Laguna Watershed Knowledgebase

The Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District (District) is implementing its strategic plan - a suite of integrated initiatives that includes climate change mitigation and adaptation. In addition to the climate initiative, the strategic plan focuses on the protection of natural infrastructure, community health, connecting communities with the land, and the preservation of agriculture. In the interest of gaining economies of scope and scale, and achieving a more substantial impact in each initiative area, the District is integrating all of these initiatives into a multi-objective implementation framework. Projects that will be implemented under this framework will address several or all of the strategic plan initiatives. One example project might include watershed and riparian corridor enhancement that sequesters carbon, increases climate adaptation and resiliency, attenuates flood flows, provides natural filtering of drinking water supplies, and engages the community in a collaborative stewardship project. Another example might include working with private landowners, NGO and RCD partners to enhance sequestration on agricultural lands in the context of native habitat restoration/afforestation. A final example might include acquiring lands for parks and greenways that provide access to economically disadvantaged communities while encouraging alternative transportation routes.