Archives for “News Articles”
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Our accomplishments from 2022: A year in review
December 20, 2022
Over the last 30+ years, Ag + Open Space has conserved over 12% of our county’s natural and working lands. As we look back on 2022, we’re proud of the work we’ve done to increase the scale, pace, and equity …
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Staff Spotlight: Pamela Swan, Grants Coordinator
December 20, 2022
In this month’s Staff Spotlight, we’re excited to welcome Pamela Swan as our Grants Coordinator – a new role that oversees our Matching Grant Program and coordinates our grant-seeking efforts. Pamela holds a Bachelor’s in Conservation and Resource Studies from …
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A bounty for all at this Petaluma community farm
November 17, 2022
Petaluma Bounty, a community farm and program of Petaluma People Services Center, works to create a thriving local food system with healthy food for everyone through collaboration, education, and promoting self-reliance. As the COVID-19 pandemic began, we recognized there was …
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Staff Spotlight: Julie Mefferd, Administrative and Fiscal Services Manager
November 17, 2022
In our November Staff Spotlight, we get to hear from Julie Mefferd, our Administrative and Fiscal Services Manager. Julie has worked in public service for more than 20 years, and prior to joining Ag + Open Space in 2019 she …
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Wildfire preparation at Calabazas Creek
October 27, 2022
Southeast of Santa Rosa, the upcoming Calabazas Creek Regional Park and Open Space Preserve is 1,290 acres of forests, grasslands, and creeks nestled in the Mayacamas Mountains. Although we transferred this property to Regional Parks in 2021, we’re in a …
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Staff Spotlight: Marina Montes, Stewardship Specialist
October 27, 2022
In this month’s Staff Spotlight, we caught up with Marina Montes, who was recently promoted from Stewardship Technician to Stewardship Specialist! Marina grew up in the East Bay and spent many weekends and holidays exploring the natural world through camping, …
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Remote monitoring: A new way to “visit” conserved lands
September 28, 2022
Conservation easements run with the land forever. As the easement holder, Ag + Open Space works with landowners to ensure the conservation values defined by the easement – agriculture, habitats, watersheds, and more – remain healthy and thriving. To support …
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Staff Spotlight: Mary Chambers, Agricultural Specialist
September 28, 2022
In our latest Staff Spotlight, we chatted with Mary Chambers, our Agricultural Specialist. Mary grew up in the East Bay, hiking, camping, and eating as many fruits as possible at her hometown farmers market. She studied agriculture at Stanford University and …
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Restoration and growth at Oken
August 23, 2022
We have inspiring news from Oken, one of the greenbelt properties we own and manage in southeast Santa Rosa! Greenbelts are open space lands that act as community separators to limit urban sprawl, to retain the rural and open character …
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Strengthening our local ag community
July 28, 2022
We’re back with more ASAP Emergency Matching Grant program updates! Read on to hear about how we supported the development of CAFF’s Small Farm Tech Hub, which offered technical support to local ag producers, and how our funds helped Lennie …