This interview is part of a series of interviews conducted with the Sonoma Mountain Preservation board members.
BIO: Mark Hannon, a retired Engineering and Quality Compliance professional, moved to Sonoma Mountain after a distinguished 20+ year career at Genentech. There, he held key roles in plant and process engineering management before focusing on global quality systems. Mark also served as a director and officer of the Bay Area International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering, a nonprofit industry association focused on education and standards.
Since relocating, Mark has dedicated over five years to the Diamond A Recreation Association, including a term as President, and co-founded the Grove St Fire Safe Council, focusing on vegetation management and home hardening.
Mark and his spouse Cheryl live at 1550 feet on Sonoma Mountain and enjoy sharing the mountain with the diverse wildlife—deer, gray foxes, bobcats, turkey vultures, and turkeys—from their perch in the wildlife corridor. Mark enjoys hiking, skiing, photography, gardening, and cooking. Living and playing on the mountain for the last eight years has created a close bond with the mountain.
How did you become a member of the Sonoma Mountain Preservation board?
Nancy Kirwan, a long-time SMP board member, and I are directors on the Grove St Fire Safe Council. Among other activities, we have actively managed vegetation on lower Grove St, including a broom abatement project Nancy championed. She knew my love for my home, Sonoma Mountain, and told me that SMP was looking for new board members. I am interested in the preservation of Sonoma Mountain, including managing our property, and have been a big fan of hiking in Jack London Park. So, I jumped at the opportunity.
How did you end up living on Sonoma Mountain?
In 2014, I was ready to retire, and Cheryl, my spouse, was already retired. I wanted to retire to the east, in the Sierra foothills in Nevada, but Cheryl, a native San Franciscan, did not want to leave the Bay Area. After attending a celebration of life for a friend who lived in Temelec, while having a late lunch at the Girl and the Fig, Cheryl suggested, “Why not retire in Sonoma?” Sonoma had always been a favorite of ours, and I immediately agreed.
We started looking and eventually bought a fixer-upper in the Diamond A community on the eastern slope of Sonoma Mountain, just 300 below the ridge line. I got my mountain retirement and Cheryl realized her wish to stay in the Bay Area.
When we discussed our property plans, Cheryl stipulated that we do not fence our 2.5-acre lot. She loves living in a wildlife corridor and wanted the local critters to have free movement. We never looked back: We love the fauna, flora, and people of Sonoma Mountain. We call it paradise.
What do you do for SMP?
My first activity in SMP is organizing a hike in Tolay Regional Park on September 21st. Tolay is a newer park on Sonoma Mountain that contains not only great natural beauty but also a rich history of cultural significance to Bay Area Indigenous people. We will be releasing details o soon.
SMP participated in developing the Taylor/Sonoma/Mayacamas Mountains design guidelines, which require new residential development to harmonize with our environment. I have been a member of the Diamond A Architectural Review Committee and I have forty years of experience in engineering and construction. I am participating with other SMP members in reviewing new plans as they come up.
What are your hopes for the future of SMP and Sonoma Mountain?
My hope for Sonoma Mountain is to preserve its natural beauty and protect its wildlife corridor. I also work to keep Sonoma Mountain fire safe, to protect the environment. I hope we can maintain its excellent fire safety record. Wherever possible, I support expanding public access to Sonoma Mountain.
What is your favorite place 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, which he did on his ranch. In his novel The Valley of the Moon, he writes about lovingly restoring Sonoma land at the turn of the twentieth century.
Jack built the Wolf House to last 1000 years. He built it from rock and timber from his ranch, but it burnt down from self-combusting oily rags before he was able to spend a night there. Set in a redwood grove in Jack London Park, the ruins have a haunting but reverent aspect. I find peace there in the towering stone.
Click Mark’s photos of Wolf House below to see them in full size!
