About the Conservancy
Our Mission
Our vision is of a beautiful, restored, and accessible coast for current and future Californians. We act with others to protect and restore, and increase public access to, California’s coast, ocean, coastal watersheds and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Click here for information in languages other than English.
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. The Conservancy implements statewide resource plans through its projects, including the California Water Action Plan, the Wildlife Action Plan, and many others. The Conservancy works along the entire length of California’s coast and within the watersheds of rivers and streams that extend inland from the coast. The Coastal Conservancy also works throughout the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area and the entire Santa Ana River watershed. A map of the Conservancy’s jurisdiction is posted here.
The Conservancy provides technical assistance and grant funding to local communities, tribes, nonprofit organizations, other government agencies, businesses, and private landowners to implement multi-benefit projects that:
- protect the natural and scenic beauty of the coast
- enhance wildlife habitat
- help the public to get to and enjoy beaches and parklands
- keep farmland and timberlands in production
- improve water quality
- revitalize working waterfronts
- prepare communities for the impacts of climate change
The Conservancy has played a critical role in shaping California’s coastal landscape as we know it today. Since its creation, the Conservancy has built hundreds of miles of trails and preserved hundreds of thousands of acres of wildlife habitat, coastal farmland, and scenic open space. Many of the most-loved scenic, natural, and recreational resources of the California coast and the San Francisco Bay Area have been protected by the work of the Conservancy and its many partners.
Conservancy Staff – All staff can be reached at 510-286-1015 (though most staff are working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic)
Enabling Legislation – California Public Resources Code, Division 21
Accomplishments – Serving those interested in enjoying, improving, and protecting the natural resources of our coast
Strategic Plan – We develop a Strategic Plan that identifies specific goals to guide the Conservancy’s work
Project Selection Criteria – The Conservancy Board has adopted criteria to guide funding decisions
Coastal Access Project Standards – The Conservancy Board has adopted standards for prioritizing and managing coastal access projects
Regional & Statewide Plans – Plans and policies that implement priorities and are consistent with Coastal Conservancy objectives
Financial Reports – Annual financial reports on past year expenditures and agency funding
FAQ – What is the Coastal Conservancy? What does the Coastal Conservancy do?
Ofrecemos los siguientes recursos en español:
Criterios de selección para proyectos en Español – La Junta de Coastal Conservancy ha adoptado criterios para guiar las decisiones de financiación
Estándares de proyectos con Acceso a la Costa en Español – La Junta de Costal Conservancy ha adoptado normas para la priorización y gestión de proyectos de acceso costero
Haga clic aquí para el sitio web con recursos y documentos en español
Latest News
- Press Release: Coastal Conservancy Awards over $40 million for coastal access, restoration, and climate resilienceOakland, CA (4/18/2024) – Today, the Board of the State Coastal Conservancy approved grants totaling over $40 million for coastal access, restoration, and climate resilience. Among the grants awarded today are: A grant of up to $6,000,000 to Humboldt County Resource Conservation District to undertake the North Coast Wildfire Resilience Planning and Implementation Grant Program, which […] (Read more on Press Release: Coastal...)
- Sea Otter Recovery Grants RFP Now Open!The California State Coastal Conservancy announces the availability of grants to public agencies, tribes and nonprofit organizations for projects that facilitate the recovery of the southern sea otter along California’s coasts. The California Sea Otter Fund is one of the state’s tax check-off funds that allows taxpayers to voluntarily contribute to the recovery of California’s […] (Read more on Sea Otter Recovery...)
- Coastal Conservancy Public Meeting in Oakland – April 18Meeting Notice Douglas Bosco (Public Member), Chair Marce Gutiérrez-Graudiņš (Public Member), Vice Chair Joy Sterling (Public Member) Jeremiah Hallisey (Public Member) Wade Crowfoot, Secretary for Natural Resources; Bryan Cash and Jenn Eckerle (Designated) Caryl Hart, Coastal Commission Chair; Madeline Cavalieri (Designated) Joe Stephenshaw, Director, Department of Finance; Michele Perrault (Designated) Senate Representatives Benjamin Allen (District […] (Read more on Coastal Conservancy Public...)