MARCH 2021 NEWSLETTER
Download Our Colorful Wildflower Guide

Wildflowers are the heralds of spring, and here in Sonoma County the earliest ones—milkmaids, buttercups, Douglas iris and many more—have been popping up since last month, painting the fields and trails with their vivid hues.

For a colorful guide to these most colorful natives, see our updated digital brochure, Wildflowers of Sonoma County. Download the guide before heading out and see which of these hardy beauties you can spot for yourself. Parks known for their wildflower displays include Crane Creek, Foothill, North Sonoma Mountain and Sonoma Valley, but certain wildflowers can be found in almost every regional park.
Outdoor Fun Awaits at Red Tail Play Area
A unique new children’s play area is drawing families to Taylor Mountain Regional Park for its one-of-a-kind features—including climbing structure, swing, embankment slide and a giant hawk’s nest—and because it's fulfilling its role as a much-needed outdoor playground for kids in southeast Santa Rosa.

We designed Red Tail Play Area with nature, creativity and interactivity in mind, and it shows.

The spot is easily accessible at the park’s Petaluma Hill Road entrance, adjacent to the picnic area at the base of Red Tail Trail.
Due to its popularity, we ask all visitors to please take safety precautions when visiting this playground. Read more about Red Tail Play Area and why we built it.
Top Spots for Sonoma Coast Whale Watching

The late-winter migration of Pacific gray whales from Baja to the Bering Sea has begun, bringing them close to the California coastline between February and April. This in turn sparks another migration: that of enthusiastic whale watchers coming to view these magnificent animals for themselves.

As detailed in our blog post, Regional Parks' Sonoma Coast blufftops offer a variety of great options for whale watching, including Gualala Point Regional Park, Stillwater Cove Regional Park, and anywhere along the Bodega Bay coastline. Grab some binoculars and come see for yourself!
Kenwood Vineyards Helps Hood Mountain Recover

A local business abutting twice-burned Hood Mountain Regional Park and Preserve has offered a $10,000 challenge grant to help get the park back open following last year’s Glass Fire. This generous grant by Kenwood Vineyards, announced recently by Sonoma County Parks Foundation, means the local winemaker will match the first $10,000 in public donations.

That help is much appreciated following recent wildfires, which burned about 80 percent of the park's 2,000 acres. Read more about efforts to fund Hood Mountain fire recovery. To donate directly and have your donation matched by Kenwood Vineyards, click the link.
Measure M Spending Outlined in New Report

Voters approved Measure M in 2018, creating a 10-year, eighth-cent sales tax to expand and improve regional and city parks in Sonoma County. That delivered $12.4 million in the 2019-20 fiscal year, two-thirds of which went to Sonoma County Regional Parks, with the rest going to the county’s nine cities.

Our first annual Measure M sales tax report provides details on how we used that initial year of revenue to expand parkland and trails at Taylor Mountain and Hood Mountain, improve wildlife habitat at Tolay Lake, renovate the Doran boat launch, and much more. Read more about Measure M sales tax spending.
Spring events are filling fast, so sign up now for Regional Parks' upcoming activities! From Nature Investigators camps to springtime explorations, we invite you to join us for small-group adventures that explore our parks in March, April and May.

We also will continue to host webinars, live streams and other virtual programs that let you learn about nature at home.

Join us and discover your parks!
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Sonoma County Regional Parks
(707) 565-2041