Land Transfers Facilitated by Sonoma Land Trust

Conserving land, then placing it in public care

Land transfers are a critical way Sonoma Land Trust ensures permanently protected lands are cared for and accessible over the long term.

Sonoma Land Trust transfers land when it’s best for the long-term health and vitality of the land and community. When Sonoma Land Trust transfers land we’ve previously acquired to a public agency, tribal nation, or conservation partner, we’re helping to ensure its protection is permanent, equitable, and well-resourced–long into the future. Here are a few examples of land transfers we’ve successfully facilitated. 

LAND TRANSFERS

Sunset from atop Jenner Headlands with trees in foreground and clouds behind

Jenner Headlands

Sonoma Land Trust acquired the 5,630 acres of the coastal Jenner Headlands in 2009 for $36 million, with $9 million in support from Sonoma County Ag + Open Space. At the time, it was one of the largest land conservation projects in Sonoma County history.

Then, in 2013, we transferred the preserve to The Wildlands Conservancy for long-term management and public access coordination. In 2014 we completed the acquisition of the adjacent Pole Mountain property to create a 6,368-acre protected landscape. Thanks to our partnership with The Wildlands Conservancy, hikers can now trek from the shores of the Pacific to the Pole Mountain summit at 2,204’.
Wildflowers overlook landscape of Estero Americano Coastal Preserve

Estero Americano Coast Preserve

In 2017, Sonoma Land Trust, Sonoma County Ag + Open Space, and The Wildlands Conservancy joined the California Coastal Conservancy and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to purchase the 547-acre Estero Ranch, located south of Bodega Bay. The property is adjacent to our existing Estero Americano Preserve, purchased in 1997. It increases the protection of the unique Estero Americano Marine Protected Area (MPA)–one of the most important biological areas on the California Coast. The property is owned and managed by The Wildlands Conservancy, and we’re proud to share that in early 2025, the Wildlands Conservancy opened the property for public access.
Harvest mouse perched on a branch

San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge

Between 1989 and 2013, Sonoma Land Trust acquired and restored nearly 3,000 acres of the Baylands, before transferring them to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to become part of the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Today, the refuge consists of more than 19,000 acres located along the northern edge of San Pablo Bay. It supports the largest wintering population of canvasbacks on the west coast, and protects the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse and the Ridgway’s rail.
A group of people smiling with one man cutting the ribbon at the Mark West Community Park ribbon cutting ceremony.

Mark West Community Park

In 2024, in close partnership with Sonoma County Ag + Open Space and the Mark West Area Community Fund, Sonoma Land Trust acquired a property in the Mark West area north of Santa Rosa to create a new community park. 

We served as the interim owner of the property before transferring it to the Mark West Area Community Fund for park development and operations. The project will provide the community—which was greatly impacted by the 2017 Tubbs Fire—with much-needed space for outdoor recreational and educational activities.