Our Natural Heritage

Fairfield Osborn Preserve

Named in honor of the pioneer ecologist Fairfield Osborn, the Preserve was donated to The Nature Conservancy by the Roth family in 1972. Owned and managed by SSU since 1998, Fairfield Osborn Preserve is dedicated to protecting and restoring natural communities and fostering ecological understanding through education and research. The preserve offers SSU students the opportunity to deepen their educational experience to include field research and community-based environmental service learning.

Located on the western slope of the interior Coast Range mountains, the preserve harbors a great diversity of natural communities on its 221 acres -- oak woodland, freshwater marsh, upland vernal pool, riparian woodland, chaparral, evergreen forest, native grassland, and pond. This combination of aquatic and terrestrial habitats makes the preserve an important refuge for wildlife, including raptors and Neo-tropical migratory birds, rare and endangered amphibians, and uncommon reptiles and mammals. The preserve offers public tours and a series of field workshops led by local experts on the biology and geology of the region. For more information, go to the Fairfield Osborn Preserve webpage.

Galbreath Wildlands Preserve

Sonoma State University's Fred B. Galbreath Wildlands Preserve is nestled in the Coast Range of northern California and is 3,670 acres in size. 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.

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. For more information, go to the Galbreath Wildlands Preserve webpage.