The rolling hills and
grasslands of this 10,000-acre gem in Solano County are home to an
amazing array of wild and native plants, animals and birds. Located
in the triangle formed by Interstate 80, Interstate 680, and Lake
Herman Road, the area also functions as an important buffer between
the neighboring cities of Benicia, Fairfield and Vallejo. The cities
and Solano County have worked in concert with Solano Land Trust to
find ways to preserve and protect this open space by cooperation
among the jurisdictions, cooperation with landowners and, where
appropriate, land acquisition.
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Solano Open Space is
home to coyotes, black-tailed deer, raccoons, bobcats, hawks,
kestrels, falcons, western kingbirds, swallows, and grassland
sparrows. Cattle graze in the valleys and meadows while hawks
soar above the oak woodlands.
The area is also vital for the preservation of a number of
threatened and endangered species including:
 golden eagle
Cooper's hawk
Swainson's hawk
burrowing owl
short-eared owl
red-legged frog
Valley elderberry
longhorn beetle
Callippe silverspot
butterfly
dwarf soaproot
Tiburon buckwheat
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Click
HERE to take a look at some Solano
Open Space photos. |
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History of the Tri-City
& County Cooperative Planning Group
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In an effort to
effectively plan for the 10,000 acres of open space land between
their three communities, the Cities of Benicia, Fairfield, and
Vallejo and the County of Solano entered into a Joint Powers
Agreement (JPA) in May 1992. Their shared goal was to plan for,
manage, and maintain the land for open space preservation,
conservation and enhancement uses, agricultural production, and
regional parkland recreation.
The JPA created the Tri-City and County Cooperative Planning Group
to be responsible for preparing, adopting, funding, and implementing
a regional park and open space preservation plan. The JPA Governing
Board is comprised of one elected official from each of the four
member agencies.
The Governing Board appointed a Citizens Advisory Committee and
contracted with (The) Planning Collaborative, Inc, to
facilitate the planning process. In 1994, with
recommendations from the Citizens Advisory Committee and input from
landowners and stakeholders, the JPA adopted the “Cooperative Plan
for Agriculture and Open Space Preservation.”
The JPA Governing Board with the Citizens Advisory Committee has
continued to work with landowners, the Greater Vallejo Recreation
District and the Solano Land Trust in implementing the plan. To
date, the Solano Land Trust has acquired about 5,000
acres within the Solano Open Space area (Tri-City and County Cooperative
Planning Area) for agriculture, conservation and recreational use.
In 2010, the Planning Group launched an outreach effort to promote
interest in this open space area. One of the first actions was to
change the "Tri-City and County Cooperative Planning Area" name to a
more straightforward "Solano Open Space." Additionally, the group
made presentations to each government board involved, published an
educational brochure, and launched this website. We continue to
advance the preservation and enjoyment of open space within Solano
County through a newsletter and information booths set up at area
events.
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