Porterfield Creek Trails Open Space Preserve Grand Opening

May 9, 2019

Celebration to include guided hikes, remarks by City officials

SANTA ROSA, CA (May 9, 2019) – The City of Cloverdale (City) and Sonoma County Ag + Open Space are pleased to announce the official opening of Porterfield Creek Trails Open Space Preserve (Preserve) – a 250-acre property nestled in the hillsides west of downtown Cloverdale. As the scenic backdrop to city, the Preserve offers a new staging area and a newly reconfigured trail system that provides different options for hiking and biking while protecting the natural resources. The official public opening will be this Saturday, May 11, 2019 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Preserve, located at the west end of Skyview Drive in Cloverdale (more event details below).

“We’re thrilled that with the help of Ag + Open Space, the Porterfield Creek Trails Open Space Preserve is permanently protected as open space, which will be a benefit to Cloverdale for generations to come,” stated Mayor Bagby. “The property will frame the northwest side of Cloverdale and be a key component of the City’s park and trail system.”

Sonoma County Ag + Open Space purchased the property for $7.78 million in 2007 and transferred ownership to the City in 2011. Over the last several years, Ag + Open Space has sponsored guided outings on the Preserve and residents have been using it informally while the City completed a management plan. After completing the management plan, the City partnered with the Sonoma County Trails Council to design and construct the new trails, including three bridges, as well as to decommission informal trails and restore habitat. In addition to purchasing the property, Ag + Open Space contributed $313,250 toward the trail and staging area improvements.

This hidden gem provides a host of benefits to both our human and natural communities. Porterfield Creek runs year-round and its cold, clear water provides excellent habitat for the Foothill Yellow-legged Frog, a species of special concern. The Creekside trail, which runs right along Porterfield Creek, offers a cool, shaded respite on a hot day, and serpentine soils at the highest points of the property provide an opportunity to see rare plants.

“This is one of those win-win-win types of projects,” said Supervisor James Gore, who sits on the Ag + Open Space Board of Directors and whose district includes the Preserve. “Our tax dollars have not only created a beautiful park for the residents of Cloverdale, but we’ve also protected habitat for sensitive species, kept the land in its natural state so the trees and grasses can sequester carbon, and we’ve made sure that development stays closer to the urban center.”

EVENT DETAILS
Saturday, May 11, 2019
10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Porterfield Creek Trails Open Space Preserve
West end of Skyview Drive
Cloverdale, CA 95425

10:00 a.m. – Coffee, tea, and pastries
10:30 a.m. – Remarks by Mayor Bagby, City Manager Kelley, and other significant project participants
11:00 a.m. – Guided hikes of varying lengths

About Sonoma County Ag + Open Space
Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District (Ag + Open Space) is a special district that permanently protects the diverse agricultural, natural resource and scenic open space lands of Sonoma County for future generations. Funded by a quarter-cent sales tax approved by voters in 1990 and reauthorized in 2006, the district has protected over 117,000 acres to date, and will continue to steward these and future protected lands forever. For more information, visit www.sonomaopenspace.org.

About the City of Cloverdale
Located in Northern Sonoma County, the City of Cloverdale is situated in the picturesque Alexander Valley wine region of Sonoma County. Cloverdale is evolving as a smart growth city with small town charm. The Open Space property is a mosaic of upland oak forest, mixed evergreen forest, grasslands, chaparral, and some seasonal wetland that is representative of the coastal range that traverses the western side of Cloverdale. The south branch of Porterfield Creek, a year-round stream, traverses the site and provides spawning habitat for the federally-listed threatened Central California Coast steelhead.

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Media Contact:
Amy Ricard | Community Relations Specialist
amy.ricard@sonoma-county.org
707/565.7261