Lake Sonoma West/North West Sonoma County Watershed Plan

In 2025-2027, Ag Innovations is developing a collaborative initiative to enhance watershed management in northern Sonoma County. Funded by the Bureau of Reclamation, this project brings together local Tribes, landowners, businesses, and public agencies to address a range of issues, not limited to but including water quality and supply, road erosion, forest health, wildfire resilience, and ecosystem health. Ag Innovations is closely collaborating with the North Sonoma County Fire Protection District, the Conservation Biology Institute, and WRA Inc. to ensure the watershed plan reflects local priorities and utilizes the best available data.

The goal is to create a locally driven plan that can be used to bring unified action and funding to the region while also coordinating with and building upon other plans.

Lake Sonoma West/Northwest Sonoma County Watershed Group Member Portal

Click here to sign up for the May 15 community event in Annapolis!

2018 Kickoff Firesmart Lake Sonoma with Jay Jasperse, Sonoma Water and Genevieve Taylor, Ag Innovations

The project area extends from just east of Lake Sonoma to approximately Miller Ridge near the Sonoma Coast (see map below). This area features rural, historically underserved communities and watersheds affected by wildfires. The group’s planning efforts will primarily focus on addressing the impacts of wildfire and reducing the risk of future fires by addressing overstocked forestlands, meadow encroachment, degraded riparian corridors, and invasive vegetation.

This region includes two watersheds: part of the Gualala River Watershed, and the Lake Sonoma watershed extending to the border of Sonoma County.Ag Innovations will approach the two watersheds included in the project area differently.

Lake Sonoma Watershed Approach

Initial concerns in the Lake Sonoma watershed include overstocked forest lands, meadow encroachment, degraded riparian corridors, and invasive species.

In Spring 2025, Ag Innovations helped form a Watershed Group made up of landowners, residents, representatives of the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians and the Dry Creek Rancheria of Pomo Indians, businesses, and public agencies. The group developed a shared watershed vision to guide planning and identified degraded riparian corridors (creek and river banks), wildfire hazards, and forest ecosystem health as top priorities. Through 2027, the Watershed Group will continue to set priorities, develop solutions, and generate project ideas.

Watershed Vision: “Our vision is a thriving watershed where people care for the land, water, and one another, as the land cares for them, through adaptive stewardship that benefits both ecosystems and the communities that live here.”

A Technical Advisory Group – which includes representatives from the Northern Sonoma County Fire Protection District, Conservation Biology Institute, Kashia Band of Pomo Indians, Sonoma Water, Sonoma RCD, and WRA, Inc. – supports the Watershed Group to ensure the watershed plan is grounded in the best available science and data.

Gualala River Watershed Approach

In the Gualala River Watershed, a watershed plan was drafted in 2024 by the Sonoma Resource Conservation District and the Gualala River Watershed Coalition. This plan includes a thorough characterization of the watershed basin and an “Action Plan” listing recommended projects for implementation. The Coalition developed a framework for project selection and development in addition to specific projects. Concerns for the Gualala Watershed include erosion and flooding from atmospheric rivers, prolonged drought, saltwater intrusion, flood risks, and the increasing need for wildfire protection.

Ag Innovations will prioritize outreach to Tribal communities and landowners to strengthen the Gualala River Watershed Management Plan (GRWMP) and support further project development. In spring 2026, Ag Innovations is bringing together residents and landowners from both the Lake Sonoma and the Gualala River watershed areas to coordinate efforts across the region.

This project is funded by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART
Program, with additional support from the PG&E Corporation Foundation.
A big thank you to the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors,
James Gore and Lynda Hopkins, for supporting early outreach and Watershed Group convenings.