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South Coast
Central Coast
SF Bay Area
North Coast
In 2004 the State Coastal Conservancy
provided new support for over 125 projects throughout
California’s coast and around San Francisco Bay,
continuing its 28-years of protecting natural lands,
supporting coastal economies, and helping people enjoy
the coast. The Conservancy worked with local communities
on the purchase of over 30,000 acres of land for public
recreation and protection of wildlife habitat, scenic
natural lands, and farmland. The Conservancy helped
to protect an additional 83,000 acres
of farmland and forested properties through purchase
of conservation easements, allowing continued economic
use of the land by private owners. All acquisitions
were from willing sellers.
The $135 million
provided by the Conservancy in 2004 was leveraged by
almost $215 million of non-State funding
from the federal, local government, and private sectors.
The great majority of the Conservancy’s funding
came from resources bond acts approved by the State’s
voters in 2000 and 2002, so it had no direct effect
on the State’s budget deficit.
To do its work, the Conservancy has
long relied on partnerships with local governments
and over 100 nonprofit organizations
situated throughout the coast. This integrated network
ensures that local voices inform the Conservancy about
needs and opportunities in all parts of the coast and
around San Francisco Bay.
Along the length of the coast the Conservancy
- made good progress on its goal to see the California
Coastal Trail run unbroken along the entire coastline.
Along with several additions and improvements to the
trail was the Conservancy’s successful negotiation
for a new 18-mile length of the trail on the Hearst
Ranch in San Luis Obispo County. About half of the planned
1,200-mile trail is now open to the public.
- provided over $20 million to establish the
State’s Coastal Ocean Currents Monitoring Program,
a partnership of academic and government institutions
working with the private sector. The program will help
combat the pollution of coastal waters, aid in search
and rescue operations, improve responses to storms and
natural hazards, and increase the precision of weather
forecasts.
- provided over $1.7 million to help salmon and
steelhead reach spawning grounds by removing barriers
to fish migration in several coastal and Bay Area counties.
This year’s removals coincide with the release—in
print and on-line—of the Conservancy’s comprehensive
inventory of thousands of migration barriers on coastal
streams.
Selected Projects,
2004: South Coast
- Along the length of the South Coast the Conservancy
- continued its management and financial support
of the Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project,
a partnership of state and federal agencies working
with scientists, local governments, conservation organizations,
businesses, and educators. The Project is restoring
a mosaic of healthy, rivers, streams, and marshes.
- In San Diego County the Conservancy
- provided almost $12 million for the acquisition
and protection of over 4,500 acres of recreational and
natural lands in the watershed of the San Diego River,
including additions to San Diego River Park. The Conservancy
also continued providing administrative support and
funding for the newly established San Diego River Conservancy.
- contributed $1.5 million to the San Dieguito
River Park Joint Powers Authority’s purchase of
the 73-acre Boudreau property at San Dieguito Lagoon.
The purchase allowed expansion of the San Dieguito River’s
natural tidelands and protected a critical link between
coastal and inland habitats. The Conservancy also supported
improvements to the native environments of San Elijo
and Los Peñasquitos lagoons.
- In Orange County the Conservancy
- contributed $10 million to the State’s
restoration of the 1,200-acre Bolsa Chica wetlands in
Huntington Beach. The restoration will greatly benefit
a wide variety of fish and wildlife and will include
construction of a new ocean channel, island refuges
for birds, and pedestrian bridges. Construction is expected
to take three years. The Conservancy also contributed
$300,000 to planning for the restoration of an additional
180 acres of wetlands and dunes on the Huntington Beach
shoreline.
- granted $900,000 to help the City of Laguna
Beach purchase a 70-acre addition to Laguna Coast Wilderness
Park. The acquisition protected spectacular scenic land
and wildlife habitat and will make it much easier for
visitors to enter the park.
- contributed $500,000 to the City of Newport
Beach’s plans to restore Big Canyon Creek, which
flows into Upper Newport Bay. The creek’s severely
degraded condition is affecting the bay’s environmental
health and recreational uses.
- In Los Angeles County the Conservancy
- provided $750,000 to plan the restoration of
more than 600 acres of the Ballona Wetlands, the largest
coastal wetlands restoration ever undertaken in the
county. The Conservancy and the Department of Fish and
Game are leading the planning effort for this long-contested
property purchased by the State in 2003, in part with
Conservancy funds.
