Exploring Sonoma County's Natural Treasure: Laguna de Santa Rosa, by Anne Morkill, Executive Director, Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation
Our speaker for Thursday, March 9, 2023, was Anne Morkill, Executive Director of the Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation. Anne has extensive experience in wildlife conservation, having worked in the field for over 24 years. Her most recent pre-Laguna employment was as manager of the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex. She has a B.S. in Wildlife Biology from Colorado State University and an M.S. in Zoology from the University of Wyoming. She is passionate about restoring native habitats and conserving imperiled wildlife. She has been the E.D. of the Foundation since March 2020.
The Laguna drains a 250-square mile watershed consisting of the entire Santa Rosa Plain and is a 22-mile channel forming the largest tributary of the Russian River. Most of the creeks in the Santa Rosa Plain flow into the Laguna. The Laguna starts in Cotati and flows north to enter the Russian River near Forestville. The Laguna is critical to Sonoma County’s water quality and flood control and serves as a natural holding basin capturing floodwaters before they cause severe flooding of the communities along the Russian River. It is also a unique ecological system, including creeks, open water, perennial marshes, wetlands, forests, and grasslands. It is home to an amazing variety of flora and fauna, including thousands of migrating birds, river otters, eagles, and endangered species like the tiger salamander. It is also an important recreational zone for such activities as birdwatching and kayaking, among others.
Some of the largest challenges to the Laguna are the result of land use changes over the years, and Anne provided slides depicting the historical population and agricultural use changes to the area. Another driver of change is the effect of flood control modifications, including sedimentation, the increase in invasive plants like Ludwigia, and climate change.
The mission of the Foundation is to restore, conserve, and inspire a healthy Laguna. The Foundation is establishing thousands of native trees and plants and working to remove non-native species (which restores lost habitat, improves water quality, improves biodiversity, and mitigates climate change.) In addition to Ludwigia, the Foundation works to remove other non-native species, such as thatch, a grass, and invasive blackberry plants. Native plants the Foundation is trying to bring back include natural oak and willow trees. Education is a major component of the Foundation’s work. The Laguna Environmental Center allows visitors to learn about the Laguna and see a variety of native plants on the grounds. The Foundation also runs a program called “Learning Laguna,” which focuses on teaching elementary children about the Laguna. Teams of docents visit Sonoma County classrooms and lead discovery field trips to the Laguna for more than 1,300 children. Camp Tule is a summer camp program allowing children to spend a week entirely outside learning to explore and play in nature.
Many thanks, Anne, for giving us this valuable presentation, and for doing this important work for all of us!
Click HERE to see a recording of Anne's presentation. It will be available for a limited time.
