Rebuilding a Trail Segment

Posted
Filed under Stewardship, Trail Maintenance

SnapShot-EditedThis morning six volunteer trail stewards met to rebuild two of our worst sections of trail on the Overlook. These sections are just below the top meadow and are rocky and difficult to traverse—particularly for runners. Prior to today, four wagonloads of packable gravel had been hauled up to the job site. Even so, we could have used more.

After about three hours of work we had rebuilt the two sections of trail to our satisfaction (at least for now, there are a few mop-up jobs left to finish off the segments).

In rebuilding these parts of the trail, we essentially went through several phases:

  1. Demolition: removal of rocks and boulders from the path (some of them quite large and deeply embedded).
  2. Rough-in: filling of holes from boulder removal with smaller rocks and large gravel; recreating the trail foundation.
  3. Final smoothing and sculpting: layering packable gravel and soil to create a smooth path and packing it down.
  4. Declaration of success and congratulations: The necessary acknowledgement of what was accomplished and kudos all around.

At the start of our work I had set up a time-lapse camera to capture a greatly sped up version of the morning, which I then edited into a less-than-five-minute video that ends up being slightly comical. I hope you enjoy it.

The Earliest Thistle Season Has Ever Begun

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Filed under Invasive Species, Italian Thistle, Plant Life, Stewardship

IMG_3659Today I found an Italian thistle (Carduus pycnocephalus) plant (see picture). It’s the earliest I have found it, with the previous record being November 10th. I fault the early rains we’ve had this month.

What this means is that I will now turn the bulk of my trail efforts to pulling it from along the trail, primarily on the Montini Preserve, where we have yet to push it back. Last year, sadly, I didn’t even get close to achieving that highly desirable result. My hope is to do a lot better this year, which would mean removing all of the trailside plants by about June.

This is going to be a long eight months.

Dia de los Muertos • Day of the Dead Cemetery Tour

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Filed under Events, Fall, Fundraising, History, Mountain Cemetery, Stewardship

Tour Sonoma History through Mountain Cemetery

Saturday November 4th, 2023
10 am OR 12:30pm
$40 Suggested Donation
REGISTER

The Sonoma Overlook Trail Stewards invite you to take a lively, informative walk through our historic cemetery with our own amateur historian Fred Allebach.

Meet ranchers and ranch hands, real estate tycoons, farmers and farriers, carpenters and stone masons, quarry-men, grocers, butchers, bakers, maybe a candlestick maker, and many more! This fundraising event is limited to 25 participants per hike. We sell out every year, so register early to be sure you get a spot!

We’ll have a hike at 10am and another at 12:30. Your $40 donation includes the walking tour, cookies and cider. All proceeds go toward improvements on the Overlook Trail. The Trail is solely supported by private donations.

Crafting the Overlook for the Years Ahead

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Filed under Fundraising, Stewardship, Trail Maintenance

Sonoma Overlook LoopWe’re rolling into autumn. As always, we continue our work to keep the trails healthy, safe and accessible. If you’ve visited lately, you’ve seen many freshly graded sections, thanks to our intrepid Maintenance Team.

Yes, we carry out much of the labor ourselves, with pleasure. However, the Overlook lies on a mountain of rock, so when we can, we bring in specialized crews, with specialized equipment, to carry out some of the heavier work. If you’ve been an Overlook devotee for long, you’ll have seen the glorious results of these projects, improvements that are likely to last well beyond our lifetimes.

We are now raising the funds needed to complete the third and final phase of this process and we need your help!

Please consider becoming a part of it all as a supporter of the Overlook Trail, or renewing your support, with a tax-deductible donation to the cause.  What finer purpose than the betterment of a local sanctuary that serves 60,000 visitors a year?

Donate via credit card HERE.

To contribute by check, make it payable to:
“Sonoma Ecology Center”, include “For Sonoma Overlook Trail” in the memo, and send it to:

Sonoma Overlook Trail
c/o Sonoma Ecology Center
PO Box 1486
Eldridge, CA 95431

All donations are tax deductible.

A Salute to John Donnelly

Posted
Filed under Acts of Service, Stewardship

There is a gravitas, and a deep reward, that comes only after one dedicates oneself to acts of service with passion and perseverance over time. Among those that have quietly made the Overlook Trail a part of their life’s work is our John Donnelly, who recently departed the Stewards in order to redirect his expertise towards what may serve us on an even greater level: the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Commission for the City of Sonoma.

But the loss is real. John has been a true leader, advocate and ever diplomatic guide to our group. In the words of some of our longest serving Stewards:

John Donnelly has been a stalwart (aka loyal, reliable and hardworking), intelligent and guiding member of the Sonoma Overlook Trail Stewards for more than 20 years.

John served as Chairperson of the Stewards for 10 of those years. Of his many contributions,  we can thank John for the kiosk that now graces the trail entrance. The kiosk educates walkers about the trail, its ecology and inhabitants.  It was John’s vision: he guided the process through design, approval, funding, execution, and completion.

Joanna Kemper

John is a great mentor and leader. I always said John was the Secretary of State of the SOT, for his tremendous authenticity, grace, humility, and clear compass to always do good and be on the right side of things. When there was ever any trouble and tension, John could finesse it, and say things always in just the right way. I’ve imagined a statue of John at the top of the Overlook…a monument to a great Sonoma citizen and great human being.

After the fires and after a bulldozer went all over the hillside by the trail, John, in his late 70s, came up to help do the heavy, dirty work of re-grading the trail. Sophisticated as he is, John never got too high and we had fun moving that dirt together. Here’s to you John, and the simple service of moving dirt that we shared.

Fred Allebach

John joined the first Sonoma Overlook Trail (SOT) docent training class in the spring of 2002. After attending eight weeks of training to learn about the plants, animals and geologic and human history of the area, he became a docent. He excelled in this role and enjoyed it so much that the following year, he became a docent trainer. In those early days, he was out on the trail so often, and working so hard, that he appeared in a few newspaper photographs. He was known as the “poster child” of the SOT.

John’s attention to detail has been invaluable during many aspects of caring for the SOT. From 2008 until 2011, John assumed sole responsibility for chairing the Task Force. He has been an active member of the SOT Steward’s Maintenance Team for many years. His love of and knowledge about the SOT are exceeded by none! 

Jackie Steuer

John, we wish you all the best in your future endeavors. May the trail rise to meet you.