As we’ve already seen this year, fire season is in full swing. Fire safety and preparedness is a year-round endeavor, but this time of year it’s especially important for all of us to be aware of how to keep ourselves and our communities safe. Across farms and ranches, parks and …
This is our second year of having the honor of sponsoring Sonoma County’s Pride Parade and Festival. We were thrilled to show our solidarity and contribute to this joyful celebration of our queer community. The Pride theme this year is Queeroes: Celebrating our Past, Present & Future Sheroes, Heroes, and …
Catherine grew up in Santa Rosa and studied environmental science at Sonoma State and UC Santa Barbara. She has worked with Ag + Open Space for 6 years, originally as a Stewardship Technician and currently as a Senior Stewardship Specialist. In her free time Catherine enjoys cooking, hiking and cycling, …
THE EDITORIAL BOARD THE PRESS DEMOCRAT | June 11, 2023 Sonoma County’s world-class coastal beaches and parks are poised to grow this summer when the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District buys Chanslor Ranch. The 378-acre ranch, just north of Bodega Bay and on the east side of …
Originally published in January 2023 print issue of Sonoma Magazine In 1996, fresh out of Sonoma State University with a degree in environmental studies, Misti Arias joined the relatively new Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District. Last May, 25 years after she began with the organization, she was …
We’re back with another Staff Spotlight! This month we get to hear from Allison Schichtel, Senior Conservation Planner, who has a BS in Botany and Environmental Biology from Humboldt State University and a Master’s of Science degree in Geographic Information Science from San Diego State University. She has worked for …
A park expert’s fall favorites Originally published in September 2021 print issue of Sonoma Magazine Last May, Misti Arias, a 25-year veteran of the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, was named the agency’s new general manager. Her favorite fall day trips focus on lands the group has …
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 Sonoma Valley Wildlands Collaborative (Collaborative) as our group of six private organizations and public agencies collectively own and manage approximately 18,000 acres …
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 toe of the Sonoma Mountain, views of the Sonoma Valley and Skaggs Island sprawl endlessly across the horizon. The wind moved like waves through …
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 and wondered about the view from the top need wait little longer. On Friday, the gates to the Jenner Headlands …