As I start uphill from the Carissa Avenue entrance, I spy two large, handsome acorn woodpeckers poking around in a valley oak full of acorn holes, some filled, some empty. I have chosen a sunny, breezy day, silent except for the muted sounds of juncos, quail, and jays and occasionally a fat gray squirrel's hoarse chuckle. Lots of people are out today— bikers, hikers, and joggers, in groups and singly. A stag lopes down the trail ahead of me, and a doe browses in the shady Douglas-fir forest. No wild turkeys; I wonder where they are grazing today. Canyon Trail is becoming quite eroded, with lots of loose rocks, and because the past few days have been quite windy, the path is strewn with small branches and twigs covered with gray-green lichens and yellow-green moss. At the top I am treated to a panoramic view of the city of Santa Rosa and the hazy blue hills of West County. Lake Ilsanjo shimmers deep blue, edged all around with bright yellow tules. Near the lake, as I wander off-trail to get a better view of the mountain, I am enveloped in a strong smell of mint. I find I have been walking through a large stand of dried pennyroyal (Monardella). I didn't know the dead stalks could give off that wonderful smell of peppermint at the hint of touch. Stimulating and relaxing. I look up—the steep slope of Bennett Mountain appears as a subtle needlepoint design of green, red, and gold.

Annadel is one of the state parks slated for closing by July 2012, but Valley of the Moon Natural History Association, the volunteer group I have worked with for twenty years, is not going to let that happen. The members of VMNHA are working with the Parks Alliance of Sonoma County, California State Parks, and numerous community partners to craft a solution to keep three parks functioning: Annadel, Jack London State Historic Park, and Sugarloaf Ridge. The park aide at Jack London told me last Sunday that, statewide, parks make up only one percent of the state budget. He showed me a map of units to be closed and most of them are located from the Bay Area north to the Oregon border. Why do I feel this is a false economy and that politics plays a large role in the whole fiasco? The VMNHA docents are committed to keeping these beautiful and historic Sonoma County areas open to the public. You can find me one Sunday a month at the museum at the Jack London park and several times a month on Annadel's trails. Look for me.