Fairfield Osborn Preserve - History

History

Archeological surface surveys indicate that the site was used as a seasonal hunting and gathering ground by Pomo, Miwok, and Wappo people, who traveled extensively to forage and barter. The earliest historical records show the property was within a Spanish Land Grant in the 1860s. During the latter part of the 19th century, agricultural uses intensified, especially in the form of grazing, although the extent of ecological damage was not as severe as the lower grazed slopes of Sonoma Mountain. By the 1890s the land was a working sheep and cattle ranch held by the Duerson family. In the 1950s, the land was purchased by William Matson Roth for use as a summer family retreat. William and his wife Joan transferred the land to The Nature Conservancy in 1972, with the resulting preserve being named for Joan's father, conservationist and author Henry Fairfield Osborn, Jr. In 1977, The Nature Conservancy leased the preserve to Sonoma State University (SSU), which conducts environmental education field trips for as many as 4,000 school children a year.

In 1997, ownership was transferred to SSU, which continues to use it for research and environmental education. In 2004, 190 adjacent acres (76 ha) were added to the preserve by gift of William and Joan Roth. Both parcels are managed under conservation easements from The Nature Conservancy and the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District. In 2009 SSU established a unit within the School of Science and Technology named Field Stations and Nature Preserves, which manages both the Fairfield Osborn and the Galbreath Wildlands Preserves. The director is Dr. Claudia Luke . Program coordinator for the preserves is Suzanne DeCoursey.