Enjoying Outside! Revolutionary Pyrotechnics

Kristie Ehrhardt • July 2, 2026

Every year over 10,000 people in the United States are injured by fireworks with children and young adults accounting for half of that number. Face and eye injuries and burns to the hands and arms are the most commonly treated firework injuries in the Emergency Room. Even innocuous seeming sparklers burn at around 2,000 degrees, hot enough to melt some metals. On top of the risk of injury, steep price

tags are an insult to injury (pun intended). Even more serious than the cost though is the fire danger fireworks pose to our wildlands and property. The National Safety Council states that fireworks are the cause of about 30,000 fires, including structure, vehicle and other fires causing millions of dollars in property damage nationally each year. In addition, the lighting and performance of fireworks not only contributes to air pollution but particulate matter can affect breathing for those with respiratory sensitivity. The chemicals used to make fireworks eventually fall to the ground and can pollute water and soil and be detrimental to humans, wildlife  and the environment. Another noxious side effect of fireworks is the outcome they may have on those suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Neurodivergent people or those with sensory processing disorders may also have a difficult time with the flashing lights, loud booms or high pitched whistles made by fireworks. The sight and sound of fireworks also confuses and terrifies pets and wildlife causing trauma and injuries. They become disoriented and may run into roadways; some wildlife may even abandon their young. Heard enough? Keep reading for some safer, family friendly alternatives to fireworks.


Glow sticks are a fun and safe family friendly option to 2,000 degree sparklers. You can usually find them in the dollar section at Target or at the Dollar Store for much less than anything you will find at a firework stand and they last all night and will probably still be glowing strong the next day. They’re a fun addition to a game of night tag to burn off the sugar from your post bbq smores.


Another fun activity for the littles and the not so littles is good old fashioned bubbles. Actually I think they’re a perfect activity for any age, any time of year but for some reason having a bubble blowing contest seems synonymous with the 4th of July. My dogs also love to chase the bubbles so they can get involved in the fun too. You can even make your own bubbles and color the solution with red, white and blue if you’d like. Super fun fact - did you know you can make bubbles that glow in the dark with a black light?! Here are the ingredients and instructions on how to make that happen!


Confetti filled poppers are a fun way to celebrate and still make a little noise. You can buy them prepacked or you can add to the fun by easily making your own. Here are the instructions to make your own poppers. You can even fill them with popped popcorn, dried flower petals or birdseed so you don’t have to sweep up - as long as you do it outside! 


You can also use a can or six of Silly String to celebrate America. Spray it with reckless abandon (but be sure to check with your mom first). 


Drone shows are dazzling and absolutely mind bending to watch. The City of Rancho Cordova has a drone show scheduled for both July 3rd and 4th. Information can be found here. The City of Elk Grove also has a drone show at Elk Grove Regional Park on July 4th. Details can be found here.


If it’s just not the same without the smell of sulfur, nearby cities such as Rancho Cordova, Elk Grove, Davis, Dixon and Woodland all host professional firework displays that you can attend in person. Sutter Health Park (River Cats/A’s stadium) is also hosting post game fireworks that are viewable from nearby even if you don’t attend the game. And, if you do choose to do fireworks at your private celebrations, please be sure to make sure they are legal in your area and that you follow safety precautions such as having a bucket of water and a hose nearby, soak spent fireworks in water overnight and never try to relight something.


Tuleyome wishes you all a happy and safe Revolution Day!

RECENT ARTICLES

Policy Corner: Protect our Wildest Areas

August 7, 2026
Our wildest areas are under threat. In June, the Administration moved to weaken protections for our wildest public lands - those designated as wilderness, Wilderness Study Areas, Lands with Wilderness Characteristics, and recommended Wilderness. What do these areas represent? Millions of acres of untrammeled backcountry. The Department of the Interior, US Forest Service and National Park Service initiated the first step in unraveling these protections. They’ve called for a “review” of eight policies, opening the door to weaken protections and paving the way for short-term extractive industries, commercial development, and resource fragmentation at the expense of long-term conservation management of some of our wildest remaining public lands. Nearly 200 million acres of wildlands across the west could be impacted by this review, including approximately 120 million acres of Wilderness Study Areas and wilderness quality lands, and 75 million acres of designated wilderness areas. This includes the nearly 94,000 acres in Cache Creek, Cedar Roughs and Snow Mountain Wilderness areas in Berryessa Snow Mountain Nation Monument right here in our own region. These policies guide how federal agencies identify, manage, and steward designated Wilderness Areas, Wilderness Study Areas, and lands with wilderness characteristics. Together, they influence the management of millions of acres of federal public lands and translate statutory requirements into day-to-day management decisions. Continuing to protect wilderness qualities is consistent with protecting recreation. In many cases, wilderness-quality land provides the best opportunities for backcountry recreation; a CA outdoor industry responsible for 545,448 direct jobs valued at $38.1 billion. The total value-added worth of CA outdoor recreation is $81.5 billion, 2.2% of our gross domestic product. The Department of the Interior’s actions present a false choice between stewarding wilderness lands and providing opportunities for recreation. Let’s tell the Administration that we oppose these rollbacks and are committed to protecting our wild places. Sign on to the Wi lderness Review- National Sign-on Letter opposing five different actions across the three agencies by August 12th. Together, we can show this administration that we care about protecting these special places today and into the future. Sandra Schubert Executive Director

