RFP for Wildfire Resilience Projects Announced

The Coastal Conservancy is pleased to announce its Wildfire Resilience Program Request for Proposals.  The Wildfire Resilience Program supports local partners to develop and implement projects that improve ecological health of natural lands and reduce the risk of catastrophic fire.

The program will fund grants for:

• on-the-ground activities to restore the health and increase resilience of California forests, grasslands, and natural lands to wildfire; and
• planning and capacity building to increase wildfire resilience in California for projects from Marin County south to Ventura County.

The Conservancy’s Wildfire Resilience Program will host a webinar at 1 pm on December 16, 2021 to provide an overview of this funding proposal and answer questions. The registration link for the webinar is here. The recorded webinar will be posted on the Wildfire Resilience Program page afterwards.

We also encourage prospective applicants to request a pre-application consultation with Conservancy staff. Requests for pre-application consultations and other application questions can be directed to wildfire.resilience@scc.ca.gov.

Pre-proposals can be submitted via email to wildfire.resilience@scc.ca.gov. Pre-proposals are due by 5pm on January 14, 2022 for project approved by May 2022. Pre-proposals submitted after this date will continue to be considered on a rolling basis after the first batch of submissions is reviewed. Based on this review, applicants may be invited to submit a full proposal or asked to provide further information on their project.

There are no maximum or minimum grant amounts for this funding. Conservancy funding from this program comes from three separate sources with different priorities and geographies. The Conservancy has a total of $10 million for wildfire resilience implementation projects, $5 million of which is for the nine-county SF Bay Area.  In addition, the Conservancy has about $7 million from the Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Program (RFFCP) to support capacity building projects from Marin County south to Ventura County, including the East Bay and Salinas Valley.

The full RFP is here

The Pre-Application can be downloaded here

FAQs can be found here

Press Release: Coastal Conservancy Board Approves $12.6 million for Coastal Restoration, Protection and Public Access 

12/2/2021 – Today, the Board of the State Coastal Conservancy approved over $12.6 million in grants for coastal restoration, protection and public access.

Included in the approvals were over $10 million to the City of Fullerton to acquire a 13.7-acre property in the West Coyote Hills area of north Orange County for open space, habitat protection, watershed management, and public access, $120,000 to Mycelium Youth Network for up to four priority climate adaptation projects to be implemented at Metwest High School in Oakland, and $52,000 of voluntary tax check-off funding to Sea Otter Savvy to implement a project to aid in recovery of the southern sea otter.

The full list of project approved can be found below:

NORTH COAST

1. A grant of up to $242,000 to the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy to complete the final phase of the Hawk Hill Access Improvements Project within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area at Hawk Hill, Marin County.
2. A grant of up to $1,000,000 to the Marin Resource Conservation District to plan and implement carbon farming projects that improve soil productivity, water sustainability and greenhouse gas sequestration for agriculture and watershed resiliency on ranches in western Marin County, and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.
3. A grant of up to $300,000 to the Yurok Tribe to enhance salmonid habitat in Hunter and McGarvey Creeks, tributaries to the lower Klamath River in Del Norte County, and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.

SF BAY

4. A grant of up to $120,000 to Mycelium Youth Network to identify and plan up to four priority climate adaptation projects to be implemented at Metwest High School.

CENTRAL COAST

5. A grant of up to $52,000 to Sea Otter Savvy to implement a project to aid in recovery of the southern sea otter, consisting of conducting an educational outreach and community engagement program on responsible viewing of wild sea otters to reduce sea otter disturbance in Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Luis Obispo counties.
6. A grant of up to $60,000 to augment an existing Conservancy authorization of $400,230 for consultant services to facilitate development of a contemporary Hollister Ranch Coastal Access Program, in Santa Barbara County.
7. A grant of up to $300,000 to the County of San Luis Obispo to renovate the Veteran’s Hall and construct adjacent access facilities in the town of Cayucos.

 SOUTH COAST

8. A grant of up to $66,000 to Nature Collective to remove invasive plant species on 14.5 acres of coastal wetlands at the Batiquitos Lagoon Ecological Reserve in San Diego County.
9. A grant of up to $379,350 to the County of Ventura to conduct planning and to develop design criteria, preliminary design plans and alternatives refinement for improvements to the Robles Diversion and Fish Passage Facility in unincorporated Ventura County.
10. A grant of up to $10,134,450 to the City of Fullerton to acquire a 13.7-acre property in the West Coyote Hills area of north Orange County for open space, habitat protection, watershed management, and public access.

Amy Hutzel Appointed New Executive Officer of the State Coastal Conservancy

The State Coastal Conservancy is pleased to announce the appointment of its new Executive Officer, Amy Hutzel.

