News + Features

group of people hiking to the ocean

Celebrating the Legacy of Supervisor Susan Gorin: A Champion for Sonoma County’s Open Spaces

Supervisor Susan Gorin

As we bid farewell to District 1 Supervisor Susan Gorin after 12 years of dedicated service, Sonoma County Ag + Open Space reflects on her extraordinary contributions to preserving the natural beauty and community resources of our region. Susan’s tenure has left an indelible mark on the landscapes and open …

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Press Release: Ag + Open Space Announces Seven New Community Open Space Projects

A child in a field reaching his hands in the air

SANTA ROSA, CA (December 10, 2024) – Ag + Open Space is proud to announce seven new projects through our Community Spaces Matching Grant Program. This is the first round of projects approved since a major update of the program, which aimed to simplify the application process, provide technical support to …

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Poised to Pounce on Prop 4

Modini Preserve

The landmark passing of Prop 4, more commonly known as the Climate Bond, will provide $10 billion in critical funding for clean water; protection from wildfire, sea level rise, flooding, extreme heat, and drought; and conservation of our farms, natural lands, waterways, and parks. And we are poised to leverage …

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Staff spotlight: Victor Schwalm (he/him), Stewardship Technician

Victor Schwalm

Victor most recently worked at Marin Water in partnership with Grizzlycorps, a UC Berkeley Americorps program. While there, he worked with the watershed department to coordinate volunteer programs including rare species monitoring, habitat restoration days and trail crew events. Before that, Victor served a previous Grizzlycorps term with Shasta Land …

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Staff spotlight: Wald Zimmerman (they/he), Stewardship Technician

Wald Zimmerman on a hiking trail

Born and raised in Sonoma County, Wald has a BA from San Francisco State University in Geography with a focus on Natural Resources Management and a minor in Biology.  Since his graduation, Wald has explored his many interests professionally and personally, having worked as a field biologist, Waldorf teacher, landscape …

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Press Release: Increasing access to agriculture at forefront of Ag + Open Space’s new Farmland for All toolkit

dirt and earthworms on a rake

SANTA ROSA, CA (October 21, 2024) – Sonoma County Ag + Open Space is proud to announce the creation of a Buy-Protect-Sell pilot program, which aims to address barriers for farmers and ranchers looking to own their own land. Via a simple initial application process, Ag + Open Space will …

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Staff spotlight: Samantha Delucchi (she/her), Administrative Aide

Meet the newest addition to our grants team, Samantha! She grew up in Sonoma County and attended the University of Portland where she earned degrees in Political Science and Spanish, with an emphasis in environmental studies. After spending a year teaching in Spain, she transitioned back to the Bay Area …

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Staff spotlight: Eric Ross (he/him), GIS Analyst

Eric Ross with his infant daughter

Eric is coming to us from working in Sacramento as a Data Manager, primarily focused on a contract with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. In this capacity Eric developed tools for collecting data in the field, automated field data analysis and reporting, and supported conservation decision-making across 50 national …

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Press release: Major step forward as Ag + Open Space and Russian River County Sanitation District Board of Directors approve purchase and conservation of Russian River Redwoods 

View of the Russian River

SANTA ROSA, CA (August 22, 2024) – On Tuesday, the Ag + Open Space and Russian River County Sanitation District Board of Directors approved $6,180,000 to purchase and transfer ownership of the 394-acre Russian River Redwoods property from Save the Redwoods League (League) to the Russian River County Sanitation District, …

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Press release: Camp Meeker Forest Open Space Preserve – New park coming soon to West County

Landscape view of redwood trees, with sunlight filtering through. At Sonoma Space Open Space Preserve.

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 …

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