Upcoming Public Events
None at this time.
Previous Public Events
Plant redwoods for wildlife at Tannery Creek
Sunday, February 16, 2020
10am-1pm
Bodega, CA
Come plant redwood seedlings with Gold Ridge RCD and the Bodega Land Trust for the benefit of coho salmon, steelhead trout and other wildlife in Tannery Creek.
Why do salmon need trees? Trees, both living and fallen, are essential elements of healthy salmon habitat for many reasons. Standing above the creek, trees provide shade to cool the water and roots to hold the banks in place, just to name a few. Fallen logs provide shelter for young fish to hide from predators, and they add to the dynamics of the stream system, too.
Help us plant 350 young redwoods and learn about a newly installed wildlife habitat enhancement project: the Tannery Creek Large Wood Recruitment Project. Funded by CDFW and managed by Gold Ridge RCD, the project installed 50 redwood and Douglas fir logs throughout 1/3 mile of creek channel to improve habitat conditions for salmon.
For more info & to reserve your place you must RSVP to: [email protected]
No cost for this event – Thank you for volunteering!
Please bring: Your own shovel, gloves, hat/sunscreen, snack, water, sturdy shoes, working clothes.
To register, email: [email protected]
Healthy soils for small coastal dairies workshop
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
10am to 2pm (Lunch included)
Valley Ford, CA
Are you interested in soil health on small coastal dairies? This workshop is intended for dairy producers, ranchers, agency partners, technical service providers and land stewards who are interested in learning more about the California Department of Food and Agriculture's Healthy Soils Program. Gold Ridge RCD received grant funding for a CDFA Healthy Soils Program demonstration project at the Ocean Breeze Dairy. The project is in its second year, and we will provide updates on the two carbon beneficial conservation practices being implemented: applying compost on 30.0 acres of grassland and installing two acres of riparian forest buffer. The workshop will take place at the dairy. Directions will be provided upon registration.
Valley Ford Schoolhouse Pie Auction!
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
5:30pm to 8pm at the historic Valley Ford Schoolhouse
14355 School Road, Valley Ford, CA 94972
Please join us for the 2019 Valley Ford Schoolhouse Pie Auction, Tuesday, November 26th 5:30 pm at 14355 School Rd, Valley Ford, CA 94972 to raise funds to repair our community building.
The Valley Ford Schoolhouse is a historic building and the only community building in town. Serving as a one-room schoolhouse until the mid-1960’s it has most recently been the venue for community gatherings, family celebrations, classes and fundraisers. This building means a lot to Valley Ford. The Schoolhouse is in need of repairs and upgrades to ensure it can continue to hold space for laughter, ideas and reminiscing for another 100 years. Please help the Schoolhouse by coming out for the folksy, welcoming, and sometimes hilarious Pie Auction.
The Pie Auction is a favorite community tradition that is back after a 5 year break. It’s a live auction to purchase your Thanksgiving pies from local celebrities like my husband’s Nana who uses apples from a 150yr old apple tree, your old 3rd grade teacher or favorite neighbor. There will be free Comet Corn Popcorn, simple delicious fare and beverages for purchase, live music and lots of local color. Plus, this year the schoolhouse will feature music by Sonoma County’s own Burnside Band, art by local youth, local hot apple cider, homemade decorations, and lots of good surprises.
Want to talk about the event or pies? Just contact Brittany Jensen, Executive Director, Gold Ridge RCD: [email protected] or call (707) 823-5244.
So come on down for the 2019 Valley Ford Schoolhouse Pie Auction! I hope to see you there.
-Brittany Jensen, Executive Director, Gold Ridge RCD
Board of Directors Annual Projects Tour
Thursday, December 5, 2019
9:30am to 1:30pm
2776 Sullivan Road, Sebastopol, CA 95472
Gold Ridge RCD's Board of Directors Annual Projects Tour is an occasion to visit a few conservation projects completed this year and celebrate our achievements. This year we plan to visit two stream habitat enhancement projects: the Tannery Creek Large Wood Recruitment Project near Bodega, CA and the Iron Horse Vineyards Dam Removal Project near Sebastopol, CA. We will also present briefly on the North Coast Soil Health Hub, LandSmart conservation planning for forestlands, and community wildfire protection efforts. Lunch will be provided by Chloe’s French Café Catering. RSVP to Adriana(at)goldridgercd.org to attend this event.
Tannery Creek Large Wood Recruitment Project
Fifty redwood and Douglas fir logs were harvested and placed in a half-mile reach of Tannery Creek, tributary to Salmon Creek, to improve stream function and salmon survival. This is achieved through improvements to salmon spawning grounds, winter high-flow shelter and summer low-flow pool habitat.
