SMP began in 1993 as an informal group of Sonoma Valley residents who joined together in response to changes they'd begun to see on the mountain that they believed would adversely impact the nature of the area and its ecosystem over time.
They set out with the goal of preserving the agricultural land and open space on Sonoma Mountain and began by delineating the area and creating a map, setting the boundaries of their area of interest along Arnold Drive, Warm Springs Road, Sonoma Mountain Road, Pressley Road, Roberts Road, Petaluma Hill Road, Adobe Road and Stage Gulch Road.
In 2000 the group became a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization, and their next step involved organizing the community to prevent development on critical mountain parcels, including the Freiberg, Schlumberger and Sonoma Developmental Center upper parcels. These efforts ultimately led to 600 acres of land being transferred to Jack London State Historic Park - including the upper parcel at Sonoma Developmental Center where the Old Orchard area was located (see Old SDC orchard is a rare treasure on this blog).
Other acquisitions included the Galvin Ranch and a conservation easement over the McCrea property, which eventually allowed for a public loop trail.
In 1998, the Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance that was originally proposed by SMP and that protects the visual integrity of Taylor and Sonoma Mountains. In May of this year, guidelines for the Mayacamas as seen from Sonoma Valley were passed by the Board of Supervisors, again at the instigation of SMP, merging all three areas into one ordinance with added restrictions.
Development pressures continue in the area. Already some interests are anticipating the State adding SDC to the list of developmental centers slated for closure, and they have begun to make plans for alternate uses of the many acres remaining at the Center's campus on Arnold Drive.
Hopefully, as the Sonoma Mountain Preservation group continues to monitor land use activities in the area with an eye to continued land conservation, they will join with PHA in guarding Sonoma Developmental Center for its residents, the services it provides to the developmentally disabled community, and the open space it provides for Sonoma Valley.
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For more information:
Sonoma Mountain Preservation
The Eldridge Gazette, Jan/Feb 2011 (pdf file)
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