Donor Spotlight - Sarah Davis

August 7, 2026
I first heard about Tuleyome when I retired early from UC Davis eight years ago. I was looking for local organizations for volunteer opportunities. I discovered Tuleyome and got connected with Bill Grabert and Nate Lillge. I helped them lead hikes and school programs, then took the CA Naturalist course through Tuleyome. My capstone project was to lead a backpacking trip into the Cache Creek wilderness, which I did just as COVID was descending on us. I was, and still am, impressed at how such a small local non-profit has both ensured preservation of important wild areas and invested heavily in outreach to local schools. Working with kids from Lake County in the Redbud area was eye-opening and extremely gratifying. Some of them had literally never been on a hike in spite of growing up so close to all that spectacular wild land! I donate to Tuleyome to help them keep up the great work!!! I’ve spent countless days hiking in and enjoying the Cache Creek area; what a gem of a local resource! And, only last spring was I able to get up to Snow Mountain…so glad it’s preserved and accessible for camping and hiking. Wow! A wilderness area near my home - that’s amazing. I’m incredibly grateful for Tuleyome’s hard work that resulted in preservation of these important wild places, and I look forward to seeing what’s next.

Monumental Questions - What Makes California Newts Special?

By Kristie Ehrhardt • August 7, 2026
Driving around the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument one rainy day revealed a network of dirt roads that were slick as snnn… well, you probably know. The wet weather made driving less than optimal for the Subaru we were in but for our amphibian friends, the low-riding California newt, the warm, misty conditions were sublime. California Newts ( Taricha torosa ) are endemic to California, which means that they are extra special because they are only found here. They occur below 6,000 feet along the Coast Ranges from Mendocino County south to San Diego County. They are also found in the foothills and western slopes of the Sierra Nevada in the San Joaquin Valley with a few isolated populations in southern San Diego County. They utilize both wetland habitat including natural and artificial pools and ponds, reservoirs, creeks and streams for breeding during winter and spring, and upland areas such as chaparral and woodland habitats where they spend summer and fall. California Newts have stubby little toes attached to short, stocky legs. Adults range from about two and three quarters inches to about three and a half inches long, not including the tail. Their bellies and undersides of their neck and chin are bright golden yellow to orange with a reddish-brown to slate gray back. California Newts reproduce from late fall to early summer depending on rainfall amounts and habitat conditions. Adults migrate from their upland refugia to their preferred wetland to breed. Eggs are attached to submerged vegetation or under rocks and females can lay up to six masses of nearly 50 eggs a day. The eggs hatch in two to six weeks depending on water conditions and temperature. Larvae are aquatic and have gills and fins. After several months the larvae begin to exit the pond and set about metamorphosing into adults and do not return to the pond again until they are ready to breed. Larvae eat small aquatic invertebrates and organic matter; adults eat insects, slugs, snails and worms as well as other amphibian eggs and larvae. Adult California Newts are highly toxic. Like other members of the genus Taricha , adults have glands on their skin that secrete the potent neurotoxin tetrodotoxin - the same toxin that is found in harlequin frogs and pufferfish. Side note, this makes them poisonous rather than venomous (like rattlesnakes). Tetrodotoxin is hundreds of times more toxic than cyanide and potent enough to kill most vertebrates. The toxin affects sodium channels and makes it so neurons are unable to fire which results in lethal muscle paralysis. One of the only predators of adult California Newts are garter snakes. Garter snakes are one of the very few organisms that have evolved to develop a resistance to the tetrodotoxin produced by the newts. Garter snakes can ingest the toxic newts with limited effects which has created an evolutionary arms race (coevolution). As the garter snakes develop stronger immunity to the toxins only the most poisonous news survive which in turn results in future generations of news with even stronger toxins. This leads to a population of garter snakes that have developed a resistance to the stronger toxin levels and and on it goes. Loads of them were bumbling along the edges of the wet dirt road that rainy day. We made several stops to relocate those that were attempting to cross but seemed to stall out in the middle, always placing them facing the direction they were aimed. I don’t know if they were heading out to their natal ponds to mingle and breed, or on their way back to nap in their upland refugia but they were definitely enjoying the day. The California Newt is currently a California Species of Special Concern due to habitat loss and invasive non-native species introduction which makes seeing so many of these little stumpy legged tetrapods enjoying the Monument even even more groovy!