Hidden Jewel

It is, unmistakably, sacred ground: A canopy of oaks creates a cathedral overhead, carpeting the ground with leaves, while the hush of nature overwhelms the human urge to fill up silences. The faint sounds of a stream rushing past disturb neither the visitors nor the inhabitants of this special place, where the oaks give way to pines and the leaf-covered ground is supplanted by a field of ferns. From the higher points, cities may be glimpsed in the distance, but here, at the top of Sonoma Mountain, nature quietly, exquisitely, has dominion.

It is Fairfield Osborn Preserve, a largely wild, undisturbed spread of more than 400 acres. It is home to bobcats, deer, cougars, coyotes, raccoons, and eagles, among others, left to live without the interference of man. On the weekends it is the privilege of those familiar with the preserve to visit, and if they are lucky, to observe the animals in their nature habitat. If animals aren’t spotted, visitors are still lucky, for they can glimpse the land much as it was centuries ago, without the encroachment of homes and fences, with no road in view and no sounds of traffic or city life to distract from the grandeur the preserve has to offer.

In the middle of the twentieth century, what is now Fairfield Osborn Preserve was the summer home of the Roth family; before that, it was homesteaded, the site of two farmhouses, both now gone; earlier it was part of the Spanish land grants of the nineteenth century, and before that it is believed to have been a seasonal home of three Native American tribes, the Pomo, the Miwok, and the Wappo, who probably visited in autumn to hunt deer and gather acorns. William and Joan Roth and their children spent many happy summers at their retreat before donating 200 acres of it to the Nature Conservancy in 1972, in the name of Joan’s father, Fairfield Osborn, a well-known environmentalist and author whose most famous book, Our Plundered Planet, urged mankind to live in harmony with nature. The family later donated their remaining Sonoma Mountain land, doubling preserve’s size.

The Nature Conservancy specializes in preserving natural areas that have a unique aspect. In the case of Fairfield Osborn, that aspect is Copeland Creek, which is the only fishless perennial (year-round) stream in the state. It is not fishless due to the actions of man; rather, it flows too swiftly to support a piscine population. Due to the absence of fish, there is an unusual assortment of aquatic insects and a healthy frog population, including the yellow-legged frog, which is an endangered species in California.

The purpose of the Roths’ gift was three-pronged: to protect the habitat; to aid in educating the public; and research. All three of their goals are being fulfilled. The difference between the pristine, untouched land of the preserve and the reginal parks that people traverse at will, leaving potato chip bags, candy wrappers, and soda cans strewn about as evidence of their visit, is unmistakable; the habitat is protected not merely from the encroachment of housing or farming, but also from careless visitors who may enjoy wild places, but not enough to take their trash with them when they leave. There are no garbage cans along the trails; when visitors are done with a snack, they put their wrappers and bottles into their backpacks and take them home.

Research areas can be evident on the nature walks. A hill covered in star thistle is the subject of study, divided into sections marked by small flags to judge the efficacy of control measures. Research is done by faculty and students from Sonoma State University, which took over Fairfield Osborn in September of 1997 from the Nature Conservancy. The Nature Conservancy holds a conservation easement on the land, requiring that Sonoma State maintain it to the Nature Conservancy’s standards, or else management of the preserve reverts back to the Nature Conservancy.

The educational aspect of Fairfield Osborn Preserve is handled in numerous ways. Hikes, offered in the spring and fall, are led by docents trained in recognizing trees, plants, and animals, and they can identify that interesting plant with the purple tufts as pennyroyal and explain that the small ferns growing on the sides of some of the trees are actually a moss that has come to vibrant life after a mist covered the mountain the night before. There are also special field workshops devoted to subjects such as birds, wildflowers, and medicinal plants, all led by prominent local naturalists.

The most popular educational aspect of the preserve is the Environmental Education Program, available to third, fourth, and fifth grade classes. In the ‘70s, the preserve hosted exactly one class each week. Now, under the aegis of SSU, there are six to eight classes visiting a week, 28 weeks a year. It is so popular that a lottery has been created to select which classes may come; last year there were 50 teachers who names weren’t picked and whose classes missed out on an unforgettable experience.

The weekend hikes are another story. While local teachers are well aware of the preserve, the residents of Sonoma County and the Bay Area in general often seem unaware of the wild beauty hidden at the top of Sonoma Mountain. The weekend hikes sometimes draw few people, a disappointment to guides. Often those who are aware of Fairfield Osborn mistakenly believe that it is run like a park, open all day, and that they may drop by for a walk whenever the urge strikes. In actuality, the preserve is open to the general public for naturalist-led hikes only; this serves several purposes, not the least of which is ensuring that visitors don’t become lost over the preserve’s seven miles of trails, which are sometimes almost indistinguishable from the off-trail areas.

In additional to answering questions about the preserve’s plants and animals, the guides are also able to provide first aid if necessary, as well as tailor a hike to fit the visitors’ specific needs. If they are particularly interested in birds, or in a spectacular ridge view, docents can give them just the hike they want. If a person wants to enjoy nature but has limited energy, the docent can create a hike that’s comparatively easy, while a high-energy visitor can request a difficult path with plenty of up-hill action. The guides know the land and its history, and are drawn to the preserve because they, like the visitors, love wild places.

Here you’ll find coffeeberry, horsetail, coyote brush, cattails, native grasses. Duck’s bill fern, the smallest fern on earth, which grows in the preserve’s ponds and creeks. Bay trees, a favored snack of deer, can be seen protecting each other by growing in a tight, low circle around a central tree, so that the deer who eat the outer trees cannot reach the one they surround, and it survives.

This being a natural place—few depredations by man, but also no cleanup crew—there is wildcat scat occasionally dotting the trails, and animal bones are in evidence. Lively discussions can crop up among hikers about the classifications of a jaw bone, and the docents happily take out their pocket guides to satisfy everyone’s curiosity.

The people who work at the preserve feel honored to be there. “They have the opportunity to get to know this place much more intimately than a visitor,” notes Julie Clothier, who manages the preserve and is its only paid employee, years after love of the place drew her to volunteer as a docent. “Staff members are allowed access to the preserve when it’s closed to the public. For some reason, their job doesn’t fill something in them, and they find it here.

“It’s really important to share wild lands with people … I hope the land will remain wild for our children and grandchildren,” she adds wistfully. Anyone who has ever been to Fairfield Osborn knows exactly what she means.

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Originally published in the Community Voice.