Amy Hutzel

Ms. Hutzel previously served as the Conservancy’s Deputy Executive Officer and has been with the agency for over twenty years, during which she has been instrumental in many key projects including the restoration of thousands of acres of former salt ponds in the San Francisco Bay, the creation of the Conservancy’s flagship Explore the Coast and Explore the Coast Overnight grant programs to expand coastal access, and establishing the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority. She also led the development and implementation of many of the Conservancy’s equity-focused initiatives: Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Guidelines, the ADA Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan, the Beach Wheelchair Grant Program, and the updated Coastal Access Project Standards.

“The State Coastal Conservancy has had a remarkable impact on the California coast in the last 4 decades.” said Ms. Hutzel, “I am honored to take on this role at a time when our work is so essential. Together with the incredible Conservancy staff, I will work to accelerate projects that work with nature to adapt to climate change impacts and increase equitable access to the coast for all Californians.”

“The Coastal Conservancy plays a vital role in achieving the State’s goals for biodiversity, climate resilience, and equitable access to California’s natural wonders. Amy has proven herself as an exceptional leader at the Coastal Conservancy already and I could not be more excited for her to take the reins at this key agency.” said California’s Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot

Each year, the State Coastal Conservancy issues tens of millions of dollars in grants to non-profit organizations, public agencies, and tribes for projects that restore and protect the California coast, increase public access to it, and increase communities’ resilience to climate change. In addition to its annual appropriations from Natural Resource Bonds, on September 23, 2021, Governor Newsom signed a budget bill that includes a total of $500 million for coastal resilience to be appropriated to the Conservancy in Fiscal Years 2022-23 and 2023-24. The Executive Officer and staff of the Conservancy also manage the work of the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority, which allocates approximately $25 million each year for restoration projects on the San Francisco Bay shoreline.

“We’re thrilled for Amy to serve as the Executive Officer at the Conservancy,” said Doug Bosco, Chair of the State Coastal Conservancy’s Board, “The Board and I know Amy as a dedicated and collaborative leader with an exceptional track record of delivering complex projects. She will bring her energy and enthusiasm to this role, and a clear vision for what this agency can achieve.”

Ms. Hutzel has been with the State Coastal Conservancy for over 20 years, serving as Deputy Executive Officer, Bay Area Program Manager, and Project Manager. Prior to joining the Conservancy, she worked at Save The Bay and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

As Executive Officer, she will work closely with the Boards of the Conservancy and the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority, lead the Conservancy’s 70 members of staff, and support hundreds of climate adaptation, public access, and habitat protection and restoration projects throughout the California coast, in the San Francisco Bay Area, and in coastal watersheds. Amy lives with her husband and two children in San Francisco.

Coastal Stories Grant Program Launched to Support Inclusive Storytelling about the California Coast

The Coastal Conservancy has launched a new grant program that intends to make the outdoors more inclusive and welcoming for all Californians by fostering representation of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and other historically excluded groups in outdoor spaces – through storytelling.

Our Coastal Stories Grant Program seeks to fund projects that plan, develop, and implement storytelling installations or materials (such as murals, signage, monuments, or guides) that represent communities and voices that have been historically excluded in the storytelling of California’s coast and publicly accessible lands. These communities may include but are not limited to BIPOC people, people with disabilities, immigrant communities, low-income communities, and other historically excluded communities.

All projects must present a story connected to publicly-accessible outdoors spaces within our jurisdiction,  in a way that will reach the public. We encourage proposals for projects that are community-led, that show strong community and landowner partnerships, and that use creative forms of historical, ecological, and cultural storytelling.

Learn more here.

Press Release: Coastal Conservancy Awards $14 million for Coastal Access, Protection, and Restoration

Yesterday, the Board of the State Coastal Conservancy authorized over $14 million in funding for restoration, preservation, and public access to California’s coast and coastal watersheds.

The projects approved included $495,000 to design and permit access amenities and a new ADA-compliant bathroom at Lechuza Beach in Malibu, $755,820 to remove fish barriers and restore habitat on Davy Brown Creek in the Santa Maria River watershed, and $1,721,088 to nonprofit organizations and public agencies for 45 projects that create coastal experiences for communities facing barriers to coastal access. These 45 grants are part of the Conservancy’s Explore the Coast grant program, which aims to help more Californians, particularly those that have been historically excluded, access and enjoy the coast.

The grants awarded this week will not only enhance the health and accessibility of the California coast, but will help to make it more resilient to the challenges of rising seas and a changing climate.

NORTH COAST

1. Authorization to transfer fee title to nine Conservancy-owned parcels in the Bodega Bay area to the County of Sonoma; approval of the implementation/disposition plans for the property transfer; and authorization to disburse up to $34,000 to Sonoma County Regional Parks to prepare surveys and Phase 1 environmental site assessments of the parcels.

