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GIFTS that repair & renew

This is a gift that has a life of its own once it passes from one person to another.

How well do you know the people to whom you are purchasing holiday gifts? What gets that person excited? What inspires that person in ways that bring him/her joy. What’s important to this gift recipient?

Knowing the answers to these questions is a critical part of gift-giving.

Many people don’t want another object. While others truly want an object because they lost their objects in recent fires.

Some people would like a gift that has purpose, contributes to our home in some way, benefits our environment.

Every holiday gift season also comes at the time of year when people need tax deductions so we donate to good causes.

Good timing!

If your friend or loved one has a deep appreciation for our protected lands and public parks, here are perfect gifts that benefit everyone.

Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods

Volunteers and staff are tasked with cleaning up after the fires that blazed through Armstrong Woods and Austin Creek Preserve. Small groups of volunteers are trained to prevent ash from contaminating creeks during our rainy season by removing ash and burnt wood, restoring trails, etc.

They need both time and money.

VOLUNTEER: this is a gift you give to the forest, to the park, to the Stewards and most of all...to yourself. Working to help heal our forests after the fires would bring you immense satisfaction when you return in spring to see how your work helped heal this land.

Stewards volunteers are hard at work repairing Austin Creek and Armstrong Woods after our fires.
Stewards volunteers are hard at work repairing Austin Creek and Armstrong Woods after our fires.

PURCHASE GIFTS at their Visitors Center and Nature Store in Jenner (worth the trip out there just to experience Jenner and Café Aquatica!) and online at stewardscr.org/store. Every item you purchase benefits the good work of the Stewards...in this case, restoration of our precious Armstrong Woods forest.

DONATE, in your name, in the name of the person you want to gift this donation. Heck, a gift can even be a MEMBERSHIP in the Stewards!

Take your pick: general or specific donation to the restoration work in Armstrong Woods/Austin Creek Fire Recovery Fund. In fact, you can even donate a picnic table with a message or name engraved in the wood!

stewardscr.org/how-you-can-give.html - (707) 869-9177

DONATE BY MAIL: PO Box 2, Duncans Mills, CA 95430

People speak of Armstrong Woods as a powerfully moving experience, a place where they find profound peace. That’s a worthy cause for everyone!

We could use some more deep breathing!

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Russian Riverkeeper

One of the many ways in which this organization works for the benefit of all our community is by keeping the Russian River Watershed clean and functioning in order to supply us with fresh, clean water. This benefits us humans as well as fish and all life forms. We ALL depend upon water in order to survive.

They start their cleanup at the north end of the Russian River and clean all the way down to Jenner where the river enters the Pacific Ocean.

Riverkeeper also works to restore parts of the river that have been impacted by river gravel mining, timber harvests, homeless camps, and much more.

When you delve into how one small group of people can have such a large impact on all our lives, you become grateful that someone cares this much! Right now they are also tasked with cleaning up after the summer fires.

Volunteers for Riverkeeper are helping install wattles on steep hillsides to protect waterways and prevent erosion on fire-ravaged hillsides.
Volunteers for Riverkeeper are helping install wattles on steep hillsides to protect waterways and prevent erosion on fire-ravaged hillsides.

Ash is deadly to all lifeforms so needs to be prevented from entering our waterways. Erosion prevention and invasive plant species control are also part of their work.

Russian Riverkeeper will be working through Sonoma County’s Watershed Task Force to help residents address erosion issues on their lands along with several other community partners such as Sonoma RCD. This is a free service for property owners that were affected by the Walbridge Fire.

They are currently seeking additional funding to help as many in our river community as possible.

Russian Riverkeeper can help by providing:

• Free erosion control assessments

• Advice on restoring with native plants

• Erosion control products and installation (funded by County)

• Referrals to other recovery resources for bridges, culverts and forest recovery

VOLUNTEER: COVID shut down group efforts but you can still collect trash wherever you see it. Let us know of your accomplishments so we can give you a shout-out on social media: social media @russianriverkeepercleanteam

DONATE through the website or by mail, and volunteer your time as well:

russianriverkeeper.org/donate/ - (707) 433-1958

DONATE BY MAIL: P.O. Box 1335, Healdsburg, CA 95448

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Sonoma Ecology Center

Glass Fire Watershed Protection Program

In response to widespread damage caused by the Glass Fire, Sonoma Ecology Center is relaunching its Watershed Protection Program in order to keep toxins from burned structures out of local waterways. Ash and debris of burned structures contains deadly toxins such as heavy metals, asbestos and nitrates, and is a potential source of pollution should rainwater wash it into streams.

Volunteers and staff install straw wattles to deter erosion and ash getting into tributaries in the watershed.
Volunteers and staff install straw wattles to deter erosion and ash getting into tributaries in the watershed.

