Here at Conservation Action, we’ve been long-dedicated to fighting for the preservation of open space and community separators. Protecting Sonoma County land isn’t only about preserving its natural beauty for future generations – it’s also about maintaining the charm of our cities, protecting our rural heritage, and standing strong for the interests of our citizens.
Open space is the common term for undeveloped, rural land which is protected against undesired commercial or residential development. This could be because the land isn’t a good candidate for this type of development, but in the case of Sonoma County, it’s a deliberate protection put in place to ensure the environmental protection of our farmland, forests, rivers, and more. Unchecked urban sprawl can lead to a variety of environmental issues, as well as destroy the beautiful natural landscape Sonoma County is so well-known for.
Protecting our open space is also a community separator issue. One of the best things about our community is the broad range of unique cities and towns it offers, each with its own personality and appeal. Keeping a clear definition of open space between our various municipalities helps maintain the integrity of our individual communities while simultaneously protecting the thing that ties us together – the stunning natural scenery that surrounds us all. Without protections in place for our open space, we could lose something that makes us who we are, in more ways than one.
Our voter enacted Community Separator Policy will sunset at the end of 2016, thereby creating the possibility that the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors could amend the policy at any time unless we can successfully achieve an extension of the policy by voters. Conservation Action is working hard to educate Sonoma County decision makers and staff about the importance of our Community Separator policy and push them to ask voters for a renewal of the policy in the Fall of 2016, with potential improvements.
To learn more about protecting our community separators and open space, please contact us here at Conservation Action or donate to the cause. We work hard to educate, inform, and campaign on behalf of our environment and the people who want to protect it!