CENTRAL COAST

2. A grant of up to $165,000 to Trout Unlimited to augment an existing Conservancy grant authorized on May 24, 2018, to replace a concrete creek crossing with a fish-friendly box culvert on Cachagua Creek, a tributary to the Carmel River in Monterey County.
3. A grant of up to $216,636 to the Regents of the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) to conduct invasive plant removal to enhance native riparian habitat on the Santa Clara Riverin Ventura County.
4. A grant of up to $980,000 awarded to the Conservancy by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under its National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program to the Elkhorn Slough Foundation to augment a Conservancy grant authorized on December 19, 2019 to complete Phase 2 of the Elkhorn Slough Tidal Marsh Restoration Projectin Elkhorn Slough, Monterey County.
5. A grant of up to $212,812 to San Mateo County Harbor District to construct new public restrooms, realign a small segment of the California Coastal Trail, reconfigure the parking lot, and install other visitor-serving amenities at Pillar Point Harboradjacent to Surfer’s Beach in San Mateo County.
6. A grant of up to $100,000 to the County of Santa Cruz to develop a facilities and management plan for public access and natural resource protection for the north coast region of Santa Cruz County.
7. A grant of up to $755,820 to Earth Island Institute to remove two fish barriers, replace them with bridges, and restore habitat on Davy Brown Creek, located in the Santa Maria River watershed, and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.
8. A grant of up to $825,000 to the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County for the acquisition of three conservation easements on the 7,681-acre Attiyeh Ranchin northern San Luis Obispo County.

SOUTH COAST

13. A grant of up to $200,000 to San Diego Botanic Garden (SDBG) to enhance and restore 4.6 acres of riparian upland habitatat Ocean Knoll Canyon in the City of Encinitas, San Diego County.
14. A grant of up to $35,780 to Orange County Coastkeeper to conduct monitoring and outreach to protect endangered bird species and associated habitat located near the Santa Ana River Mouthin the cities of Newport Beach and Huntington Beach.
15. A grant of up to $180,680 to the Environmental Center of San Diego to prepare environmental assessments, permit applications, and draft engineering designs to provide additional public access at Princess Streetin La Jolla, San Diego.
16. A grant of up to $3,500,000 to augment the Conservancy grant of $4,900,000, previously authorized to the Crystal Cove Conservancy to restore 17 historic cottages on North Beach of the Crystal Cove Historic District at Crystal Cove State Park in Orange County.
17. A grant of up to $200,000 to the Sierra Health Foundation to work with tribal entities to conduct planning to further tribal access, tribal participation in land management, and land acquisition by tribal entities at multiple sites in Orange County.
18. A grant of up to $330,040 to Amigos de los Rios to implement the Monrovia High School Watershed Discovery Projectin Monrovia, Los Angeles County.
19. Authorization to terminate the Coastal Conservancy’s Calleguas Creek Watershed In-lieu Fee Programby disbursing $2,453,773 million for the purchase of 58.11 jurisdictional wetland and riparian buffer credits from the Santa Paula Creek Mitigation Bank.
20. A grant of up to $495,000 to the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority to prepare final engineering designs and construction specifications, and prepare and submit permit applications needed to: 1) update and repair existing public beach access amenities, including two beach stairways, and to 2) install new Americans with Disabilities Act compliant public access amenities, including a restroom, at Lechuza Beachin the City of Malibu.
21. A grant of up to $1,342,500 to the Riverside County Regional Park and Open Space District for construction of a segment of the Santa Ana River Trailas part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Prado Dam Alcoa Dike construction project, and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.
22. A grant of up to $310,000 to Coastal Quest to conduct stakeholder outreach and engagement for coastal resiliency planning for state parkson the San Diego County coast.

STATEWIDE

19. $1,721,088 to nonprofit organizations and public agencies for 45 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 Del Norte County south to San Diego County.

Press Release: State Coastal Conservancy Awards $10.8 Million for Wildfire Resilience in this Fire Season

(Oakland, CA) – Today, the Board of the State Coastal Conservancy authorized funding totaling over $10.8 for 33 projects throughout the coast of California to increase the resilience of coastal forests and open space to wildfires.

“These projects will help prepare coastal habitats for catastrophic wildfires by creating fire breaks, clearing debris, removing hazardous trees along fire roads, and other measures intended to slow the spread of wildfire, protect communities, and help forests recover from fire more quickly.” Said Sam Schuchat, Executive Officer of the State Coastal Conservancy. “California has suffered a string of devastating fire seasons; we are one of many state and local agencies working to help us better anticipate, mitigate, and recover from wildfire in the future. Thanks to early action funding appropriated by the Legislature and Governor in April, we’re going to get these projects underway before the worst of this year’s fire season.”

Today’s grants are part of the Conservancy’s Wildfire Resilience Program, which supports local partners to develop and implement projects that improve forest health and reduce the risk of catastrophic fire in areas where people are living near wildlands. The Wildfire Resilience Program also aims to build organizational capacity at the local and regional level to implement forest health and fire risk reduction projects that help prevent isolated fires from becoming wildfires.

More on the Conservancy’s Wildfire Resilience Program can be found here: https://scc.ca.gov/wildfire-resilience-program/

The projects approved at today’s meeting were:

1. A grant of $7,650 to the National Audubon Society to create and maintain defensible space around buildings within Audubon Starr Ranch Sanctuary, located in unincorporated Orange County.

