Sarah Stierch

I'm a journalist, opinionist, photographer and polymath based in Sonoma, California. I am currently seeking freelance opportunities in Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino and Lake Counties in Northern California.

I write about wildfires, food, beverage, climate change, travel, history and the local culture of regions in Northern California. I also photograph a lot of these subjects.

I am the former Food & Wine Editor of the Sonoma Valley Sun and beverage and travel writer for Sonoma Magazine. I have contributed to North Bay Woman,the Press-Democrat, the North Bay Bohemian, Huffington Post, Wine Enthusiast, the Sonoma Index-Tribune, and NorthBay Biz.

My wildfire work was called "groundbreaking" by KQED Forum's Michael Krasny in 2017. In my wildfire coverage, I have appeared on KQED Forum, WNYC's The Takeway, the Weather Channel, KPFA, KSVY, KSRO and in the Washington Post, St. Helena Star, SF Gate, San Francisco Chronicle and ABC Weekend Nightly News.

My photography has been published by The Washington Post, Utne Reader, Motorburn, Nature World News, the Christian Post, Buzzfeed, KNPR, KQED, Thrillist, Frommers, Lonely Planet, the Financial Observer, Country Queer, ROAR, WAMU, the National Park Service, California State Parks, the NBA, Joie de Vivre Hotels, PETA, Hilton and more.

You can contact me at sarahstierch at gmail.com and find me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

    <
    >
Jurist •

Biden administration says refusing to fill abortion medication prescriptions can violate federal civil rights law

The US Department of Health and Human Services’ (DHHS) Office of Civil Rights Wednesday issued a legal guidance warning the country’s 60,000 retail pharmacies that refusing to fill prescriptions for medication that can be used for abortion violates federal civil rights law. The guidance clarifies that under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act: As recipients of federal financial assistance, including Medicare and Medicaid payments, pharmacies are prohibited from discriminating on the basis
Citrus County Chronicle •

From the Inside: The Jamestown Colony

The early 17th century was a time of discovery. The world was now to anyone who wanted to settle, especially in the New World. This is the story of the first permanent settlement known as Jamestown. On May 14, 1607, a group of roughly 100 members of a joint venture called the Virginia Company founded the first permanent English settlement in North America on the banks of the James River. Famine, disease, and conflict with local Native American tribes in the first two years “brought Jamestown to the brink of failure before the arrival of a new set of settlers and supplies in 1610.”
Orlando Weekly •

Orlando's Thornton Park neighborhood set to get festive with a Cinco de Mayo Street Party

Come this year's Cinco de Mayo, the streets of Thornton Park will be ringing with revelry, for a good cause.On Thursday, May 5, Thornton Park will be the site of a Cinco de Mayo Street Party from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. A portion of East Washington Street will be closed off to traffic so the party can well and truly begin.The 808 Orlando, Cavo’s Bar & Kitchen, Burton’s Grill and Graffiti Junktion collaborated to present this party, which will feature DJs along with a live mariachi band — and, of cours
Wisconsin Public Radio •

Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Creamy Slaw

For the Slaw and Shrimp Taco Sauce: • Prepare the sauce and slaw: In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, process the Greek yogurt, olive oil, garlic, jalapeño, cilantro, salt, lime zest, and lime juice. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Place the cabbage in a mixing bowl and toss with about 1/2 cup of the sauce. Add more sauce if you prefer a creamier slaw, then reserve the rest of the sauce for serving. • Cook the shrimp: In a large nonstick skillet over medium high, heat the rema
Jegs •

51135-37: Installation Instructions for Round Overflow/Recirculating Catch Can

Overflow / Recirculating Can with the JEGS “Just-A-Ble” Integral Mounting System The JEGS “Just-Able” mounting system is extremely easy to use. 1. Simply drill two 1/4” holes with clearance. Use a letter “F” drill bit (.2570”) or 17/64 drill bit (.2656”) in your selected mounting position. Do not drill the mounting holes closer than 1” centers or further apart than 5” enters or if you prefer we offer an optional mounting T-Bracket designed for this JEGS “product” as shown in Figure 1: # 555-51
UpNorthNews | Wisconsin News For You •

Wisconsin is Still Tops For Cranberry Production, Appreciation

This holiday season learn a little bit about the state’s favorite tart berry and the many ways to make it part of your basement bar or dining room table. Wisconsin easily held onto its ranking as the top cranberry growing state in 2021. Wisconsin produced 4.64 million barrels of cranberries in 2020, more than double the production of the number two state, Massachusetts. Wisconsin accounts for about 60 percent of the total crop of cranberries in the United States. Our cranberry industry is mostl
Transitions •

Croatia Battles Italy Over the Name of Prosecco Wine

Plus, Hungary raises wages, Russia expels Dutch reporter, and more. The Big Story: Lesser-Known Croatian Wine Fights With Italian Prosecco For Official Name Recognition What happened: Croatian and Italian winemakers are asking Brussels to rule on whether the Croatians can officially call their wine Prosek, which to the Italians is too close to Prosecco, AP reports. Prosecco wine can be traced back to the bilingual Italian village of the same name near the Slovenian border above Trieste. Accord
Hyperallergic •

