California Coast & Ocean

Sonoma County Ranch Now Parkland
The largest piece of privately owned land on the Sonoma coast between Bodega Bay and the Russian River has been protected as parkland and will become part of Sonoma Coast State Beach. In September, the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District bought the Poff Ranch, 1,236 acres of scenic rolling grasslands and coastal forest, for $5.6 million, with the help of a $750,000 grant from the Conservancy.

The ranch, which has been used for grazing cattle for many years and has been in the Poff family since 1963, is three miles north of Bodega Bay and one mile east of Highway 1. It is bordered on three sides by protected land--the Red Hill addition to Sonoma Coast State Beach to the west, and properties with conservation easements to the north and south--and has great potential for both wildlife and regional trail connections, as well as camping, horseback riding, and other recreational activities. The property includes a small redwood grove, and its ridges and the 1,190-foot Wright Hill provide panoramic views of the ocean and coastal headlands, including Point Reyes. A 1900-era homestead and barn, never electrified or modernized, remain on the land and may be used for cultural and historical programs.

Regional plans for this portion of the Sonoma Coast have identified the Poff Ranch as a priority area for conservation since 1999. When the property was listed for sale in April 2007, the Open Space District consulted with State Parks, Sonoma Land Trust, LandPaths, the Conservancy, and other conservation partners before entering into a purchase agreement with the owners in June. The purchase was finalized September 28.

Storage Ponds to Protect Marin Creek
What good is it to restore fish habitat if there’s no water in the stream?” a Conservancy board member asked project manager Michael Bowen. It’s a highly relevant question on Pine Gulch Creek, the largest tributary to Bolinas Lagoon, where coho salmon reappeared in 2001 after a 30-year absence. In an attempt to make sure property owners with riparian rights to the creek’s water do not drain it during the dry season, the Conservancy is contributing to a unique project that will permit three farms to build offstream water storage ponds, to be filled during the rainy season, in exchange for dedicating their riparian rights during dry season to instream use by fish. The project will give the farms appropriative water rights, which they now do not have. The three participating farms, Fresh Run, Paradise Valley, and Star Route, grow organic vegetables, greens, herbs, and berries.

Five storage ponds are planned for the three farms, with a total storage capacity of 61 acre-feet. In winter, when stream flows are high, the farmers will divert larger amounts of water from the creek to store in the ponds. The stored water will enable them to limit their diversions between April and July 1, and take no creek water between July 1 and December 15 of each year.

In September, the Conservancy approved $275,000 to the Marin Resource Conservation District to prepare the final design and permits for the ponds. The Fish and Wildlife Service has agreed that the farms can continue to draw water from the ponds even if they attract endangered red-legged frogs. The project has the approval of both the Marin County Farm Bureau and Trout Unlimited--organizations that seldom see eye-to-eye.

Among the groups that have supported and helped develop the project are Point Reyes National Seashore, Department of Fish and Game, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and of course the farmers themselves, without whom there would be no project. The State Water Resources Control Board’s Division of Water Rights will soon consider the application for the appropriative permit. In 2005, the Conservancy provided $50,000 to help plan and design the ponds, negotiate the transfer of water rights, and conduct an environmental analysis.