At last, the clouds parted ways and I saw a pure blue sky for the first time in too long. Clear water was running strong in Bidwell Creek at Live Oaks Ranch and the ground was still wet from the many rainstorms this season. It was the perfect day to plant some trees with our friends at Sonoma Clean Power!
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Over a year ago, Sonoma Clean Power (SCP) approached the Land Trust about beginning a partnership to plant trees throughout the county. They’re working to reduce the impacts of climate change and planting trees is a great way to accomplish that. We often plants trees on our preserves at locations that can benefit ecologically from the addition of native species. With those mutual goals, SCP began supporting some of our key planting projects in acknowledgment of their EverGreen subscription service.

I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself, “What a wonderful world”
— Louis Armstrong
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​Last night, I walked along our rural lane, marveling at the beauty of the winter night sky where Orion and Sirius were twinkling brightly due to the waning crescent moon. I heard the cry of a mother fox and the answering mew of her kit, a reminder that the night-hunting shift was well underway. I’m thrilled to hear these sounds, just as I am to hear the soft hooting of the great horned owls and the screeching of the barn owls. We need all these night-hunting predators to keep our rodent population in check.