Own a piece of Helen Putnam Regional Park history!
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Thanks to generous support from the Measure M-Parks for All sales tax, donors and grants, Sonoma County Regional Parks has invested over $700,000 in improvements for Helen Putnam Regional Park! Inspired by a $50,000 Challenge Grant, 206 donors like you contributed more than $50,000 to enhance this beloved local park.
More improvements will continue to revitalize this much-loved park. With a donation of $250 or more, we will send you a retired trail sign! There are just 49 signs left, so act quickly! Download this form, and scan or photograph it and email it to: Jodie Ellis at jodi.ellis@sonoma-county.org or mail to: Sonoma County Parks Foundation 2300 County Center Drive, #120A Santa Rosa, CA 95403 |
Putnam Park challenge grant improvements
The challenge grant improvements constituted a multi-year project, with work underway as of May 2017. With the unexpected diversion of Regional Parks’ field and planning staff in the aftermath of the wildfires, work at Putnam was delayed a bit. We appreciate the understanding and patience of park goers.
Here are some things you may have noticed:
Here are some things you may have noticed:
- We partnered with the Sonoma County Trails Council to manage five volunteer workdays at Filaree Trail, realigning hundreds of feet of trail to improve trail access during the wet winter months. We were pleased to partner with the Petaluma cycling teams from Casa Grande and Petaluma High Schools, giving youth a worthwhile community service project, new skills, and team-building experiences.
- We hired grazing sheep! The sheep reduce fuels, improve plant diversity (giving us more wild flowers to enjoy), and consume poison oak and foxtails, making the trails more attractive and safer for park visitors and their dogs.
- We built a new custom rock retaining wall at the overlook above the pond and installed two new picnic tables. This is the first in a series of improvements to the pond area.
- Improved accessibility, a new parking lot layout and surfacing, and expanded equestrian parking at the Chileno Valley Trailhead
- Realignment of popular trails like Ridge Trail, Savannah Trail,South Loop Trail and the path around Cattail Pond to reduce erosion and improve drainage
- Construction of the new West Wind Trail to increase park access, providing an entry point closer to the city center and additional parking in a new lot on Windsor Drive
- Addition of the “Stairway to Helen” steps for an environmentally sensitive redesign of Panorama Trail that still challenges hikers seeking a cardio workout
- Enhanced directional and interpretive signage throughout Putnam Park so visitors can more easily find their way and learn about special features of this popular park.
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