Sonoma Ecology Center, Sonoma

A 166-square-mile valley that encompasses forests, grasslands, parks, and vineyards, the Sonoma creek watershed teems with biodiversity. The conservationists behind Sonoma Ecology both sustain and unveil this region to visitors through education, restoration, and research programs that range from youth science camps to sustainable gardening. Through these efforts, they preserve lands such as the Sonoma Overlook Trail, a 3-mile walking path that leads hikers and traveling minstrels past native plants and animals, including California freshwater shrimp, chinook, and endangered steelhead trout running up the valley's boulder-strewn rapids.