Your Next Park: Mark West Regional Park & Preserve
Exciting news: We now own 1,192 acres for Sonoma County's newest park, Mark West Regional Park & Open Space Preserve! We are so grateful to our acquisition partners at Sonoma County Ag + Open Space, to the ranching families who wanted to conserve and share this land, and to the taxpayers who support our natural landscapes. Now we begin the multi-year process of planning for a permanent park opening. In the meantime, we'll host regular "park preview" days beginning in March. We hope you'll visit.
The final tally for Measure M, the 1/8-cent sales tax for Sonoma County parks, shows that 72.6 percent of November's voters supported the measure. Thanks to the "Parks for All" turnout, we finally have a stable source of funding for the county's regional and city parks, an achievement that puts us on par with other Bay Area communities. We're now prioritizing long-delayed park repairs and will bring work plans to the Board of Supervisors for review in March. We look forward to showing you what we can achieve!
From brown-headed cowbirds to medusahead grass, non-native plant and animal species are well-established in Sonoma County, despite best efforts to stop them. In our latest blog post, environmental writer Stephen Nett describes how aggressive colonizers take hold and the risks they pose for local species and habitats. Learn why we're devoting future funding to invasive species management and what you can do to help protect native communities.
Make your hikers, campers and other parks-lovers happy with Regional Parks' gift memberships. Holiday memberships are available at REI, Oliver's Markets, Sonoma Outfitters, Sebastopol Hardware, Garrett Ace Hardware, Copperfields Books in Petaluma and our other retail partners. The great thing about gift memberships is that they can be activated whenever the lucky recipient is ready to start exploring the parks.
Winter in Sonoma County is known for its dramatic skies, crisp air, and rushing streams. Embrace the season by downloading our
winter activities guide and joining us for nature walks, trail running, whale watching, Junior Ranger adventures, and other outings.
Families, let's see how many feathered friends the kids can spot on a winter bird walk around Spring Lake on Saturday, Dec. 15. Bring your binoculars or borrow ours for this event modeled after the annual Christmas Bird Count.
Who thinks about camping in December? Campers who know winter is prime time to reserve summer sites at Doran Beach, Stillwater Cove, Gualala Point and Spring Lake. Reservations for June, July and August will go quickly as we move into the new year, so you'll be happy you planned ahead.
