- Staff Promotions
- Partnering for Streamflow Resilience in Mill Creek
- Ag Heritage Series Presents: Farms in Bloom - A Mother's Day Celebration
- Learn & Burn Days: Building Skills for Good Fire
- Digging into Environmental Futures: SEEC Career Expo
- Spanish-Language Irrigation Workshop Supports Vineyard Efficiency and Soil Health
- A Walk Through the Hedgerows at Ridge Vineyards
- Help Us Amplify Native Species
- Events, Resources, and More!
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Staff Promotions
We are thrilled to share two of our amazing team members have recently been promoted!
Jessica Pollitz, who has been with the RCD for seven years, is now Engineering Director! As our primary engineer, Jessica has helped store countless gallons of rainwater across Sonoma County, protected vital salmonids habitat, championed equity initiatives within the organization, and uplifted the RCD as a whole. In her new role, Jessica will continue to advance the mission and strategic vision of the RCD by promoting integration of natural resource programs through engineering, organizational capacity building, and program development. Congratulations, Jessica!
Sophia Pruden, who joined the RCD in January 2024, has been promoted to Program Coordinator! Since arriving, Sophia has been instrumental in coordinating the LandSmart Grazing Program and cultivating strong community partnerships. We are grateful for her intentional approach to landowner outreach, her dedication to grazing as a land and fuels management tool, and the positive energy she brings to every project. In her new role, Sophia will continue “herding” the LandSmart Grazing Program projects forward – supporting partner development and landowner coordination - while also continuing her work on farm plan preparations, GIS mapping, field work, educational programs, and workshop organization. Congratulations, Sophia!
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Partnering for Streamflow Resilience in Mill Creek
Low stream flows in Mill Creek watershed continue to impact the population of our native Coho salmon and steelhead trout, which depend on this unique habitat during key stages of their life cycle. To address this, our Water Resource Team has been collaborating with landowners, community members, and partner organizations to research and develop a range of tools to enhance streamflow throughout the year - helping ensure these salmonids have the water they need to grow, thrive, and return to these headwaters after their adult life in the Pacific.
One promising strategy is the use of rainwater catchment systems, which allow landowners to collect rain during the rainy season and store it for use in the dry season, which offsets the use of other water sources which draw on the creek and helps keep water flowing in the channel. We’ve successfully installed over 350,000 gallons of rainwater storage to help improve streamflow in Mill Creek and Mark West Creek watersheds.
In March 2023, we received a grant from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) through the “Cutting the Green Tape” initiative to connect with landowners and explore additional tools to improve streamflow such as directly releasing water from a reservoir into the creek during critically dry periods. Since then, we outreached to over 70 local landowners - 15 of whom expressed interest in participating in some type of streamflow enhancement project. Our Water Resources Team met with each of these 15 property owners one-on-one to explore what projects might be a good fit. Some properties were identified as well-suited for an existing rainwater catchment program and have either had rainwater tanks installed or are in the process of doing so. Of the remaining properties, six were developed into “final” project concepts, with extensive research conducted to determine what would be needed to create or improve existing reservoirs.
These span the upper, middle, and lower parts of the watershed, each tailored to site-specific needs—whether it’s improving summer rearing habitat, increasing flow connection to Dry Creek, or supporting fire protection during the dry season. With the help of monitoring tools like streamflow cameras, we aim to time water releases for maximum ecological benefit.
Water Resources Project Manager Colin Nicol, shared that, “Storage and forbearance projects (rainwater capture) and environmental flow release projects (releasing water from a reservoir) were identified as priority strategies to improve salmon survival approximately a decade ago. It is an exciting time to see landowners and agencies partnering to implement projects at a scale that will start making a meaningful impact in these watersheds.”
Next up: We’ll be presenting these projects to CDFW and applying for additional funding to support design and implementation. We’re excited about the momentum and grateful to the landowners and partners helping make this possible.
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Ag Heritage Series Presents: Farms in Bloom- A Mother's Day Celebration
Join us on Saturday May 10th from 10 am – 2pm for a Mother’s Day celebration as we enjoy a day out on the farm! Hosted at the Santa Rosa High School FFA Farm, across the Cardinal Newman practice fields, come and explore this one-of-a-kind school farm. Enjoy a day filled with educational booths, hands-on activities, making Mother’s Day floral arrangements, and helping the Santa Rosa FFA chapter prepare their garden beds for the season. Make sure to bring your own picnic to enjoy a nice lunch while at the farm.
This event is FREE thanks to the voters of Sonoma County who fund the work of Ag + Open Space with a quarter cent sales tax. You can reserve your tickets beforehand through the link below.