Iron Horse Vineyards Dam Removal Project
Removal of a dam structure and installation of large wood debris will restore natural flow conditions through the reach of Green Valley Creek, tributary to the Russian River, allow for the unimpeded passage of adult and juvenile salmonids and provide habitat during high and low flow conditions.
Atascadero Creek Coho Habitat Study public meeting
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
6pm to 8pm at Apple Blossom Elementary School
700 Watertrough Road, Sebastopol, CA
As we excitedly await the winter return of coho salmon to the Russian River watershed, we’d like to invite the Atascadero Creek watershed community to an update on habitat assessment and coho salmon reintroduction efforts in Atascadero Creek. Please join us on November 6 at 6:00pm at the Apple Blossom Elementary School for a series of presentations by staff from the Gold Ridge RCD, O’Connor Environmental, Inc., California Sea Grant and the California Department of Fish & Wildlife on efforts underway to study and enhance habitat in the Atascadero watershed. With enormous gratitude to landowners along Atascadero Creek and its tributaries who have granted us access to survey habitat conditions for coho salmon, we’re excited to share what we’ve been working on and what we have planned for 2020. We hope to see you there!
For more information, contact Adriana Stagnaro at Adriana(at)goldridgercd.org
Bay Hill Ranch Walk & Talk
Saturday, August 25, 2018, 10am-12pm 
| Bay Hill Ranch in Bodega Bay, CA; Free
Get to know the Bay Hill Ranch, one of two ranches in the Bodega area owned by Freestone Ranch producing grass-fed, holistically managed beef. Meet the ranchers (Jon and Misty Gay), the Bay Hill Ranch property and the happy, healthy cows. In this event, we will take a hike to see what coastal erosion into Bodega Bay looks like and what we are doing to make our watershed healthier. We will walk about 2 miles on dirt roads and some steep hills and fields for about 2 hours. We will see the Quinlan Gulch Creek, discuss the ranch's grazing model, look at various watershed improvement projects, answer any of your technical questions and enjoy the beauty of the coastal land. Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District will talk about the ranch's recently written Carbon Farm Plan and the projects it prescribes to help the ranchers act on global climate change right in Bodega Bay. Projects like applying compost, planting along the creeks, drainages and wetland areas, and excluding cattle from sensitive areas are helpful to repairing the soil and sequestering carbon dioxide. In turn, the ranch has healthier soil, which gives healthier forage and healthier cows. Read more and register for the event here.
Cover Crops, Tillage and Vineyard Soil Health Tailgate
Thursday, August 2, 2018, 10am-12pm 
| Ridge Vineyard, 650 Lytton Springs Road, Healdsburg; Free
Join Sonoma RCD and David Gates, Senior VP of vineyard operations at Ridge Vineyards, to hear insight on their cover crop and alternative tillage practices. Participants will tour practices in the vineyard, followed by a lively discussion and Q & A on different strategies to optimize soil health and grape quality. The tour includes an optional visit to their hedgerow at the end of the morning. RSVP here with Eventbrite.
Sonoma Winegrower's Annual Sustainable Winegrowing Field Day
Friday, July 27, 2018, 8am-1:30pm | SRJC Shone Farm, 7450 Steve Olson Lane, Forestville, CA 95436
Join the Sonoma County RCDs at this annual grower event hosted by the Sonoma County Winegrowers. More information coming to sonomawinegrape.org soon.
Soil Health Symposium
Friday, March 9, 2018, 9am-12pm
Sonoma County Farm Bureau, 3589 Westwind Blvd., Santa Rosa, CA
Professionals and growers will discuss vineyard practices that improve soil health and sequester carbon. Topics include cover crops, compost, alternative tillage techniques and planting woody plants. Each topic will feature an introduction from a knowledgeable professional, followed by a grower panel who will share their experience, perspective, and considerations for implementing the practices. Read more at SoilHub.org.
Got Runoff? RCD Hosts Stormwater Workshop for Local Residents on March 15th
Wednesday, March 15th, 2017, 6-8pm
Apple Blossom School, 700 Watertrough Rd, Sebastopol, CA 95472
Free to the public
The copious rain delivered by recent storms is a drastic change after five consecutive years of drought, and the soil is beyond saturated! We understand that it is hard to manage lots of water and so in response have put together a workshop to offer ideas on how to manage winter runoff.
How can we make the most of rain, protect soil from erosion and landslides, prevent potholes, increase infiltration to water tables and prepare for future drought? Join Gold Ridge and Sonoma RCDs and partners for a tradeshow-style workshop that explains good water stewardship practices.
