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Sonoma Mountain parcel faces vote - Open
Space District likely to vote today to protect Roth family's 240 acres
March 23, 2004
By Spencer Soper
The Press Democrat
P.O. Box 910
Santa Rosa, CA 95402
707-526-8651
To submit a Letter to the Editor: letters@pressdemo.com The Sonoma County Open Space District today is expected to permanently protect a 240-acre section of Sonoma Mountain from development, the latest step in an ongoing effort to preserve green hillsides and wildlife corridors near Jack London State Historic Park. The county Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote today on a $2.2 million deal that would put a conservation easement over the wildlands owned by William Roth and his family. The land would remain in private ownership, but could not be subdivided, according to the deal. On the western slopes of Sonoma Mountain, the land is in the middle of a contiguous 3,600-acre block of open space that includes Jack London State Park, a wildlife preserve run by Sonoma State University and other properties owned by the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District. Oaks grow on its steep slopes and Matanzas Creek runs through the ranch, which is home to a broad range of animals including deer, coyote and mountain lions. If the district buys the easement, the owners have agreed to donate 10 acres for a proposed 4-mile trail from Jack London park to Crane Creek regional park, county officials said. "I'm a huge supporter of trails," said county Supervisor Valerie Brown, who represents Sonoma Valley. "The idea that we can have a trail from Jack London park to Petaluma is just wonderful. We've got pieces that are coming together and it's a real testament to the Open Space District." Without a conservation easement, the Roth family property could be subdivided into six lots for ranchettes, which would carve up the prominent ridgeline, said Amy Chesnut, Open Space District land acquisition specialist. The proposed easement would allow the Roth family to build one residence within a five-acre area of the property, leaving the remainder forever wild. The Roth family created the adjacent Fairfield Osborn wildlife preserve more than 30 years ago, which is now run by SSU. The Open Space District for years has been buying up land on Sonoma Mountain, and is in negotiations to buy another 268 acres adjacent to the Roth property. In July, the District bought the nearby 168-acre Jacobs Ranch for $4.9 million for a future park with hiking and horseback riding trails. In 1999, the District purchased an easement on the 171-acre Skiles ranch in the foothills above Glen Ellen for $632,000 that permanently prevents the owners from building anything on the property. In December, the District purchased 47 acres of the ranch outright for $200,000 to make it public land for the proposed trail. The District is not affected by the county's budget woes because it has an independent source of funding to buy land and protect it from development. Voters established the District in 1990 and approved a quarter-percent sales tax, which generates about $17 million annually, to finance its mission. Copyright 2004 The Press Democrat http://www.pressdemocrat.com/local/news/23mountain_b1.html See what the board of supervisors did: SONOMA MOUNTAIN: Supervisors OK 240-acre land deal March 24, 2004 A big piece of Sonoma Mountain will be permanently protected from development under a deal approved Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors. The Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District will pay William Roth and his family $2.2 million to preserve the Roths' 240 acres of wildlands near Jack London State Historic Park. The deal prevents the property from being subdivided for ranches, though the Roth family would be allowed to build a home on 5 acres. On the western slopes of Sonoma Mountain, the land is in the middle of a contiguous 3,600-acre block of open space that includes Jack London State Park, a wildlife preserve run by Sonoma State University and other properties owned by the Open Space District. Though the land will remain in private hands, county officials said the Roth family will donate 10 acres for public use, which would become part of a proposed 4-mile trail from Jack London park to Crane Creek Regional Park. |