2. A grant of $23,588 to the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County to implement prescribed herbivory to reduce fuel loads and create a buffer to prevent wildfire spread in the southern portion of Arroyo Hondo Preservein Santa Barbara County.
3. A grant of $35,000 to the Hoopa Valley Tribe to implement shaded fuel brakes or defensible space projects to protect the homes of approximately 75 vulnerable residents on the Hoopa Valley Tribal Reservation, Humboldt County.
4. A grant of $45,000 to the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea to remove hazardous fire fuels in City’s Mission Trail Nature Preserve, Monterey County.
5. A grant of $47,721 to the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency for eucalyptus removal and weed abatement in a high fire hazard severity zone at Davidson Ranch Reserve, in Santa Clara County.
6. A grant of $75,000 to the Trinity County Resource Conservation District to implement fuel reduction projects on Bureau of Land Management property in the community of Lewiston, Trinity County.
7. A grant of $100,000 to the City of Santa Cruz to undertake vegetation management to reduce fire risk at two open space areas at Arroyo Seco Canyon and DeLaveaga Park.
8. A grant of $115,000 to the Cazadero Community Services District to acquire a Brush Chipper, skid steer bucket loader and supplies for use in vegetation management activities, and to undertake such activities, to decrease the risk of wildfire in the vicinity of Cazadero, Sonoma County.
9. A grant of $120,000 to the Carpinteria-SummerlandFire Protection District for a multi-pronged wildfire hazard fuels reduction project in the Carpinteria-Summerland area of Santa Barbara County.
10. A grant of $130,000 to the City of Pacifica and $67,500 to the City of Brisbane for the North County Fire Authority to implement two wildfire fuel reduction projects in the wildland urban interface in northern San Mateo County, including vegetation management along public roadways in City of Brisbane and a community chipper program in the City of Pacifica.
11. A grant of $144,000 to the City of Mill Valley to reduce fuels build up, create defensible space along the Blithedale Ridge Fire Road and perform fire-related public outreach in the vicinity of the Blithedale Summit Open Space Preserve,Mill Valley, Marin County.
12. A grant of $150,000 to Sonoma Land Trust to conduct wildfire risk reduction activities on the Little Black Mountain Preserve, Laufenberg Ranch, Pole Mountain Preserve, and Live Oaks Ranchproperties in Sonoma County.
13. A grant of $150,000 to LandPaths to conduct approximately 60 acres of fuels reduction and burn area restoration on the Bohemia Ecological Preserve, Riddell Preserve, Rancho Mark West Preserve, and Ocean Song Preserve properties in Sonoma County.
14. A grant of $194,400 to Woodside Fire Protection Districtfor fuel reduction management practices and invasive plant removal in San Mateo County, and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.
15. A grant of $197,621 to Mendocino County to implement the Mendocino County Fuels Reduction Capacity Building Projectin Mendocino County.
16. A grant of $200,000 to San Lorenzo Valley Water Districtfor vegetation management to reduce fire risk to critical infrastructure on land owned and operated by the District in Santa Cruz County.
17. A grant of $209,800 to The Wildlands Conservancy to undertake fuels reduction and vegetation management on the Jenner Headlands Preserve, Sonoma County.
18. A grant of $250,000 to the Pala Band of Mission Indians to implement a hazardous fuels reduction project within a wildland urban interface on the Pala Band of Mission Indians’ Reservationin San Diego County.
19. A grant of $290,600 to the East Bay Regional Park District to expand on-going fuel treatments and fuel breaks and conduct biological surveys on East Bay Regional Park lands, specifically in two recommended treatment areas: Tilden Regional Park – TI002a and Wildcat Canyon Regional Park – WC005.

20. A grant of $277,166 to the Sonoma County Water Agency to conduct wildfire resilience activities at Spring Lake Regional Park, Sonoma County.

21. A grant of $345,650 to Sonoma County Regional Parks to conduct wildfire resilience activities consisting of shaded fuel breaks at Shiloh Ranch Regional Park and prescribed grazing at Taylor Mountain Regional Parkand Open Space Preserve, Sonoma County.

22. A grant of $575,000 to the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District to conduct wildfire resilience activities at Saddle Mountain Open Space Preserve, Sonoma County, and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.
23. A grant of $1,078,684 to the Napa County Resource Conservation District for wildfire resilience activities at Linda Falls Preserve, Pacific Union College Demonstration and Experimental Forest, Suscol Intertribal Council’s Suskol House Land, and Moore Creek Park, Napa County, and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.
24. A grant of $299,253 to the Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indiansto reduce fire-fuels created by the 2019 Kincade Fire and restore approximately 57 acres of the Rancheria in Sonoma County, and adoption of findings pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act.
25. A grant of $414,000 to the City of Healdsburg for its Fire Department to conduct wildfire fuel management and control line treatments on three open space preserves (Healdsburg Ridge, Callahan and Fitch Mountain) adjacent to the City of Healdsburg in Sonoma County, and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.
26. A grant of $1,000,000 to Save the Redwoods League to conduct forest restoration treatments to improve forest health and wildfire resiliency in the Greater Prairie Creek Watershed within Redwood National and State Parks, and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.

