Poison Oak Mitigation

Posted March 3, 2016

Filed under Plant Life, Poison Oak, Spring, Stewardship, Trail Maintenance

We are once again in the season when poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum) attempts to run rampant on the trail, threatening hikers with itchy rashes that can spread over one’s entire body (believe me, I’ve been there). So now is also the time when we stewards work to mitigate this threat. In the past, we have sprayed the edge of the tray to kill it off, but recently we have been taking a more ecologically friendly approach by simply clipping it back.

This is potentially dangerous work, but with appropriate precautions one can do it without harm. Last year I got one small spot of itchy irritation that I was able to manage until it subsided. This year (knock on wood) so far I’ve been itch-free.

As I’ve been doing this over the last week I’ve received a lot of complimentary feedback from grateful hikers who know how annoying such a rash can be. This helps make the labor worthwhile, as you know from even just several hours of work you can make a real difference.

Teamwork on the Trail

Posted December 16, 2015

Filed under Stewardship, Trail Maintenance

Teens and adult volunteers worked together.

You might think that the life of a volunteer trail steward is all glitz and glamor, and no one would fault you for thinking so. But no…it’s actually a life of picking up trash, reminding hikers of the rules, kicking loose rocks and branches off the trail, reporting trees down, and of course maintaining the property in as fine a condition as we possibly can.

It was this last responsibility that brought out a crew of 10 stewards and Sonoma Valley Teen Services members this past Saturday to reseed and cover with straw and jute webbing a shortcut (also called “rogue”) trail. This trail is very steep and prone to erosion, as well as being a hazard for hikers who walk down it in sometimes very slippery conditions. After letting it go for a while we decided that we needed to close it off for both hiker safety as well as to better protect the condition of the property.

Under the direction of Steward Fred Allebach, stewards and teen volunteers hauled seed, straw, rolls of burlap webbing, and other materials to the Upper Meadow Loop. They scraped the soil to prepare it for the seed, laid down the seed, covered it with straw, then webbing, then more straw. Thankfully the rain held off until the next day. The soaking should give the seed a good start toward germinating.

We are very grateful to have a partner like Sonoma Valley Teen Services with which to work with on this project, as well as the individual teens who participated. If you would like to support the work of Sonoma Valley Teen Services, see their support page.

If you would like to support the work of the Sonoma Overlook Trail Stewards, donations are tax deductible and can be sent to “Sonoma Overlook Trail Fund,” c/o Linda Felt, 18782 Deer Park Drive, Sonoma CA 95476.

Steward John Donnelly tacking down the webbing, with the town of Sonoma below.

Stewards Rich Gibson, Lynn Clary, and Fred Allebach after a good day’s work.

The Things We Toss

Posted November 23, 2015

Filed under Stewardship

Over in my other blog, I recently wrote about the things we carry. But this post is about the things we choose not to carry with us when hiking on the trail — basically what we toss aside as trash. Not that I condone such behavior — far from it. How could I when I am required (as a volunteer steward) to pick up whatever someone throws away?

And what you (the collective you, not you personally) throw away tends to be fairly predictable. I would say that most things fall into one of these categories, listed in order of perceived occurrence:

Tissues. Far and away the item I pick up the most are facial tissues (see pic). Yeah, you’re saying “Yuck” right now and for good reason. However, in all of the years that I have been picking these up, I’ve never gotten sick (knock on wood).
Drink containers. Actually tied for second are drink containers and food wrappers of various kinds. Drink containers can range from the frequent (coffee cups, soda cans) to the less frequent (vodka bottles). You can imagine how amusing I find it to walk down the trail in the morning with an empty vodka bottle in my hand.
Food wrappers. By “food wrappers” I mean everything from a candy wrapper to a banana peel (see pic). Banana peels are frankly rare (thankfully), but candy and gum wrappers are not. But at least they fit in a pocket better than a banana peel.
Cigarette butts. Being still in a multi-year drought, finding a cigarette butt scares me. The thought of someone with fire walking around among all that dead grass just above the city of Sonoma is horrifying, but people apparently do it. It is yet another thing that people do that defies the rules (such as bringing their dogs or bicycles onto the trail). If you are smoking up there you had better hope that I don’t run into you.

I’m certainly not the only steward picking up trash, but since I hike the trails nearly every day I have a fairly good sense of what people toss aside. If you have found something I haven’t mentioned, feel free to post a comment below. Extra points for items bigger than a coffee cup.

The Cemetery Tour, Back by Popular Demand

Posted November 4, 2015

Filed under Events, Fundraising, Mountain Cemetery, Stewardship

SONOMA MOUNTAIN CEMETERY WALK

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14th, 2015, 10 A.M. to 12:15

FUNDRAISER FOR THE SONOMA OVERLOOK TRAIL

Our tour of the Sonoma Cemetery on November 1 proved so popular that we have scheduled another one.

Amateur historian Fred Allebach will lead an informative walk of the Sonoma Mountain Cemetery introducing you to cowboys and Indians, ranchers and real estate tycoons, farmers and farriers, carpenters and stone masons, quarrymen, grocers, butchers, bakers, maybe a candlestick maker and many more!

This fundraising event is limited to 25 participants. The $30.00 donation is a non-refundable, tax-deductible donation that includes the Sonoma Overlook Trail, the walking tour, and a light snack.

In the event of rain, check your email the day of the event as the Tour will be conducted light rain or shine; heavy rain will reschedule the event to Saturday, 11/21 at 10.

Proceeds support the Sonoma Overlook Trail Maintenance and Education programs. The Trail is solely supported by private donations. The walk is sponsored by Sonoma Overlook Trail Stewards. To reserve your spot, contact Laurie: mvrlsf@aol.com

Fundraiser for the Overlook Trail

Posted September 12, 2015

Filed under Fundraising, Stewardship

Sonoma Overlook Trail Stewards Fundraiser

Haywood Ranch and Vineyard

Sunday September 27th, 2015 10AM – 1PM

We would love to see you all out to support the trail, enjoy a good walk, lunch and lovely people!

RSVP required Cost $35.00

Help us keep the Overlook Trail well maintained and lovely as ever by participating in a quintessential Sonoma event. Come walk with us through the Haywood vineyards with award winning winemaker Peter Haywood. We’ll meet at the ranch where the Haywoods live and work, walk through the vineyards, returning to the ranch for a simple lunch made with some locally grown ingredients. Haywood wine was the dream of noted winemaker Peter Haywood, one of the early developers of the zinfandel varietal in Sonoma Valley. Set in the midst of vineyards that are bursting with some of the most highly regarded wine grapes in the region; the site has a feeling of vigor and excitement generated by the forces of nature at work all around.

With over 180 secluded acres, 40 acres are devoted predominately to zinfandel grapes. We’ll have the opportunity to walk through the vines and pause by one of the two ponds to listen to the special stillness broken only by the chatter of birds. For those more ambitious hikers, we can continue our walk up the hillside, lined with boulders, and consider the feat of the hardy pioneers who quarried this stone to build the streets of San Francisco. Haywood produces 3 Los Chamizal Zinfandels: Los Chamizal, Rocky Terrace and Morning Sun.

RSVP To Laurie Friedeman to reserve your space – MVRLSF@aol.com

The Sonoma Overlook Trail is a non profit EIN # 94-313-6500. The trail is run and maintained by volunteers. All proceeds from this event will benefit the Sonoma Overlook Trail.

Thank you to Sonoma Market for their generous support!