July 19, 2017
Posted in: Press Releases
Agricultural Preservation & Open Space District Receives $216,000 Legacy Gift from Don Bradley Trust
SANTA ROSA, CA (July 19, 2017) – The Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation & Open Space District (District) is deeply honored to have received a $216,000 legacy gift from Donald Charles Bradley, a 67-year-old resident of Forestville who passed away June 20, 2016. The District was humbled to receive this gift and is grateful to Mr. Bradley and his family for the generous donation.
“We are truly honored to help carry on Mr. Bradley’s legacy by using this bequest to support agriculture and preserve open space in our beautiful county,” said District General Manager, Bill Keene.
Mr. Bradley was born in San Mateo, CA and attended elementary schools in Belmont, CA and high schools in Belmont, CA, Richmond, CA and Bethlehem, PA. He received a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of California at Davis and worked for a variety of companies including Agilent, HP, Digital Phone Equipment, US Navy, Sun Microsystems, and his own business, Bradley Engineering. In the 1970’s he studied guitar-making in Arizona and hiked the Appalachian Trail in segments. Mr. Bradley moved to Sonoma, CA in 1977 and moved to Forestville, CA in 1997. He was actively involved with folk music, creating musical instruments, hiking, raising llamas, sustainable agriculture, and classic and electric cars.
His generous donation will help to permanently protect the agricultural, natural resource, and scenic open space lands of Sonoma County, including critical habitat for fish and wildlife, watersheds that are the source of our vital water supply, and farms and ranches that form the backbone of our local economy and food supply. This gift will also help preserve countless scenic vistas and open spaces that make Sonoma County a beautiful place to live and work, and will support recreational and educational opportunities in our parks and preserves.
In 1990, through the foresight of community leaders and thoughtful citizens, Sonoma County voters approved the creation of the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation & Open Space District and a quarter-cent sales tax funding source for land conservation that includes ongoing planning, acquisition and stewardship of our region’s working, natural, and scenic open space lands. Over two and a half decades later, the District is one of the leading farmland and open space preservation programs in the nation with a diverse mission to preserve the best of Sonoma County’s unique agricultural and natural resources. The Ag and Open Space District sincerely appreciates Mr. Bradley’s legacy in support of Sonoma County lands and communities.
About the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District
The Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District permanently protects the diverse agricultural, natural resource and scenic open space lands of Sonoma County for future generations. The District is responsible for the perpetual protection of over 111,000 acres of land throughout our region. These agricultural and open space lands are protected through a quarter-cent sales tax approved by voters in 1990 and reauthorized in 2006. For more information, please visit www.sonomaopenspace.org.
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Media contact:
Amy Ricard
707/565.7261
amy.ricard@sonoma-county.org