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Evento de Legado de Agricultura Presenta: Granjas en Floración- Una Celebración del Dia de las Madres
¡Únase a nosotros el sábado 10 de mayo de 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. para una celebración del Día de las Madres mientras disfrutamos de un día en la granja! Alojado en la granja FFA de Santa Rosa High School, al otro lado de los campos de práctica de Cardinal Newman, venga y explore esta granja escolar única en su tipo. Disfrute de un día lleno de puestos educativos, actividades prácticas, haciendo arreglos florales para el Día de las Madres y ayudando a Santa Rosa FFA a preparar sus camas de jardín para la temporada. Asegúrese de traer su propio picnic para disfrutar de un buen almuerzo mientras está en la granja. Este evento es GRATIS gracias a los votantes del condado de Sonoma que financian el trabajo de Ag + Open Space con un cuarto de centavo de impuesto sobre las ventas. Reserve sus entradas con anticipación a través de EventBrite.
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Director of Finance & Adminstration
The Director of Finance & Administration (DF&A) manages the RCD’s financial, human resources, and administrative functions to ensure the district meets its mission and strategic goals. This hands-on leadership role involves overseeing a team and working closely with the Executive Director, leadership team, and Board of Directors. The position is part of a succession plan, offering mentorship from the current DF&A for the new hire.
This is a full time position with a starting compensation range of $115,000 to $125,000 per year. It is based in Sonoma County with a partial remote work option. It will remain open until filled.
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Board of Directors
We are accepting applications to fill by appointment a vacancy on its Board of Directors. The Board will recommend a candidate to fill this seat at its May 22, 2025 board meeting before the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors makes an appointment.
The person appointed to fill the vacancy will serve a term ending in December 2028. This is a volunteer position, and Board Directors are not financially compensated for service.
View more info using the link below!
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Learn and Burn Days: Building Skills for Good Fire
Over the winter, Learn and Burn Days (LAB Days) were hosted by Devyn Friedfel, Assistant Preserve Manager at Pepperwood Preserve. Devyn is a California Certified Burn Boss and a member of the steering committee for The Good Fire Alliance, Sonoma County’s Prescribed Burn Association.
These hands-on workshops focused on pile burning for novice and intermediate practitioners, covering topics like permitting requirements, burn timing, and safety. Participants also had the opportunity to observe and ignite burn piles of woody debris from an oak woodland restoration project on the preserve. Due to the strong community interest and success of the program, Sonoma RCD supported the extension and frequency of LAB Days offered this year. These additional workshops were well attended, with some workshops having over 30 participants!
We are excited to continue partnering with the Good Fire Alliance to bring more opportunities like this to our community in the future. Thank you to the Department of Fish and Wildlife whose funding helped support the extension of these workshops.
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Digging into Environmental Futures: SEEC Career Expo
As part of our involvement with the Sonoma Environmental Education Collaborative (SEEC), we participated in the annual Environmental Career Pathways Expo. This expo provides high school and college students with the opportunity to develop their professional portfolio through resume building, mock interviews, professional headshots, and a job fair. Additionally, the career expo includes a Q&A panel where young professionals can learn from individuals in the environmental sciences sector.
This year, our very own Fatima Burhan, Project Manager, was selected to be a part of the panel! Fatima touched based on her journey towards an environmental pathway, sharing a wealth of knowledge from college education and experiences to breaking through barriers to achieve her career goals. “It felt really good to share my story with the students and talk about what it’s like to work in environmental conservation. What stood out the most to me was how energized and engaged the youth were about their future and careers—they’re thinking deeply about the climate crisis, and even though many of them are feeling anxious, that hasn’t made them apathetic. If anything, it’s motivating them to act. It was hopeful and grounding to be in a space with young people who are ready to step up and looking for ways to make a difference." Thank you, Fatima, for being an inspiration to the future generation of environmentalists.
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Spanish-Language Irrigation Workshop Supports Vineyard Efficiency and Soil Health
Thanks to funding from CDFA as part of their Water Efficiency Technical Assistance (WETA) grant program, we recently hosted a Spanish-language irrigation workshop focused on practical strategies for irrigation management and soil health in vineyards. Our keynote speaker was Miguel Garcia, the Sustainable Agriculture Program Manager at the Napa RCD.
The event featured an in-field demonstration of how to conduct a distribution uniformity test. A distribution uniformity (DU) test is a way to measure how evenly water is being applied across an irrigated area—like a vineyard, orchard, or field. This hands-on demo gave participants practice identifying and addressing irrigation issues and improving water use in real-world conditions.
We also explored the connection between healthy soils and water-holding capacity, which is key to long-term water efficiency in vineyard systems. Water efficiency is about using just the right amount of water—no more, no less—to grow crops, nourish soil, or irrigate a vineyard without waste.
By improving soil health and understanding water efficiency, vineyard managers can reduce water use while ensuring their vines get exactly how much water they need. Healthy soils also absorb more water during the rainy season, minimizing the impacts of flooding and improving groundwater recharge – especially important given the increase in atmospheric rivers we have seen in recent years.
