Coastal Conservancy Awards Grants for Climate Resilience, Public Access, and Habitat Restoration

6/7/2024 – Yesterday, the Board of the State Coastal Conservancy authorized grants for climate resilience, public coastal access, and habitat restoration along the California coast and San Francisco Bay.

The grants awarded were:

NORTH COAST

1. A grant of up to $100,000 to the Yurok Tribe to undertake the Prairie Creek at Elk Meadow Cabins Habitat Enhancement Project, consisting of removing invasive plants and installing large wood features in an approximately 3,000-foot reach of lower Prairie Creek in Humboldt County.
2. A grant of up to $130,000 to the County of Del Norte to augment the Conservancy’s previously authorized grant of $96,000 to assess the feasibility of expanding camping opportunities and to develop a park improvement plan for Clifford Kamph Memorial Park, the northern gateway to the California Coastal Trail, in Del Norte County; and authorization to expand the project scope to include preparation of designs, engineering, and environmental analysis of improvements identified in the park improvement plan.
3. A grant of up to $500,000 to the Town of Fairfax to acquire the approximately 100-acre Wall Property in Marin County for the protection, restoration, and enhancement of natural resources, wildlife habitat, open space, California Native American tribal cultural resources, and compatible public access.
4. A grant of up to $650,000 to the Elk Valley Rancheria to prepare the South Beach Sea Level Rise and Connectivity Feasibility Study, which will develop and evaluate alternatives for how best to prevent future flooding of a vulnerable section of Highway 101 adjacent to Crescent City, while improving public access to South Beach and protecting the Crescent City Marsh in Del Norte County.
5. A grant of up to $999,335, of which $792,575 are funds received from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, to the Tomales Bay Watershed Council Foundation to implement the Chicken Ranch Beach Wetland Enhancement Project, consisting of restoring approximately one acre of tidal wetlands to enhance water quality and improve wildlife habitat at Chicken Ranch Beach on Tomales Bay, near Inverness, Marin County.

 CENTRAL COAST

6. A grant of up to $160,000 to the Santa Cruz Hostel Society to augment the Conservancy funding previously authorized on September 22, 2022 to plan and implement renovations to the Santa Cruz Hostel in the City of Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County.
7. A grant of up to $278,300 to The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County to undertake the San Luis Obispo Land Conservancy Wildfire Resilience Project, consisting of purchasing equipment for annual wildfire fuel reduction and road maintenance work within three preserves in San Luis Obispo County.
8. A grant of up to $800,000 to the City of Marina to prepare plans, environmental review documents, and permit applications for improvements to a California Coastal Trail trailhead and coastal access point at Fort Ord Dunes State Park, Monterey County.

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA

9. A grant of up to $3,400,000 of grant funds from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and up to $1,000,000 of grant funds from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for operation of the Bay Restoration Regulatory Integration Team for a second five-year period.  The funds may be disbursed to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, and San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board.

SOUTH COAST

10. A grant of up to $1,643,344 to the City of Oceanside to undertake the Loma Alta Slough Wetland Enhancement Project, consisting of the enhancement of 5.8 acres of coastal wetlands in the City of Oceanside in San Diego County; and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.

The Board also approved a Sea Level Rise Memorandum of Understanding for San Francisco Bay.