27. A grant of $1,000,000 to the Marin Municipal Water District to implement vegetation management projects identified in the Biodiversity, Fire, and Fuels Integrated Plan (BFFIP) in the Mount Tamalpais Watershed, and to reduce ladder fuels in the Marin County Parks Blithedale Summit Preserve, and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.
28. A grant of $396,000 to Santa Barbara County for a community defensible space project in the San Antonio Creekarea of Santa Barbara County.
29. A grant of $400,000 to Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District to reduce wildland vegetation fuels, remove fire prone invasive species, and expand shaded fuel break areas through their Wildland Fire Resiliency Program in up to 11 preserves in San Mateo County, and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.
30. A grant of $1,000,000 to San Mateo Resource Conservation District to establish a shaded fuel break and remove hazardous trees along fire roads within Quarry Parkin El Granada, San Mateo County, and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.

31. A grant of $317,071 to the Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabelto reduce fire fuels in undeveloped woodlands and open spaces and create defensible space around buildings, water systems, and roadways on Iipay Nation trust lands.
32. A grant of $661,367 to the Urban Corps of San Diego to conduct fuel modification for wildfire resilience in open space in the City of Chula Vista and in seven San Diego County preserves; and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.
33. A grant of $581,500 to North East Trees for the Flat Top Park Fire Resilienceproject in the City of Los Angeles.

Press Release: Coastal Conservancy Awards $38 million for Coastal Preservation, Restoration, and Public Access

Today, the Board of the California State Coastal Conservancy approved nearly $38 million in grants for coastal restoration, preservation, and public access including $13.4 million for construction, monitoring and modeling of Phase 2 South Bay Salt Pond (SBSP) Restoration Project actions at Eden Landing Ecological Reserve in Alameda County and $10 million to the County of San Diego to implement the Tijuana River Valley Smuggler’s Gulch Improvements Project.

The Board also allocated $505,000 to the City of Healdsburg for their Fire Department to conduct wildfire fuel management, create defensible space, and update the management plan for Fitch Mountain Park and Open Space Preserve. This project is expected to get underway at the beginning of July to improve the region’s resilience to wildfire in this fire season.  This is the first project in the Conservancy’s Forest Health and Wildfire Resilience Program to be funded by the early action funding approved by the Legislature and Governor Newsom last month.

NORTH COAST

1. A grant of up to $269,318 to the Yurok Tribe for planning and to prepare designs and permit applications for instream salmonid habitat enhancement projects in the Elk Meadows Cabin reach of lower Prairie Creek, a tributary to Redwood Creek, in Humboldt County.
2. A grant of up to $413,000 to Save the Redwoods League to construct approximately 4.5 miles of new trails extending the coastal trail on the Shady Dell property near the Usal Beach area of the southern Lost Coast in Mendocino County, and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.
3. A grant of up to $505,000 to the City of Healdsburg for their Fire Department to conduct wildfire fuel management, create defensible space, and update the management plan for Fitch Mountain Park and Open Space Preserve in Sonoma County, and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.
4. A grant of up to $2,000,000 to The Wildlands Conservancy to acquire approximately 7,480 acres of the Lone Pine Ranch property at the confluence of the Eel River mainstem and North Fork Eel River in Trinity and Mendocino Counties for the purposes of preserving and restoring fish and wildlife habitat, public access and recreation, open space, and natural resource protection.
5. A grant of up to $2,000,000 to the County of Humboldt to complete designs and permits and construct the Humboldt Bay Trail South, a new 4.25 mile stretch of the California Coastal Trail linking the Cities of Arcata and Eureka, and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.
6. A grant of up to $940,000 to the Smith River Alliance, Inc. to acquire beach, dune, wetland, upland and forested parcels in the vicinity of the Pacific Shores subdivision, adjacent to Lake Earl, Del Norte County.

