Press Release: State Coastal Conservancy Awards $84 Million for Climate Resilience, Public Access, Habitat Restoration, and Wildfire Resilience

Last week, the Board of the State Coastal Conservancy authorized funding totaling $84 million for projects to protect and restore coastal lands, increase coastal resilience to climate change, improve public access to the coast, and reduce the impact of wildfire on coastal lands.

Grants awarded include:

• $5,552,800 to the Redwood Community Action Agency to restore 350 acres of coastal dune habitat along 4.5 miles of shorelineto increase sea level rise resiliency on the north spit of Humboldt Bay.
• $5,100,000 to the City and County of San Francisco, Recreation and Park Department, to construct the India Basin Waterfront Park Phase 2: 900 Innes Redevelopment project in San Francisco.
• A grant of up to $31,852,000 to the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority for the Southern Los Cerritos Wetlands Restoration Project, which consists of planning and permitting for restoration and for providing public access to 103.5 acres of wetlands in Seal Beach, construction of an initial phase of the restoration and public access improvements on a portion of the Project site, and management of the wetlands.
• Funding of up to $968,900 to 16 nonprofit organizations and public agencies through our Explore the Coast program for 16 projects to provide coastal experiences for people and communities who face challenges or barriers to accessing or enjoying the coast.

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Notes to Editors:

The projects approved at the meeting were:

