Occidental Oriented by Gino Gaffney — March 2020
Set to a soundtrack of soothing ocean waves rising from the Sonoma coast below, LandPaths hosted their first stewardship workday of 2020 in January at Ocean Song preserve. It was the inaugural offical workday since LandPaths acquired and protected the 421 acre property in October.
“ It felt like a new beginning,” says Bilingual Stewardship Specialist Nicolas Whitaker. “The land that we now call Ocean Song has been tended by human hands for thousands of years; the landscape has been shaped by stewardship. The excitement to continue in the tradition of tending this beautiful preserve was palpable for all those present.”
The event drew an eclectic mix of 24 volunteers, including former Willow Creek trail stewards, former Coyote Camp summer nature campers, and members of the well-established, decades-long Ocean Song community.
“It just feels so good to have people on the land again. This is how it is supposed to be,” said one volunteer who had helped steward the Ocean Song property for many years under the previous owner.
Land Paths would love to see you out at the next Ocean Song stewardship workday! Workdays happen every 4th Friday of the month (March 27th) with tasks dependent on the season. They have also kicked off a roving West County weekend workday at their preserves every 2nd Saturday, alternating between Bohemia Ecological Preserve, Grove of Old Trees, and Ocean Song. This month it is Bohemia on the 14th. All Stewardship days are from 9 – 12:30, with an optional half hour lunch from 12:30 to 1. There is another stewardship opportunity at Bohemia this month on Friday the 20th. For more information and a full calendar of workdays and outings go www.landpaths.org
Camp Meeker wildfire meeting March 12th 6 – 9pm at Anderson Hall. Please consider coming to this meeting to discuss wildfire preparedness in Camp Meeker. This meeting is hosted by Fire Safe Camp Meeker, working in collaboration with Fire Safe Sonoma and Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District. This meeting is an important part of a collaborative planning project to reduce the wildfire risk to Camp Meeker and its surrounding community. As a resident of Camp Meeker, your input and engagement in this project is essential to making it a success and helping the community come together to prepare for wildfire. RSVP please via.https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lets-make-camp-meeker-fire-safe-a-community-planning-meeting-tickets-94561817943 so they can be sure to have enough food and supplies. This is the first of 3 public meetings as part of this process and is especially important as they want to discuss risks and priority projects. More info about the meeting at the rsvp link above.
The project has funding from a Cal Fire grant and is called the Camp Meeker Community Wildfire Protection Plan Project (CWPP). The goal of a Community Wildfire Protection Plan is to bring together all stakeholders in collaboration to document the community’s wildfire history and current conditions, develop a wildfire risk assessment, and create a list of prioritized projects that will reduce wildfire risk. The final product is a plan that will guide Camp Meeker stakeholders in the development and implementation of projects that will prepare the community for wildfire and reduce potential for wildfire losses. A major benefit of the collaborative planning process is building the relationships and greater awareness needed for impactful project implementation. You may also wish to become a member of Fire Safe Camp Meeker. Members meet regularly to grow community involvement in fire safe projects like this one. Email Fawn Nekton at fawn@opendoorins.com if you’re interested. It takes a village, and together we can make Camp Meeker more fire safe. Please spread the word about this project to your friends and neighbors! If you have questions or would like to discuss any part of this project, please do not hesitate to reach out to the project manager, Adriana Stagnaro,Adriana@goldridgercd.org , (707) 823-5244.
The annual Occidental Fools Parade is coming up on Saturday, April 4th from 1 – 4pm. Meet at the Community Center at 12:30 to participate in the parade. After the parade winds its way through town it will end at the Arts Center where there will be live music, food & drink (for purchase), fun and frivolity. Put on your most foolish attire and attitude and come join in the festivities – it’s a great event!
