About Us
Photo: Alison Taggart-Barone
Click here for information in languages other than English.
The Coastal Conservancy is a non-regulatory state agency that works with others along the California coast, in coastal watersheds, and in the San Francisco Bay Area to protect and restore coastal resources, to help people get to and enjoy the coast, and to enhance climate resilience.
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.
The Conservancy implements statewide and regional resource plans through its projects, including Pathways to 30X30, the Outdoors for All Strategy, 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, nonprofit organizations, tribes, and public agencies to implement multi-benefit projects that:
- protect the natural and scenic beauty of the coast
- enhance wildlife habitat
- employ nature-based solutions
- help the public access and enjoy coastal resources
- prioritize and practice equity
- include tribal leadership
- support working lands, including farms, ranches, and working forests
- prepare communities for the impacts of climate change including sea level rise, flooding, and wildfire
- revitalize working waterfronts
- improve water quality
- sequester greenhouse gases
- and more
The Conservancy has played a critical role in shaping California’s coastal landscape as we know it today and the Conservancy is now helping coastal communities adapt to a changing climate. Since its creation, the Conservancy has built hundreds of miles of trails, created hundreds of beach accessways and recreational amenities, protected and restored hundreds of thousands of acres of wildlife habitats and natural or working lands, and assisted communities with planning and implementing wildfire, flooding, and sea level rise resilience. Many of the most-loved scenic, natural, and recreational resources of the California coast and the San Francisco Bay Area have been protected or restored 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
Governing Board – The Coastal Conservancy is governed by a seven-member Board of Directors,
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