California Coast & Ocean

Fort Bragg Shoreline Access
In May, the Conservancy approved $4.2 million to the City of Fort Bragg for the purchase of part of the 413-acre site of the closed Georgia-Pacific sawmill. The City will use the funds to buy 35 acres of the site for parkland. Georgia-Pacific donated to the City about 38 acres, valued at $3.3 million and containing the property’s whole shoreline and most of Fort Bragg’s waterfront. Georgia-Pacific closed the mill in 2002, after more than 100 years of operation, and has since been working closely with the City, the Conservancy, regulatory agencies, and the local community on the property’s re-use. The Coastal Trail will run the length of the blufftop along a 100-foot-wide trail corridor. It will link Glass Beach, to the north, to Pomo Bluffs Park, to the south. Both of those properties were acquired with Conservancy funding and strong community support. Environmental remediation must be completed on parts of the property to be acquired by the City before the land can be opened to the public.

	California Coast & Ocean
	Coastal Conservancy News

	Between May and September the Coastal Conservancy approved a variety of public access and habitat restoration projects along the coast and on San Francisco Bay. Most of these projects were made possible by Propositions 40 and 50, the park and resources bond acts approved by voters in 2002. Restoration at Ormond Beach Another step toward an ambitious restoration goal was taken in August, when the Nature Conservancy, using $13 million provided by the Coastal Conservancy and the Wildlife Conservation Board, bought 276 acres of wetlands at Ormond Beach from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the City of Oxnard. This property adjoins 265 acres of dunes and marshes that the Coastal Conservancy has owned since 2002. The purchase moved forward a plan to restore much of the 1,000 or so acres of wetlands that once existed along this coastal stretch of Ventura County. The Coastal Conservancy has been working on this plan with the Nature Conservancy, wetlands scientists, local partners, and other public agencies, and has reserved funds for the purchase of at least 200 more acres. Restoration of 750 or more acres—about three-fourths of the wetlands that used to exist here—would be expected to result in a biological system with sufficient freshwater flows and tidal action to sustain its environmental health. If integrated with neighboring coastal wetlands, including 1,500 acres at Mugu Lagoon, Ormond Beach would be at the core of southern California’s largest coastal wetlands, stretching nine miles from Point Hueneme to Point Mugu. The newly approved purchase will benefit fish, migratory birds, and six endangered and threatened species, including the western snowy plover and California least tern, which rely on the dune and marsh habitat. About 95 of the 276 acres are farmed and will continue to be leased for agriculture until wetland restoration can take place. Isla Vista and Cayucos Beach Stairways to Be Rebuilt In Isla Vista, three stairways that have often been closed because of storm damage will be rebuilt with the help of $150,000 approved by the Conservancy in September. The stairways down a 40- to 50-foot bluff along Del Playa Drive at Escondido Pass, Camino del Sur, and Camino Pescadero provide access to highly popular beaches and surf spots. The County will contribute $136,000 of its own funding for the reconstruction, and will be further aided by an $80,000 grant from the University of California, Santa Barbara, Shoreline Preservation Fund. The County plans to transfer the stairways to the Isla Vista Recreation and Park District. San Luis Obispo County will reconstruct five beach stairways that lead to Cayucos State Beach from the ends of First, Sixth, Eighth, Tenth, and 16th streets, using $150,000 approved by the Conservancy in September, as well as $75,000 of its own money. In 1983, the Conservancy provided the County with funding to build or improve ten beach accessways in Cayucos. Since then, heavy public use and exposure to the marine environment have taken their toll, and five of the accessways were found to need immediate restoration. More Pacifica Shoreline Access The City of Pacifica will purchase a 2.17-acre property on the west side of Esplanade Drive, between Manor and Aura Vista Drives, thus acquiring 600 feet of blufftop above Esplanade Beach. The cost of the purchase is being shared equally by the City and the Coastal Conservancy. The California Coastal Trail will run on an easement on the property. A stairway to the beach may also be built. Addition to Pleasanton Ridge Park A 106-acre addition to Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park will protect scenic views and wildlife habitat and set the stage for greatly improved access to parklands in the Pleasanton-Dublin area. The East Bay Regional Park District expects to make the