Projects + Plans

  • Farmland For All

    Overview Borne out of the Vital Lands Initiative, the Farmland for All program focuses on offering multiple tools and strategies for conserving agricultural lands while enhancing equitable access for farmers and ranchers. Through extensive conversations with stakeholders, a path toward …

  • Riparian Conservation Program

    Ag + Open Space has launched a new program to expand its conservation efforts to protect – and in some cases enhance and restore – critical streamside and floodplain areas throughout Sonoma County. We are working with private landowners through …

  • A cow stands in the foreground as other cows lie on the ground in the distance.

    ASAP Emergency Matching Grant Program

    Agricultural Support and Protection (ASAP) Emergency Matching Grant Program In 2020, Ag + Open Space created the one-time Agricultural Support and Protection (ASAP) Emergency Matching Grant Program to help mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Sonoma County’s agricultural …

  • Van Hoosear Wildflower Preserve

    Healthy Lands & Healthy Economies

    The Healthy Lands and Healthy Economies initiative is documenting the multiple benefits of natural areas and working lands in Sonoma County.

  • Cows standing in lush green field at Tolay Lake Regional Park with hills in background.

    Sonoma County Venture Conservation Partnership

    The Sonoma County Venture Conservation (SCVC) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) is a collaboration of partners, funders, residents, farmers, and ranchers working to conserve and restore land in Sonoma County to ensure resilience to climate change through healthy soils, high-quality …

  • trees at the Jenner Headlands

    Climate Action Through Conservation

    Land conservation is an important tool in addressing climate change, as agricultural lands and natural systems sequester carbon and have substantially lower rates of GHG emissions than urban areas.

  • Sloping hillside at Beltane Ranch

    Sonoma County Vegetation Mapping and LiDAR Program

    Mapping Sonoma County’s diverse habitats, crops, and terrain using state-of-the-art technology and data will ensure the District and its partners protect the most important lands for water, wildlife, and people.

  • “Protected Forever” — Creating Ag + Open Space

    The late Ted Eliot recalls the intense pressure in the 1980’s to develop land in Sonoma County. Dee Swanhuyser remembers farmers being forced to sell their land in order to sustain themselves. And the late Jim Harberson, a former County …

  • Saddle Mountain OSP Management Plan

    Preserving land for the future Before becoming the Saddle Mountain Open Space Preserve, this 960-acre property northeast of Santa Rosa had long been considered for subdivision and development. In response to strong public support for protecting the property as open …