Bohemia Ecological Preserve is located on the ancestral home of the Coast Miwok people, past, present, and future. We recognize them as the first people and the first stewards of this land. We are on occupied territory and acknowledge the ongoing devastation of colonization.
This 1,000 acre protected open space preserve stewarded by LandPaths in partnership with a private landowner, in the western hills of Sonoma County, is a land of old-growth forests, oak woodlands, coastal meadows, and a treasured waterfall. The land is home to several endangered and at-risk species of flora and fauna, including northern spotted owls, red tree voles, and Pennell’s bird’s beak.
How to Get Involved
Bohemia Ecological Preserve is not open to the public but you are invited to experience the land through one of the many opportunities below!
Become a Docent – Do you love the land at Bohemia Ecological Preserve or do you want to get to know the land in a more intimate way? Consider becoming a LandPaths’ docent! You’ll have the opportunity to create creative and fun outings that will open up access to the preserve to more people and you get access to the preserve on your own time!
Current Bohemia Docents: Click here to access all of your Bohemia Docent resources.
Wildlife Corridor Project – The main goal of this program is to create a baseline of fauna present in the preserve, monitor how these populations are changing over time and where and when different species of animals are using the preserve. To get involved, fill out a Participation Survey and make sure to check the box for Wildlife Camera Program. For questions about the program, contact Senior Stewardship Specialist Benjamin Bravo at [email protected]. Check out our new Wildlife Corridor Project webpage!
Come out for volunteer stewardship days on the preserves: Nature is one of our best hopes for dealing with the environmental and social crisis aggravated by climate change. We have Stewardships Days at Bohemia and other LandPaths’ preserves throughout the month, please see our calendar for dates and times and to register.
We also offer public Outings at Bohemia led by our wonderful docents! Check our Calendar to see what’s coming up.
History
The rich watersheds and abundant forests of the Dutch Bill Watershed is the homeland of the Coast Miwok, past, present, and future.
Homesteaders arrived and settled in the area in the late 1800s, including Danish seaman “Dutch Bill” Howards.Three of Bohemia’s creeks are named for him. And keep your eyes peeled for evidence of the old homesteads dating back to the 1900s, including naturalized Amaryllis belladonna flowers (naked ladies) and fruit trees.
The settlers logged the property and mined for chromium through the 1940s. They left behind trash and other relics of the time that we are still cleaning up to this day.
When Bohemia went up for sale in the 1990s, the call to protect and conserve the land began to rise up. In 2012, a deal was struck between private landowners, LandPaths, and the Sonoma Land Trust. Just over 300 acres went to conservation-minded private owners, while the remaining 554 acres were donated to LandPaths. We work in partnership with the family, in common purpose, to steward the land and host environmental education programs and summer camps that are wildly popular and impactful for local youth from all walks of life. It’s a wonderful model of public/private partnership and an example of the benefits of creative, expansive thinking when it comes to land ownership and management.
