Gallery

SANTA ROSA, CA (March 5, 2024) – Today, the Ag + Open Space Board of Directors approved the re-envisioned Matching Grant Program, a two-year pilot including an updated application process and resources set to go live on March 25th.  Now …

SANTA ROSA, CA (February 7, 2024) – Yesterday, the Sonoma County Ag + Open Space Board of Directors voted in favor of allocating up to $1 million, over half of the purchase price, in Matching Grant funds to support the …

SANTA ROSA, CA (November 15, 2023) – Sonoma County Ag + Open Space is proud to announce two projects that will together conserve nearly 700 acres between Forestville and Santa Rosa for habitat restoration, flood control, agriculture, and the scenic …

SANTA ROSA, CA (October 23, 2023) – “We want to be a part of keeping West County’s character alive and flourishing,” said Lorri Duckworth who along with her husband, Oscar, helped purchase Gillis Ranch Preserve with their colleague, Greg Gillis. …

Paula Lane Open Space Preserve, an 11-acre grassland in northwestern Petaluma, and is one of several community open space preserves protected by Ag + Open Space through our Matching Grant Program. In 2012, we partnered with the City of Petaluma, …

For centuries, Indigenous peoples have harvested the Dogbane plant for use in making cordage, nets, bags, and belts. With many years of community care, the Dogbane plant has thrived on the special three-acre, culturally-significant Dogbane Preserve in what is now …

We are grateful to be able to do the work of protecting our county’s natural and working lands. As we move into a new year, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the work we’ve done with you, …

SRJC students join for workday at Haroutunian South Earlier this month, Taylor Acosta, one of our Stewardship Technicians, welcomed a biology class from Santa Rosa Junior College to Haroutunian South for a workday caring for and learning from the land. …

This fall, Ag + Open Space will begin implementation of a 60-acre understory thinning project and two shaded fuel breaks at Saddle Mountain Open Space Preserve. The Preserve was impacted at varying levels of severity by the 2020 Glass Fire, …

As you know, our mission is to permanently protect the diverse agricultural, natural resource, and scenic open space lands of Sonoma County for future generations. The act of “protecting” a piece of land is multi-faceted: it starts with careful planning, …

Have you gone for a hike at Healdsburg Ridge Open Space Preserve recently? If so, you may havseen the sheep and goats working their way around the preserve to help create buffers between the preserve and the city of Healdsburg …

Adapting youth environmental education to the virtual world Just a couple weeks after Sonoma County began to Shelter-in-Place, Ag + Open Space signed contracts with six outstanding local public outings and youth education providers – Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation, …

Saddle Mountain welcomes exciting wildflower bloom after wildfire Our Saddle Mountain Open Space Preserve is home to an incredible variety of plants and wildlife, including the critically endangered Clara Hunt’s milkvetch – an itty-bitty purple and white flower. Those found …

700 More Acres of Local Farmland Protected Forever! Ag + Open Space and Mattos family conserve organic Petaluma dairy property SANTA ROSA, CA (April 15, 2021) – Yesterday the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District (Ag + Open …

Post-fire renewal on Saddle Mountain Open Space Preserve An update from Monica Delmartini, Ag + Open Space Stewardship Specialist With spring officially just around the corner, we’re seeing some beautiful signs of post-fire renewal at our Saddle Mountain Open Space …

On-the-ground updates from our Stewardship team We thought it was well overdue to check in with our Stewardship staff, who work each day to care for our protected lands. From wildfire recovery to grazing, our Stewardship team has stayed busy …

We access state and federal funding sources to stretch our sales tax dollars. Most recently, we’ve garnered funds from the following sources: Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) Through the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, we have brought in $11.5 million …

A year in review: Highlights from 2020 As we reflect on the last year we find ourselves full of gratitude for our amazing Sonoma County community. Every day, we strive to thank you all through our work – protecting the …

Resilience lessons on our protected lands After the 2017 Sonoma Complex Fires, Ag + Open Space led a study to evaluate how those wildfires impacted vegetation within burn zones. Since then, we’ve been honored to share the findings with local government …

New Park and Open Space Preserve Coming to Sonoma Coast Ag + Open Space Transfers 335 Acres of Protected Land to Regional Parks SANTA ROSA, CA (December 29, 2020) – Yesterday, the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District …

Pryor Ranch and the impacts of the Walbridge Fire As wildfire season winds down and we transition to winter, we are reflecting on what we can learn from this year’s fires as we continue our preparedness and resiliency work. As …

Saddle Mountain and the effects of the Glass Fire During the Glass Fire, which is now thankfully 100% contained, Saddle Mountain Open Space Preserve burned almost entirely. The Preserve is closed at present to volunteer patrollers as we assess and mitigate …

While some aspects of our work have been limited due to the COVID-19 emergency, we have continued to complete several stewardship projects on our fee lands, the properties that we own and manage. From general maintenance to prepping these lands …

Wild and Scenic Gloeckner-Turner Ranch to be Protected Forever 3,364-acre ranch boasts significant natural resources and scenic values, offers climate change resilience SANTA ROSA, CA (May 29, 2020) – Sonoma County Ag + Open Space is pleased to announce the …

Our work continues while we Shelter-in-Place One month into this Shelter in Place Order and our hearts continue to go out to everyone in our community during these uncertain and unprecedented times. Even under challenging circumstances, our staff continues to …

Modini Ranch: Preservation and discovery Modini Ranch is a 1,725-acre property in north east Sonoma County. The original landowners, Jim and Shirley Modini, preserved their property in 2000, primarily for protection of wildlife habitat. Upon their passing, and in an …

