Archives for “Latest News”

SRJC students join for workday at Haroutunian South

SRJC student looking at vernal pools 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. Haroutunian South is a 21-acre property in southwest Santa Rosa that we purchased in 1995 for its values …

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Forest health and resiliency work at Saddle Mountain

Healthy canopy at Saddle Mountain.

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, and in some areas where fire intensity was lower, the …

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Conservation work in progress

Oak tree in golden field at Hood Mountain Regional Park.

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, then moves to the actual conservation of the land, then …

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Grazing in Healdsburg for wildfire resiliency and biodiversity

Childred walking on trail that is lined with a fence, and goats on the other side of the fence.

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 in preparation for the current and future wildfire seasons. The …

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OFFICE CLOSED Monday July 26

The Ag + Open Space offices will be closed on Monday, July 26 due to a street closure that will block access to our parking lot and building. Our staff are working today and are available by phone or email. Our offices will reopen on Tuesday, July 27. We apologize …

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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, LandPaths, Sonoma Ecology Center, Sonoma Land Trust, and the Sonoma and Gold Ridge Resource Conservation Districts. Without hesitation, …

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Saddle Mountain welcomes exciting wildflower bloom after wildfire

field of small white flowers

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 on Saddle Mountain are one of only six small populations in the world, and all are found nearby …

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Stewarding our lands and expanding urban open space

At the heart of all we do are our protected lands, or properties we’ve protected with conservation easements. From public parks to private properties in every corner of the county, our easements ensure that our natural resources will continue to thrive so they can continue to enrich our communities and …

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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 Preserve, which burned in the Glass Fire last September. The fire’s effects across the Preserve were patchy, with …

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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 the last several months. Wildfire recovery and adaptation For landowners who have experienced wildfires on their …

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