Coastal Conservancy Awards Over $10 Million for Coastal Protection, Restoration and Access

Board approves funding to support coastal projects and programming

Arcata, CA – Today, the Board of the California State Coastal Conservancy awarded $10.8 million to 17 projects to protect and restore the California coast and San Francisco Bay, and increase public access to these natural resources.

The projects funded include $1,500,000 to Monterey County to construct a segment of the California Coastal Trail in Moss Landing, $1,000,000 to the City of Santa Ana for improvements to Santiago Park, and $900,000 to the Redwood Community Action Agency for planning, design, and environmental review to develop the Little River Trail, a section of the California Coastal Trail from Little River State Beach to Scenic Drive, in Humboldt County.

The Board also authorized $3,067,000 of grant funds from the California Natural Resources Agency’s Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Program to four public agencies and non-profit organizations in the Central Coast region for projects that will improve forest health and wildfire resiliency, $900,000 in funds provided by the Marin Community Foundation for five projects that address the impacts of climate change and sea level rise in Marin County, and a block grant of  $1,400,000 to Association of Bay Area Governments to fund projects to complete the San Francisco Bay Trail.

“This series of Board authorizations underscore the value of partnerships in conservation.” said Sam Schuchat, Executive Officer of the Coastal Conservancy. “The state, non-profit organizations and regional agencies all collaborate to take advantage of each other’s expertise and make sure funding flows to the projects that will do the most good.”

A full list of the projects approved can be found by clicking here.

Notes to Editors:

The Coastal Conservancy is a state agency, established in 1976, to protect and improve natural lands and waterways, to help people get to and enjoy the outdoors, and to sustain local economies along California’s coast. The Conservancy is a non-regulatory agency that supports projects to protect coastal resources and increase opportunities for the public to enjoy the coast.

Since its founding, the Conservancy has:

• Funded 2,400 projects along the California coastline and in the San Francisco Bay.
• Protected 390,000 acres of coastal lands through acquisition of fee title and conservation easements.
• Restored 33,000 acres of habitat.
• Built 200 new coastal accessway and 210 miles of new trails.
• Put $1.3 billion to work for conservation projects, and leveraged far more from federal, local government, and private sources.