Sonoma Ecology Center

The mission of the Sonoma Ecology Center is to work with our community to enhance and sustain ecological health in Sonoma Valley.

We fulfill our mission through our programs:

Our restoration program builds physical projects to repair and protect our natural heritage. We work in habitats in streams and on land – planting trees, removing invasive weeds, fostering biodiversity, restoring habitat, and improving water quality and water supply, controlling erosion, managing stormwater, and restoring fish passage.

Our research program employs the best available science to prioritize, plan, design, and monitor projects. We strive to understand our watershed by monitoring and modeling water quality, fish and wildlife populations, geomorphic processes, land use, sediment production, and more.

Our GIS and informatics capabilities are the means by which we manage our eco-information. Our staff is skilled in leading commercial and open source software operation and design, including groundwater recharge mapping, cartographic design, GIS setup and training, and online libraries and data portals.

Our education program reaches over 1,200 K-12 students each year. Through our EnviroLeaders program, we provide paid internships for high school students across the socioeconomic spectrum, exposing them to career opportunities in science and restoration, and building future leaders. For both adults and children, we also offer over 300 hours of guided walks and workshops annually.

Our Sonoma Garden Park is a working model for sustainable community gardening. Located at 19996 7th Street East in Sonoma, the 6-acre working farm is open to the public. Visit the garden each Saturday from 9 to 1 to buy produce, or check out our workshops on our website. The garden also offers a CSA program (a weekly subscription program for fresh produce picked from the garden), rental garden plots, and a summer garden camp for kids.