1. A grant of up to $82,700 to Mendocino Land Trust to conduct environmental studies and prepare designs and permit applications for establishing 0.4 miles of new Coastal Trail across Saunders Landing, south of the City of Point Arena in Mendocino County.
2. A grant of up to $180,000 to Kai Poma to conduct cultural and archeological resource studies and environmental surveys and to prepare a resource management plan for the Blues Beach propertylocated in the community of Westport in Mendocino County.
3. A grant of up to $168,256 to the Redwood Parks Conservancy to construct the Sue-Meg State Park Rim Trail Project, consisting of a 262-foot trail realignment and the replacement of a temporary bridge with a 33-foot footbridge to reestablish California Coastal Trail continuity and increase accessibility in Sue-Meg State Park in Humboldt County.
4. A grant of up to $400,000 to Sonoma County on behalf of its Public Infrastructure Department to prepare designs, an environmental review document, and permit applications for the Geyserville Community Plaza Project, which consists of enhancing the 1.17-acre Park and Ride property in Geyserville, in Sonoma County.
5. A grant of up to $469,100 to Sonoma Land Trust to reduce wildfire risk and improve forest healththrough thinning, pile burning, and removing vegetation to prepare for prescribed burns at three preserves in Sonoma County, and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.
6. A grant of up to $3,950,000 to The Wildlands Conservancy to acquire approximately 8,085 acres of the Lone Pine Ranch propertyat the confluence of the Eel River mainstem and Kekawaka Creek in Trinity County for the purposes of preserving and restoring fish and wildlife habitat, providing public access and recreation, and protecting open space and natural resources.
7. A grant of up to $5,552,800 to Redwood Community Action Agency to restore 350 acres of coastal dune habitat along 4.5 miles of shorelineto increase sea level rise resiliency on the north spit of Humboldt Bay in Humboldt County, and adoption findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.
8. A grant of up to $1,100,000 to TOGETHER Bay Area to support conservation planning in the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area and Santa Cruz by updating the Conservation Lands Network planning tool, including expanded partner engagement and data updates to support regional biodiversity and habitat resilience.
9. A grant of up to $5,100,000 to the City and County of San Francisco, Recreation and Park Department, to construct the India Basin Waterfront Park Phase 2: 900 Innes Redevelopment project, consisting of the redevelopment of the 900 Innes property to be included in the India Basin Waterfront Park located in the City and County of San Francisco; and adoption of findings under CEQA.
10. A grant of up to $1,781,600 to Literacy for Environmental Justice to implement the Heron’s Head Park Climate Resilience Projectconsisting of enhancing 9 acres of wetland adjacent upland habitat, providing job training to 40-60 local young adults, and hosting 15-20 stewardship days annually at Heron’s Head Park in the City and County of San Francisco.
11. A grant of up to $8,990,000 to the City of Berkeley to implement Berkeley Marina improvementsconsisting of 1) maintenance dredging of the Berkeley Marina harbor and entrances; and 2) replacement of two failing dock systems (Docks D and E) in the City of Berkeley, Alameda County.
12. A grant of up to $4,351,500 to San Francisco State University to plan and design two, and implement one, sea level rise adaptation project, develop a workforce training program in nature-based climate resiliency, and develop a consortium of experts to advance nature-based adaptation projects in various Bay Area counties, including Marin, San Francisco, Solano, Alameda, San Mateo, and Santa Clara.
13. A grant of up to $1,188,000 to Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority to prepare a draft master plan, and conduct community engagement to inform the draft master plan, for approximately 1,550 acres of conserved lands in Coyote Valley, Santa Clara County.
14. A grant of up to $3,428,460 to Ducks Unlimited to conduct outreach and planning and to prepare engineering designs and environmental compliance documentation for landscape-scale ecological restoration, flood protection, and public access on 6,000 acres in the Sonoma Creek Baylandsin Sonoma County.
15. A grant of up to $1,233,315 to the City of Oakland to complete planning and design for the approximately 0.6-mile off-street multi-use trail known as the 66th Ave BART to Bay Trail Projectin Oakland, Alameda County.
16. A grant of up to $500,000 to augment the Conservancy funding previously authorized on May 5, 2022, for the purpose of contracting for services to prepare environmental review documents, a cultural and tribal resource survey, and a property appraisal for the Hollister Ranch Coastal Access Program, in Santa Barbara County.
17. A grant of up to $200,000 to the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden to protect Chumash cultural resources and restore 2.25 acres of native habitat at Hammond’s Meadow County Open Spacein southern Santa Barbara County, and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.
18. A grant of up to $500,000 to the City of Santa Cruz to assess the feasibility of using living shorelines, sand management techniques, and other nature-based solutions to address coastal hazards and advance climate adaptation planning along 3.2 miles of the Santa Cruz coastline, and to develop conceptual designs for one to three projects identified in the feasibility study.
19. A grant of up to $308,200 to three nonprofit organizations and the University of California, Santa Barbara for four community-based natural resource restoration and enhancement projects on approximately 24 acres in coastal wetlands and along stream corridors in the Southern and Central California region as part of the 2023 Community Wetland Restoration Grant Program; and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.
20. A grant of up to $400,000 to augment the Conservancy grant previously authorized on May 27, 2021, up to a total of $460,000, to the California Department of Parks and Recreation to prepare plans, environmental review documents, and permit applications for two new restrooms in Garrapata State Parkin Big Sur, Monterey County.
21. A grant of up to $400,000 to the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy to acquire a 44.38-acre property that includes the Riverview trailhead and parking area to permanently protect and restore habitat and natural resources, preserve open space, and provide public access to the Ventura River Preserve, in unincorporated Ventura County.
22. A grant of up to $1,773,250 to the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) for tribal and community engagement and outreach, planning and design of coastal access improvements, removal of legacy oil infrastructure, and restoration of coastal habitats at the Ellwood Marine Terminal siteon the UCSB campus in Santa Barbara County, and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.
23. A grant of up to $1,110,000 to the Coastal San Luis Resource Conservation District to prepare plans, permit applications, and environmental review documents for increased flooding resilience along lower Chorro Creekin the Morro Bay watershed in San Luis Obispo County.
24. A grant of up to $2,000,000 to the California Department of Parks and Recreation to restore 5 acres of habitat in and around the Villa Creek Estuary, San Luis Obispo County.
25. A grant of up to $1,570,000 to the California Rangeland Trust to acquire a conservation easement over the 1,014-acre Wong AsuncionRanch in unincorporated Atascadero for natural resource conservation, habitat connectivity, protection of the Toro Creek watershed, and, to the extent compatible with resource conservation, sustainable grazing.
26. A grant of up to $889,225 to the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation to establish the Monterey Bay Living Shorelines Program, which consists of developing a project prioritization framework, preparing three priority conceptual level plans, completing three ongoing living shoreline projects, developing a tool to monitor and assess effectiveness of living shoreline projects, conducting robust community engagement, and coordinating with State Parks to produce effective pathways for State Parks to integrate living shorelines into its resource management approaches in the Monterey Bay region.
27. A grant of up to $354,000 to augment the Conservancy grant of $2,087,500 previously authorized to the City of Riverside for (1) the acquisition of four acres at 5200 Tequesquite Avenue in the City of Riverside in Riverside County, and (2) the preparation of designs, engineering, and environmental documentation for nine projects along 4.7 miles of the Santa Ana River Parkwayin the City of Riverside in Riverside County.
28. A grant of up to $2,141,205 to the City of Imperial Beach to conduct outreach and planning and to prepare designs, environmental compliance documents, and permit applications needed to retrofit a 1.2-mile segment of the Bayshore Bikeway into a multi-benefit community flood protection and ecosystem resilience corridor as part of the Bayshore Bikeway Resiliency Projectin Imperial Beach, San Diego County.
29. Authorization to 1) disburse up to $31,852,000 to the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority for the Southern Los Cerritos Wetlands Restoration Project, which consists of planning and permitting for restoration and for providing public access to 103.5 acres of wetlands in Seal Beach, construction of an initial phase of the restoration and public access improvements on a portion of the Project site, and management of the wetlands, and 2) adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.
30. Funding of up to $968,900 to nonprofit organizations and public agencies for 16 projects that facilitate and enhance the public’s opportunities to explore the California coast. Participants are drawn from throughout the State and will visit coastal locations from Del Norte County south to San Diego County.
31. A grant of up to $1,057,650 to the Resource Conservation District of Monterey County and the San Luis Obispo County Fire Safe Council for two additional wildfire resilience projects under the Conservancy’s Wildfire Resilience Program 2023-2024.

The State 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:

• Completed over 4,000 projects along the California coastline and in the San Francisco Bay Area.
• Conserved over 390,000 acres of coastal lands.
• Restored over 33,000 acres of habitat.
• Installed over 200 new coastal accessways.
• Built 210 miles of new trails.
• Put over $1.8 billion to work for conservation projects.