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA

7. A grant of up to $500,000, including $74,000 in funds from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, to the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department to realign and improve the existing trail network at Twin Peaks in San Francisco County, part of the Bay Area Ridge Trail alignment, to control erosion, increase public safety, restore native plants, and provide interpretive and directional signs.
8. A grant of up to: 1) $7,605,000 to Ducks Unlimited, Inc. for construction, monitoring and modeling of Phase 2 South Bay Salt Pond (SBSP) Restoration Project actions at Eden Landing Ecological Reserve in Alameda County; 2) $720,000 of in-lieu fee funds awarded to the Conservancy from the California Department of Transportation for development of the public access trail as part of the Phase 2 project at Ravenswood in San Mateo County; 3) $3,500,000 to the Alameda County Flood Control and Water Conservation District to conduct studies and prepare designs and a 408 permit application for alterations to flood control facilities at Eden Landing; 4) $460,000 to the Aquatic Science Center for a lead scientist, the SBSP Restoration Project website, and applied studies to support implementation of the SBSP Restoration Project in Alameda, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties; 5) $385,000 for executive project management of the SBSP Restoration Project; and 6) $800,000 to the California Wildlife Foundation for monitoring and applied studies that facilitate ongoing adaptive management of the SBSP Restoration Project.
9. A grant of up to $950,000, to be reimbursed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program, to the California Invasive Plant Council for the planning, management, treatment, monitoring, restoration, and permit compliance activities of the San Francisco Estuary Invasive Spartina Project.
10. Amending an existing Project Partnership Agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Santa Clara Valley Water District for construction of the Shoreline Project in the City of San José, Santa Clara County

CENTRAL COAST

11. A grant of up to $60,000 to the California Department of Parks and Recreation to prepare plans, environmental review documents, and permit applications for two new restrooms in Garrapata State Parkin Big Sur, Monterey County.
12. A grant of up to $1,123,000 to the Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County for the Integrated Watershed Restoration Program to conduct planning and prepare designs and permit applications for 23 high priority watershed restoration projects in San Mateo, Santa Cruz, and Monterey Counties.

SOUTH COAST

13. A grant of up to $1,692,360 to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for design and permitting of the restoration of the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve in Los Angeles County and further authorization to disburse up to $500,000 to the Prevention Institute to support broad community engagement in planning for that restoration; and the adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.
14. A grant of up to $1,200,000 to Riverside County Regional Park and Open Space District to prepare plans, designs, and environmental documentation for the 3.4-mile segment of the Santa Ana River Trail known as the Rincon to Prado Spillway segment in the County of Riverside.
15. A grant of up to $10,000,000 to the County of San Diego to implement the Tijuana River Valley – Smuggler’s Gulch Improvements Project, and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.
16. A grant of up to $700,000 to the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains to augment a previously authorized Conservancy grant of $460,000 for planning for the Topanga Lagoon Restoration Project at Topanga State Park and Topanga Beach in Los Angeles County.
17. A grant of up to $255,000 for environmental review and community engagement to support the Malibu Coastal Access Public Works Plan for seventeen sites in the City of Malibu.
18. A grant of up to $1,300,000 through one or more contracts to prepare environmental compliance documents and related technical studies for the Ormond Beach Restoration and Public Access Plan.
19. Authorization for the City of Chula Vista to remove use restrictions on 1.86 acres of the Conservancy-funded, City-owned Faivre Street property in the lower Otay River Valley in exchange for the City’s acquisition and restriction of a property of equal size and equal or greater value in the Otay River Valley.

Press Release: First California Coastal Trail Map Will Help Complete the 1,230-Mile-Long Trail

Staff Report: https://documents.coastal.ca.gov/reports/2021/5/W6d/W6d-5-2021-report.pdf

Map: https://the-california-coastal-trail-1-coastalcomm.hub.arcgis.com/

Contact: Noaki Schwartz at Noaki.Schwartz@coastal.ca.gov and Taylor Samuelson at Taylor.Samuelson@scc.ca.gov

SAN FRANCISCO _ The Coastal Commission and Coastal Conservancy released a digital map that for the first time shows the existing sections of the California Coastal Trail, a three-year project that will be critical to completing the rest of the trail.

“What a milestone,” said Coastal Commission Executive Director Jack Ainsworth. “There are currently 875 miles of trail and now we can finally see exactly where they are, so we can eventually bridge those gaps and finish the trail.”

The California Coastal Trail, which has been in the planning since 1975, is a network of trails that will eventually allow the public to traverse the length of California’s 1,230-mile-long coast. The varied trail is not a single pathway but a collection of parallel threads and is about 70 percent complete. The trail takes participants through beaches, along blufftops and hillsides, on footpaths, sidewalks and separated bicycle paths maximizing scenic coastal views. Portions of the trail are accessible on foot, bicycle, wheelchair users and on horsebacks as well.

“The California Coastal Trail is one of the only flagship trails in the country that is accessible to almost everyone,” said Coastal Conservancy Executive Officer Sam Schuchat. “Many Californians have walked a segment or two without even realizing it!  With this map, people can find trail segments easily, as well as public access points to get to the shore.”

The map will be available for free download and has a variety of uses. Members of the public can use the public access points to plan trips and planners can see where the amenities to help determine other segments. Users can also zoom into trail alignments and see details such as pathways and stairs. The online map will allow members of the public and planners to click on and view the length of the segment, the name, which city its located in and who the trail steward of each section is.

Users can also determine which segments are complete and safe to access, which are problematic, which routes are waterfront, which are bike only segments and where there are significant connecting trails. The project was completed with support and information from Caltrans, State Parks and many other state and local agencies.