The Age of Too Much Museum Storage Must End

The issue of storage for museums is the metaphorical elephant in the room. It takes up a lot of space, but museums feign its absence. Some museums have taken defensive action moving collections out of the main site or creating tokenistic open storages. But bloated by acquisitions and bequests, most large museum collections only continue to grow. The issue of storage needs urgent action. Many of the objects in collections are consigned to storage because they are fragile or sensitive to light or
Sonoma County Gazette •

The language of well-being: Mindful moments

“Do you meditate?” asks a neighbor innocently. If he means sitting uncomfortably cross-legged on a mat with a hard cushion tucked under my behind, trying to quiet my chattering ‘monkey mind,’ trying to stop thinking for a few seconds, then my reply has to be, “Not often.” But if he means minding the moment, attending to what’s alive in me, happening right now, like listening to birdies in my garden? Then, “Yes” I say, “I meditate every day.” Mindfulness is my go-to centering practice. It’s abou
Heritage Radio Network •

Retro Cocktails and Pimm's Cups | Heritage Radio Network

There has been a resurgence in the cocktail culture of the pre-Prohibition period and the MadMen era. And whether mixing at home, cocktails-to-go (outside) from a restaurant or bar, or the new kid on the block: ready to drink cocktails in a can, there has been a definite uptick in the spirits market. Author and spirits writer Kara Newman shares her views and observations and answers Linda's questions about the origins of Pimm's. Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast n
York Dispatch •

HOUSEHOLDER: The 1964 dirt-track season was a pivot point on the area circuit

HOUSEHOLDER: The 1964 dirt-track season was a pivot point on the area circuit The Civil Rights Act was signed into law, the Beatles were taking the nation by storm and the U.S. Surgeon General reported that smoking may lead to lung cancer. Oh yeah, it was very interesting year on the local dirt tracks, too. Each year, I try to choose a year with matching dates to the year at hand, and then review what happened in local racing history during that year. This year is a little tougher, since it's
Medium •

Cannibalism in the Colony of Jamestown

Colonial promoters had sold North America as a new Eden, laden with opportunity, fertile soil, and countless game. However, without access to many accurate weapons, the English settlers could not hunt effectively. George Percy, the leader of the colony at the time, wrote the following in his unpublished manuscript (Armstrong 2010: 166): “Now all of us at James Towne beginning to feel that sharp prick of hunger which no man can truly describe but he which hath Tasted the bitterness thereof…havin
Santa Rosa Press Democrat •

The dark history of Temelec in Sonoma Valley

Know Your Place: Stories behind Sonoma County place names Temelec, a subdivision in southwest Sonoma Valley, takes its name from a native village. Though its meaning in the Miwok language is uncertain (at least to nonspeakers), the place is bound up in some of the darker aspects of our history. The development takes its name second-hand from Temelec Hall, built by pioneer Granville Swift, who made a fortune in gold and cattle. Born in Kentucky, Swift came west with his friend Franklin Sears (f
HotCars •

The Hidden Truth Behind The AMC Javelin

The AMC Javelin is an American front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, two-door hardtop that is both made and produced by American Motors Corporation, an American automobile manufacturing company that was created by the merger of Hudson Motor Car Company and Nash-Kelvinator Corporation in 1954. This model car was produced in two generations, spanning from 1968-1970 and 1971-74. Originally styled by Dick Teague, an American industrial designer who held positions at General Motors, Packard, and Chrysler,
CU Boulder Today •

Ocean acidification prediction now possible years in advance

CU Boulder researchers have developed a method that could enable scientists to accurately forecast ocean acidity up to five years in advance. This would enable fisheries and communities that depend on seafood negatively affected by ocean acidification to adapt to changing conditions in real time, improving economic and food security in the next few decades. Previous studies have shown the ability to predict ocean acidity a few months out, but this is the first study to prove it is possible to p
The Drinks Business •

The 10 best breweries in the world 2020, according to Ratebeer's users - Page 7 of 10

The beer world’s answer to Tripadvisor, Ratebeer, has just released its top 100 brewery ranking for 2020. The ranking is based on 10 different weighted scales, which look at factors such as user reviews of the past year and top performing beers, but also includes historical all-around performance, a brewer’s strength across a range of styles, and a few other factors to compare newer and older, larger and smaller brewers under a single method of processing. While the vast majority of brewers ar
Country Queer •

Lavender Country, Secret Emchy Society, Mya Byrne Light Up Sonoma •

Patrick Haggerty, as he would be the first to admit, is a little old man. 75, standing not more than 5’5″ and weighing maybe 130lbs in pink cowboy boots, the man who put out the first gay country album, Lavender Country, in 1973, is also a towering giant. Confrontational, frank, funny, lovable and as resolutely courageous as ever, Patrick held the Starling Bar crowd in the palm of his hand as he literally got in their faces to deliver his radical stories and sharply-crafted lyrics. He and his b
TreeHugger •

Impossible Burger 2.0 produces 89% less emissions than beef

It uses 87% less water and 96% less land. When Impossible Foods released the 2.0 version of its flagship burger, much of the focus was on improved taste and texture. It turns out, however, that the new-and-improved recipe also offers some incremental sustainability improvements over the first generation. More important is how the burger stacks up against its animal-based competition. According to an independent Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) from Swiss consulting firm Quantis, the results are prett
Load More Articles