Sonoma County Open Space Saves a Farm in Petaluma

By Peggy Flynn
When “Uncle Henry’s Ranch,” a 98-acre farm owned by the Camozzi family since the 1940s, is added to the 1,384 acres of contiguous agricultural land protected by the District - the largest assemblage of land protected solely for agriculture in Sonoma County in the coastal agricultural belt, the District will have protected more than 10,000 acres between east Petaluma and the Pacific Ocean, for family farms and ranches. Throughout the County, the District has protected more than 33,000 acres for agriculture-nearly half of all the land protected by the District since its creation by Sonoma County voters in 1990.

Located northwest of Petaluma and near the intersection of Bodega Highway and Two Rock Road, the property is primarily pastureland which supports the family’s dairy operation on Pepper Road by minimizing the need for supplemental feeding and providing housing for the dairy’s workforce. It is adjacent to four properties protected by easements held by the District, three of which are now owned by the Camozzi family.

Additionally, the property-named after the family’s late relative Henry D’Ambrogi-is located along a County-designated scenic corridor and is classified as “Grazing Land and Farmland of Local Importance” by the Federal Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program which aids policymakers in analyzing land use impacts on agricultural resources.

The Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District permanently protects the diverse agricultural, natural resource and scenic open space lands of Sonoma County for future generations. Since 1990, the District has protected more than 83,000 acres. Agricultural and open space lands have been protected through a 1/4-cent sales tax approved by voters in 1990 and reauthorized in 2006. For more information, please visit www.sonomaopenspace.org