- provided the county with $400,000 to design
new wetlands along the Los Angeles River, and made $1.9
million available for the planning of Cornfield and
Taylor Yard State Parks at the geographical heart of
the Los Angeles River Greenway. This funding continued
the Conservancy’s long-term participation in the
effort to revitalize the river and create a recreational
and natural greenway running from the mountains to the
sea.
- provided $700,000 for county improvements to
Dan Blocker Beach in Malibu, including a new parking
area, a beach stairway, picnic tables, and a restroom.
The work will open a new portion of the beach and greatly
improve ocean views from PCH. The Conservancy also funded
designs for other new public accessways to Malibu beaches.
- provided over $2.5 million for environmental
restoration and water quality improvements within and
around Santa Monica Bay. Local governments and private
organizations are using the funding to keep trash and
other pollution from entering the bay, improve the water
quality of Malibu Lagoon, restore habitat for steelhead
trout in Malibu Creek, replace exotic vegetation with
native plants along San Nicholas Canyon Creek, and restore
the bay’s kelp forests.
- contributed $300,000 to the City of Los Angeles’
plans for restoration of Machado Lake & Wilmington
Drain at Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park. The site provides
a significant opportunity to turn severely degraded
wetlands into valuable wildlife habitat.
- In Ventura County the Conservancy
- funded the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy’s
$450,000 purchase of the 14-acre Confluence property
on the Ventura River. The acquisition is a key element
of a broader plan to preserve and protect habitat for
fish and wildlife and to expand recreational opportunities
along the river’s mid-section.
- made $550,000 available to evaluate opportunities
and constraints in the ongoing development of the Santa
Clara River Parkway. As it grows, the parkway is protecting
natural lands, assisting with floodwater management,
and providing recreational opportunities.
- provided $200,000 to the Ventura Hillsides
Conservancy to develop a plan for the purchase and management
of land in the Ventura Hillsides on the northern boundary
of the City of Ventura. This undeveloped, highly scenic
area contains valuable wildlife habitat and offers excellent
opportunities for recreation.
Selected Projects,
2004: Central Coast
- In Santa Barbara County the Conservancy
- provided the City of Goleta with $4 million
for its purchase of the 137-acre Ellwood Mesa property.
The purchase will protect scenic wildlife habitat and
offer opportunities for recreation in the most urban
area of the Gaviota Coast.
- contributed $350,000 to the construction of
the new Sea Center on Stearns Wharf. The rebuilt marine
research and education center is expected to provide
programs for more than 15,000 K-12th grade students
every year and will be open to the general public.
- provided $250,000 for research at Goleta Slough
to determine if tidal circulation in the slough could
result in increased aviation bird-strike hazards. The
project involves several federal, State, and local government
agencies.
- In San Luis Obispo County the Conservancy
- contributed $34,500,000 for the acquisition
and protection of interests in the 82,000-acre Hearst
Ranch. The purchase will open an 18-mile stretch of
coastline to the public and protect over 80,000 acres
of farmland and natural lands east of Highway 1 while
allowing continued use of most of the ranch for farming
and ranching.
- agreed to provide $2 million to the American
Land Conservancy for its planned purchase of the Piedras
Blancas Resort, a 20-acre coastal property in the middle
of the newly acquired State Parks land that had been
part of the Hearst Ranch. ALC hopes to match the Conservancy’s
funds with private donations and to purchase the property
in 2005.
- provided the city of Morro Bay with $500,000
to build a one-mile pedestrian and wheelchair-accessible
boardwalk along the Morro Bay waterfront from the city’s
commercial district and fishing harbor to Morro Rock.
The Conservancy also funded the design of a trail between
the City of Morro Bay and Cayucos, and provided $180,000
for the county’s purchase of an ice machine to
serve commercial fishermen at the harbor.
- provided $400,000 to assist the City of San
Luis Obispo in its purchase of 270 acres of the Ahearn
Ranch along the headwaters of San Luis Obispo Creek
and Highway 101. The acquisition protects a variety
of wildlife habitats and offers opportunities for public
recreation.