Protecting wildlife on greenbelt properties We care about local wildlife, both big and small! Ag + Open Space owns and protects several small greenbelt properties that help maintain urban boundaries, protect wildlife corridors, and can be utilized for grazing and …

Our conservation work in 2019: A year in review As 2020 gets underway, we wanted to reflect on 2019 – a year where our community once again experienced flood and wildfire. And once again, our staff supported the emergency response …

Ag + Open Space Protects Scenic West Petaluma Ranch Long-time ranchers, Walter & Arleen Jacobsen, conserve 127-acre ranch SANTA ROSA, CA (December 10, 2019) – Today the Board of Directors for the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District …

Healdsburg Ridge, protected + public forever In 2003, Ag + Open Space acquired two properties for $7.6M along a prominent ridgeline on the northeastern side of Healdsburg to create the 153-acre Healdsburg Ridge Open Space Preserve.  Since 2008, we’ve redesigned …

Vegetation mapping + fire resiliency Recently, Ag + Open Space’s Allison Schichtel and Karen Gaffney spoke with NASA for their “A Partnership Forged by Fire” story about our vegetation mapping efforts, and how the data are being used today to …

Sheep grazing + monitoring at Calabazas Several hundred sheep have arrived at our Calabazas Creek Open Space Preserve! Sheep from Sweetgrass Grazing Company will spend the next several weeks grazing about 50 acres of grassland near the Nun’s homestead, an …

Youth work days at Dogbane Preserve Since 1997, Ag + Open Space has owned and stewarded a greenbelt property, Dogbane Preserve in north Santa Rosa between Highway 101 and Old Redwood Highway. Dogbane Preserve is three acres of open space …

Local agriculture + education at Sonoma Garden park Our competitive Matching Grant Program brings open spaces into urban environments by working with public agencies and nonprofits to protect and enhance local agriculture, community recreation, natural resource restoration, and public access …

U-Pick Blueberry Days at Duckworth Family Farm Duckworth Family Farms, otherwise known as our Nahmens conservation easement, is an 80-acre organic blueberry farm outside of Sebastopol. The easement was originally acquired in 1999, and Duckworth Family Farms bought the property …

Using GIS data for conservation + community resiliency Earlier this month, our GIS Coordinator, Allison Schichtel, and Acquisition Assistant, Curtis Kendall, attended the ESRI User Conference in San Diego. The theme of this year’s conference was See What Others Can’t …

Educating the next generation at Gilardi Ranch Ag + Open Space partners with local organizations to provide innovative programs that get young people outside to explore nature, science, agriculture, and environmental stewardship in their communities. One such program is the …

Successful controlled burns in Sonoma Valley On June 17, 2019 our Sonoma Valley Wildlands Collaborative partner Sonoma County Regional Parks completed a 34-acre prescribed burn at the Sonoma Valley Regional Park. The burn area included portions of the Sonoma Developmental …

Million-dollar CAL FIRE grant secured for fire resiliency work in Sonoma Valley In 2018, our agency joined with Audubon Canyon Ranch, California State Parks, Sonoma County Regional Parks, Sonoma Land Trust, and Sonoma Mountain Ranch Preservation Foundation to form the …

Conservation, restoration + flood control at Nathanson Creek The Nathanson Creek Preserve is a 0.6-mile creek corridor in residential Sonoma located less than a mile south of the historic Sonoma Plaza and along the east side of Sonoma Valley High …

Our conservation work in 2018: A year in review! 2018 was quite a year for Sonoma County as our community continued to recover from the October 2017 fires. While we played an important role in the recovery efforts, we are …

Working with partners to reduce fire risk in Sonoma Valley In the wake of the 2017 Sonoma Complex Fires, a group of conservation organizations and land management agencies has teamed up to collaboratively manage vegetation and fuel loads on properties …

Ag + Open Space Transfers 1,200 Acres of Protected Land to Regional Parks for Future Park and Open Space Preserve SANTA ROSA, CA (December 5, 2018) – Today the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District (Ag + Open …

Beautiful and Scenic East Santa Rosa Ranch Protected Forever Ag + Open Space and Sonoma Land Trust partner to conserve 1,206-acre ranch SANTA ROSA, CA (December 12, 2018) – Yesterday the Board of Directors for the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation …

Nearly 1,000 acres of open space protected next to future Tolay Lake Regional Park HANNAH BEAUSANG THE PRESS DEMOCRAT | September 10, 2018 Beneath a canopy of gnarled oaks that have grown for centuries on a hillside at the southern …

Sprawling Jenner Headlands Preserve on Sonoma Coast opening to public MARY CALLAHAN THE PRESS DEMOCRAT | September 5, 2018 Anyone who has ever driven past the hills that rise sharply here from the coast north of the Russian River outlet …

Keeping the land in “sheep” shape Have you seen the flock of sheep grazing along the Laguna de Santa Rosa Trail this summer? Our partners at Sonoma County Regional Parks (Regional Parks) are working with Sweetgrass Grazing to graze a …

Post-fire cleanup of the Pelm House When Ag + Open Space acquired 461 acres of land from John McCullough in 2009, it came with an interesting old building known as the Pelm House. This was the previous home of the …

Regrowth and regeneration at Mark West properties Our Mark West properties, slated to become part of the future Mark West Creek Regional Park & Open Space Preserve, burned in the first night of the Tubbs fire. Driven by fierce winds and …