One Step Closer to Rebuilding… Debris removal is complete! At the end of July, more than ten months after the Glass Fire and three rounds of excavator scraping later, our wildfire debris and ash removal was finally completed! Crews came to…
Post-fire ecology and future prescribed burns
Post-fire ecology and future prescribed burns: A visit with Fire Forward We had the good fortune to spend a morning with the team from Audubon Canyon Ranch’s Fire Forward program —Dr. Sasha Berleman, Brian Peterson, and Garrett Gradillas — walking the…
It’s Hot Out! Time to Jump in the Pond!
It’s Hot Out! Time to Jump in the Pond! A few years ago, a little water fern called Azolla filiculoides showed up on the surface of the upper pond at Monan’s Rill. At first just a small patch of green, it quickly…
Community Workdays are Vibrant and Important, Still
Community Workdays are Vibrant and Important, Still Through the wildfire last fall, many of the nutrients in vegetation, trees, and dead leaves and branches were released into the soil, leading to unprecedented growth of plants like wild radish, thistles, malva,…
Goodbye to the Structures of Our Lives
Goodbye to the Structures of Our Lives Just two weeks ago, seven months after the Glass Fire, excavators finally arrived at the Rill to clear away our burn debris – the remains of our homes, barn, community toy shed, wood…
Savoring Spring In So Many Ways
Spring at the Rill has been lively! We’ve been able to watch the lush recovery of our land in real time. Birdlife, fungi, lizards and snakes, jackrabbits, new fawns, oak shoots, stump-sprouting toyon and madrone, honeybees (finally), and the flowers.…
The Promise of Oak Restoration
The Promise of Oak Restoration One of the hardest things about this fire has been its impact on the trees. Yes, those of us who lost homes are grieving our homes, in our different ways. But we all share in…
Madeline’s Tree
Madeline’s Tree At the top of the lower meadow and pasture is Madeline’s Tree, named after one of the founders of Monan’s Rill, who died peacefully at home on this land and whose ashes are buried under a rock cairn…
Community Renewal
Community Renewal It is hard to capture the tumult and sadness and hope and laughter of the past few months at Monan’s Rill. Though we have had to stop holding community workdays, we are still gathering every Saturday to do…
Community Works
Community Works (and workdays postponed) UPDATE 12/3: Community still works! AND in the interest of public health and all of our safety, we have decided to honor the spirit of Governor Newsom’s stay-at-home order and cancel volunteer workdays for at…