During a packed outdoor event at Hanna Boys Center on Oct. 10, the Sonoma Valley Fund recognized dozens of volunteers for their contributions to local charities. Sonoma Overlook Trail Steward Roy Tennant was honored as A Star Volunteer.
For over 10 years, Roy Tennant has spent thousands of hours fervently tending the Overlook Trail, the Montini Open Space Preserve, and Sugarloaf Ridge Regional Park. He regularly posts blogs and keeps us all current on the seasonal changes on the Overlook trail and other goings on.
To read more go to
https://www.sonomanews.com/article/lifestyle/honoring-the-star-volunteers-of-the-valley/
THIS EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT!
Please join us next year….
The Sonoma Overlook Trail Stewards are thrilled to invite you once again to a lively, informative tour through our historic cemetery with our own amateur historian Fred Allebach!
Each year (except 2020) Fred has led this walking tour where we meet cowboys and Indians, ranchers and real estate tycoons, farmers and farriers, carpenters and stone masons, quarry-men, grocers, butchers, bakers, maybe a candlestick maker, and many more!
Fred will host 2 walking tours, one at 10:00am and another at 12:30. Both will be limited to 25 guests. We will be observing current Covid-19 protocols so please bring your mask.
It’s always interesting to me to see how quickly nature responds to fire scars. Where once there appeared to be, quite literally, “scorched earth,” plants begin to return the ecosystem to something more like “normal,” if that is a concept that even applies. In reality, fire is a part of “normal” as we seem to finally be discovering in this desert state of ours.
So I was happy to see that the fire scar on the Montini Preserve, about five acres, was already beginning to rebound with life (see picture). It’s possible that the tiny bit of rain that we received recently inspired some plants to send out new shoots. Whether that was the impetus or not is kind of beside the point, as whatever the reason it’s just nice to see the plants coming back.
As we endure bigger and worse fires due to the impacts of global warming, it wouldn’t hurt to remind ourselves that as much as we may be devastated by seeing our beautiful forests burned, there is still hope and renewal to be found.
The crew, minus Greg Taylor, who had to leave early to open his shop. From left to right: Roy Tennant, Michael Studebaker, Priscilla Miles, Dan Noreen, and SOT Chair “Secret Ranger.”
Today six volunteer stewards gathered at the Sonoma Overlook Trail kiosk/trailhead to do the very first group “Rock Patrol.” Rock Patrol as it has been developed consists of the following:
This first time out we were able to complete the beginning section of the trail from the kiosk to the junction with the Rattlesnake Cutoff Trail. Next time (Our Chair proposed doing this once a month for a while), we will tackle the section of Rattlesnake Cutoff from Norrbom Road past the junction with the Overlook Trail.
We were quite pleased with the many nuisance rocks (or worse) that we were able to remove (see picture of three large rocks and the smooth spot where they had been removed — it’s darker since it’s wet).
So if you happen to see a group out there with shovels, buckets, watering cans, spray bottles, and an assortment of other tools, that’s Rock Patrol. If any of the three readers of this blog want to participate, just shoot me an email.
Sonoma Overlook Trail • Montini Open Space Preserve 