Sonoma County supervisors Tuesday are set to approve a $4 million contribution toward the purchase of Preservation Ranch, the 19,652-acre property that sprawls across the county’s northwest corner.

Clearing the way for a landmark Sonoma County conservation deal, the state Coastal Conservancy board Thursday approved a $10 million contribution toward the purchase of Preservation Ranch, a 19,652-acre property that sprawls across the county’s northwest corner.

Efforts to give the public access to a stunning hillside parcel that rises from Sonoma’s downtown got a big boost Tuesday. The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the transfer of the 98-acre Montini property to the city of Sonoma.

A heated dispute Monday over whether dogs should be allowed on property that forms Sonoma’s backdrop nearly derailed the City Council from formally authorizing acquisition of the site.

A national conservation group has reached an agreement to buy nearly 20,000 acres of timberland in northwestern Sonoma County, a move that derails the long-disputed, forest-to-vineyards conversion project pushed by CalPERS, the giant state workers pension fund.

Sonoma County supervisors said Tuesday they hope to strike a ‘balanced approach’ between power line safety and environmental protection under PG&E’s major transmission line through the county.

The top of Fitch Mountain, the landmark that helps define Healdsburg, is one step closer to becoming a public park.

Under stormy skies, a long-awaited trail along the eastern side of Laguna de Santa Rosa got its public debut Friday. Several dozen park supporters and local government officials huddled against intermittent sprinkles and unveiled the new 2.4-mile network at its southern trailhead off Highway 12 just east of Sebastopol.

Jenner Headlands, 5,600 acres set aside in 2009 in the largest conservation purchase in Sonoma County history, could have been developed into ranchettes, but $36 million in public and private funds prevented that. Now, managers are shaping the property’s future, trying to balance public access and the protection of natural resources.

Former Sonoma County Supervisor Paul Kelley will be paid $24,000 over the next eight months to provide consulting advice about agriculture for the county’s Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, which of late has come under criticism from farmers.