Return to natural systems
Return to natural systems
Why?
For billions of years, natural systems have regenerated themselves with no waste. Then came humans, who have often used an extractive approach to nature. By supporting and emulating natural processes instead, we make more room for nature to regenerate and thrive. And we benefit in the process. For example, using regenerative farming practices rebuilds soils, increases biodiversity, and enhances the quality of our food.
Learn about carbon farming
Addressing the climate emergency requires large-scale removal of CO2 from the atmosphere in addition to dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions. How do we do that? As many as 35 agricultural practices – when scaled up – can draw large amounts of carbon out of the atmosphere.
Sometimes called regenerative agriculture, these practices include use of compost, no-till planting, and managed grazing – to name a few. Other benefits of carbon farming? Building soil and producing more food with less pollution. You can even employ some carbon-farming practices at home.
Carbon Cycle Institute: Carbon Cycling
Marin Carbon Project: Discovering the soil’s solution to global climate change
Daily Acts: Carbon Farming at Home
Learn about fire ecology
In the West, we’ve come to view fire as a destructive force. But fire has many faces – some are harmful, some are helpful. For many years, the U.S. government used total fire suppression as its response to fire. Over time, this policy was challenged with the reintroduction of prescribed burns during safe conditions. First used by indigenous communities, this approach helps ecosystems to thrive. Learn more from their worldview and experience with fire ecology and management.
If you live in the country, check out this Community Grazing Cooperative as a potential way to empower yourself in land stewardship. Shared by the community, the grazing ruminants are walked down the road from neighbor to neighbor to serve as community ambassadors and to help manage everyone's fire fuel load.
And check out local nonprofit Audubon Canyon Ranch's robust Fire Forward Program. It trains people to safely use “good fire" to help build resilient communities.
Ecological Society of America: Fire Ecology
NPQ: Fire, Forests, and Our Lands: An Indigenous Ecological Perspective
Regeneration: Fire Ecology
Learn the local bird calls
Today, you have the benefit of a wide range of resources to help you learn local bird calls. At the Audubon website, you can access a guide of more than 800 species of North American birds, including those in California.
Or you can upload an app on your phone. The Audubon Bird Guide is a free and complete field guide to over 800 species of North American birds, right in your pocket. Built for all experience levels, it will help you identify the birds around you, keep track of the birds you’ve seen, and get outside to find new birds near you. Merlin Bird ID helps you identify birds by answering a few simple questions, uploading a photo, recording a singing bird, or exploring birds in a region. It’s powered by eBird, the world’s largest database of bird sightings, sounds, and photos.
Really hooked on birds? Join a Sonoma County bird club or check out these Sonoma County bird watching spots.
Audubon: Guide to North American Birds and Audubon Bird Guide App
Redwood Region Ornithological Society: Sonoma County Bird Club
Identify local wildflowers
What’s the name of that delicate white wildflower again? Appreciating its beauty is wonderful, and being able to identify it somehow adds to the experience. Fortunately, you can access a wealth of resources to help you identify local wildflowers. And come springtime, be sure to check out one or more of the 10 Great Wildflower Walks in Sonoma County. Before you go, download one or more of the apps below on your phone.
Sonoma County Regional Parks: Wildflowers of Sonoma County
Sonoma Land Trust: Wild about Wildflowers
UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County: Wildflowers
Apps: North California Wildflowers and PlantNet and iNaturalist
