Coastal Conservancy Awards Over $48 Million for Coastal Access, Restoration, and Climate Resilience

Grants approved at Sept 5 meeting include funding for wildfire resilience, community-based wetland restoration, land acquisitions, and coastal access programming.

 

Fortuna, CA – The Board of the California State Coastal Conservancy approved grant funding for 22 projects, totaling over $48 million, to protect, restore, and improve public access along the state’s coast and coastal watersheds.

The projects approved at this week’s meeting include:

  • $1,238,120 to Tamien Nation, a California Native American Tribe with ancestral homelands in the Santa Clara Valley, to equip a native fire crew to steward tribal territory, and implement prescribed fire and fuel reduction work at Henry W. Coe State Park in Santa Clara County.
  • $6,600,000 to the San Diego Unified Port District for the construction of Harbor Park, a 25-acre park with a beach, boat launch, and other recreational amenities to expand, improve the resilience of, and replace amenities of Bayside Park on the Chula Vista Bayfront.
  • A total of $994,197 to 13 nonprofit organizations and 1 Tribe for projects that facilitate and enhance the public’s opportunities to explore the California coast through the Conservancy’s Explore the Coast program. The programs will engage an estimated 6,100 people from across California, including 5,500 low-income Californians, 5,700 people of color, 1,000 youth who are homeless or in foster care, approximately 650 people for whom English is not their first language, and at least 1,900 people with physical, cognitive, and/or emotional disabilities.

“Coastal Conservancy funding is being put to work to protect and restore the California coast, and to make it more accessible and climate resilient.  The projects funded at this meeting, from wildfire resilience to wetland restoration to lower cost coastal accommodation, will help to address the many challenges that face our iconic coastline. We are proud of our nonprofit, tribal, and public agency partners and excited to see these projects being implemented.” said Amy Hutzel, Executive Officer of the State Coastal Conservancy.

 

The awarded projects are as follows:

Contra Costa County

  • East Bay Regional Park District was awarded $700,000 to the to undertake theKeller Beach Access Improvements Project, consisting of constructing public access improvements and amenities at the Keller Beach portion of Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline.

Del Norte

  • The City of Crescent City was awarded $835,000 to undertake the Lighthouse Cove Lower Cost Accommodations Projectwhich consists of adding up to three lower cost units which will accommodate up to 20 people and renovating the existing restrooms at the City of Crescent City’s Lighthouse Cove RV Park.

Humboldt County

  • Save the Redwoods League was awarded $3,370,000 to construct public access improvements and visitor amenities for the ‘O Rew Redwoods Gateway and Restoration Project(formerly the Redwood National and State Park Visitor Center and Restoration Project), at the former Orick Mill A site.
  • Community Initiatives was awarded $207,600 to undertake the Alderpoint Great Redwood Trail Planning Project, Phase 1, consisting of tribal and community engagement, resource studies and surveys, trash removal, vegetation management, and conceptual designs for tribal/local interpretive features along a 4.5-mile segment of the trail and potential trailhead.

Marin County

  • Marin County Flood Control and Water Conservation District was awarded $2,213,270 to implement the Lower College of Marin Corte Madera Creek Habitat Restoration Project, which consists of partial removal of a section of concrete channel; restoration of 1.44 acres of tidal wetland, transition zone, and upland habitats; and enhancement of public access, in and along lower Corte Madera Creek in the unincorporated area of Kentfield.

 

Mendocino County

 

  • Save the Redwoods League was awarded $8,500,000 to repay private loans used to acquire the 3,187-acre DeVilbiss Ranch to facilitate transfer of ownership of the 4,566-acre Lost Coast Redwoods propertyin northern Mendocino County to the United States Bureau of Land Management.

Monterey County

  • The California Marine Sanctuary Foundation was awarded $79,120 to augment the Conservancy grant authorized on June 1, 2023 for the Castroville To The Coast Acquisition And Planning project which provided funding to the to conduct pre-acquisition activities to acquire a conservation easement over 24 acres of agricultural land along Tembladero Slough, between Castroville and Salinas River State Beach.

San Diego County

  • The San Diego Unified Port District was awarded $6,600,000 to undertake the San Diego Harbor Park Project, Phase 1A, consisting of the construction of Harbor Park, a 25-acre park with a beach, boat launch, and many other recreational amenities, to expand and replace Bayside Park on the Chula Vista Bayfront.
  • The Maritime Museum Association of San Diego was awarded $3,457,000 to replace two mooring dolphins and augment an existing Conservancy grant to prepare design and engineering, environmental compliance documents, and permit applications for the Maritime Museum of San Diego entry building.

San Francisco Bay Area

  • $1,500,000 was awarded for operation of the Bay Restoration Regulatory Integration Team (“BRRIT”)for a second period of five years. The BRRIT consists of an interagency team of dedicated staff working together to coordinate agency processing of permit applications to make the permit process more efficient.

 

Santa Clara County

  • Tamien Nation was awarded $1,238,120 to undertake phase two of theTamien Nation Cultural Fire Stewardship Program, continuing to build capacity and equip a native fire crew to steward tribal territory, and implement prescribed fire and fuel reduction work at Henry W. Coe State Park.
  • The Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency was awarded $1,500,000 to the to acquire approximately 1,218 acres of the 3,654-acreRichmond Ranch for the protection, restoration, and enhancement of open space, wildlife corridors, natural resources, viewsheds, and grazing lands; and for public access and California Native American tribal cultural uses.
  • Ducks Unlimited, Inc. was awarded $8,000,000 to construct the South San Francisco Bay Shoreline Project Reaches 1-3 ecotonein Ponds A12 and A13 to restore tidal marsh and upland transition zone habitat adjacent to a flood risk management levee and public access trails in Alviso.

