RECENT CONSERVANCY ACTIONS Grand Future for Crissy Field in San Francisco Presidio Carmel River Mouth Improvements Marin Wetland Restored Upper Newport Bay Protection Yeah, You Did It! More Legal Protection for Trail Providers Mapping Malibu Creek Pollution Sources Nonprofit GrantsRound Two More Grant Money Books Grand Future for Crissy Field in San Francisco Presidio A $16 million plan to create a unique park on San Francisco's northern waterfront moved forward when the Coastal Conservancy committed $495,000 toward restoring dunes and a tidal marsh at Crissy Field. The Conservancy's funds, approved December 5, will go toward recreating some of the natural landscape on the 100-acre site, which extends from the southern base of the Golden Gate Bridge east to the Marina Green, and is highly popular. This stretch of shoreline along the Golden Gate was a dunescape edged by a tidal marsh until it was filled to build a race track for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. Soon after, 28 acres of the site were converted to a grassy airstrip, the Army's first coastal defense airfield on the Pacific shore. Its name honors Major Dana Crissy, who was killed after taking off from this runway during a 1919 transcontinental air race. The field was decommissioned in 1936 and is now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, along with the rest of the San Francisco Presidio. However, today one-third of the 100-acre site remains fenced off and disused. The sandy beach, backed by remnants of the original dunes, is a magnet for San Franciscans and visitors, and the offshore waters provide world-class conditions for boardsailing (windsurfing). Between the beach and the fenced-off area runs the 1.25-mile Golden Gate Promenade, linking the Marina Green with historic Fort Point, under the Golden Gate Bridge. A walk along the Promenade, or along the beach, is a breezy and exhilarating experience. It offers views of Angel Island and the Marin headlands, and a sense of refreshing wildness within the city. The plan will improve public access and restore natural resources at Crissy Field. The beach will be extended as rubble is removed from the shore. The Promenade will be improved. The original configuration of the landing strip will be restored and the old 28-acre field will become a meadow where people can fly kites, sit in the sun, and play with their children and dogs (off leash, if well-behaved). Acres of asphalt will be replaced with a 20-acre marsh, and dunes will be planted with native grasses. A boardwalk will enable people to walk or wheel across the marsh and dunes, and will provide educational opportunities for schoolchildren. The Golden Gate National Parks Association has committed itself to raising $13 million from private sources to fund the bulk of the restoration plan. The City and County of San Francisco has committed $2.5 to $3 million for the marsh restoration, as mitigation for filling degraded wetlands at San Francisco International Airport. The wetland and dune restoration is scheduled to begin in spring 1998. The Conservancy's funding for this project had broad support, which included Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, State Senator John Burton, the San Francisco chapter of the Sierra Club, and the California Waterfowl Association. Carmel River Mouth Improvements Up to $200,000 in Coastal Conservancy funding will go to the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District for a project that will restore and enhance wetlands at the mouth of the Carmel River, provide public access, and manage floodwaters on about 200 acres west of Highway One. Habitat for imperiled steelhead will be expanded and improved. South of the river and directly west of Highway One is a 155-acre field owned by the State Parks Department and leased for artichoke growing. It will be restored as wildlife habitat. The Coastal Conservancy's funds will go toward preparing final specific plans for the restoration of a riparian forest on 110 acres of the field, dredging of the lagoon near the river's mouth, evaluation of flood management alternatives, and trail construction. Currently, Caltrans is removing a levee on the south bank of the river and restoring riparian wetlands on the remaining 40 acres of the field. This restoration will improve conditions for steelhead in the lagoon, and for the many species of visiting birds, while alleviating flood problems on nearby developed land. Current flood control operations in the Carmel River require breaching of the sand bar at the rivers mouth to release water to the ocean. This action can harm juvenile steelhead that reside in the lagoon. To reduce the frequency of breaching, floodwaters will be allowed to overflow the restored wetlands. The Carmel River lagoon and marsh attract a wide variety of birds (and birders). Many sightings of birds outside their usual range have been reported here. The completion of this restoration project should attract even more avian life. New trails and a footbridge will make the area more accessible, and will link Coastal Trail segments north and south of the Carmel River. The Coastal Conservancy has long been involved in the planning effort for the lower Carmel River. Marin Wetland Restored The Marin Audubon