purchase using $400,000 from the Conservancy and $450,000 from Alameda County. The purchase of the property, part of a ranch owned by the Vinson family, is a step toward providing a northern entrance to the park, which is south of Dublin near I-580. The only current public trail access to Pleasanton Ridge Park is from its southeastern corner. The planned route of the Calaveras Ridge Trail, which is being developed to run between the Sunol and Las Trampas regional wilderness parks, passes through the Pleasanton Ridge parkland. Sonoma Mountain Trail The Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District is working on final plans for a trail across the north slope of Sonoma Mountain, using $110,000 approved by the Conservancy in May. The trail, which begins at Jack London State Park, will traverse several properties that the District has strategically acquired and one 452-acre parcel owned by the County. When the trail is complete, users will enjoy a variety of terrain and spectacular views on foot or horseback. Docent-led tours of the Jacobs Ranch property are available now through LandPaths (www.landpaths.org). The new trail will provide easy public access to parklands with diverse plant and animal habitat and wide-ranging views. Since its first acquisition in 1992, the District has protected 135 properties totaling over 65,000 acres by means of conservation easement and fee purchases. Sonoma County voters approved a 25-cent sales tax in 1990 to make such open space protection possible. [See "A Lofty Trail Network" in the print edition of this issue of Coast & Ocean.] Fort Bragg Shoreline Access In May, the Conservancy approved $4.2 million to the City of Fort Bragg for the purchase of part of the 413-acre site of the closed Georgia-Pacific sawmill. The City will use the funds to buy 35 acres of the site for parkland. Georgia-Pacific donated to the City about 38 acres, valued at $3.3 million and containing the property’s whole shoreline and most of Fort Bragg’s waterfront. Georgia-Pacific closed the mill in 2002, after more than 100 years of operation, and has since been working closely with the City, the Conservancy, regulatory agencies, and the local community on the property’s re-use. The Coastal Trail will run the length of the blufftop along a 100-foot-wide trail corridor. It will link Glass Beach, to the north, to Pomo Bluffs Park, to the south. Both of those properties were acquired with Conservancy funding and strong community support. Environmental remediation must be completed on parts of the property to be acquired by the City before the land can be opened to the public. Mendocino County Beach Access Access to Mendocino County beaches is expanding. In September the Conservancy approved $240,000 to the Mendocino Land Trust to design and plan 15 new accessways and to continue to manage three existing trails to beaches. In May, it approved $140,000 to the nonprofit Westport Village Society and $100,000 to the Redwood Coast Land Conservancy for projects that will make it much easier to reach the surf at Westport and Gualala. The Village Society will build a stairway to the beach along the bluff face of the Westport Headlands, about 15 miles north of Fort Bragg. To reach this beach now, people scramble down a steep, rough trail while grasping a rope that dangles from the blufftop. Small boats have been winched up and down the bluff on a launching chute. The new stairway will also be built to allow small boats to be raised and lowered. Also included in this project are a wheelchair-accessible scenic overlook and a 660-foot blufftop trail, part of the California Coastal Trail, along Highway 1. In 2000, the Conservancy provided the Village Society with $727,000 to buy the nine-acre headlands. The purchase prevented private development of the property, reserving it for these public access improvements. Meanwhile, the Redwood Coast Land Conservancy will improve and maintain three beach trails about three miles north of Gualala. Two of the trails begin along Highway 1 near Bourne’s Landing. One leads to Cook’s Beach, the other to a blufftop overlook. The land conservancy will grade the trails, strengthen them with base rock, and install cable steps down to the beach. The third trail, which leads from a parking area along Highway 1 to the beach at the mouth of St. Orres Creek, will be realigned and improved. A cable step ramp will be installed for the 15-foot descent from the blufftop. Construction is expected to begin later this year, with the goal of completing the trails in about a year. New signs maintained by land conservancy volunteers will direct beachgoers to the trails. Derelict Fishing Gear Removal A $300,000 grant to the U.C. Davis Wildlife Health Center’s SeaDoc Society has launched a pilot program to remove derelict nets, lines, pots, and other gear that lies on the seafloor, gets caught on rocky reefs, or floats in the water. (See "Derelict Gear")