Inseparable: Water, Wetlands, and Life - Webinar Honoring the Laguna de Santa Rosa

World Wetlands Day 2021 is particularly special to Sonoma County because it marks 10 years since the Laguna de Santa Rosa was first designated as a Wetland of International Importance under the United Nations’ Ramsar Convention. During this informative and visually beautiful presentation we will explore the critical role of wetlands on a global scale, and journey across a diversity of wetland habitats through the US, California, and the Bay Area to our own Laguna de Santa Rosa.

In the not too distant past, wetlands were regarded as wastelands. Most people felt that they were places to be avoided, and it was common practice to drain them, fill them or treat them as dumping grounds. Yet, wetlands are among the most diverse and productive ecosystems that supply all our fresh water and provide many services essential to all life on earth. We now know valuing and protecting them is a global responsibility. If you have ever experienced the sights and sounds of thousands of waterfowl lifting off a wetland at dawn, enjoyed eating a meal with rice, fish or shellfish, had a close-up encounter with any one of hundreds of diverse wildlife species that depend on wetlands, or maybe even kayaked in the Laguna or paused to marvel at its ability to grow to the size of a vast lake to hold rainwater after a big winter storm, you have a sense of the value of these diverse ecosystems. Join us to expand your love of wetlands and our home environment.