“I firmly believe … that this is the chosen spot of all this earth as far as Nature is concerned.” Many would agree with that assessment of Sonoma County, made in 1875 by Luther Burbank, the famous horticulturalist who developed hundreds of new plant varieties in his garden in Santa Rosa, 50 miles north of San Francisco. Sonoma County extends from a spectacular 76-mile coastline to the Mayacmas Mountains, which divide Sonoma County from Lake and Napa counties to the east. In between, the vineyards of Sonoma County’s 15 wine districts supply grapes to 190 resident wineries. Much of Sonoma County’s farmland and open space is now permanently preserved thanks to the commitment of conservationists, public officials and citizens who realize that they live in a “chosen spot.”

Trails crisscross the Kruse Rhododendron State Natural Reserve in northern Sonoma County.

In 1990, County voters approved creation of the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District. It is funded by a quarter-cent sales tax which generates $18 million annually. As of September 2008, the District had preserved 75,000 acres ranging from a small beach on the Russian River to the 19,064-acre Cooley Ranch. LandPaths, a non-profit organization, partners with the District to ensure that citizens understand the importance of land preservation by offering educational and public outreach including a program in which participating schools “adopt” a District property in the same watershed.

During its first ten years, the Agricultural and Open Space District primarily acquired easements from farmers and ranchers. In fact, the District was so successful that, in 2007, the Farmland Preservation Report ranked Sonoma County as having the eighth most successful locally-operated farmland preservation program in the nation. However, there were concerns that this emphasis on farmland preservation could jeopardize voter reauthorization of the District. In 2000, the County Board of Commissioners established a formula for ensuring balanced funding of greenbelts, natural resources and recreational land as well as farmland. Since then, the District has acquired 19 sites for public recreational use, including almost 5,000 acres of spectacular coastal property that were added to Sonoma Coast State Beach. In 2006, County voters overwhelmingly reauthorized the District to the year 2030.

The Open Space District works closely with local governments, agencies and non-profit organizations, including the Sonoma Land Trust. The Trust was formed in 1976 and has preserved over 19,000 acres of land to date both by conservation easement and ownership. Although it often works with private benefactors to extend and leverage funding from the Open Space District, the Trust also preserves land through other means including the acceptance of donations from conservation-minded owners. The Trust retains ownership in key holdings which it refers to as its anchor preserves, such as the Baylands: Sears Point, a 2,327-acre property on San Pablo Bay where the trust plans to restore habitat and develop public access, educational opportunities and recreational features including an extension of the San Francisco Bay Trail.

In addition to the open space held by the District and the Trust, the Sonoma County Regional Park system operates 43 parks and two paved recreation trails. The Joe Rodota and West County trails use an abandoned railroad right of way between Santa Rosa and Forestville, providing a paved path for walking, jogging and cycling through farmland and vineyards. The State of California maintains 14 more sites in the form of parks, beaches, reserves and historic parks including Jack London State Historic Park where the writer/adventurer lived and worked. Together, Sonoma County and the State of California offer more than 45,000 acres of parkland here.

In 2008, the Sonoma Land Trust launched a campaign to preserve the Jenner Headlands, 5,630 acres of stunning coastline, redwood forests, diverse habitat and a new corridor for the California Coastal Trail. Purchase of Jenner Headlands would be the largest single conservation acquisition in Sonoma County history and carries a price tag of $36 million. The Trust’s funding partners include the Sonoma County Agricultural and Open Space District, the California Coastal Conservancy, the California Wildlife Conservation Board, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Tellabs Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Consequently, it is likely that this “coastal jewel” will be preserved, further adding to Sonoma County’s reputation as a national leader in open space conservation.