MONTE RIO REDWOODS Regional Park in Sonoma County just got four times bigger.
The county acquired a parcel of over 1,500 acres of protected redwood forest on Tuesday that will significantly expand the park and create a contiguous conservation area of more than 34 square miles south/southwest of the unincorporated area of Monte Rio.
The Monte Rio Redwoods Expansion property was purchased from the forestry and lumber outfit Mendocino Redwoods Company, LLC for $24 million by the conservation nonprofit Save the Redwoods League and was immediately donated to the county’s Regional Parks Department. The land, which was harvested for timber for more than a century, will now be permanently protected for public and natural uses.
“This gorgeous property connects a network of protected lands, safeguarding critical wildlife corridors, salmon-bearing streams and fast-growing young redwood forests,” said Steve Mietz, president and CEO of Save the Redwoods League.
The parcel is situated between Sonoma Coast State Park to the west and Monte Rio Redwoods Regional Park and Open Space Preserve to the east. It links the coast to the Bohemian Highway with 22,000 acres of protected redwood forest that is a wildlife corridor and watershed, including the Jenner Headlands to the north.
The Sonoma County Agricultural and Open Space District, a division of the Regional Parks Department, was granted a conservation easement and recreational covenant to oversee the land and prepare it for public use, according to a statement from the Parks District.
Funding for the property’s purchase was raised by organizations including the California Wildlife Conservation Board, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Sonoma Land Trust, the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, an anonymous West Sonoma County family and donations to Save the Redwoods League, according to a news release from the organization.
The Monte Rio Redwoods Expansion includes 3.7 miles of streams, including the headwaters of Dutch Bill, Freezeout and Willow creeks, which are tributaries for the Russian River and are spawning grounds for federally protected coho salmon and steelhead trout.
Besides redwoods, the land has Douglas fir, tanoak and California bay trees. Most of the Redwoods are new generation growth, after 150 years of logging of the land. Nearly all of the old growth redwoods were logged from the Russian River corridor in the mid 19th century. One of the few older generation redwoods is 14-feet in diameter and has a tunnel through it, according to Sonoma County Regional Parks.
The conservation plan is meant to protect redwoods for future generations and preserve natural ecosystems, as well as act as a carbon sequestration resource. Newer redwoods grow faster than older ones and can store carbon for hundreds of years, making their preservation a key component of the state’s plan to conserve 30% of its public lands by 2030 to reduce the impacts of climate change.
Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, whose District 5 includes Monte Vista, celebrated the acquisition and praised the organizations involved.
“The Monte Rio Redwoods Expansion is a phenomenal win not only for the West County, but for all of Sonoma County,” Hopkins said in a statement. “This land is breathtakingly beautiful — and it’s a vital part of our region’s ecological health, climate resilience and cultural heritage.”
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