“This really going to help the public appreciate all their options for accessing the coast,” said Coastal Commission Vice-Chair Donne Brownsey. “Hopefully we will get more people out there on those beautiful trails.”

Coastal Conservancy Awards Nearly $17 Million for Coastal Restoration, Preservation and Public Access

Oakland, CA – Today, the Board of the California State Coastal Conservancy awarded over $16.9 million to 13 projects to protect and restore the California coast and San Francisco Bay, and increase public access to these natural resources.

Among these grant awards were over $4.4 million from the US Fish and Wildlife Service National Coastal Wetlands Grant Program.  This program awards grants of up to $1 million to states based on a national competition and funds significant coastal wetland restoration projects.

The projects approved at the March Board meeting were:

NORTH COAST

1. Consideration and possible authorization to disburse up to $634,823 of which $358,639 is from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program to California Trout to implement the Mad River Floodplain and Public Access Enhancement Project along the Mad River, Humboldt County, CA; and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.
2. Consideration and possible authorization to disburse up to $4,547,520 comprised of $750,000 dollars in Conservancy funds, $1,821,938 from the US Fish and Wildlife Service National Coastal Wetlands Grant Program funds, and $1,975,582 from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Wetlands Restoration for Greenhouse Gas Reduction Grant Program, to Ducks Unlimited, and for the Conservancy to retain environmental consultants, to conduct the Ocean Ranch Restoration Project near Loleta, Humboldt County; and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.
3. Consideration and possible authorization to disburse up to $307,170 to the Humboldt County Resource Conservation District to conduct studies and prepare designs, permit applications, and a management plan for restoration of the Williams Creek watershednear Ferndale, Humboldt County, CA.
4. Consideration and possible authorization to disburse up to $499,070 to the Eel River Recovery Project to conduct planning and prepare plans, designs and environmental compliance documents for water storage and erosion control sites that will enhance summer flows and improve water quality to benefit salmonids in lower Tenmile Creek, a tributary to the South Fork Eel River in Mendocino County.
5. Consideration and possible authorization to disburse up to $188,480 to The Buckeye Conservancy to conduct planning and prepare designs, permit applications and environmental review documents for off-channel salmonid rearing habitat restoration along Wood Creek on the Felt Ranch property in Humboldt County.
6. Consideration and possible authorization to disburse up to $979,000 received from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and $980,000 received from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to the City of Eureka to augment the Conservancy’s prior authorizations of $2,356,000 for implementation of the Elk River Estuary Restoration Project, a tidal wetland restoration project in Humboldt County.
7. Consideration and possible authorization to disburse up to $300,000 received from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to contract for post-construction monitoring of the White Slough Restoration Project in the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge (HBNWR) on Humboldt Bay.

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA

8. Consideration and possible authorization to disburse up to $1,000,000 to the City of Richmond to construct a 1.25-mile segment of the San Francisco Bay Trail connecting Point Molate Beach Park to the Winehaven Historic District in Contra Costa County; and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
9. Consideration and possible authorization to disburse up to $1,434,400 to the City of Richmond to augment the Conservancy’s November 19, 2020 grant of $3,000,000 for the final design and implementation of the Terminal Four Wharf Removal Project near Point San Pablo, Contra Costa County.
10. Consideration and possible authorization to disburse up to $2,474,600 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to complete implementation of the Hamilton Wetlands Restoration Project in Novato, Marin County.

SOUTH COAST

11. Consideration and possible authorization to disburse up to $350,000 to the San Diego Association of Governments to construct the Barrio Logan segment of the Bayshore Bikeway in San Diego County.
12. Consideration and possible authorization to disburse up to $734,730 to the County of Ventura to conduct planning and to prepare designs and environmental documentation for the replacement of the Camino Cielo Bridge over the Ventura River in unincorporated Ventura County.
13. Consideration and possible authorization to disburse up to $433,650 to the City of Hermosa Beach in Los Angeles County to renovate an impervious and deteriorated beach parking lot into a green, multi-benefit parking lot and to prepare final design plans to renovate a second parking lot in the City of Hermosa Beach.
14. Consideration and possible authorization to disburse up to $890,000 to the San Diego Unified Port District to implement and monitor a native oyster living shoreline project at the Chula Vista Wildlife Reserve in San Diego County.
15. Consideration and possible authorization to disburse up to $151,869 to the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation to collect topographical map data, analyze the impacts of sea level rise on rocky intertidal habitat, and identify potential restoration and enhancement areas across San Diego County.
16. Consideration and possible authorization to disburse up to $218,895 to the California Urban Forests Council to implement a multi-benefit urban greening project that will plant approximately 500 trees through educational community events that engage residents in communities across the Upper San Gabriel River Watershed.

