Browse Ambrook’s collection of funding programs by County of Sonoma

Contact Ag + Open Space at (707) 565-7360 or OpenSpace@sonomacounty.gov to begin; process = project assessment, easement design and negotiation, appraisal, purchase agreement, recording.

Deadline text on the page: No deadline; landowners contact staff at any time.

General office

Sonoma County Ag + Open Space buys (or accepts donations of) permanent conservation easements from willing Sonoma County landowners, including farms, ranches and dairies. Projects are prioritized by fit with the Vital Lands Initiative and threat of subdivision or development. The purchase price is negotiated from an independent before/after appraisal.



- Willing private landowners in Sonoma County
- Land with conservation values (agriculture, natural areas, scenic vistas, etc.)
- Priority to projects most effective at Vital Lands Initiative goals and/or most under threat of subdivision, development or change in use

Payment per unit of land to do or avoid certain practices related to land management.

Easement

Perpetual easement that stays with the land through ownership changes; building envelopes and agricultural/scenic/natural areas designated in the easement; ongoing stewardship by Ag + Open Space staff. Funded by county sales tax plus state/federal funds (e.g., NRCS RCPP).

Published amounts: The appraiser values the land before placement of the conservation easement and after placement of the conservation easement. The difference in those two values is the maximum value of the conservation easement itself, and once we have that value we work with the landowner to negotiate the actual purchase price.

Step 1: review the Program Overview; Step 2: submit the Stage 1 Application to join the potential buyer pool (rolling). Later, pool members submit proposals for a specific property.

Deadline text on the page: Applicants may submit their application to join the potential buyer pool at any time, and review will occur on a rolling basis.

General program inbox

Ag + Open Space buys small to midsize agricultural property, protects it with a conservation easement, and resells it at a more affordable price to a qualified farmer or rancher. Applicants first join a pool of potential buyers; when a property is identified, pool members are invited to submit proposals reviewed by a buyer assessment panel. Priority goes to limited-resource farmers, first-time landowners and communities that have faced discrimination or exclusion.



- Farmers and ranchers seeking their own small to midsize agricultural property in Sonoma County
- Considered: level of need, whether a first-time landowner
- Priority to proposals with community benefits (fresh food access, outreach/education, soil health or native habitat)

A reduction or waiving of fees for meeting a certain criteria.

Discount

Land sold with a conservation easement, an agricultural conservation covenant (continued agricultural use), an offer of dedication of agricultural lease, and an affordability covenant.

Published amounts: No dollar amounts; land is made more affordable by placing a conservation easement before resale, with an affordability covenant restricting future price increases.

Contact Simon Apostol at (707) 565-4292 or simon.apostol@sonomacounty.gov.

Deadline text on the page: No deadline published; contact staff.

Simon Apostol

Ag + Open Space uses NRCS funding to buy conservation easements on the streamside and floodplain portions of Sonoma County agricultural properties, rather than whole properties. The approach is voluntary and incentive-based. Landowners are also referred to the Sonoma and Gold Ridge RCDs for stewardship help.



- Private landowners in Sonoma County
- Agricultural properties that are home to streams, riparian or floodplain habitat

Perpetual conservation easement on the riparian portion of the property.

Published amounts: No amounts published; partial-property easements purchased on streamside portions of agricultural properties.

List of County of Sonoma Funding Opportunities