Qualla: The Park That Saved Itself

The Park That Saved Itself: Introduction

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Nzeemin, CC BY-SA 3.0. On a clear night at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, you can look through the 40-inch telescope at the Robert Ferguson Observatory and see the rings of Saturn. The observatory is entirely volunteer-run -- no government funding, no paid staff, just amateur astronomers who show up on weekends to open the dome and point the instruments at whatever is worth seeing. This spirit of stubborn volunteerism defines Sugarloaf Ridge. When California announced in 2011 that the park would be among the first to close in a wave of budget cuts affecting up to 70 state parks, it was volunteers who stepped in. Team Sugarloaf reopened the gates in June 2012, proving that a community can love a place fiercely enough to keep it alive when the institutions responsible for it walk away.

Image: Nzeemin | CC BY-SA 3.0

The Park That Saved Itself: Where Two Counties Meet

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Pete Forsyth, CC BY 3.0. Sugarloaf Ridge straddles the boundary between Sonoma and Napa counties in the Mayacamas Mountains, northeast of the small town of Kenwood. The ridge has two main peaks: the southern one rises to 1,939 feet and bristles with microwave antennas, while the northern peak reaches 2,2...

Image: Pete Forsyth | CC BY 3.0

The Park That Saved Itself: Charcoal Burners and Gentlemen Farmers

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Stephen Gold, Public domain. The Onasati, a group within the Wappo people, were the first known inhabitants of this region, settling along Sonoma Creek roughly 1,500 years ago. They harvested acorns and berries and developed sophisticated farming and basketry traditions. Spanish incursions began in 1823, and...

Image: Stephen Gold | Public domain

The Park That Saved Itself: The Waterfall and the Creek

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Stephen Gold, Public domain. Sonoma Creek begins here, gathering its headwaters from the ravines and springs of Sugarloaf Ridge before flowing southwest through Kenwood and the Sonoma Valley toward San Pablo Bay. The park's 25-foot seasonal waterfall appears during the rainy months between November and April...

Image: Stephen Gold | Public domain

The Park That Saved Itself: Stars Over Wine Country

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Brian Michelsen from Santa Rosa, California, USA, CC BY 2.0. The Robert Ferguson Observatory sits in a meadow near the park entrance, its silver dome conspicuous against the oak-studded hills. Founded by volunteers in 1995, it is the largest observatory in the western United States dedicated exclusively to public viewing. The location was ...

Image: Brian Michelsen from Santa Rosa, California, USA | CC BY 2.0