Calabazas Creek Regional Park and Open Space Preserve
About the Park
Calabazas Creek Regional Park and Open Space Preserve was acquired by Sonoma County Regional Parks in July 2021 from the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District (Ag + Open Space). Ag + Open Space originally acquired the property for the residents of Sonoma County in 2004 with a goal to protect the wildlife habitat and offer public recreation. It’s operated by Regional Parks under a Conservation Easement held by Ag + Open Space and will provide recreational opportunities for residents and visitors and protect habitat for many plants and animals.
View of upper Calabazas ridge
History and Cultural Importance
Rich in cultural history, Calabazas Creek Regional Park and Open Space Preserve is located near the eastern border of the traditional territory of the Coast Miwok, with the Wappo to the east and Southern Pomo tribal territories to the north.
In the late 1800s, Anglo-Americans and European settlers introduced ranching, dairy operations, dry farming, and mining to the region.
One of the most famous former landowners was Mary Ellen Pleasant, a former slave turned civil rights leader and San Francisco entrepreneur in the late 1800s, when it became known as Beltane Ranch. It is speculated that the name Beltane originated from an associate of Pleasant, Thomas Bell, as well as the Celtic festival known as Beltane. Visitors to the Ranch traveled by train to nearby "Beltane Station" during this period.
After Mary Ellen Pleasant passed away in 1904, the Beltane Ranch changed owners several times. In 1936, Ralph and Effia Heins purchased the property. Members of the Heins family have continued to operate the Beltane Ranch over the years.
The park remained part of Beltane Ranch until 2004 when the Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District (Ag + Open Space) acquired this section of the larger 1,600-acre Ranch and renamed it Calabazas Creek Open Space Preserve.
In 2021, Ag + Open Space transferred the land to Sonoma County Regional Parks, to one day become a public regional park and open space preserve. Ag + Open Space developed a Resource Management Plan (2016) and retained a Conservation Easement and Recreation Covenant, which guide current land management activities in the park.
Post-fire landscape
Fire and Resiliency
Over the past 100 years, the park has experienced a number of wildfires, including the 2017 Nuns Fire, one of the largest wildfires in recorded Sonoma County history. The recovery of the landscape offers a study over time of nature’s resiliency in terms of fire ecology, plant succession, habitat modification, and wildlife diversity. Updates to the Resource Management Plan as part of the Master Plan Process will include strategies for fuels and forest management.
Valuable Wildlife Habitat
The property supports important wildlife species such as peregrine falcons and Northern spotted owls. Calabazas Creek, running through the property, supports special-status and endangered species such as steelhead trout, foothill yellow-legged frog, and California giant salamander. The preserved lands, adding acreage to the Sonoma Valley Wildlife Corridor, support increased wildland protection for wildlife migration and adaption in the face of rising sea levels, warming temperatures, and environmental changes.
Sedum spathulafolium