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• Soil Sampling Earth Day Celebration
• Making Memories at Dutton Apple Orchard
• Train the Trainer Recap
• Welcome to our new Community Engagement Program Manager
• Press Release: Carbon Sequestration Through Compost Application
• Upcoming partner workshops, trainings, and events



Celebrating Earth Day with Soil Sampling!

Our team celebrated Earth Day this year with some soil sampling fun at MacRostie Winery Estate House! Back in fall of 2021 Sonoma RCD took baseline samples and banded 4-6" of wood mulch under the vines at Thale's Vineyard. This Earth Day our team returned to see if the mulch had changed any soil parameters during the past few years, with the main focus being carbon and organic matter levels. We hope your Earth Day was filled with just as much fun and outdoor time!

Making Memories at Dutton Apple Orchard

In April our TEAM Program served 181 3rd grade students at local Sonoma County schools through hands-on field trip opportunities. Students learned about the importance of working apple orchards by BEE-coming bees, exploring orchard ecology, and simulating applesauce production from orchard to table. The majority of the classes we partnered with this spring are participating in the Sonoma County Farm to School Capacity Building and Sustainability Project and its "Harvest of the Month" Program where students learn about local produce growing each season for healthier eating habits and exposure to local agriculture.

There is no charge for these field trips, which is made possible by the voters of Sonoma County who fund the work of Ag + Open Space with a quarter-cent sales tax. Please reach out to Community Engagement Assistant Karen Saler for more information ksaler@sonomarcd.org

Train the Trainer: Soil Health and Irrigation Assessment Workshop Recap

¡Gracias! To all who attended the Train the Trainer workshop on April 16th! Participants discussed the importance of maintaining proper soil health in vineyards including carbon sequestration, the importance of organic matter, and how to implement sustainable farming practices to adapt to the impacts of climate change. This workshop also had a hands-on component where attendees got to learn about water retention and irrigation management through irrigation system distribution uniformity tests. We hope everyone who attended left with plenty of knowledge that can be used in your local vineyards, and we look forward to offering more workshops like these fully in Spanish.

Welcome Maria to the RCD Team!

We are excited to welcome Maria as our new Community Engagement Program Manager. Originally from Southwest Virginia, Maria moved to Sonoma County in 2020. Before moving to California, she taught high school science in Peoria, Illinois, and still loves to visit the city! After moving to California, she taught high school science both in Oakland and in Mill Valley. However, she’s had a lifelong interest and passion for agriculture and decided to do a career pivot into food systems and agriculture! She worked for Petaluma Bounty for two years, working as the Education and Engagement and Farmers Market Ambassador Coordinator. Her favorite parts of this job were connecting with local market managers and community members interested in learning more about where their food comes from! She is excited to be joining the RCD team as the Community Engagement Program Manager where she will leverage her experience working with community members with her passion for agriculture. Maria loves visiting farms and learning about the innovative ways farmers are continuing to improve our agricultural systems, prioritizing both people and the land. In her free time, Maria enjoys spending time with her fiancé and their rescue dog, Mila. She is an avid hiker, loves camping in the Eastern Sierra, and is training for a half-marathon! She also loves traveling to visit her family in the Blue Ridge Mountains, while cheering on both Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia.

Press Release: Carbon Sequestration Through Compost Application

Sonoma RCD along with the Carbon Cycle Institue and Zero Waste Sonoma were able to complete this pilot program. This project removed atmospheric carbon through the application of compost on working agriculture lands. This was thanks to the partnership with Sonoma County's Climate Resilience Fund, which granted $500,000 in rebates. Please click the link below for the full Sonoma County press release.

If you have any questions or interest in future carbon sequestration or compost application programs, please reach out to Soil and Water Specialist: Keith Abeles at kabeles@sonomarcd.org

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