- contributed $500,000 to the Port San Luis Harbor
District’s Harford Landing Coastal Trail Gateway
project. The project will expand services for commercial
fishermen while enhancing the public’s enjoyment
of San Luis Bay and use of the adjacent portion of the
California Coastal Trail.
- In Monterey County the Conservancy
- contributed $1 million toward the Monterey County
Agricultural and Historical Land Conservancy’s
purchase of a conservation easement over the Dolan Ranch
on Moro Cojo Slough near Castroville. The easement will
protect wildlife habitat and provide for restoration
of wetlands along the slough while allowing the ranch
to continue operation as a working farm.
- provided $525,000 for creation of tidal wetlands
and improvement of water quality in the Azevedo Marshes
on the east side of Elkhorn Slough. The work is part
of an effort to restore the natural environment of the
slough in ways that are compatible with the area’s
agricultural operations.
- In Santa Cruz County the Conservancy
- contributed $1,160,000 toward the State’s
purchase of the 289-acre Buena Vista property in the
Watsonville Slough watershed. The property is home to
several rare and endangered animals and plants.
- On the Coastside of San Mateo County the Conservancy
- provided the City of Pacifica with $545,000
to construct step pools on San Pedro Creek to help migrating
steelhead reach spawning grounds. The city will also
use the funds to improve habitat along 2,000 feet of
the creek’s banks.
- provided the Peninsula Open Space Trust with
$1 million for its purchase of 119 acres on Pillar Point
Bluff just west of the Half Moon Bay Airport. The purchase
protects sensitive wildlife habitat and will allow an
extension of the California Coastal Trail.
- contributed $160,000 to restore habitat on
Año Nuevo Island for one of California’s
three principal colonies of rhinoceros auklet.
Selected Projects,
2004: SF Bay Area
- Around and within San Francisco Bay the Conservancy
- made $3.8 million available to extend and improve
the San Francisco Bay Trail, and approved Bay Trail
projects in Berkeley, El Cerrito, and Tiburon. Since
1999 the Conservancy has provided almost $14 million
for the Bay Trail and approved 59 Bay Trail projects
in all nine Bay Area counties. About 240 miles—well
over half—of the planned trail is in place.
- contributed over $500,000 for construction
of the Bay Area Ridge Trail in Santa Clara, Alameda,
and Napa counties, plus $1.2 million for planning the
trail’s development. The Conservancy has funded
72 miles of additions to the trail, which now runs for
over 250 miles and will one day encircle the ridgelines
around San Francisco Bay.
- provided $300,000 for a plan to address restoration
and protection of Bay Area watersheds and wetlands.
The Conservancy provided an additional $170,000 for
the ongoing effort to stem the spread of invasive cordgrass,
Spartina, and helped fund a survey of invasive organisms
in the bay.
- In San Francisco the Conservancy
- provided $300,000 for preparation of a master
plan for Hunters Point Shoreline Park at the former
naval shipyard. The local community is actively involved
in the design of the future park, which will offer sorely
needed recreational opportunities for the area.
- Along the Bayside of San Mateo County the Conservancy
- provided $62,000 for the City of Brisbane’s
purchase of two properties on the scenic upper slopes
of San Bruno Mountain. The properties are home to endangered
butterflies and are now part of a 23-acre natural area
being restored by the city and its partners.
- In the South Bay the Conservancy
- made $5.2 million available for restoration
of the 15,000-acre South Bay Salt Ponds, purchased by
the State and federal governments in early 2003. The
Conservancy is leading the planning effort for the restoration,
the largest of its kind on the West Coast. Teams of
scientists and engineers assembled by the Conservancy
and its public and private partners are advising the
many government agencies responsible for the project.
- In Santa Clara County the Conservancy
- provided the county with $500,000 for construction
of a marsh boardwalk and picnic areas at Alviso Marina
County Park. The park is one of few places in the South
Bay where the public can reach the shoreline.
- In Alameda County the Conservancy
- awarded $250,000 to help the East Bay Regional
Park District improve Tidewater Park in Oakland’s
Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline. The improvements
are part of a long-term effort by the district and its
partners to revitalize the Oakland waterfront.
