Fieldtrip to Sugarloaf State Park

For our  fieldtrip, we will be going to Sugarloaf State Park to learn more about plant communities of Sonoma County, with a particular emphasis on fire ecology. The park has a tremendous diversity of plant communities, some of which burned in the 2017 and 2020 fires. 

---

Logistics:

Location: We will meet at Sugarloaf State Park - NOT ON CAMPUS

Time: from 12:30-2:30pm- this gives you time to get back to campus if you have a class.  

Transportation:  Carpooling, driving 

Directions:   Sugarloaf State Park: 2605 Adobe Canyon Road, Kenwood Links to an external site., 

Park in the main parking lot - 100 yards past the kiosk.   Meet at the visitor center. 

No need to pay for parking  

Food & Water: Bring your lunch and water- we will not have time for you to purchase either

Clothing: wear comfortable walking shoes (not sandals!)  and long pants (ticks and poison oak protection) 

 

---

Optional

Below is a link to a 15-minute video produced by a Breck Parkman, a retired archaeologist with California State Parks. In it, Breck discusses  the story of some ancient pine cones he discovered at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, dating from 18,000 to 27,000 years ago, including Monterey Pine, which occurred over a much larger area than it does now as a result of changes in climate during the Pleistocene/Holocene Transition. Link to video: A Life, Precarious. Ancient Pine Cones