Join us this month for an informative walk through Back Ranch Meadows as we learn how pre-colonial Coast Miwok people used controlled burns to benefit their community. Wildfires started by lightning are a natural part of our region’s oak woodland forest ecology. But Miwok people intentionally set periodic, slow-burning fires to clear deadfall and improve grassland habitat. Grasslands attract game animals like deer, and produce wildflowers like clarkia and suncup, the seeds of which would be collected and ground into edible pinole. These controlled fires also reduced the overall fuel load in the forest, preventing dangerous, rapid-spreading crown fires.

Join naturalist Jerry Coe as he discusses  more about the history of the Coast Miwok people and how they survived and thrived in the area now known as China Camp. Coast Miwok people still live in the Bay Area today, with the largest group at Graton Rancheria in Sonoma County. For more information about California’s indigenous history, visit the California Native American Heritage Commission website.

Date: Sunday, August 22

Time: 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.

Location: Details emailed to you when you register. 

Walking difficulty: Easy; 1.5 miles

REGISTER HERE

Space is limited; reservations required.

Free (donations appreciated).

Questions? Email programs@friendsofchinacamp.org or call (415) 456-0766.

Cancellations notified via email.

Photo credit: Realtree.com