Protected Lands

Archives for “News Articles”

Our Impact

  • Staff spotlight: Catherine Iantosca, Senior Stewardship Specialist

    April 23, 2024

    Catherine grew up in Santa Rosa and studied environmental science at Sonoma State and UC Santa Barbara. She has worked with Ag + Open Space for 6 years, originally as a Stewardship Technician and currently as a Senior Stewardship Specialist. …

  • Stewarding the land with “good fire” at Haroutunian South

    March 25, 2024

    The Haroutunian South property is a greenbelt – an open space property that acts as community separator between Santa Rosa and Rohnert Park. Purchased by Ag + Open Space in 1995, the property is home to  an old orchard, vernal …

  • Our accomplishments from 2023: A year in review

    December 20, 2023

    This past year we really ramped into high gear. We closed several projects that conserve critical natural resources for future generations, deepened our commitment to our communities, and began to see the Vital Lands Initiative spring to life. We are …

  • Property Spotlight: Oken

    November 20, 2023

    As we all gear up for the rainy season, we have some updates from our Oken property – home to 76 acres of gently sloping pastureland and an intermittent stream on Petaluma Hill Road.  Oken has long been part of …

  • Staff Spotlight: Carly Cabrera Community Relations Assistant

    August 29, 2023

    Help us welcome one of our new Community Relations Assistants, Carly Cabrera! Carly will be focused on our online communications, leading work on our website, social media, eNews, and more. Carly has worked for the County of Sonoma for 12 …

  • Continuing to grow our Public Outings + Youth Education program

    July 27, 2023

     “These field trips were absolutely amazing! All the staff knew so much about the ecosystems they were in and were able to answer questions while in the field… After the first lesson my students were already asking about when we …

  • Staff Spotlight: Irma Cuevas (she/her/ella) Community Relations Assistant

    July 27, 2023

    Join us in welcoming one of our new Community Relations Assistants, Irma Cuevas. Irma comes to us from the City of Santa Rosa, but spent most of the last two decades at Sonoma County Regional Parks in various roles ranging …

  • Staff Spotlight: Jen Kuszmar, Acquisition Manager

    June 22, 2023

    This month we get to hear from Jen Kuszmar, our Acquisition Manager! Jen was raised in Georgia and after attending college at the University of Georgia for two years, transferred to Humboldt State University (now Cal Poly Humboldt) where she …

  • OUT in the Wild at Sonoma County Pride

    June 22, 2023

    This year we had the exciting honor of joining Sonoma County’s Pride Parade and Festival as a sponsor. We were thrilled to show our solidarity and contribute to this joyful celebration of our queer community.  The Pride theme this year …

  • Press Democrat Editorial: Preserving a Sonoma Coast treasure

    June 12, 2023

    THE EDITORIAL BOARD THE PRESS DEMOCRAT | June 11, 2023 Sonoma County’s world-class coastal beaches and parks are poised to grow this summer when the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District buys Chanslor Ranch. The 378-acre ranch, just …