Lake Sonoma visitors’ center returns to daily operation

The visitors’ center at Lake Sonoma has finally returned to daily operation, 13 months after it was temporarily shuttered because of a federal budget shortfall.

Volunteers, who have staffed the Milt Brandt Visitor Center four days a week since January through the non-profit Friends of Lake Sonoma, will now keep the building open seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., thanks to volunteer recruitment by the Army Corps of Engineers, the Friends group announced Thursday.

Center staffing has fluctuated for years, rising and falling with the nation’s financial fortunes, Friends of Lake Sonoma president Harry Bosworth said in a written statement.

But having the facility open daily is important in the winter, especially, because of thousands of school children and others who visit Lake Sonoma and the Don Clausen Fish Hatchery during the annual streelhead run.

Tours can be scheduled by calling the Milt Brandt Visitors Center on 707-431-4533. More information is available at www.lakesonoma.org.