News Release: Coastal Conservancy Awards $8.7 million for Coastal Access, Restoration, and Wildfire Resilience

9/18/25 – Oakland, CA, Today, the Board of the State Coastal Conservancy awarded $8.7 million to a total of 11 projects to expand public access, enhance climate resilience, and mitigate coastal wildfire risk.

The projects include funding for the Conservancy’s Explore the Coast (ETC) program, which supports coastal programing for communities that face barriers to accessing or enjoying the coast . This year, the ETC program will fund 13 nonprofit organizations from Sonoma County south to San Diego County that will engage over 8,400 people through their projects. Of these people, project partners estimate that the program will serve over 6,700 low-income Californians, 7,000 people of color, 660 youth who are houseless or in foster care, approximately 3,200 people for whom English is not their first language, and at least 1,600 people with physical, cognitive, and/or emotional disabilities.

Other projects funded at today’s meeting include:

North Coast

A grant of up to $270,000 to the Westport Village Society to undertake the DeHaven Access Improvement Construction Project, consisting of construction of public access improvements, including a parking lot, a segment of the California Coastal Trail, signage, and stairway to DeHaven Beach in Mendocino County, and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.

A grant of up to $240,200 to The Wildlands Conservancy to prepare plans for and implement the Estero Americano Public Access Infrastructure Improvements Project, consisting of installation of directional and interpretive signage, installation of 5 miles of trails, construction of a public restroom and kayak pull-in areas, and renovation of a dilapidated house to provide caretaker housing at the Estero Americano Coast Preserve in Bodega Bay, Sonoma County; and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.

Authorization to amend the Conservancy’s grant authorized on February 15, 2024 to the Noyo Center for Marine Science for the Noyo Center Marine Field Station Resiliency Project (formerly the Marine Ecosystem Resiliency Project) to expand the scope of the project to include dock repair implementation at the Noyo Center’s Marine Field Station located at Noyo Harbor in Fort Bragg, Mendocino County.

A grant of up to $233,000 to the Noyo Center for Marine Science to augment the Conservancy grant authorized on September 5, 2024 to construct the Noyo Center Marine LaBONEatory Project (formerly the Noyo Center Ecosystem Resilience Initiative Project) and to modify the project to expand the 1,500 square foot multi-purpose work facility to 2,400 square feet to allow for greater coastal stewardship programming, marine science education, and community engagement, and to complete designs and permitting for the expanded facility.

Authorization to amend the Conservancy-required restrictions that limit use of the Napa Resource Conservation District’s 21-acre Huichica Creek Vineyard property to agricultural purposes so that the property can be used for habitat restoration and enhancement, natural resource protection, and potential public access. The property is located in the Huichica Creek Watershed in Napa County and was purchased for agricultural purposes with a Conservancy grant in 1991, when the property was known as Cabral Ranch.

A grant of up to $500,000 to the Mid Klamath Watershed Council to undertake the Upper Horse Creek Channel Restoration Project, consisting of the creation of side channels and off-channel ponds, the addition of wood structures, installation of beaver dam analogues, and the expansion of creek sinuosity to a segment of Horse Creek, in Siskiyou County.

San Francisco Bay Area

Authorization to amend the Conservancy’s previously authorized project award to the City of Berkeley to modify the project by cancelling the Cesar Chavez Park perimeter trail improvements, adding pier and parking lot improvements, and adding preparation of plans for improving a San Francisco Bay Trail segment at the City of Berkeley Waterfront, in Alameda County, and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.

A grant of up to $3,091,148 to the City and County of San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, to augment the Conservancy grant authorized on February 15, 2024 of $5,500,000, to implement the India Basin Waterfront Park Phase 3: Shoreline Park Redevelopment Project, consisting of the redevelopment of the India Basin Shoreline Park in San Francisco into a mixed-use community park with improved public access and recreational amenities, enhanced habitat, and climate resilience.

A grant of up to $850,000 to the City of Albany to carry out the Albany–El Cerrito Wildfire Resilience Demonstration Project in Albany and El Cerrito (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties), consisting of: (1) implementing fire fuel vegetation management and ecological restoration; (2) investing in continuing partnerships for workforce development; and (3) demonstrating for public benefit useful practices for milling, native species planting, and fire hazard management; and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.

A grant of up to $400,000 to the Santa Clara County Fire Safe Council to adapt their Community Wildfire Prevention Plan into a Regional Priority Plan, to establish a Prescribed Burn Association in Santa Clara County (South Bay Prescribed Burn Association) and, through the Prescribed Burn Association conduct initial workshops, classes, and training programs that will entail a series of small, prescribed burns on Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District lands with the goal of enhancing the ability of both private and public landowners to safely use prescribed burns to reduce wildfire severity and improve landscape health in Santa Clara County.

Central Coast

A grant of up to $80,000 to the Carmel River Steelhead Association to purchase equipment for use in annual rescues of steelhead in the Carmel River watershed in Monterey County.

A grant of up to $1,000,000 to the Coastside Land Trust to augment the Conservancy grant authorized on February 15, 2024 to construct priority components of Phase 2 of the Wavecrest Coastal Access Project at the Wavecrest property in Half Moon Bay, San Mateo County in order to expand the grant scope to include construction of the remaining Phase 2 components.

A grant of up to $1,068,300 to the City of Watsonville to prepare final designs and permit applications for the 0.5-mile second phase of the Lee Road Trail Project, which will add a 1.4-mile-long pedestrian and bicycle trail along Lee Road in Watsonville, Santa Cruz County; and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.

Statewide

Funding of up to $966,316 to 13 nonprofit organizations for 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 Sonoma County south to San Diego County.