LandPaths or Land Partners through stewardship is an organization formed in 1996 to foster a love of the land in

Sonoma County, California Sonoma County () is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 488,863. Its county seat and largest city is Santa Rosa, California, Santa Rosa. It is to the n ...

. The organization owns open space preserves throughout Sonoma County, and encourages outdoor experiences where people can learn to understand and appreciate natural environments.

Locations

* Andy’s Unity Park Community Garden in southwest

Santa Rosa, California Santa Rosa (Spanish language, Spanish for "Rose of Lima, Saint Rose") is a city and the county seat of Sonoma County, California, Sonoma County, in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay Area ...

* Bayer Farm in the Roseland neighborhood of Santa Rosa * Rancho Mark West learning environment with organic garden, historic barn, creek, and demonstration forest in the hills above Santa Rosa * Bohemia Ecological Preserve in the western hills of Occidental, California *

Grove of Old Trees The Grove of Old Trees is a open space reserve forest of mostly second growth Sequoia sempervirens, coast redwood trees on a broad, flat ridgetop west of Occidental, California. Location Stewarded and owned by LandPaths for more than 20 years ...

west of Occidental * Ocean Song in western Sonoma County * Riddell Preserve of diverse habitat above the west Dry Creek valley in

Healdsburg, California Healdsburg is a city located in Sonoma County, in California's Wine Country. At the 2010 census, the city had a population of 11,254. Owing to its three most important wine-producing regions (the Russian River, Dry Creek, and Alexander Valley ...

* Fitch Mountain open space preserve on Fitch Mountain, owned by the City of Healdsburg and stewarded by LandPaths * Healdsburg Ridge Open Space Preserve of

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

oak woodland An oak woodland is a plant community with a tree canopy dominated by oaks (''Quercus spp.''). In terms of canopy closure, oak woodlands are intermediate between oak savanna, which is more open, and oak forest, which is more closed. Although the ...

chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant community and geographical feature found primarily in the U.S. state of California, in southern Oregon, and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranean c ...

, and

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...

s owned by the City of Healdsburg and stewarded by LandPaths

Activities

LandPaths' public outings visit and enjoy the open spaces, farms and parks-in-development that have been protected by Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District. The LandPaths outdoor day camp provides Santa Rosa elementary school students the opportunity to engage in nature walks, hikes, journaling, and observations of natural processes, plant life, and animal life in local open spaces. LandPaths' Owl Camp host hundreds of children aged 6 to 13 each summer at Rancho Mark West. Older children are encouraged to participate in

kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...

and

backpacking Backpacking may refer to: * Backpacking (travel), low-cost, independent, international travel * Backpacking (hiking), trekking and camping overnight in the wilderness * Ultralight backpacking, a style of wilderness backpacking with an emphasis on ...

Treks for Teens.

Teenager Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the te ...

s are encouraged to become stewards of the land removing invasive plants, repairing trails, helping to reduce fire risks, planting

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

s, and cleaning up creeks.

References

External links

* {{official website, www.landpaths.org Nature conservation organizations based in the United States Environmental organizations based in the San Francisco Bay Area