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.

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: Coastal Conservancy Awards over $8.2 million in First Ever Virtual Board Meeting

Oakland, CA – Today, in its first ever virtual Board meeting, the Coastal Conservancy Authorized $8.2 million in grant funding for projects to restore, protect and increase access to the California Coast and San Francisco Bay.  Due to state and local Shelter-In-Place orders, members of the Conservancy’s Board, staff and the public convened via teleconference to discuss and approve 20 projects.

Among the grants awarded was $1,000,000 to the National Wildlife Federation to prepare engineering designs and construction specifications for a wildlife crossing that will connect the Santa Monica Mountains to the Sierra Madre Range over US-101 and Agoura Road, west of Liberty Canyon Road in the City of Agoura Hills.  The wildlife crossing’s primary beneficiary will be the mountain lion (Puma concolor) population in and around the Santa Monica Mountains. There are approximately 10 to 15 mountain lions remaining in this area, and the habitat fragmentation caused by US-101 causes inbreeding, territorial fighting, decreased genetic diversity, and declining health among the mountain lions. Scientists and wildlife managers predict the mountain lion population in the Santa Monica Mountains will be extinct in the next 50 years without a safe US-101 crossing at Liberty Canyon.

The Board also approved a grant of up to $500,000 to the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority to prepare plans, designs, environmental review documents and a public works plan for a campground and associated amenities at the Malibu Bluffs in the City of Malibu.  One of the biggest barriers for low and middle-income Californians to accessing and enjoying the coast is the lack of affordable overnight options. Nearly 60% of Californians never spend the night when they visit the coast. This project will help expand coastal camping in Southern California. When constructed, the Malibu Bluffs Campground would add 50 campsites ranging from platform tent cabins/yurts to pop-up tent campsites, nearly doubling the number of campsites in the City of Malibu, which receives 15 million visitors annually.

NORTH COAST

1. A grant of up to $94,700 to the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), to improve and expand the Mattole Beach Campground, increasing access to low cost accommodations along the California coast.
2. A grant of up to $1,300,000 to the Redwood Coast Land Conservancy for the acquisition of the 113-acre Mill Bend propertyand preparation of an integrated resource management plan for the property, located at the mouth of the Gualala River in Sonoma and Mendocino counties.
3. Consideration and possible authorization to amend the January 18, 2018 authorization to disburse funds to the Marin County Resource Conservation District for restoring coho salmon habitat in San Geronimo Creek, to allow the Marin Resource Conservation District to use $25,000 of those funds for procurement, transportation, and storage of large woody debris for future use on instream coho salmon habitat restoration projects within the greater Lagunitas Creek watershed in Marin County.
4. A grant of up to $150,000 to Sonoma County Regional Parks to prepare a master plan addressing resource protection and public use, including a segment of the California Coastal Trail and lower cost accommodations for the Carrington Coast Ranchin coastal Sonoma County.

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA

5. A grant of up to $428,875 to The Watershed Projectto finalize designs and construct green infrastructure and signage to improve water quality, prevent flooding, increase climate resiliency at a city park in Richmond, Contra Costa County, and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.
6. A grant of up to $1,413,200 to MarinLink for the Novato Baylands Stewardsto restore or enhance approximately 177 acres of wetlands through engaging local communities in Marin County.
7. A grant of up to $970,000 to the Contra Costa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District to implement the North Reach of the Lower Walnut Creek Habitat Restoration Project, Contra Costa County, and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.
8. Consideration and possible adoption of a Labor Compliance Program to allow disbursement of Proposition 84 funds for the Bel Marin Keys Unit V Phase Icomponent of the Hamilton Wetlands Restoration Project, City of Novato, Marin County.

CENTRAL COAST

9. A grant of up to $440,620 to the Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County to restore 9.9 acres of wetland and upland habitat at Watsonville Slough Farms in Santa Cruz County, and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.
10. A grant of up to $750,000 to the Carmel Area Wastewater District to develop plans, engineering designs, permit applications and environmental review documents for relocation of a wastewater pipeline in the Carmel River Lagoon, which will help facilitate the Carmel River Floodplain Restoration and Environmental Enhancement project in Monterey County.
11. A grant of up to $194,689 to the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County for construction of cattle grazing fencing and a water distribution system at the Pismo Ranch Preservelocated adjacent to the City of Pismo Beach in San Luis Obispo County.
12. A grant of up to $4,200 to the California Department of Parks and Recreation to acquire new beach wheelchairs at Gaviota, Refugio, and El Capitan State Beachesalong the Gaviota Coast, Santa Barbara County.
13. A grant of up to $130,000 to the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County to prepare designs, plans, permit applications, and environmental review documents for an all-access trail and improvements to associated visitor-serving amenities at Antonelli Pondlocated in the City of Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz County.
14. A grant of up to $80,000 to the County of Santa Barbara for preparation of design plans, technical studies, and a County permit pre-application package for the addition of campsites, relocation of campground support facilities, and site improvements at Jalama Beach County Parkin Santa Barbara County.
15. A grant of up to $186,024 to Trout Unlimited to remove a fish passage barrier on Potrero Creek, in the Carmel River watershed, in Monterey County and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.