Society has completed a 2.5-acre wetland restoration project on the north fork of Gallinas Creek in San Rafael, Marin County, on state-owned land. Funds from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the federal EPA were provided to the Society by the Coastal Conservancy. The project restored tidal wetlands, tidal channels, brackish seasonal wetlands, two wildlife islands, and upland habitat. Upper Newport Bay Protection The health of southern California's largest functioning saltmarsh ecosystem, in upper Newport Bay, is being undermined by excessive sediment flowing down San Diego Creek, which flows through Tustin and Irvine. Sediment buildup in the bay has destroyed underwater habitat and turned mudflats into vegetated marsh, vegetated marsh into uplands. Tidal circulation has been reduced and algae blooms have spread in some areas, nourished by fertilizers in the runoff water flowing into the creek. In some areas of the 3.5-mile-long upper bay, water has turned pea green, and its surface is covered with floating green mats. The Coastal Conservancy has allocated $140,000 to Orange County to alleviate this problem, and to improve water quality and fish habitat. The funds will add to over $500,000 already contributed by Orange County and the City of Newport Beach for work preparatory to constructing a new sediment-collecting basin in the bay. Construction of this basin will cost an estimated $5 million. Funds are expected from the state and/or private sources. A $10 million endowment has been proposed, to provide for periodic dredging of the basin. The Department of Fish and Game manages 752 acres of the 1,000-acre bay as an ecological reserve. Yeah, You Did It! Thanks to an eleventh-hour surge of orders, the California Coastal Commission has met its deadline to secure the Whale Tail coastal protection automobile license plate. For the plate to be produced, 5,000 orders were required by the last day of 1996. As late as December 24, that goal seemed almost out of reach: only 2,200 orders had been received in the 14 months since the campaign to sell the plates began. In the final days before the statutory deadline, supporters rallied to the cause, pouring in 2,800 more orders. Regular Commission business stopped as planners and managers took turns answering phones. Just before 5 p.m. on New Years Eve, the plate was won. Since then, many more drivers have decided to go coastal. By mid-January the total number of orders was close to 6,000. The price is $50 for the first year, $40 when renewing. Personalized coastal plates are available for $90 for the first year, $65 when renewing. A portion of the first year cost and all of the renewal fee is tax-deductible. Sales will support a variety of coastal education and conservation programs. To order a whale tail plate now, call 1-800-COAST-4U (282-7848). Before long, the Department of Motor Vehicles will be ready to take the orders. More Legal Protection for Trail Providers Efforts to open public accessways to the shore have often been blocked, or slowed down, by worries about lawsuits. Public agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private landowners have for years been expressing concerns about the possibility that someone using a trail might be injured and sue the owner or operator. Despite the existence of statutes that protect from liability those who provide access for recreational use, these worries have persisted. Now another level of protection has been added. A new law, effective January 1, 1997, permits the State Board of Control to pay claims of reasonable attorneys fees by owners of real property and public entities who prevail in court over someone who claims injury on a recreational trail. The maximum allowed per claim is $25,000, and the total annual maximum that can be paid out is $100,000. (See Civil Code, Sec. 846.1.) This legislation was introduced last year as AB2291 by Assemblyman Wally Knox of Los Angeles County after the California Coastal Commission directed its staff to work with the legislature on the problem. We hope that this additional protection will encourage more agencies, groups, and landowners to step forward and help to open more access to the coast. ->-Linda Locklin, access program manager, California Coastal Commission Mapping Malibu Creek Pollution Sources With a grant of $118,000 from the Coastal Conservancy, a two-year program is being developed by Heal the Bay, a nonprofit organization, to train volunteers to identify and map pollution sources in the Malibu Creek watershed. The information collected will be provided to landowners and cities in the watershed and to government agencies, so that new ways can be developed to keep polluted water from causing health hazards in Malibu Lagoon, which is next to Surfrider State Beach. (See pp. 22 to 26 for more on Malibu Creek.) Nonprofit Grants--Round Two The coastal conservancy awarded grants ranging from $500 to $10,000 to 20 nonprofit organizations last August. Projects ranged from organizing watershed restoration efforts in Humboldt County, to helping fourth- graders restore a creek that flows into San Francisco Bay, to doing preliminary work toward land acquisitions in San Diego County. Land trusts and other nonprofit land conservation organizations interested