August 22, 2024
Posted in: Press Releases
SANTA ROSA, CA (August 21, 2024) – Yesterday, Sonoma County Ag + Open Space’s Board of Directors approved funding for the purchase and conservation of Camp Meeker Forest Open Space Preserve. Located in and around Camp Meeker, this a 384-acre property will be owned and managed by Camp Meeker Recreation & Park District. Nestled within the Dutch Bill Creek watershed, the soon-to-be preserve is dominated by coast redwood and Douglas-fir forest habitat and 1.8 miles of Dutch Bill Creek runs along the edge of the preserve. Dutch Bill Creek is a steelhead and coho salmon creek recognized as critical to the coho salmon recovery effort.
“The Camp Meeker Open Space Preserve is going to be yet another gem in West County,” said Ag + Open Space Director Lynda Hopkins. “I am beyond thrilled to see this already loved space conserved for its natural resources and opened for the public to enjoy forever.”
Home to second- and third-growth redwoods, the preserve is also home to Douglas fir and conifer forest, bay trees, and ferns. Conservation of this land creates new opportunities for enhanced forest and fuel management, increasing the resiliency of Camp Meeker residents.
“We’re always thrilled when we get to help create new parks and preserves,” said Ag + Open Space General Manager Misti Arias. “Creating and conserving space for our communities to experience the natural world is vital for overall health and well-being, while also hopefully inspiring future generations of land stewards.”
Conserving this property aligns with four of the five priority areas outlined within the Vital Lands Initiative, our 10-year strategic plan, in that this project contributes to the preservation of community identity, creates a new park to promote healthy communities, and conserves critical water resources and wildlands.
Ag + Open Space is providing $2,225,000 plus escrow costs for the Recreation & Park District to acquire the 356 acres of the property that will be publicly accessible, and in the process Ag + Open Space will acquire a conservation easement and recreation covenant. The additional 28 acres are being donated by the seller, the Episcopal Bishop of California and St. Dorothy’s Rest. The acquisition does not include any of the St. Dorothy’s Rest campus or camp facilities.
The preserve will be open to the public for passive recreation immediately after the deal closes, which is expected in the next few months. To keep up to date on when this project will close, be sure to sign up for Ag + Open Space’s monthly eNews >>
“We thank Saint Dorothy’s Rest for its partnership with the Camp Meeker community in realizing our vision of owning and protecting the forestlands surrounding our town,” said a representative for the Camp Meeker Recreation and Park District. “We appreciate the hard work and dedication of Ag + Open Space staff to unravel an extraordinarily complex property description and approve funding that made this acquisition possible.”
About Sonoma County Ag + Open Space
Sonoma County Ag + Open Space permanently protects the diverse agricultural, natural resource and scenic open space lands of Sonoma County for future generations. The agency is responsible for the perpetual protection of over 124,000 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.