Help Plant a Pistachio in the Plaza on Arbor Day

The Sonoma Valley Visitor’s Bureau will plant a tree on Friday, in honor of the fifth annual Arbor Day Celebration in the Plaza.

A Chinese Pistachio will be added to the Plaza’s extensive natural arboretum of plants in the ceremony in the northwest quadrant of the plaza, near the playground.

At the same time, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., the Rotary Club’s Conservation Award will be presented to Tom Rusert, who has helped create a number of community events and activities including Sonoma’s Arbor Day Celebration itself.

"Six years ago we did not have an official Arbor Day celebration or a tree map to help increase awareness and educate the public," said Rusert. "Thanks to a team effort with Rotary, the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau and Sonoma Birding and the City of Sonoma, we now have both."  

Jack London State Historical Park director Tjiska Van Wyk will address the community with an important update on the park. The Transcendence Theater company will perform, as will Sonoma Musicians Mark Willson and Mario Ramirez, poet Lin Marie deVincent and students from Prestwood School and Crescent Montessori School, will treat the public to a musical performance. Refreshments will be served.

Mayor Ken Brown, Supervisor Susan Gorin and other Sonoma Valley celebrants are expected to be on hand as well.

The planting of the tree, and the simultaneous honoring of Jack London Park, is both ironic and appropriate, since the park has scheduled to take down the historic Live oak near the writer's cabin.

The new Plaza Tree Map, a self-guided tree tour of the historic Sonoma Plaza, will be available at the event and at the Sonoma Valley Visitor’s Bureau as well.

The map also includes a list of birdlife that can be seen in the Plaza. It is included with this article as a PDF.

Both map and bird list have been created by Rusert of Sonoma Birding, who has been instrumental in the perpetuation of the Arbor Day Celebration.