Santa Cruz County

  • The County of Santa Cruz was awarded $865,000 to prepare technical and feasibility studies, plans, designs, environmental review documents, community and tribal engagement, and permit applications for a new cabin campground and associated amenities at Greyhound Rock County Park.

 

Solano County

Sonoma County

  • The Endangered Habitats Conservancy was awarded $499,510 to prepare plans, 65% designs and permit application materials for the Russian River Floodplain Restoration Project, consisting of the habitat restoration of 358 acres of floodplain near the town of Windsor.

 

COMMUNITY WETLAND RESTORATION GRANT PROGRAM

Los Angeles County

  • Friends of the Los Angeles River (FoLAR) was awarded $171,484 to restore or enhance 3 to 5 acres of natural habitats at the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve; research, select, and initiate restoration at 1-2 sites, totaling approximately 3 acres, along the Lower LA River corridor; and implement 2 river clean-up days at 6 to 11 sites per year along the Middle and Lower LA River.

 

  • Trout Unlimited was awarded $150,000 to provide bi-lingual coastal wetland and upland pollinator habitat education and mentorship in local schools in Paramount and hands-on, community-led, restoration implementation events to plant drought tolerant native pollinator plants on 6 acres within Ralph C. Dills Park in Paramount.

Orange County

  • The Newport Bay Conservancy was awarded $97,300 to restore 1.7 acres of degraded coastal sage scrub and wetland habitats in the Upper Newport Bay Ecological Preserve.

 

WILDFIRE RESILIENCE PROGRAM

Alameda and Contra Costa Counties

  • East Bay Regional Park District was awarded $2,075,000 to conduct vegetation treatments to reduce fuels across an estimated 130 acres in Tilden Regional Park, Anthony Chabot Regional Park and Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline, develop an approximately 34-acre shaded fuel break along the southern border of Lake Chabot Regional Park, and purchase vegetation management equipment.

Marin County

  • The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy was awarded $4,000,000 to: (1) implement forest health and wildfire resiliency activities in Tomales Bay State Park, a priority project in the Marin Regional Forest Health Strategy; (2) implement wildfire resilience activities in Marin City; and (3) engage the FIRE Foundry workforce development program in either or both project components.

 

EXPLORE THE COAST PROGRAM

$994,197 to 13 nonprofit organizations and 1 Tribe for 14 projects that facilitate and enhance the public’s opportunities to explore the California coast.

  • Black Surf Santa Cruz was awarded $66,700 to provide 660 individuals from historically excluded groups in the Central Coast and San Francisco Bay regions with transformative surfing experiences aimed at fostering belonging, mental well-being, and equitable access to ocean activities.
  • DiverSeaFy was awarded $43,200 to provide 90 teenage graduates of SCUBA training from underserved communities in Southern California with the opportunity to explore the underwater ecosystem.
  • Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians was awarded $100,000 to reconnect 250 tribal citizens from the Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians with their coastal heritage through immersive Family Camps, fostering environmental and cultural awareness while promoting indigenous food sovereignty practices.
  • Greater Farallones Association was awarded $38,000 to provide 175 low-income students from Sonoma and Mendocino counties with the LiMPETS program, fostering scientific understanding of coastal ecosystems through immersive field trips and classroom sessions within the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.
  • Green Cities Fund (fiscal sponsor for Queer Surf) was awarded $100,000 to provide 535 participants from LGBTQ+ communities throughout California with surf meetups and camping trips along the coast to cultivate in-depth connections to the natural environment.
  • Insight Garden Program was awarded $100,000 to provide 300 formerly incarcerated individuals and some of their family members from multiple regions of the state with enjoyable and healing day trips and camping trips along the coast.
  • LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired was awarded to provide 120 blind or low vision youth and young adults from the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California with accessible coastal recreational activities to gain knowledge about the environment and develop essential life skills and self-confidence.
  • Martin Park Inc DBA Martin Park was awarded $27,200 to provide 35-50 youth (grades 3rd-12th) and 8-10 accompanying parents or guardians from Fresno with day trips to the Central Coast to explore the beach, relax, and develop connections with peers and their families.
  • MeWater Foundation was awarded $52,740 to bring 1,940 San Francisco underserved youth to Bay Area beaches to gain lifelong knowledge and build confidence and connection to coastal environments through surfing, mindfulness practices, and marine ecosystem education.
  • Orange County Adult Achievement Center DBA My Day Counts was awarded $23,257 to provide 47 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities who have limited mobility or are non-ambulatory with enjoyable and adaptive coastal exploration activities.
  • Paddle for Peace was awarded $68,100 to provide up to 520 underserved youth from Southeast San Diego’s inner city with a mix of water recreational activities and hands-on environmental education experiences designed to provide a fun and healing environment, empower them with scientific knowledge, and foster long-lasting connections to the coast.
  • Project Avary was awarded $75,000 to provide 1,190 youths of incarcerated parents with coastal hiking, camping, and adventuring trips designed to foster long-term healing and relationship with the coast.
  • Semillas Sociedad Civil (fiscal sponsor for Anawakalmekak International University Preparatory of North America) was awarded $100,000 to provide 40- 45 high school students from East Los Angeles, who identify as Indigenous Migrant, with trips to Catalina Island to deepen their understanding of environmental stewardship and connect them to their ancestral coastlands.
  • Social Good Fund (fiscal sponsor for Salted Roots)was awarded $100,000 to provide 595 youth and adults, primarily girls, women, and gender expansive people of color, with surfing lessons and mentorship through their Community Soul Surfer Program to develop leadership skills and build confidence.