Travels Information

It is true that San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge does not limit its boundaries to Sonoma County alone, but it would be gravely negligent of me to remain silent about its majestic existence along the north shore of San Pablo Bay just because it is shared with two other neighboring counties in northern California; Solano and Napa.

In the not-so-distant past, less than 150 years ago, San Pablo Bay was enveloped by extensive and intricate marshlands perpetually permeated by surging and ebbing tidal waves of the Pacific Ocean and was regarded as one of the largest systems on the western coast of North America. These rich and sprawling swamps provided an ideal environment for aquatic plants which in turn offered safe havens and wealthy feeding grounds for migratory wintering waterfowl such as canvasback ducks, native shore and water birds as well as an abounding assortment of other land and water species.

Spanning over approximately twenty thousand acres, San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge is just one of sixty-seven wildlife refuges in the San Francisco Bay area, that was established in 1974 to restore the delicate equilibrium of the wetlands, to secure threatened wildlife habitats and to protect millions of vulnerable and endangered indigenous species of flora and fauna as well as the countless migratory birds. To accomplish this gargantuan task by attempting to reverse the damage inflicted to the local tidal marshes by expending agricultural, commercial and industrial activities such as hydraulic gold mining in the 1850s at the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas, salt harvesting, rerouting and bleeding its waters and constructing dams, the management of the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge had formed a partnership with the Department of the Interior, the United .States Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Sadly, only fifteen percent of this natural treasure remains unblemished but there is great hope for the future. Presently, San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge is a protected sanctuary for a thriving year-round local population of the California Clapper and Black Rails, the Salt Marsh Harvest Mice, the Song Sparrows of San Pablo and the Suisun Shrews. Furthermore, San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge is a welcoming winter resort for various species of birds especially the diving ducks, as well as eleven kinds of fish that annually cross the San Pablo Bay to their fresh water spawning grounds.

Now that we have seen what San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge does for wildlife, let us examine what it can do for you and me and I am please to inform you that it can do plenty with a capital “P.” Being open to the public every day of the year from sun up to sun down it offers: hands-on educational programs for elementary school classes; off-water fishing in the open bay and sloughs accessible by boats; hunting grounds which are subject to State and Federal regulations and seasonal restriction; hiking and walking trails; and wildlife viewing and capturing on film.

And if you wish to turn your visit to San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge into a true vacation, you will find plenty of charming, rustic and beautifully maintained local accommodations such as B&Bs and inns.

Article by Kadence Buchanan
Learn more about Sonoma County Real Estate and homes for sale in Sonoma County by visiting us today.

If the age-old saying is correct about variety being the spice of life then Sonoma County of Northern California is, in fact, “sugar and spice and everything nice.” In other words, Sonoma County is a true delight in every sense of the word. Within its total area of roughly 1,800 square miles, eleven percent of which is covered by water, it is well endowed with extensive variety of nature’s gifts. Sonoma County has dry land formation such as mountain ranges and flat lands; a wide assortment of bodies of water that include rivers, streams, creeks, lakes, marshlands, bays and an ocean; a generous selection of wooded lands that consist of an oak woodland, a redwood forest, northern coastal scrub, grasslands, an oak savanna, a riparian woodland and vineyards. It has lots and lots of vineyards.

Sonoma County, the land of nature’s delights, can be found in northern California which also happens to be northwestern part of the United States and it is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean on its west with 76 miles of coastline beaches and hydrographic formations such as Bodega Bay as well as the mouths of the Russian and the Gualala Rivers, and with Marin County on its south, Mendocino County on its north, Napa County on its east, Lake County on its northeast, Solano and Contra Costa Counties on its southeast.

Now that we have had a chance to glance at Sonoma County as a complete package or, better yet, as a broad picture, let us focus in on some of the details:

Dry Land …

1. The Mayacamas Mountains are part of the California Coast Ranges and their highest peak is Cobb Mountain at 4,724 feet above sea level. The Mayacamas Mountains also include Mount Saint Helena and Hood Mountain.

2. The Sonoma Mountain provides a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean on the West and the entire Sonoma Valley on the east from its moderate height of 2,287 feet above sea level. Sonoma Mountain’s most southern crest is well known as Sear Point and projects into the San Pablo Bay.

3. Sonoma Valley is also known as the Valley of the Moon and it is the flat basin of Sonoma County and the place of birth of California’s viticulture.

Wooded Lands …

1. Oak woodland is a portion of land in Sonoma County that is overgrown with oak trees that form only limited shading which then promote undergrowth of shrubs, herbs and grasses.

2. Redwood forest is populated by redwoods which are also known as Sequoias. Reaching heights of up to 380 feet, these giants are known as the world’s tallest trees and at up to 26 feet in diameter, they are not skinny either.

Bodies of Water …

1. The Russian River runs southward from Lake Mendocino and is Sonoma County’s largest river. The Russian River’s largest offshoot is Laguna de Santa Rosa and is purported to be the home of the most abundant and varied wildlife in Sonoma County. The largest tributary of Laguna de Santa Rosa is Santa Rosa Creek which, in turn, has Brush, Mark West, Mantanzas, Spring and Piner Creeks as its key tributaries.

2. Sonoma County’s additional bodies of water are the Petaluma River; San Antonio, Americano and Sonoma Creeks; San Pablo and San Francisco Bays; Sonoma, Tolay Ilsanjo, Ralphine and Fountaingrove Lakes; and last but certainly not least, the Pacific Ocean.

As I have said in my opening statement, Sonoma County is a true geographic and topographic delight.

Article by Kadence Buchanan
Learn more about Sonoma County Real Estate and homes for sale in Sonoma County by visiting us today.