May Events Are Abuzz in Marin
By Becky Wiegand,
Manager, Digital Communications
April 25, 2023
May is abuzz with activity this year! Find a variety of events this month where you can engage with Marin’s agricultural community, enjoy its open spaces, steward the land, and celebrate the amazing place we call home.
This month, we pay special attention to events for all who “mother.” MALT was founded by two mothers, Ellen Straus and Phyllis Faber — a rancher and a botanist — who brought together local ranchers and conservationists to protect farms from mounting development pressure. Their unifying vision established the Marin Agricultural Land Trust in 1980 as the first in the nation focused on protecting farmland.
In the 43 years since, MALT has — with its broad coalition of community partners and supporters — safeguarded more than 55,700 acres and invested more than $1.8 million in projects to improve soil health, protect water quality, and increase grassland vigor. The legacy of their foundational work is all around when passing through West Marin.
It’s with this thriving agricultural community that we hope you can connect with at an upcoming farmers’ market, tasting, farm brunch, or tour. Or dig in to visit and volunteer at one of our many adjacent parks and open spaces that, together, weave a tapestry of protected land. These corridors of protected land preserve a biodiverse landscape, a local economy, and a way of life.
With an abundance of beauty and adventure waiting in (and near) Marin, we hope you’ll get outside and play, just like mom used to say.
Farm Visits and Tastings
View the days and times of weekly farmers’ markets hosted by the Agricultural Institute of Marin around the Bay Area as well as this list of farmers’ markets sorted by the day of the week.
- Now thru May 7, Grass-Fed Lamb Orders, Chileno Valley Ranch, Petaluma
- May 6-7, Spring Farm Tour: Blossoms, Bees, and Barnyard Babies, Sonoma
- May 6, 13, 20, 27, Farm Tour & Tasting at Bivalve Dairy, Point Reyes
- May 7, Toluma Farm Tour (see some mama goats and sheep!), Tomales
- May 13, Farm Brunch, Point Reyes Farmstead Creamery, Tomales
- May 18, Feast in a Bento Box, Agricultural Institute of Marin, virtual
- May 20, Family Farm Day, Slide Ranch, Muir Beach
- May 21, Sunday Supper at Toluma Farms + Tomales Farmstead Creamery, Tomales
- May 21, Bee Experienced: Flower to Flute Beekeeping Tour, Heidrun Meadery, Point Reyes Station
- May 28, Hike the Loop at Toluma Farms + Tomales Farmstead Creamery, Tomales
- Daily, Little Wing Farm Stand, Point Reyes Station
- Daily, Pasture Fresh Eggs at Petaluma Farm Stand, 8-8, Tomales
- Daily, Nicasio Valley Cheese Company, 10-5, Nicasio
- Daily, Hog Island Oyster Co., The Hog Shack, 9-5, farm tours by reservation, Marshall
- Daily, Marin French Cheese, between 9-5, Petaluma
- Daily, Heidrun Meadery, between 11-5, Point Reyes Station
- Weekdays, Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company tastings, 11-3, Point Reyes Station
- Wed-Sun, Valley Ford Creamery, between 8-3, Valley Ford
- McEvoy Ranch, by reservation, Petaluma
You can book food and farm tours to visit multiple producers of local food and fiber in one day-trip!
Ellen Straus and Phyllis Faber, MALT’s co-founders, on a West Marin ranch in the early days of the organization’s history.
Mother’s Day Events
- May 7, Blooms & Bee Sip + Paint with Mom, Petaluma
- May 13, Mother’s Day Floral and Charcuterie Class, Petaluma
- May 13, Family Farm Day – Celebrate Mom, Slide Ranch, Muir Beach
- May 13-14, Mother’s Day Weekend at Cornerstone, Sonoma
- May 14, Junior Ranger: Mother’s Day Flowers, Tiburon
- May 14, Mother’s Day Brunch at RangeCafe, San Rafael
- May 14, The doRiaN Mode Mother’s Day, Smiley’s Schooner Saloon, Bolinas
- May 14, Mother’s Day Brunch Buffet, Cavallo Point, Sausalito
- May 14, Mother’s Day Forest Bathing Walk, Inverness
- May 14, Mother’s Day Brunch at Red Oak Craft Bar, San Rafael
- May 14, Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea at Three Springs Farm, Bodega Bay
- May 14, Mother’s Day Brunch in the Vineyard, Roche Winery, Sonoma
Hikes, Walks, and Rides
- May 2, Indian Valley Hike, Novato
- May 5, Full Moon Viewing, China Camp State Park, San Rafael
- May 6, Hike Up Woodoaks Trail, San Rafael
- May 6, May Full Moon Member Hike, Point Reyes
- May 6, Ales & Trails 2023, China Camp State Park, San Rafael
- May 6, Sears Point Marsh Walk, Sonoma
- May 6, One Tam Forest Health Tour, Fairfax
