Events/Classes

Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) encompasses the on-going accumulation of knowledge acquired by indigenous peoples over hundreds or thousands of years, based on direct contact with the environment. Examples include how living organisms, the land, natural conditions, and time in local areas are interconnected, and how they are incorporated into ways of life. Join students of the SSU Native and Indigenous Student Club on a hike around the scenic landscape of Fairfield Osborn Preserve on Sonoma Mountain, learning about TEK and the history of this land.

Earth Week is here! Join our Copeland Creek & Garden Restoration team for the second annual Seawolves Dig In, an opportunity to participate in hands-on gardening projects across campus in collaboration with other members of the SSU community. Our team will help by weeding, removing ivy, and rehoming logs from the stream. Come meet other faculty, staff, and students who want to make a difference for our environment -- last year President Lee was on our team! Morning refreshments and post-event pizza will be provided.

So…you have decided good fire could help you reach your land-management objectives on your property. Now what? You have learned how fire can help and how to prepare your land. What about all of the permits and paperwork required? Where do you start? In this virtual program, Mike Jones, forestry advisor for Mendocino, Lake and Sonoma counties at the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, and chair of the Mendocino County Prescribed Burn Association, will be the lead presenter along with other members of the association. There will be much you can learn from these experienced proponents of the use of good fire. Bring your questions and they will provide the answers.

Prescribed burning, or “good fire”, was a primary land-management tool for millennia, helping people control the spread of invasive species, and maintain desirable ecological or cultural resources. On this field trip, you will get hands-on experience identifying prescribed burn goals and preparing the land for burns to meet those goals.

This is the second part (rescheduled, originally planned for April 13) of a three-part series, the "Good Fire Series 2024." The third and final part, Rx Burn Permits and Process, will be April 29 on Zoom from 5:30 – 7:00. See below for more information and to register.

Reptiles are “cold-blooded” vertebrates, including but not limited to turtles, snakes and lizards. Join Sonoma State University’s Vertebrate Biology Instructor, Wendy St. John, to explore the habitats of various reptile species as we travel through Osborn Preserve. You will also learn about SSU research involving the Western Pond Turtle, a special-status species that occurs at the preserve.