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The Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District closed escrow on the Tolay Lake Ranch property near Petaluma Thursday.

The purchase of this family holding will preserve a significant open space landscape along Tolay Creek and allow for the development of a long-awaited Regional Park in the southern part of the County. The transaction will immediately allow Sonoma County Regional Parks to begin park planning. This offers the county an opportunity to restore and enhance the historic Tolay Lake for wetlands and waterfowl and to plan a park that will both encompass and balance habitat enhancement and restoration, cultural resource conservation, open space protection and environmental study and education.

Several funding partners shared the $18 million purchase price. The district contributed $11.17 million, its largest conservation purchase to date. Other contributing partners were State Coastal Conservancy, Wildlife Conservation Board, the Department of Fish and Game, County Regional Parks and several private donors. Numerous individuals helped push the private fundraising campaign by the Regional Parks Foundation to over $550,000, an unprecedented effort in private fundraising for a park in Sonoma County. This included a $125,000 donation from the David B. Gold Foundation and a $100,000 donation from Petaluma's Basin Street properties.

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