They reach out to landowners of burned sites, mobilize volunteers, organize them into crews, and lead them in shoring up those sites to keep ash and debris in place until authorities can dispose of it to protect the watersheds of Sonoma Creek, Santa Rosa Creek and Mark West Creek.

Questions? Send an e-mail to firerecovery@sonomaecologycenter.org.

If email is not convenient, call 707-200-8134.

VOLUNTEER: Wattles act as filters, holding back the toxic ash and debris of burned structures while the water flows through. If rains arrive before all toxic burn sites are fully remediated, those wattles will go far in keeping pollutants out of our watershed.

A big part of the Glass Fire Watershed Protection Plan is organizing volunteers to help put down wattles and perform other tasks ahead of rain season.

Want to help? Email firerecovery@sonomaecologycenter.org, call 707-200-8134

DONATE: With your support they can…

• support healthy communities by providing safe access to nature

• host Environmental Discovery Days & bring science education into virtual classrooms

• create fire-adapted landscapes and help the community adapt to wildfire

Give someone a MEMBERSHIP or buy one for yourself!

Explore the many membership categories and options for donating.

sonomaecologycenter.org/donate - 707-996-0712

DONATE BY MAIL: PO Box 1486, Eldridge CA, 95431

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Pepperwood Preserve

Pepperwood Preserve became the ultimate fire science project after the October 2017 Tubbs Fire came roaring over the hill and crossed through the center of their preserve. Since they had been studying fire science for a while, they were prepared with monitors that recorded humidity, temperature, wind speed....everything we needed to know.

Monitors have been placed throughout the preserve that recorded the Tubbs Fire as it raced over the hill and down into canyons.
Monitors have been placed throughout the preserve that recorded the Tubbs Fire as it raced over the hill and down into canyons.

The land became a laboratory for how fire impacts plants, animals...all forms of life and how, with the help of humans, fire-damaged land can recover and eventually thrive.

Now that the Lightning Complex and Glass Fire hit wildlands close by, what these scientists have learned is being put to use to restore and renew once more.

The Post-Fire Forest Monitoring and Assessment is a program with fire severity maps, and field assessment and monitoring protocols to support the research and conservation community. These resources provide standard to allow comparison across fire-impacted regions. We have a lot to learn and too many opportunities to learn right here at home.

Yes fire science it a large part of Pepperwood’s work these days, but even without this opportunity (if you want to call it that!) they are a center for education. Classes, hikes, and programs are offered to the public that teach and inspire.

Their Mission Statement: To inspire conservation through science.

MEMBERSHIP offers private hikes, lectures and more. This gift to any one young or old to learn from these experts and experience this remarkable education center is a very worthy holiday present.

VOLUNTEER and you will have access to the preserve, participate in workdays, conduct field research, be part of community science and even become a steward.

DONATE in many ways, including your membership gift

pepperwoodpreserve.org/ways-to-give/ - (707) 591-9310

DONATE BY MAIL: 2130 Pepperwood Preserve Rd., Santa Rosa, CA 95404

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Sonoma County Regional Parks

Our parks are an essential part of our open spaces that afford public access for everyone. A simple parking fee will gain you access to trails and opportunities to enjoy the beauty of our home with spectacular vistas, fresh air, and healthy activities.

A Regional Parks Pass  makes it easy for people to enjoy all of our parks - you can download a map on Regional Parks website to see all of the possibilities for people to enjoy. FIND A PARK: https://parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/Visit/Find-a-Park/
A Regional Parks Pass makes it easy for people to enjoy all of our parks - you can download a map on Regional Parks website to see all of the possibilities for people to enjoy. FIND A PARK: https://parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/Visit/Find-a-Park/

The easiest gift that garners the greatest benefit is a Park Pass that offers your gift recipient free access to every Regional Park in Sonoma County, whether you join in the fun or they go solo. (parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/Become-a-Member/Gift-Memberships/)

Fire Recovery is also an ongoing effort in every park where fire traveled through a park taking out habitat and damaging trails. When the Glass Fire swept over the Mayacamas Mountains, it moved across the northern half of Hood Mountain Regional Park as well as the southern section that burned in the Nuns Fire three years ago. Nearly all 2,000 acres burned to some degree. This park will be closed until we know it’s safe for the public’s return.

Our natural landscapes will restore themselves in time, as we have seen at other Regional Parks that have burned in four wildfires over the past three years. Seeds will sprout, wildlife will return. It is the built infrastructure – culverts, fences, signs – that will need repair, and for those, we could use your help.

VOLUNTEER: parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/Learn/Support/Volunteer/, 707-565-3356

DONATE: SonomaCountyParksFoundation.org, (707) 565-2041

parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov - (707) 565-2041

2300 County Center Drive Suite 120A, Santa Rosa, CA 95403

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