Wildlife

Transform SDC Project Workshop Flyer for May 2

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April 2, 2015:

Join us for the first community workshop to Transform SDC, the Project Introduction and Community Visioning Launching on May 2, 9am to 1pm at the Vintage House in Sonoma. As the State is pushing to close SDC and other developmental centers, we invite you to learn more about this unique community resource and help us chart a course away from closure and towards a transformed and revitalized Center.

Please RSVP by April 25th to Samantha at Samantha@sonomalandtrust.org or by phone at (707) 526-6930 ext. 123 so we can adequately prepare.

Hope to see you there!

Transform SDC Project Workshop – Flyer for May 2

Give Local Planning for the Future of SDC a Chance

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March 23, 2015:

The future of the Sonoma Developmental Center is being considered by state officials and legislator, where some seem to have made up their minds already. Through the LAO report, posted earlier here on the blog, as well as the introduction of a bill, SB 639, both are calling for the closure of the Sonoma Center as well as a similar facility in Costa Mesa with the reasoning in both cases being money.

The SDC Coalition is hoping to find a more sensible outcome, one that could promise cost savings for the state and preserve an important community service and critical corridor for wildlife. The coalition is inviting the community to participate in a planning workshop at the Vintage House in Sonoma on May 2nd.

Click on the link below to connect to this great editorial highlighting the efforts being made to preserve the Sonoma Developmental Center.

PD Editorial: Give local plan for Sonoma Developmental Center a chance

Provided courtesy of the Press Democrat website, PD Editorial.

A Sonoma County Coalition Committed to Preserving SDC

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March 16, 2015:

Distributed at the start of the SDC Legislative Meeting on Saturday was the following flyer attached below. This handout, created courtesy of the Parent Hospital Association, provides a brief overview of a few of the SDC Coalition’s key partners. As described in the flyer, these partners have pledged their support in ensuring the Coalition’s vision of preserving critical health services, protecting the environmental resources, and opening the land to the public is achieved.

A Sonoma County Coalition Is Committing Its Resources to Preserving Sonoma Developmental Center

Provided courtesy of  the Parent Hospital Association via the SDC Legislative Meeting.

SDC Legislative Meeting: Pleas to Save the Center

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March 16, 2015:

As the Parent Hospital Association (PHA’s) annual legislative meeting convened last Saturday, the overwhelming message to save the Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC) from closure was heard from a patient crowd lined up all the way out the back door of Wagner Hall on the SDC Campus. Some speakers have loved ones who are clients at SDC, some spent their career caring for the developmentally disabled at the site, and some were just concerned citizens. With an audience of more than 200 people, as well as elected officials and representatives from Sonoma County and state, the support for saving the Sonoma Developmental Center was heard loud and clear. State Senator Mike McGuire, Assemblyman Bill Dodd, Supervisor Susan Gorin and representatives from Congressman Thompson, State Senator Lois Wolk and Assemblyman Mark Levine all expressed their support for creating working partnerships for a successful outcome, as well a unified message that the focus should be on those who still call SDC their home.

As many expressed, one of numerous concerns was that SDC could be the last resort for the type of care needed for those with severe physical or mental health challenges. Therefore, the importance that SDC remain open is critical, although many know that “change is on its way.”

It was also announced that the first ‘Transform SDC’ Project workshop is now set for May 2nd at the Vintage House in Sonoma from 9am to 12pm. Additional information will be provided in the following weeks to come.

For further information on how the SDC Legislative Meeting progressed please follow the link below.

Passionate Pleas to Save Sonoma Developmental Center

Provided courtesy of the Press Democrat website, by Robert Digitale.

The Impact of “Low-Impact” Activities on Wildlife

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February 19, 2015:

The following is a rather interesting article about the impact of “low-impact” activities such as hiking on wildlife. There were contributions made to the article by the editor at Outside magazine, who has quite the experience writing about the outdoors and environment.

Check this link out if you enjoy a great educational read.

Leaving Only Footsteps? Think Again

Provided courtesy of The New York Times website, by Christopher Solomon.

Protecting the Land and the People of Sonoma Developmental Center

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January 1, 2015:

Located in the “pinch-point” of the Sonoma Valley Wildlife Corridor, nearly 800 of the Sonoma Developmental Center’s 1,000 acres are undeveloped and wild, making it critical habitat for wider-ranging mammals, like mountain lion, deer, bobcat, bear, and coyote. This is why Sonoma Land Trust is a leading partner of the effort to develop a community-centered plan for SDC.

The Sonoma Land Trust Fall Newsletter