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State closes Sugarloaf Ridge

Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, the 4,000-acre spread of wild lands, soaring rock faces, dense forest, meadows, miles ofa hiking trails and popular campgrounds, was closed Dec. 1 and the public will not be allowed access.

Current plans are to re-open the park on at least a more limited basis March 1, but State Parks officials can’t be certain even that date is firm and they have set July 1 as the deadline for now closing 70 parks around the state, including Sugarloaf, Annadel, Jack London State Historic Park and the Petaluma Adobe.

Meanwhile a coalition of local organizations is developing a management plant to keep Sugarloaf, and other threatened parks, open under a proposed collaboration between private, nonprofit organizations and the state.

“This is an indication of how real the state park crisis is,” said Richard Dale, executive director of the Sonoma Ecology Center, the lead partner for Team Sugarloaf, a group of local organizations working to keep the park from closing permanently. “We are amazed that it has come to this, and we and our partners are doing everything we can to assure the park re-opens next spring and stays open,” he said.

Steve Bachman, superintendent for the Diablo Vista District, expressed frustration at the need to shutter the park, explaining, “What it boils down to is we don’t have the staffing. There’s a hiring freeze, we have a 50 percent vacancy rate for rangers and maintenance staff. We just don’t have the shift coverage. I don’t like it any more than the public does.”

Bachman said signs will be posted on Highway 12 at the mouth of Adobe Canyon Road, which leads up to the park. The gate below the park entrance will be locked and signs will be posted at the trailhead of the Goodspeed Trail announcing it is closed. Bachman acknowledged it will be impossible to keep people from entering the park on foot, but said two park employees live on site and will be present much of the time. Additional staff, he said, will probably go into the park from time to time to perform basic maintenance functions.

And, said Bachman, “we’re working with partners in the community to come up with a plan that will possibly keep the park open.”

Sugarloaf is the headwaters to Sonoma and Santa Rosa creeks; is home to abundant wildlife, including deer, mountain lions and bobcats; and also houses the Robert Ferguson Observatory (rfo.org), which will remain open and accessible for public star parties, classes and private events.

The Ecology Center and its partners, including Valley of the Moon Observatory Association, United Camps Conferences and Retreats, Valley of the Moon Natural History Association and Sonoma County Trails Council, are negotiating with the state to operate the park, and Team Sugarloaf partners are exploring innovative ways to maintain some level of access during the closure.

One idea that is awaiting State Parks approval is a volunteer patrol, such as those operated by the Ecology Center on other public lands that don’t offer open access, including the Montini Open Space Preserve. “A volunteer patrol is a great way for the public to be the eyes and ears on the ground,” said Dale. “Community members sign up, complete a short training session and then are authorized to routinely patrol the park. Patrol members record their observations and bring attention to anything that might be an issue or is of interest. It keeps the park in better shape and allows for access.”

The partners expect to hear within days if the state will let the patrol go forward, Dale said. And if approval is given, they hope to have patrol members in the park before the holidays. There will be a cost to operate the program that Dale hopes the community will support. Those interested in volunteering or helping to support the program can contact the Ecology Center at sonomaecologycenter.org, or the Parks Alliance for Sonoma County website – parksalliance.com.