photo by Brock Dolman Salmon are a keystone species, inextricably linked to the health of our coastal ecosystems, yet over the past century their populations have experienced devastating declines. In … Read more
The old saying “You don’t miss the water ‘til the well runs dry” couldn’t be more apt in this year’s unprecedented drought. Wells and reservoirs are drying up around the … Read more
We’ve heard about Defensible Space, the 100-ft perimeter around buildings that should be free from burnable materials to prevent damage from wildfire, but what about the wildlands beyond those 100ft? … Read more
People Over Plastic, a fiscally sponsored project of OAEC, is a BIPOC storytelling collective working towards an anti-racist, plastic-free future. POP’s wildly successful Season 1 podcast brought us stories of … Read more
OAEC’s WATER Institute was featured this month in SF Estuary Magazine (including Brock Dolman’s cover shot!) for beaver restoration work on Yellow Creek in the Tásmam Koyóm Maidu Cultural Park, Plumas … Read more
Español abajo. Navigating the threat of wildfire is an ongoing reality of life in Sonoma County. From 2017 to 2020, fires burned more than 300,000 acres across the county, resulting … Read more
The following video is a recording of the informational webinar Brock Dolman and Kate Lundquist (Occidental Arts & Ecology Center WATER Institute Directors) gave on March 4, 2021 to those … Read more
The Foundation for Intentional Communities has launched a new podcast called “Inside Community” and invited OAEC Executive Director and Sowing Circle Co-Founder Dave Henson to be the guest on one … Read more
Pictured above: Doug Gosling, Mother Garden Biodiversity Program Director, in the OAEC seed vault with the new Kent Whealy dedication plaque. It is our great pleasure to announce the dedication … Read more
After a long Covid hiatus, on-site tours of the gardens led by real live humans will resume this April! Join us 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month at 1pm, starting at the … Read more
In September, OAEC, along with the Center for Biological Diversity and The Rewilding Institute, convened a virtual Rewilding California meeting that, for the first time ever, brought together many of … Read more
Wildfire preparedness at the county and state level often focus on defensible space and home hardening… and for good reason! Both are critical strategies when it comes to saving lives, protecting … Read more
OAEC’s fiscally sponsored project Peak Plastic creates integrated storytelling campaigns to fight plastic production and pollution and to empower global collaborative action. Last month, Peak Plastic founders Stiv Wilson and Megan Ponder and their team won an … Read more
In these times, OAEC continues to embody David Orr’s assertion that “hope is a verb with its sleeves rolled up,” advancing practical solutions at the personal and community scale that … Read more
OAEC has brought on the Peak Plastic Foundation (PPF) as a new fiscally-sponsored project, continuing OAEC’s involvement in the movement to end the plastic crisis. We are excited to support … Read more
OAEC is excited to announce a new partnership with Celebrating Women’s Leadership in Food led by local farmer, author and activist Caitlin Hatchmyer. We are thrilled to support this project as … Read more
‘Slash Ain’t Trash, It’s Beneficial Biomass!’ – Brock Dolman For the past few months, OAEC’s Wildlands team has been working hard applying for permits to restore a number of eroding … Read more
October 2021 Though the air has been clean at OAEC the past few weeks, we haven’t forgotten that California is still on the heels of a devastating wildfire season (amidst … Read more
Pre-Covid-19, we had planned to hold a screening of this new film at OAEC, but we hope you’ll join us instead for a free on-line screening and Q&A discussion. Watch The Story … Read more
Dears, We are so sad to report that our beloved and historic barn at OAEC burned to the ground last night. Everyone, including the animals, is safe albeit devastated. The … Read more
Dear Friends and Supporters, We are proud of the work we have done this year, advancing bold and successful initiatives and providing a place of refuge and reflection to … Read more
The Cultural Conservancy’s Vision for a Biocultural Renewal Project in Graton There is a one-of-a-kind indigenous land project happening right here in Southern Pomo Coast Miwok territory and it happens … Read more
Shifting the Narrative from Straws to Pipelines All images courtesy of #breakfreefromplastic. Since its launch in September 2016, nearly 1,500 organizations from across the world have joined the Break … Read more
Since 2014, a colony of beaver has been observed near the suburban South Bay town of Campbell, and with them, an uptick in blue heron, western tanager, ducks, and other … Read more
Enhancing and securing habitats for biodiversity is one of the core goals of the OAEC Wildlands Program, using traditional knowledge and modern science to tend the 70 acres. The diverse plant … Read more
A report back from the Wet Meadows Restoration Workshop In October 2018, WATER Institute partners NOAA Fisheries (National Oceanic), US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Forest Service, Maidu Summit Consortium, … Read more
Farallones barn raising 1978. Photo courtesy of Alison Dykestra As we look back on 25 years of OAEC’s history, we owe a great debt of gratitude to the people who … Read more
Resilience is a concept that we at OAEC think about a lot, even now as this “viral”, often co-opted term has taken on so many different interpretations. Nature’s resiliency mechanisms inspire … Read more
A powerhouse group of some of the leading thinkers on land access came together at OAEC for the Bay Area Land Justice Convening in April co-organized by staff at Sogorea … Read more
Listen to this interview with WATER Institute Director Kate Lundquist on using beaver to restore endangered salmon in California. Beaver dams slow down the flow of water off landscapes, recharge … Read more
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Site photography by Jim Coleman, Tali Aiona, Doug Gosling, Brock Dolman and Sashwa Burrous.