- In Contra Costa County the Conservancy
- contributed $2.2-million to the East Bay Regional
Park District’s purchase of the 673-acre Gleason
Ranch for addition to Las Trampas Regional Reserve.
The purchase protected valuable wildlife habitat and
a highly scenic ridgeline while expanding hiking and
biking opportunities in the reserve.
- provided $165,000 for a public outreach and
education program for stewardship of the Marsh Creek
watershed between Mount Diablo and the Delta and for
plans to remove a stream barrier in Brentwood that will
open seven miles of the creek to Chinook salmon.
- contributed $40,000 to an effort to educate
and involve Martinez students in the restoration of
the Alhambra Creek watershed.
- continued its work with the City of Oakley,
other State agencies, and the general public on plans
for restoring natural lands and creating a 55-acre park
on the 1,200-acre Dutch Slough property purchased by
the State in 2003. Improvements to the site will greatly
benefit fish and wildlife while creating much-needed
recreational opportunities on the shore of the Sacramento/San
Joaquin Delta.
- In Solano County the Conservancy
- provided the Solano Land Trust with $775,000
to purchase over 2,300 acres of the Eastern and Vallejo
Swett Ranches, completing a long-term effort to preserve
over 3,800 acres bounded by Vallejo, Fairfield, and
Benicia. The highly scenic property contains valuable
wildlife habitat and offers significant recreational
opportunities, including major additions to the Bay
Area Ridge Trail.
- contributed $300,000 to the State’s purchase
of the 668-acre Meins Landing property in Suisun Marsh.
The property offers excellent opportunities to restore
wetlands and other wildlife habitat.
- In Napa County the Conservancy
- provided $280,000 to support the efforts of
landowners to restore fish habitat and reduce erosion
along a 4½-mile length of the Napa River near
Rutherford. The Conservancy also contributed $160,000
for the State’s purchase of 242 acres along the
river south of the Highway 29 bridge, protecting this
scenic entrance to the Napa Valley and offering a tremendous
opportunity for marsh restoration.
- provided $150,000 to the University of California
Natural Reserve System for addition of 75 acres to the
McLaughlin Reserve north of Lake Berryessa. The purchase
allowed UC to consolidate reserve properties in the
area used for teaching and research programs related
to natural lands management.
- contributed $1.5 million toward the State’s
purchase of the 12,575-acre Lauffs Ranch (also known
as the Napa Ranch) on the Yolo County line north of
Lake Berryessa, following a ten-year effort by conservation
organizations. The purchase will protect a variety of
wildlife habitats and offers opportunities for public
recreation.
- In Bayside and Inland Sonoma County the Conservancy
- contributed $1.2 million toward the purchase
and management of 960 acres on Bear Mountain, northeast
of Santa Rosa, by the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation
and Open Space District. The purchase protects valuable
fish and wildlife habitat and scenic natural lands and
provides an excellent opportunity for public recreation.
- awarded almost $200,000 to support the county’s
extension of the Joe Rodota/West County Trail into downtown
Santa Rosa. The trail connects to the Bay Area Ridge
Trail and other regional trail systems.
- provided $1.25 million for the Open Space District’s
purchase of the Montini property on the City of Sonoma’s
northern border, preventing the property’s development.
An oak-covered hillside on the property serves as a
scenic backdrop to the city’s downtown plaza and
the entire 152-acre property offers significant recreational
opportunities.
- provided $525,000 to the Sonoma Land Trust
for its purchase of the 1,679-acre North Point Joint
Venture property on San Pablo Bay. The purchase will
protect and allow restoration of wetlands habitats that
are home to a wide variety of wildlife and offers an
opportunity to construct a significant addition to the
San Francisco Bay Trail.
- In Bayside and Inland Marin County the Conservancy
- provided the Marin Audubon Society with $1.6-million
to restore 102 acres of former marshland along the Petaluma
River. The long-planned restoration will expand nursery
habitat for fish and feeding and nesting habitat for
many resident and migratory birds. The marsh is home
to at least three endangered species of wildlife.
- made $1.5 million available for its ongoing
restoration of the Hamilton Wetlands, acquired by the
Conservancy in 2003, at the former Hamilton Army Airfield
in Novato. The wetlands adjoin the Conservancy’s
Bel Marin Keys property, and the combined restoration
of the properties will result in over 2,500 acres of
high-quality tidal marsh and seasonal wetlands habitat.