SOUTH COAST

16. A grant of up to $1,000,000 to the National Wildlife Federation to prepare engineering designs and construction specifications for a wildlife crossing that will connect the Santa Monica Mountains to the Sierra Madre Range over US-101 and Agoura Road, west of Liberty Canyon Roadin the City of Agoura Hills.
17. A grant of up to $500,000 to the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority to prepare plans, designs, environmental review documents and a public works plan for a campground and associated amenities at the Malibu Bluffs in the City of Malibu.
18. A grant of up to $177,000 to the University of California Los Angeles to conduct dune restoration performance monitoring for the Cardiff State Beach Living Shoreline Project, County of San Diego; this authorization will augment funding previously authorized by the Conservancy for Project implementation which totaled $2,899,332 and included $83,289 specifically for dune restoration performance monitoring.
19. A grant of up to $15,000 to the Center for Natural Lands Management to complete a Property Analysis Record (PAR) for the Hobo Aliso Ridge propertyin Laguna Beach, Orange County.
20. A grant of up to $50,000 to the Orange County Coastkeeper to prepare a business plan, evaluate design options, and prepare permit applications for the purchase and installation of ten prefabricated lower-cost bungalows at the Waterfront RV Parkin Huntington Beach, Orange County.

Working with the Conservancy during Coronavirus Precautions

A message from our Executive Officer, Sam Schuchat:

Press Release: Coastal Conservancy Awards $7.8 Million for Coastal Restoration, Overnight Accommodation

Board approves first Explore the Coast Overnight Grant

Oakland, CA – Last week, the Board of the California State Coastal Conservancy awarded $7.8 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 grants was $2 million to the Crystal Cove Conservancy to restore 17 historic cottages in Crystal Cove State Park in Orange County.  This grant is the first funding to be authorized under the Conservancy’s Explore the Coast Overnight program, which funds projects and programming that create opportunities for all Californians to stay overnight at the coast.  Only 21% of overnight accommodation facilities on the California coast are “lower cost[1]” .  Of that, 62% are camping sites or RV sites, leaving a very small number of “lower cost” hotels and motels to serve all visitors.   The Explore the Coast Overnight program seeks to increase the number of cabins, hostels, hotels, campgrounds and other overnight options available at a rate within reach of most Californians.

The projects approved at the February Board meeting were:

NORTH COAST

1. A grant of up to $90,000 to the Trinidad Coastal Land Trust for construction of public access improvements, including restroom, picnic area, kiosk, and bike rack, at Houda Pointin Humboldt County.
2. A grant of up to $838,113 received from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to the Humboldt County Resource Conservation District to complete construction and implement post-construction monitoring of the White Slough Restoration Projectin the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge (HBNWR) on Humboldt Bay.

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA

3. A grant of up to $200,000 to the Solano Land Trust for construction of a staging area and other public amenities at Rockville Trails Preserveto allow access to new Bay Area Ridge Trail segments, and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.
4. A grant of up to $1,700,000 to the County of Napa to restore a two-mile reach of the Napa Riverand a one-mile secondary channel to enhance long-term river and floodplain function, improve water quality and riparian habitats, and attenuate flood damage to adjacent properties.
5. A grant of up to $239,719 to Friends of Corte Madera CreekWatershed to prepare design criteria, alternatives, and 35% design drawings for channel modifications to improve salmonid fish passage in a 3,100-foot long reach of concrete channel in the Corte Madera Creek in Marin County.
6. A grant of up to $485,993, to the Alameda County Resource Conservation District to implement the Water for Wildlife, East Bay Rangeland Pond and Trough Enhancement Projectin Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.
7. A grant of up to $500,000 to the Association of Bay Area Governments to prepare 60% designs and permit applications for thePalo Alto Horizontal Levee Pilot Project adjacent to the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant, City of Palo Alto, Santa Clara County.