CENTRAL COAST

17. Consideration and possible authorization to disburse up to $436,395, including $386,395 awarded to the Conservancy by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Program, to the Coastal San Luis Resource Conservation District to restore approximately 56 acres of coastal habitat along Los Osos Creek in the lower Morro Bay watershed in San Luis Obispo County; and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.
18. Consideration and possible authorization to disburse up to $360,000 to the County of Santa Cruz to prepare technical analyses, design plans, environmental review documents, and permit applications for water quality and public access improvements and habitat restoration at Moran Lake in Santa Cruz County.

The next Conservancy meeting is scheduled for May 27, 2021 and will be held via teleconference.

Notes to Editors:

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.

Since its founding, the Conservancy has:

• Funded 2,400 projects along the California coastline and in the San Francisco Bay.
• Protected 390,000 acres of coastal lands through acquisition of fee title and conservation easements.
• Restored 33,000 acres of habitat.
• Built 200 new coastal accessway and 210 miles of new trails.
• Put $1.3 billion to work for conservation projects, and leveraged far more from federal, local government, and private sources.

Press Release: Coastal Conservancy Awarded $7 Million in US Fish and Wildlife Grants

March 1, 2021

Funding for 8 Coastal Wetland Restoration Projects

Oakland, CA – The US Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it is awarding California State Coastal Conservancy nearly $7 million in grant funding for eight coastal wetland restoration projects.

The grants, which are part of the Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grants Program, will fund restoration projects in 5 coastal counties and the San Francisco Bay, encompassing over 3,000 acres of both urban waterfronts and rural watersheds.

“The Coastal Conservancy and US Fish and Wildlife (Wildlife & Sport Fish Restoration Program) have collaborated successfully for many years on some of the state’s most significant wetland restoration projects, which have helped wildlife populations rebound, created new public access amenities, and prepared parts of our coast for the impacts of climate change.” said Sam Schuchat, Executive Officer of the Coastal Conservancy, “I am thrilled to have so many projects funded through the National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grants Program this year.  These federal dollars are matched by state and local funding, showing that Californians have both the will and the way to restore wetland habitats.”

Wetlands in coastal watersheds are diverse and complex ecosystems that are vital to the nation’s economy and an important part of the nation’s natural heritage. Coastal wetlands in California include both salt marshes in estuaries and freshwater wetlands that extend inland within the coastal drainages. They provide crucial habitat for fish, birds and other wildlife, including breeding grounds, nurseries, shelter and food.

The Conservancy’s projects will directly benefit several federally listed and sensitive species including the California red-legged frog, western pond turtle, Nipomo lupine, legless lizard, coast horned lizard, La Graciosa thistle, California least tern, light-footed Ridgway rail, monarch butterfly, coho and Chinook salmon, steelhead trout, and tidewater goby.

“The importance of the work proposed, and the quality of the applications developed by the Coastal Conservancy and its partners resulted in a high level of success in the Fiscal Year 2021 round of selections.” said Paul Souza, Regional Director of the California-Great Basin Region of the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

The projects selected for funding are:

• Project: Black Lake Ecological Area Habitat Restoration
  Partner: Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County
  Location: San Luis Obispo County
  Award: $587,409

• Project: Elkhorn Slough Tidal Marsh Restoration-Phase 3,
  Partner: Elkhorn Slough Foundation and Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve
  Location: Monterey County
  Award: $1,000,000

• Project: Elk River Estuary Restoration-Area 2 North,
  Partner: City of Eureka
  Location: Humboldt County
  Award: $1,000,000

• Project: Mad River Floodplain Restoration and Public Access
  Partner: McKinleyville Community Services District and Cal Trout
  Location: Humboldt County
  Award: $ 376,754

• Project: Loma Alta Slough Wetlands Enhancement
  Partner: City of Oceanside
  Location: San Diego County
  Award: $1,000,000

• Project: Ormand Beach Wetlands Restoration Phase 2
  Partner: The Nature Conservancy
  Location: Ventura County
  Award: $1,000,000

• Project: San Francisco Bay Coastal Wetland Revegetation-Phase 2,
  Location: San Francisco Bay
  Award: $1,000,000

• Project: San Diego Bay Native Oyster Living Shoreline
  Partner: Port of San Diego
  Location: San Diego County
  Award: $960,533

The National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program is administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service and funded by taxes or import duties collected from the sale of recreational fishing equipment, boats, electric motors and motorboat and small engine fuels under the authority of the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act.

The Service awards grants of up to $1 million to states based on a national competition, which enables states to determine and address their highest conservation priorities in coastal areas. Since 1992, the Service has awarded more than $400 million in grants under the program.

Notes to Editors:

The Coastal Conservancy is a California 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.

Since its founding, the Conservancy has:

• Funded 2,400 projects along the California coastline and in the San Francisco Bay.
• Protected 390,000 acres of coastal lands through acquisition of fee title and conservation easements.
• Restored 33,000 acres of habitat.
• Built 200 new coastal accessway and 210 miles of new trails.
• Put $1.3 billion to work for conservation projects, and leveraged far more from federal, local government, and private sources.