SMP Past and Future: A Talk with David Hansen
SMP Past and Future: A Talk with David Hansen We recently sat down with David Hansen, a founding board member still active at SMP, to discuss the organization's past, present, and future. From advocating for sustainable land use to inspiring public appreciation for the mountain, David's [...]
The David Hansen Trail
My curiosity about trails named for people usually works this way: I walk the trail first and ask questions after. Who was this person? What did they love about this place? In the case of the David Hansen Trail, though, the usual sequence was flipped. I have [...]
Mark Hannon, from his perch on Sonoma Mountain
The ruins of the Wolf House in Jack London Park are a special place for me. I have been a Jack London fan since reading The Call of the Wild in high school. Jack London was a pioneer in the preservation of Sonoma Mountain
Camp Via transferred to Jack London State Historic Park
Camp Via, tucked next to Jack London State Historic Park’s historic orchard on the forested east-facing slopes of Sonoma Mountain, has been folded into Sonoma Valley’s portfolio of public parkland.
Meet Anais Morris, one of our newest board members.
This is part of a series of interviews we are conducting with the Sonoma Mountain Preservation (SMP) board members. Anais uses her background in sustainable development policy and ethnomusicology to build bridges and increase capacity in communities and ecosystems.
Court Rejects the environmental study for the Sonoma Developmental Center land
We won! In January 2023, SMP joined a coalition of community groups in a legal challenge against the County of Sonoma, which had just approved a massive redevelopment plan for the 180-acre campus of the Sonoma Developmental Center — a plan that threatened the viability of the Sonoma Valley Wildlife Corridor, the integrity of the open space surrounding the campus, and the safety of people living in the wildland-urban interface at the foot of Sonoma Mountain.
Penciling Out Redevelopment at the SDC
On March 10, Sonoma Mountain Preservation (SMP) joined about 250 community members to protest plans for intensive, out-of-scale redevelopment of the former Sonoma Developmental Center campus. SMP's vice chair, Tracy Salcedo, was the keynote speaker and delivered a heartfelt and informative speech, posted below: I want to [...]
The Gifts of Slow Walking
*Originally published in Kenwood Press I was walking so slowly I felt tipsy. But that was the point. Not the tipsy part, the slow part. As part of my California Naturalist training, I was being introduced to forest bathing, which invites you to walk so slowly that [...]
The promise kept: SDC open space becomes state parkland
The promise kept: SDC open space becomes state parkland By Tracy SalcedoOriginally published in Kenwood Press, January 15, 2024 It's been a long time coming, but the promise has been kept. The exquisite natural landscapes surrounding the core campus of the former Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC) are [...]
The Urbanization of Sonoma Mountain
The Urbanization of Sonoma Mountain By Will Shonbrun A sailor on horseback “I ride over my beautiful ranch. Between my legs is a beautiful horse. The air is wine. The grapes on a score of rolling hills are red with autumn flame. Across Sonoma Mountain wisps [...]
Walks and Talks on Sonoma Mountain
Walks and Talks on Sonoma Mountain In October SMP hosted two walks in the Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC), the beloved and beleaguered institution in Glen Ellen that’s slated to be sold to a developer whose current plans call for leveling much of what’s beautiful, historic, and unusual [...]
The Night the County Supervisors Met to Sell the Mountain
Nursing a bruised heart not far from here, I raised my daughter alone. I rose at dawn to work long days in the woods, gauged the mountain’s creeks and springs, stood knee-deep with staff and stopwatch in chilly flow. Owls called, resting in shadows. Muddy deer trails bore lion prints the size of tea-plates, mixed with hieroglyphic scrawls of turkey and heron.
Sonoma Mountain – The Book!
Where the World Begins: Sonoma Mountain Stories and Images draws you into our inspiring natural treasure at the heart of southern Sonoma County. Local Bestseller, IPPY Award 2020. Two purchasing choices below:
