of Sonoma and we decided to pursue an AmeriCorps CivicSpark Fellow to assist with the capacity building for the RCDs and FSS.
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The Fellow serves as the Sonoma Wildfire Awareness Outreach Coordinator, and serves all of Sonoma County in increasing community resilience in the face of increased wildfire risk and other adverse effects exacerbated through the changing climate. Working with Fire Safe Sonoma and the RCDs, the Fellow will support two projects to assist the RCDs and Fire Safe Sonoma achieve strategic goals.
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Sonoma County Outreach and Coordination Plan - Create and distribute educational outreach content via social media, phone calls, email correspondence, website updates, newsletter articles, public events, and workshops to increase the capacity of Fire Safe Sonoma to meet the great demand for information the public requests after having four devastating wildfires in the past two years.
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Incorporate Forest Management and Wildfire Preparedness Planning Into the Gold Ridge RCDs Strategic Plan - Identify community needs and opportunities around forest management and wildfire safety and preparedness to increase the RCD's capacity to identify and prioritize funding proposals and project development.
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With that said, we are excited to introduce you to our new Fellow, Cailin Notch!
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Staff Highlight: Meet Cailin!
Cailin Notch, Civic Spark Fellow for the RCD + Fire Safe Sonoma
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Cailin Notch joins our team as a Fellow through the CivicSpark Americorps program. Cailin splits her time between the Gold Ridge RCD and Fire Safe Sonoma to assist with wildfire prevention outreach and emergency preparedness efforts throughout Sonoma County.
In her previous experience, Cailin worked as a city planner at the City of Petaluma for three years before taking a gap year to travel through South America and Europe. She views thoughtful development and conservation as two sides of the same coin, and brings her experience in place-making to her wildfire prevention work with Gold Ridge RCD. She is excited and humbled to once again serve the Sonoma County community.
California-born and Oregon-raised, Cailin has spent almost equal time in each state and proudly represents both. She is passionate about climate mitigation and adaptation. Before coming to Gold Ridge RCD she volunteered with the City of Ashland activating their Climate and Energy Action Plan and volunteered as a policy researcher for Rogue Climate, a climate justice organization based in Southern Oregon. When she’s not working she’s probably reading, biking, hiking, camping, tending to her flower garden or helping out at the organic family farm down the street. She dreams of the day when it is once again safe to haunt her favorite karaoke bars.
Cailin has a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies with a French Minor from the University of California, Berkeley.
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2020 Working Lands Calendar
October Highlight: Sangiacomo Family Vineyards
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Calendars are available, and they are free!!
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Upcoming Workshops & Activities |
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The Price of Pesticides with Sarah Hoyle
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$5 Members Online | $10 Non-members |
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October 15th, 6:30pm - 8:30pm PST |
Join Sarah Hoyle, Pesticide Program Specialist with the Xerces Society, for a discussion of recent research on pesticide contamination of milkweed in California's Central Valley. A research team including Xerces Society staff and scientists from University of Nevada, Reno, sampled milkweed plants from various landscapes in the Central Valley and analyzed them for pesticide residues. They found widespread contamination of milkweed at levels that could harm monarch caterpillars. Sarah will review their research and its implications for monarch conservation.
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Post-Fire Soil Safety
Are you growing food on a property directly impacted by a wildfire?
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Free Zoom Webinar | Must RSVP |
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Oct 17th, 9:30am-11:30am PST |
In this virtual webinar, learn from scientists who have studied urban wildfires in California. Wildfire introduces new considerations for growing produce and raising backyard poultry.
Topics include:
- What questions to consider when rebuilding a garden or re-establishing a backyard poultry flock
- How to improve soil health and make informed decisions about food safety
- Which agencies might have helpful information
- What remains unknown in this burgeoning field of study
This workshop is intended for residents of properties directly impacted by wildfire.
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Celebrating Womxn's Leadership in Food
A free, facilitated conversation series
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Free Zoom Meeting | Register before October 14th! |
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Whether or not you joined in September, all are welcome to join for the upcoming October 21st conversation, Growing Power, Cultivating Change: Activating through the Racial Liberation Work of Black Womxn in Food. Space is limited.
Celebrating Womxns Leadership in Food seeks to create a brave space in which we can unearth discomfort, engage in transformative conversation, and support each other in building consciousness and activating to make concrete changes. In uplifting womxn leaders in racial liberation, we will discover the ways that their work informs our own efforts to build a just food system, moving us from understanding to action in our lives, work and community.
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Land As Your Legacy & Long Term Care Planning
With Guest Speaker Misti Arias, Acquisition Manager of Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation & Open Space District
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2 Hours on Zoom | Free for Farm Bureau Members, $25 otherwise! |
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October 27th, 9am - 11am PST |
This workshop is for anyone who is actively involved in farming or ranching and is interested in transitioning their operation to the next generation. Or, for individuals who would like to learn more about the relevance of Long Term Care in planning and the effect it can have on your family and your farm. We'll cover the benefits of having a transition plan, who needs one and what needs to be done to put a plan in place to help minimize legal difficulties. You will learn what Long Term Care is and isn’t, the facts and the options that are available, the importance of having the conversation and the impact long term care can have on the best laid plans. |
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A comprehensive guide on native plant recovery following wildfire. |
Topics Include:
- Basic Fire Ecology & FAQ
- Post-Fire Care & Recovery of Trees
- Seeding vs. Natural Regeneration
- Post-Fire Checklist for Land Care
- Soil Erosion Control
- Defensible Space and Landscaping
- Rare Plants and Fire
- Considerations for California Habitats
"Natural recovery is an ancient miracle, and one that brings a message of recovery and resilience that is much needed today."
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SCFB Wildfire Relief: Funds & Services
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We have resources to support emergency needs from the Farm Bureau Foundation of Sonoma County Wildfire Relief Fund. We need to know who has been impacted and how so we can provide information and help directly to those folks.
Click here to download the SCFB Wildfire Relief Request Form.
Please note that funds are limited and we are providing funds mainly for emergency supplies and fencing. Please email relief@sonomafb.org
1) Farmers and ranchers, if you would like access to these resources or
need help please contact SCFB directly.
2) For emergency situations please contact Tawny Tesconi.
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Volunteer for Thanksgiving and New Years Western Monarch Counts
Online Training for 2020
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This count would not be possible without all of the incredible volunteers and regional coordinators! A huge THANK YOU to all of the volunteers!
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Learn How to Participate in This Year's Monarch Surveys! |
This year the Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count runs from Saturday, November 14 to Sunday, December 6.
The New Year’s Count runs from Saturday, December 26 to Sunday, January 10.
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- Set up your Free Account
- Create a Pin
- Make a Match!
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UCCE is excited to announce a new tool to match grazers with landowners: Match.Graze. The free online service that allows users to find their perfect grazing match, is now live!
It’s like Tinder for livestock!
Match.Graze is an interactive database of California contract grazers and landowners. Property owners create profiles with information about land they have available for grazing while livestock owners enter specifics about their herds for hire. That information will be associated with a marker pinned on a map of California. Users will be able to search the markers to find a contract grazer or available acreage to suit their vegetation management needs.
and let’s prevent catastrophic fire while
helping landowners and livestock owners.
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Forest Health Watershed Coordinator
Term / Full-time / Exempt
$58,000 - $63,000/ year
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Pollinator Coordinator
Full Time
$6,816.00 - $8,479.00 / Month
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