Join Us for our 3rd Annual 150 mph Hike at The Sonoma Raceway

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Filed under Events, Fundraising, Hiking, Seasons, Spring, Stewardship
unnamedWe’re Now Full! Thank You For Your Support!
Join us on May 12 at the Sonoma Raceway for a very unique opportunity to tour remote stretches of the hills and valleys around Sonoma Raceway’s 1,600-acre property and help support a good cause to boot!
This 3 OR 5 mile hike (your choice), will raise funds to support the Sonoma Overlook Trail Maintenance, Restoration, Recreation and Education Programs run by the Sonoma Overlook Trail Stewards, an all-volunteer group that monitors and performs maintenance on Overlook Trail.
Hikes will be guided by Overlook Trail docents and Steve Page, Sonoma Raceway’s President and General Manager. Winding along the hillsides to the west of the main raceway facility we will cover open space that is not normally accessible to the general public.
The walking is easy and suitable for all ages. The route meanders through native grasslands and is timed to coincide with our Spring wildflower bloom. You may even encounter some “Wooly Weeders and their Spring lambs in action! Afterwards, we’ll enjoy a catered lunch including wine or soft drinks.

Date/Time: Saturday, May 12, 2018 – 10 a.m.-1 p.m
Cost: $50 Non-refundable, Tax Deductible Donation 

Includes:
  • Docent Led Hike
  • Lovely picnic lunch catered by Levy Restaurants
  • Highly-acclaimed Bedrock Wines
  • Non alcoholic drinks
  • Jaw Dropping Views!
This event is limited to 75 people. Last year this hike sold out, so register early!

Time for Vigilance

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Filed under Insects, Plant Life, Poison Oak, Reptiles, Seasons, Snakes, Spring, Ticks, Wildlife

In Northern California, despite the current cold snap, we have essentially entered Spring. This means several things. Plants like poison oak are flourishing, sending tendrils out to conquer new areas. We are presently trying to cut this back from the trail.

Soon we will also need to watch out for ticks, which are particularly bad early in the season, from March to mid-May. Ticks can carry Lyme disease, so it’s important to prevent the little buggers from biting you. Wear long pants and inspect yourself after your hike. If you do get bitten, then watch the bite carefully for signs of Lyme disease, as early treatment by a medical professional is essential. Thankfully, we have the Western Fence Lizard to help us out, since when a tick bites that lizard an enzyme is transferred to the tick that cures the Lyme disease. This has led to a much  lower incidence of Lyme disease than in other areas without this helpful lizard. So be kind to the Western Fence Lizard! They are already scurrying across our trails.

Another hazard to watch out for is rattlesnakes. Rattlesnakes emerge from hibernation in the Spring when the days become warm enough for cold-blooded reptiles. I’ve already seen the Western Fence Lizard scurrying across the trail, which means snakes will not be far behind. However, this recent cold snap has sent them to ground. But rattlesnakes are typically around from March to September, so we are entering the time when they will be coming out of hibernation in the lowlands and making their way to their higher hunting grounds. Since they will be on the move, most of my sightings of rattlesnakes tend to happen in the Spring.

So stay alert and safe out there!

The Removal Season Has Begun

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Filed under Invasive Species, Italian Thistle, Land Maintenance, Plant Life, Poison Oak, Spring, Stewardship, Yellow Star Thistle

Each Spring we enter “removal season” on the Overlook and Montini properties. We begin with cutting back poison oak from the trail, as the runners begin encroaching as early as early February. So I was out today doing just that (see photo).

It was encouraging, though, as it seemed evident that previous years of cutting back the poison oak was reaping dividends. I was able to cover the bulk of the Overlook trail in one two-hour session.

After poison oak we will be on the lookout for Purple Thistle, as this non-native has been a scourge along the trail. We just started tackling this in earnest last year, so this year it will likely still be bad.

Following the Purple Thistle the Yellow Star Thistle will be coming in, by early March. That will likely keep us busy until early August. However, progress is being made on all these fronts and each year it becomes easier and easier, and some major patches are essentially already gone.

Once we get all these species under control, there are others we will need to tackle. Scotch Broom, for example, is one, although it isn’t as big a problem at the moment as the thistles.

If you want to help with this work, let me know! It basically takes a contractor bag (which I can supply you with) and gloves, although I frequently pull the Yellow Star Thistle gloveless.

Thank You for Beautifying the Trail with Your Tissue

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Filed under Stewardship

Whenever I turn a corner on the trail and spot a discarded facial tissue (which happens with some frequency) my heart skips a beat. Ahh, I think, some hiker has left something of theirs behind for me. I approach it, casually lean down, pick it up, and slide it surreptitiously into my back pocket, hoping that no one sees me. This is because I am fundamentally selfish. I want the tissue experience to be mine and mine alone.

Just think of the metaphysical implications of the placement of that artifact. Was it left in the middle of the trail, it’s otherworldly whiteness in stark contrast to the reddish brown soil, to spark contemplation about life’s fleeting nature? Or was it deposited just so with folds carefully applied, to make one consider the nature of art? Or perhaps it was discarded almost without thought, as a commentary on the disdain with which the hiker contemplates the natural world that surrounds them.

I guess we will never know if any of these are the reason, unless I happen to witness someone in the act of placement, when I can ask them their intent. Meanwhile, I will continue to gather these symbols of humanity’s fleeting dominion wherever I find them.

Well, that was fun.

But seriously, people, tissues are trash. If you pack it in, pack it out.

The Remains of the Day

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Filed under Wildlife

When hiking out in the wild it’s inevitable that you run into the remains of deceased (and probably eaten) wildlife. Some hikers may be sad to see these signs, but I take it as an indication that the ecosystem is working as it should. In a world of carnivores there is simply going to be carnage.

But at the same time, I pause and admire the feathers, or bones, or hair that remains behind and see beauty in what is left. I’m afforded a much closer view than I usually get, since squirrels scamper away as I approach and birds take flight. It’s a chance to admire the colors and textures of skin, hair, feathers, and fur.

A rare occurrence is to find an animal intact (see photo of a Shrew Mole), and at those times I feel particularly blessed with an opportunity to study it. More frequently, I find the animal mutilated (see photo of the snake) or largely gone (see photo of what was left behind of a squirrel).

But I find even the fragments fascinating in their own way, and grateful for the opportunity for close-up inspection.

When you are out on the trail, keep an eye out for these sights, and count yourself blessed should you come across a relatively intact wild animal. And if there are only remains, you will know that they fed a predator and are part of a cycle that includes not just a life but also a death that nothing living on this planet escapes.