Selected Projects,
2004: North Coast
- On the Coastside of Marin and Sonoma Counties the Conservancy
- awarded $650,000 to the Gold Ridge Resource
Conservation District to help eight Marin and Sonoma
County ranchers protect and restore streams that flow
into the Estero Americano. The ranchers are using the
funding to improve water quality, reduce erosion, and
restore wildlife habitat along stream banks.
- On the Coastside of Marin County the Conservancy
- continued its longstanding support for the
Marin Agricultural Land Trust with contributions totaling
$1,750,000 for MALT’s purchase of agricultural
conservation easements on the 714-acre Giacomini Ranch
and the 1,125-acre Pozzi Ranch on the east side of Tomales
Bay. The easements will permanently protect the ranchs’
scenic and natural resource values while allowing their
continued operation as working farms.
- provided the Marin Resource Conservation District
with $600,000 to restore the environment and reduce
erosion in the Tomales Bay watershed. The RCD will be
working closely with private landowners and the local
ranching community.
- On the Coastside of Sonoma County the Conservancy
- contributed $4.2 million toward California
State Parks’ purchase of the 3,373-acre Willow
Creek property for addition to Sonoma Coast State Beach.
The quality of the property’s forests and rivers,
along with its potential for recreational uses, made
this a high-priority acquisition for the Conservancy
for many years. The Conservancy also provided State
Parks with $260,000 to undertake the planning and site
development necessary to add the 344-acre Carrington
Ranch to the State Beach.
- provided $215,000 to the county for the second
phase of public access improvements at Steelhead Beach
River Park on the Russian River near Forestville. After
completion of the first phase of improvements, begun
in 1998, estimated annual visits to the park have increased
from 2,500 to 95,000.
- In Mendocino County the Conservancy
- contributed $2.14 million to complete the restoration
of the Point Cabrillo Light Station south of Fort Bragg
and for management of the station and its surrounding
300-acre preserve. Since transferring the light station
to California State Parks in 2001, the Conservancy has
continued its support for restoration of the station’s
historic buildings and improvements to public access.
- provided the City of Fort Bragg with $600,000
to construct a parking lot, trails, a restroom and other
amenities for the public at Pomo Bluffs Park. The park
offers spectacular views overlooking Noyo Harbor and
the ocean and will include a half-mile extension of
the California Coastal Trail.
- continued its work with the City of Fort Bragg
on plans for restoration and reuse of the former Georgia-Pacific
mill site, which closed in 2002. The site is located
in the heart of the city and contains about one-third
of its total area and nearly all its coastal waterfront.
- awarded $109,000 to the Mendocino Land Trust
to construct a parking lot, trails, and other amenities
on Navarro Point, near the junction of Highways 1 and
128. The improvements will allow the 55-acre coastal
property, purchased with Conservancy funds in 1999,
to be opened to the public.
- provided $250,000 for a two-acre addition to
the Hearn Gulch Headlands south of Point Arena. The
addition will greatly assist public access to the neighboring
beach and headlands purchased by the Redwood Coast Land
Conservancy in 2001.
- In Humboldt County the Conservancy
- provided the City of Arcata with $750,000 for
its purchase of the 322-acre Bayview Ranch in the Jacoby
Creek/Gannon Slough Enhancement Area on Humboldt Bay.
The city and its partners will improve the property’s
habitat for fish and other wildlife, while allowing
livestock grazing to continue on a portion of the property.
- contributed $627,000 for the Northcoast Regional
Land Trust’s purchase of the 108-acre McNamara
Ranch in Orick. The purchase will protect and allow
for the improvement of wildlife habitat along lower
Redwood Creek while preserving grazing land that will
be leased to local farmers.
- In Del Norte County the Conservancy
- contributed $353,000 toward resolving development
conflicts of the Pacific Shores subdivision near Lake
Earl. The subdivision, consisting largely of dunes and
wetlands, contains over 1,500 undeveloped lots sold
in the 1960s. The Conservancy’s funding is being
used to identify and negotiate with owners for possible
purchase and retirement of the lots, and follows a $150,000
Conservancy grant awarded in 2003.
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