in applying for the second round of nonprofit grants can obtain application guidelines from the Conservancy. Proposals must be submitted by March 21. A total of $130,000 will be awarded in this round. To be eligible, projects must meet two criteria. They must fall within the Conservancy's jurisdiction (the coastal zone, San Francisco Bay, or certain coastal watersheds), and they must directly protect significant natural habitat. Call Janet Diehl or Lisa Ames at (510) 286-1015 to discuss potential projects before you apply, and to receive the new guidelines. More Grant Money The Trust for Public Land will award $37,000 in grants to California land trusts and $23,400 to land trusts in Hawaii for projects that increase the ability of local land protection organizations to preserve open space. Contact Herb Grench by phone or FAX at (415) 321-7995, or leave messages at (415) 495-5660 to request applications and revised guidelines. These grants are funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Books Captain Richardson: Mariner, Ranchero, and Founder of San Francisco, by Robert Ryal Miller. La Loma Press, 1636 La Loma Avenue, Berkeley, CA, 1996. 228 pp., $30 (cloth, limited edition, available from publisher). Captain William Antonio Richardson is all but forgotten today, except that his name appears haphazardly attached to places around San Francisco Bay. Thousands of commuters cross the Richardson Bay Bridge daily; thousands more, having crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, approach San Francisco along Richardson Way. A few of them may perhaps wonder about the name. As described by Robert Ryal Miller, professor emeritus of history at California State University, Hayward, Richardson was a foremost pioneer in California development. Miller considers him to be the founder of both San Francisco and Sausalito. In 1822 he laid out the pueblo of Yerba Buena, which became San Francisco. He lived in a tent, and later a house with a fence to keep out mountain lions and bears, at what is now 827 Grant Avenue. Miller writes that Richardson also was the first to lay out the towns of Sonoma and San Diego, and the first to chart the waters of San Francisco Bay. As a ship's captain he was well-known for his excellent knowledge of coastal waters. He was the man to see if you wanted to ship a load of horses, hay, or hides from Los Angeles to Peru, or north to the presidio at what is now San Francisco. This carefully researched short book establishes Richardson's importance in California history and fills gaps in our knowledge of the pre-Gold Rush years. --Margot Patterson Doss California Wildlife Viewing Guide, 2nd Edition, by Jeanne L. Clark. Falcon Press, Helena and Billings, MT, 1996. 192 pp., $12.95 (paper). The revised and expanded second edition of this useful handbook is substantially larger and more attractive than the first edition, published in 1992. More than 50 new sites are included (a total of 200), many photographs have been added, the color and printing are greatly improved, and information has, of course, been updated. The compact California Wildlife Viewing Guide can serve as a delightful companion during any automobile or bicycle trip in the state. You can plan your trip around it, or simply take it along to consult as you go. It was produced as part of the National Watchable Wildlife Program, a partnership of government agencies and private organizations dedicated to promoting wildlife-related recreational, educational, and conservation opportunities. Each site was selected with the help of experts from many agencies and organizations. Each entry includes a site description, access information, and a listing of species to be seen, as well as viewing tips, maps, and photographs. Whether you are headed for the wilderness of the Mojave Desert or visiting the comfortable urban shores of Oakland's Lake Merritt, this book can enrich your experience, and add to your appreciation of California's natural heritage. It's well worth the price, even if you have the first edition. From each book sold, $1 goes to wildlife conservation efforts in California. --HMH The Cambria Forest, by Taylor Coffman. Coastal Heritage Press, Cambria, CA, 1995. 77 pp., $12.00 (paper). The love of a particular region, together with life-long observation and study of its native life forms, imparts a special warmth and unique character to a description of that place. Taylor Coffman focuses these qualities even more particularly upon a single species, the Monterey pine, Pinus radiata, as it occurs in the archipelagic or "island" forests around Cambria, in San Luis Obispo County. His work includes investigations in geology, climatology, and paleobotany, as well as historical accounts and personal observations, in an attempt to discover what causes the unique patterning of natural forests of these uncommon trees. Only about 11,000 acres of natural Monterey pine forest exist in the world, in five limited locations: Cambria, Monterey, and Point Año Nuevo in California, and Cedros and Guadalupe Islands, off Baja California. In this handsomely designed small volume, the text is complemented by plentiful maps, drawings, and a cover painting, all by local artists, giving the whole an exceptionally integrated feel. --Hal Hughes