The Kenwood Marsh Checkerbloom Society will host a “Summer Fest” event to benefit the Kenwood Marsh Restoration Project on Saturday, Aug. 2, 4-7 p.m.

Admission, at $125 per person (or $200 per couple), includes a limited edition print of the Kenwood wetlands signed by local Kenwood artist Fred Parker. You can also attend the event with a $50 donation and forego the print. The event will include an overview of the Kenwood Marsh Restoration Project, wines paired with hors d’oeuvres by local chefs, live music, a checkers tournament, and an auction.

Robert and PJ Rex, founders of Deerfield Ranch Winery, established the Kenwood Marsh Checkerbloom Society to assist with the fundraising for marsh restoration and maintenance, and to promote the success of the restoration project.

In 2000 the Rexes purchased 47 acres on Highway 12 in Kenwood to expand their winery and vineyards. The Kenwood Marsh encompasses 14 acres of the winery property. Once covering a much larger area, the marsh is one of only two places on earth – Kenwood and Knights Valley, both in Sonoma County – where the endangered Kenwood Marsh Checkerbloom plant exists. “We’ve spent six years restoring the wetlands,” states PJ Rex. “After 30 years of cattle grazing, along with the rampant spread of non-native Himalayan blackberry vines, there were only a handful of Checkerblooms when we started.”

Working closely with California Fish and Game’s rare species botanist, Gene Cooley, Deerfield Ranch Winery and the USDA’s National Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) teamed up to develop a program to protect and expand the population of the endangered Checkerbloom.

NRCS found Deerfield’s marsh restoration program attractive due to the small number of remaining fresh water marshes in Sonoma County, along with the rare plant, according to Martin Rex, General Manager. Their wetland specialists are providing expert advice as well as financial support through a shared cost program. Lead biologist Kate Symonds visits the marsh habitat regularly to assess the Checkerbloom’s progress and help adjust the conservation program. To permanently protect the Kenwood Marsh, the Deerfield Ranch Winery granted a conservation easement to Sonoma County.

In addition to occasional Checkerbloom Society fundraising events, Deerfield is bottling a special wine with a Checkerbloom label. Profits from the sale of this wine will be donated to the restoration effort. Local artists are invited to submit art inspired by the Checkerbloom flower for this limited edition wine label. Entries are due by July 31.

If you’d like to view the Fred Parker print of the Kenwood marsh, there is one on display at the Kenwood Press office, 8910 Sonoma Highway. If you are unable to attend the event but would like a print, you can order one for $75.

To make reservations for the Summer Fest Checkerbloom Society Benefit, contact Abigail Ettinger at Deerfield Ranch Winery. Call 707-833-5215, or email Abigail.Ettinger@deerfieldranch.com.

Deerfield Ranch Winery is located at 10200 Sonoma Highway in Kenwood. The tasting room will open to the public this summer. Tastings are now available by appointment at (707) 833-5215.