You will have access to experts and information on where to get the tools or help you need. We'll cover a suite of projects that store, slow, spread and sink stormwater, including rainwater catchment, permeable paving, rain gardens, earth works, and more. Bring your questions, ideas, and concerns about managing water on your property. We hope to see you there!
Presenters: Gold Ridge RCD, Harmony Farm Supply, Permaculture Artisans, Sonoma Master Gardeners, Daily Acts
BONUS! Attend a tour of Permaculture Artisans’ stormwater-wise demonstration projects, Saturday, March 18th, 10am-12pm. RSVP: Call Sebastian Bertsch at (707) 824-0836. Permaculture Skills Center is located at 2185 Gravenstein Hwy S, Sebastopol, CA 95472
Want to learn more? Read the Slow It, Spread It, Sink It, Store It! guide to stormwater management and others online. Go to http://goldridgercd.org/htm/water-stewardship-guides.htm
Join us for the Russian River Confluence to Bring Together New Perspectives, Renewed Energy for Stewarding the River
March 24th, 2017, the community is invited to "confluence" at Shone Farm for an educational and inspirational meeting of the minds.
The Russian River Confluence is a unique event intended to engage the region's stakeholders, encourage storytelling and identify actions to promote a holistic, 'beyond sustainability' approach to the watershed that ensures its resiliency and renewal. Local partners including the regional RCDs, Sonoma County Water Agency, Russian Riverkeeper, Dry Creek Rancheria, and Pepperwood Preserve are hosting.
Agricultural Heritage Outing
Working with the Wild: A Fall Day on Duckworth Ranch
Saturday, November 5th, 2016, 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM Hosted with LandPaths
Come spend the day on the ranch with Oscar and Lorri Duckworth and their family. We’ll hear this family’s story and philosophy as farmers who work with the wild. We will meet a variety of farm animals (sheep, horses, chickens), and their wild neighbors, see fall foliage on the blueberries and relax beneath the oaks on this beautiful property for a bring-your-own-lunch picnic. There will be an easy 1.5-mile hike on these beautiful 80+ acres along Blucher Creek to watch for birds and bobcats. Afterward, we’ll teach wool-spinning by hand, using the Duckworth’s own sheep’s wool. This event will be wonderful for all ages, but especially great for children to come and get a full farm experience meeting animals and learning about where our food comes from.
Willow Creek Tributary Tour
in collaboration with the Russian River Confluence
The Russian River
Confluence, being held in Spring of 2017, is a landmark event to
celebrate the Russian River watershed and deepen partnerships to ensure the
watershed's future as a clean, thriving, and long-lasting foundation to our
communities' well being. Leading up to the event are a series of tributary events structured
to explore the many tributaries to the Russian River. Willow Creek is the westernmost tributary, feeding into the river before it empties into the Pacific
Ocean at Jenner, CA.
September 24th, 11am-3pm, Gold Ridge RCD, Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods and California State Parks will host a public tour of the Willow Creek watershed. Our tour of one of Sonoma County's most beautiful natural landscapes will focus on native Pomo life, improvements to salmon habitat in Willow Creek and the dramatic connection between upland forest and sea. Watershed health, local ecology and the checkered history of the watershed will be discussed as we drive to the site and hike the canyons.
Agricultural Heritage Outing
Un Dia De Campo: Vamos a Conocer Una Lecheria De Ovejas!
Saturday: July 16th, 2016, 10:00 AM -1:00 PM 
Gold Ridge RCD is hosting its first Spanish language outing. Attendees will tour Haverton Hill Creamery, taste rich sheep's butter and ice cream, and meet a dedicated family farming in beautiful Bloomfield, CA!
Quiere pasar un día estupendo afuera con su familia y comida maravillosa? ¡Acompáñenos en una excursión única y sométase a la belleza e historia de Haverton Hill Creamery, la lechería de ovejas mas grande del estado! ¡Haremos un tour de la lechería y probaremos deliciosa leche de oveja, mantequilla, nieve y socialicemos con la familia Adiego y su manada de 900 ovejas! Este es un evento especial para visitar a un rancho privado. Pagadores de impuestos del Condado de Sonoma como usted han salvado este e otros ranchos de agricultura para siempre. ¡Ahora, usted tiene la oportunidad de ver como usted ha hecho una diferencia!
A Flurry of Feathers: A Bird Walk in the Estero Americano 
Green Valley-Atascadero Creek Watershed and Dutch Bill Watershed landowners manage their water. Presentations will focus on recent efforts to study groundwater and streamflow and the opportunities to increase water security for residents and wildlife.
