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 space, and thanks to the Merner family’s willingness to see the land preserved, Ag + Open Space was able to purchase the property in 2006 for $8.7M, plus a $1M contribution by the California State Coastal Conservancy. Today the preserve is managed by Ag + Open Space to protect the property’s natural and scenic resources and rare and endangered species habitat.
Located in the Mayacamas Mountains, the preserve contains significant portions of three tributaries to Mark West Creek, which provides critical habitat for steelhead trout and coho salmon, and contains a wide range of habitats, including native grasslands, chaparral, oak woodlands, Sargent cypress forest, and redwood and Douglas fir groves. Saddle Mountain is also home to several special-status wildlife species and at least eight special-status plants, including one of the few known populations of federally endangered Clara Hunt’s milk vetch.
In 2019, Ag + Open Space completed the Saddle Mountain Open Space Preserve Management Plan, which was approved by its Board of Directors. We encourage you to read this document to learn more about the unique habitats found on the preserve and our priorities for protecting and enhancing this special place.
Ag + Open Space and its partner organizations offer education outings and stewardship days to enable community members to visit and care for the preserve. Additionally, members of the public can access the preserve through our Volunteer Patrol program. You can visit our Outings + Events and Volunteer Patrol pages to learn more about how to become a volunteer and upcoming opportunities to visit the preserve.