- May 6, 7, MALT Wildflower Walks at Leiss Ranch, Novato
- May 6, 7, (Saturdays and Sundays) Drakes Beach Discovery Hike, Point Reyes National Seashore
- May 7, Family Walk at Stafford Lake, Novato
- May 9, Senior Stroll: Earthquake Trail, Point Reyes
- May 13, Bike or Hike 4 Buckelew, China Camp State Park, San Rafael
- May 14, Big Trees Trek, Indian Tree Preserve, Novato
- May 20, Awakening Joy and Wonder in Nature, Marin Headlands
- May 20, Spring Birding Hike, China Camp State Park, San Rafael
- May 21, Wildflower Hike, China Camp State Park, San Rafael
- May 23, Bothin Marsh Walk and Talk, Sausalito
- May 24, Abbott’s Lagoon Walk, Point Reyes National Seashore
Volunteer Opportunities
- May 5, 12, (Fridays year-round), Native Plant Nursery Volunteer Days, Olema
- May 5, 20, Kent Island Restoration, Bolinas Lagoon
- May 6, Snowy Plover Docent Training, Point Reyes National Seashore
- May 6, Spring Fling 2023 Volunteer Registration, Slide Ranch, Muir Beach
- May 6, 27 Summer of Service Work Day, Point Reyes National Seashore
- May 6, Broom Busters of Old St. Hilary’s, Tiburon
- May 7, Woofstock 2023, Novato
- May 9, Habitat Restoration Team, Tennessee Valley, Mill Valley
- May 10, 13, 24, Marin Headlands Nursery Volunteer Day, Marin Headlands
- May 13, Memorial Trail Work, San Rafael
- May 14-15, Horse Hill Preserve Broom Bust, Mill Valley
- May 21, Hal Brown Park Sheet Mulching, Kentfield
- May 23, Habitat Restoration Team, Coyote Ridge, Mill Valley
Wildlife and Nature Events
- Every Sat, Sun year-round, Weekly Ranger Programs, Point Reyes National Seashore
- May 2, Birding in the Bay Area: Part 3, virtual
- May 3, Aesthetic Pruning for the Big Picture, Zoom
- May 3, 10, Spring Lecture Series: Bird Biology, virtual
- May 4, The Power of Trees, Ross
- May 5, Spring Bird Migration, Point Reyes
- May 5, Wild Words Nature Book Club, virtual
- May 6, The Art of Nature Journaling, Point Reyes
- May 6, Fishing in the City, Novato
- May 6, Tamalpais Bee Lab Event, Fairfax
- May 6, One Tam Forest Health Tour, Mount Tam
- May 6, 13, Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue Public Tour, Petaluma
- May 9, Marin Sonoma Vector Control: Prevent the Bite, Fairfax
- May 13, Eco-Friendly Garden Tour, Marin and Sonoma Counties
- May 13, The Poetry of Stream Ecosystems, Point Reyes
- May 13, Lake Fishing for Kids, Stafford Lake, Novato
- May 14, 28, Marine Mammal Sunday: Saving Species, Marin Headlands
- May 16, Loma Alta: Birds and Flowers, San Rafael
- May 17, Coffee with a Ranger, Pacheco Path, Novato
- May 20, Ember Stomp Festival 2023, San Rafael
- May 20, Ember Stomp: Fire-Smart Landscaping, San Rafael
- May 20, Living with Wildlife on Oona-pa’is, Glen Ellen
- May 21, Mount Burdell Birds, Novato
- May 21, Campfire Cobbler at Stafford Lake, Novato
- May 27, Stewardship Saturday: Experiencing Fish Kitchen, Sausalito
- May 31, Rare Plants of the Tiburon Peninsula, Tiburon
Markets and Other Family Fun
- Now thru August 6, “Unbottled” exhibit at the Marin History Museum, featuring bottles and packaging from Marin’s dairy history, San Rafael
- May 1-31, Mill Valley Neighborfest, Mill Valley
- May 4, Petaluma’s Historic Commercial District: A History in Preservation, Petaluma
- May 4, 11, 18, 25, Farmers’ Market Family Story Time, San Rafael
- May 6, Petaluma Celebrates National Historic Preservation Month, Petaluma
- May 6, Dia de los Ninos Celebration, San Anselmo
- May 6, May Madness Classic Car Show and Parade, San Rafael
- May 6-7, Sturgeon’s Mill Demonstration Run, Sebastopol
- May 7, Touch Trucks, Larkspur
- May 11, Kid Nature Play at the Library: Making Stone Soup, Novato
- May 13, Open Air Artisan Faire, Mill Valley
- May 14, The French Market Marin, San Rafael
- May 20, Lion Dance Team, Bolinas Park, Fairfax
- May 20, C Street Celebration of Creativity, San Rafael
- May 21, 28, Mountain Play: Into the Woods, Mt. Tamalpais
- May 25, Haopinaka in Concert, Bolinas Town Park, Bolinas
- May 27-28, Marin Greek Festival, Novato
- May 28, 49th Annual Muir Beach Volunteer Fireman’s Barbecue, Muir Beach
Please double check details for all Marin events at the links above before venturing out, as MALT is not the event host organization for most of the Marin events listed here. Dates, times, fees, or restrictions may change.
EAT LOCAL, STAY CONNECTED
Every time you shop, you can choose to support your local food economy and the farmers and ranchers who help steward this vital landscape. Start today!