When Ag + Open Space acquired 461 acres of land from John McCullough in 2009, it came with an interesting old building known as the Pelm House. This was the previous home of the Pelm family, who had moved here from Russia around 1945. At the end of World War …
Board approves up to $5.35 million to conserve land for natural resources, recreation SANTA ROSA, CA (May 23, 2018) – Yesterday the Board of Directors for the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District (Ag + Open Space) approved up to $5.35 million in public funds to purchase 275.5 …
Our Mark West properties, slated to become part of the future Mark West Creek Regional Park & Open Space Preserve, burned in the first night of the Tubbs fire. Driven by fierce winds and hot, dry conditions, the fire ran up the forested slope above Mark West Creek, charring nearly every …
J.D. MORRIS THE PRESS DEMOCRAT | June 5, 2018 Susan Gorin stood on a forested slope recently overlooking a meadow in the hills northeast of Santa Rosa and appreciated a view she hopes will be enjoyed by generations of local residents when the land one day becomes a new regional …
In March 2018, Ag + Open Space received a $90,000 grant from NASA as part of the Rapid Response and Novel Research in Earth Science Program. This grant funded the capture of aerial imagery of areas burned in the 2017 Sonoma Complex Fires, as well as a post-fire assessment of …
Given the increased risk of flash floods and debris flows resulting from last October’s wildfires, our partners at Sonoma County Water Agency sought the help of OneRain to implement an early flood warning system by more accurately tracking rainfall. Of the 22 rain and stream gages installed throughout the county, three …
Nearly 30 volunteers, including five young folks, joined us and our partners at LandPaths for a beautiful day of stewardship and cordage-making at the Dogbane Preserve located along Old Redwood Highway in Santa Rosa. With help from Tamara Wilder and Autumn Summers – naturalists, ancient living specialists, and all-around dogbane …
The District is thrilled to have received two grants from the Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation (SALC) Program – a component of the Strategic Growth Council’s Affordable Housing & Sustainable Communities Program, which supports the State’s greenhouse gas emission goals by investing in the protection of agricultural lands. The SALC Program, …
Serendipity often intervenes at the most critical times in our lives. This was the case with Richard Retecki, a Vietnam veteran whose first “real” job began in 1972 when – out of work and on the verge of returning to his native Pennsylvania – he was hired to write detailed …
Ag & Open Space Board Approves $1.88 million to Conserve Two Rock Valley Ranch SANTA ROSA, CA (October 4, 2017) – Yesterday the Board of Directors for the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation & Open Space District (District) approved $1.88 million in public funds to purchase a conservation easement over Hansen …