News + Features

group of people hiking to the ocean

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 that helps to create a buffer between Santa Rosa and Windsor. Greenbelts preserve the unique character …

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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 within Sonoma County communities. With partial funding from our Matching Grant Program, the City of Sonoma and the …

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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 in the early 2000’s. While the property is the perfect location for growing blueberries, the farm also …

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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 – in essence, a call to action for GIS practitioners to put their skills to good use in …

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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 TEAM program, which stands for Teaching Environmental and Agricultural Memories. Led by Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District …

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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 Center 3 and Curreri properties, which Ag + Open Space purchased in 2007 and 2014, respectively, …

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Graton’s Only Park to Open to Public on June 2, 2019

Public-private partnership results in community park and 10 new homes SANTA ROSA, CA (May 23, 2019) – The Graton Green Group and Sonoma County Ag + Open Space are pleased to announce the grand opening of Graton Green (Green) – a half-acre property located just off Graton Road (between Bowen …

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Porterfield Creek Trails Open Space Preserve Grand Opening

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 …

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Ag + Open Space Hires Julie Mefferd and Stephanie Tavares-Buhler to Fill Two Top Positions

SANTA ROSA, CA (May 2, 2019) – The Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District (Ag + Open Space), a special district of the County dedicated to protecting our working and natural lands forever, is pleased to welcome two new staff members to the agency. Stephanie (Steph) Tavares-Buhler started …

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Million-dollar 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 Sonoma Valley Wildlands Collaborative (Collaborative) as our group of six private organizations and public agencies collectively own and manage approximately 18,000 acres …

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