Background
Sonoma State University's Galbreath Wildlands Preserve (GWP) is nestled in the Coast Range of northern California and is 3,670 acres in size (1486 hectares). Located approximately 17 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean in southern Mendocino County, this topographically diverse landscape ranges from 900 to 2,200 feet in elevation and offers a wealth of habitat types, including coniferous forests (Douglas-fir and redwood), mixed hardwood-conifer forests (Douglas-fir, tanoak, madrone), oak woodlands (mostly black and Oregon white oaks), annual grasslands and riparian corridors. The Rancheria Creek flows north through the preserve, along with numerous seasonal tributaries, and drains into the Navarro River.
This spectacular land was donated to Sonoma State University in October 2004 to honor the memory of Fred Burckhalter Galbreath (1901-2000). Galbreath purchased this property in 1944 and loved to explore it on foot and horseback. He enjoyed hunting wild boar and black-tailed deer, raised Merino sheep, and sold wool produced on the land to Pendleton Mills. Professionally, Galbreath made his mark in the marine insurance business in San Francisco and spent decades working with some of the biggest names in the industry. When he retired in 1998, San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown declared a day in his honor. Galbreath died in April 2000 at the age of 98 and is survived by his two daughters, Nancy and Sue, and their families.
Galbreath wanted to protect the land in perpetuity and have it be used to support higher education. Thus, to honor the vision and life of Fred Galbreath, the mission of the preserve named in this memory is to promote environmental education and research, as well as the effective stewardship this diverse landscape.