CENTRAL COAST

8. A grant of up to $300,000 to the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County to prepare plans, designs, environmental review documents, and permit applications for approximately five miles of public trails and a trail staging area at the Watsonville Slough Farm.
9. A grant of up to $40,000 to the County of Santa Barbara to prepare a design and feasibility study for the Santa Maria River Levee Trailin Santa Barbara County.
10. Consideration and possible authorization disburse up to $670,000 of grant funds from the California Natural Resources Agency’s Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Programto the Contra Costa and San Mateo County Resource Conservation Districts and the Amah Mutsun Land Trust to augment the Conservancy’s October 17, 2019 authorization to disburse funds for planning and implementation projects that will improve forest health and wildfire resiliency, facilitate greenhouse gas emissions reductions, and increase carbon sequestration in forests.

SOUTH COAST

11. A grant of up to $500,000 to the City of Long Beach to construct a water treatmentfacility and two acres of surrounding green space that will include a one-acre wetland and trails that connect two parks and provide an inland connection to the California Coastal Trail, in the Willmore neighborhood of Long Beach, and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.
12. A grant of up to $318,600 to the Ventura Port District to install a one-ton derrick crane at the Ventura Harbor Commercial Fish Pierand enhance a commercial fishing gear storage and net repair facility at Ventura Harbor in Ventura County.
13. A grant of up to $2,000,000 to the Crystal Cove Conservancy to restore 17 historic cottages on North Beach of the Crystal CoveHistoric District at Crystal Cove State Park in Orange County, and adoption of findings under the California Environmental Quality Act.

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.

[1] There are numerous ways of defining “lower-cost” with regard to accommodations, and lower cost does not necessarily translate to affordability for people of low and middle-incomes. For the Sustinere analysis used in the Conservancy’s 2019 Assessment of Lower-Cost Coastal Accommodations, “lower-cost” coastal accommodations were defined as those having a daily rate that was 75% or less of the statewide average daily rate in 2015.

Webinar: The Stories We Don’t Tell About People of Color in the Outdoors

A recording of this webinar can be found here.

We hope you can join us for a webinar Thursday, February 28th from 12:00 p.m to 1:00 p.m. to hear about engaging people of color in the outdoors. Speaker Amanda E. Machado will share her personal story as a woman of color becoming involved in the environmentalist movement and facilitate a conversation about how to be more inclusive.

“This talk will explore how traditional narratives in the environmentalism movement and in outdoor recreation culture as a whole have historically not reflected the values and experiences of people of color. In this talk, I’ll share my personal story of how I got involved in the environmentalist and outdoors space after taking a year off to travel and hike across four continents in 2012, and why I had felt excluded from those spaces previously. I’ll then present three-five common narratives our culture often tells about people of color in the outdoors, and discuss what they miss, particularly in terms of race and other systems of power. After, participants will have a chance to brainstorm how we can combat erasure and how can tell more than just– as writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie named — the “single story” we often have about people of color outside.”-Amanda E. Machado

About the Speaker

Amanda E. Machado is a writer, editor, and facilitator who has lived and worked around the world. After teaching 9th grade English as a Teach for America corps member, she spent fifteen months backpacking South America, South Asia, Western Europe and the Western United States. Since then, she built a career as a freelance writer while living temporarily in cities like Cape Town, Havana, and Berlin.

Amanda has been published in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Harper’s Bazaar, Vox, Outside, REI Co-Op Journal, Quartz, Business Insider, and others, and has worked as a social justice editor for Matador Network, the world’s largest independent travel magazine. Her work has also been featured in the New York Times, NPR, Longreads, Jezebel, the She Explores podcast, and several other publications, radio programs, and blogs. In addition to her essay writing, Amanda also facilitates workshops on issues of equity and social justice for organizations around the world.

Amanda has a degree in English Literature and Nonfiction Writing from Brown University.

Equity and Environmental Justice Survey/ Encuesta de Equidad y Justicia

The Coastal Conservancy is embarking on an effort to create Equity and Environmental Justice Guidelines to direct our agency’s work. The Coastal Conservancy’s vision is of a beautiful, restored, and accessible coast for ALL Californians and we see equity and environment justice as a key driver of our agency’s work.  We would like your feedback to help identify which priorities you think are most important for our agency to address. Please share with any others you think may be interested.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GWKLCZD

Surveys due March 6, 2019.

Coastal Conservancy está embarcando en un esfuerzo para crear recomendaciones y mejorar el programa Equidad y Justicia en el Medio Ambiente. Nos gustaría que sus comentarios nos ayuden a identificar las prioridades que considera más importantes en su comunidad. Gracias.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Q29HQNX

Encuestas programadas para el 6 de marzo de 2019.