It was a privilege to provide technical training to the skilled professionals who manage these systems every day. Their knowledge and insights sparked valuable discussion and made for a valuable experience. We are excited to continue offering workshops hosted in both English and Spanish to support our communities here in Sonoma.
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A Walk Through the Hedgerows at Ridge Vineyards
As part of the Soil Symposium hosted by the North Coast Soil Hub , Ridge Vineyards, located in Healdsburg, hosted a field tour of their impressive hedgerows. Hedgerows are long rows of mostly native California plants integrated into vineyards or other agricultural properties to boost biodiversity and support farm ecosystems. They provide essential pollinator habitat, improve water infiltration, boost soil health, and even help sequester carbon.
We had the chance to see some of Ridge Vineyard’s original hedgerows - planted over 20 years ago - still thriving alongside their newest additions, planted just weeks before our visit. It was a powerful opportunity to see the evolution of these long-term practices and see firsthand how they support a healthier, more resilient landscape. Plus—they're beautiful to look at and attract everything from bees to songbirds to beneficial insects.
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Help Us Amplify Native Species
We are on the lookout for properties with large populations of flowering native nectar species for seed collection this spring. Our target species are here, but we are also interested in any native flowering populations robust enough to collect at least 10,000 seeds. These seeds will be amplified by Heritage Growers in Colusa to increase availability of local genetics in native seed sources and support future habitat restoration efforts. If your property might be a good fit, please fill out this short survey, and we’ll be in touch soon. Thank you for helping us grow a more resilient landscape!
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Resource: EQIP Bridge Loan Program
The Soil Health Opportunities & Tools Fund EQIP Bridge Loan program provides landowners and farmers with flexible funding to cover the upfront costs of installing EQIP practices. Designed specifically for recipients of NRCS EQIP awards, the bridge loans have no fees, no penalties, and no interest. They will work with you to create a custom loan agreement that meets your needs and tracks the same timeline as your EQIP contract.
To apply for the loan, please complete this short pre-application form. The EQIP Bridge Loan Team will reach out to schedule a brief 30 minute call to learn more about your EQIP project and potential financing needs.
To learn more, check out the links below for information and a webinar that explains the details of the program.
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Resource: Petaluma River Watershed Sediment Source Assessment
The San Francsico Estuary Institute recently published its Petaluma River Watershed Sediment Source Assessment. This is a project our Water Resoures Director, Aaron Fairbrook, and former Project Manager, Robert Heim, both supported.
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Resource: Wildlife Monitoring on California Working Lands
Point Blue recently published a guide geared towards landowners, agricultural technical service providers, and community scientists who are interested in pursuing wildlife and pollinator monitoring on lands stewarded for resources such as food, fiber and cultural uses. Illustrations of California wildlife and habitats brighten the pages with resources and links to monitoring techniques and programs.
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Partner Hiring: Daily Acts Program Coordinator
This position involves learning about and educating others on water saving actions like water-wise gardens, rainwater catchment and greywater and expanding our training on sustainable, cost-effective, nature-based solutions to climate change into Sonoma County communities and beyond.
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Declining Groundwater in Sonoma Valley: What Can We Do?
Sonoma Valley GSA & Partners
Thursday May 1st
5:30 - 7:00 pm
Free to Attend
Sonoma Veterans Memorial Hall
126 1st Street, Sonoma
We are excited to be tabling at a Community Meeting & Resource Fair taking place in Sonoma Valley focused on declining groundwater within the Sonoma Valley GSA basin. The event will include information on the current groundwater conditions, policy and program options, and a resource workshop. The Eventbrite page has a map of the two areas of primary concern, El Verano and Eastside.
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From Ground to Field: Know Your Water, Know Your Use
For Farmers & Producers
Tuesday, June 3rd,
1-4:30 pm
Free to Attend
Join CAFF, Sonoma RCD, Gold Ridge RCD, the GSAs, and UCCE for a hands-on workshop focused on groundwater and water use efficiency strategies to help you reach your sustainability goals. You'll learn about local groundwater sustainability programs, irrigation system testing, and a variety of soil moisture monitoring tools—and you'll even build your own DIY tensiometer to use on your farm!
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Del Suelo Al Campo: Conozca Su Agua, Conozca su Uso
Para granjeros y productores
Martes, 3 de Junio
1-4:30 pm
Gratis para atender
Únase junto a CAFF, Sonoma RCD, Gold Ridge RCD, los GSAs, y UCCE para un taller interactivo enfocado en el agua debajo del suelo y las estrategias eficientes para el uso de agua para ayudarle a alcanzar sus metas de sustentabilidad. Aprenderá sobre los programas de sustentabilidad de agua debajo del suelo locales, exámenes de sistemas de irrigación, y una variedad de herramientas para el monitoreo de la humedad del suelo. ¡Tambien creara su propio tensiómetro para usar en su granja!
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Conservation at Work with LandSmart®
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