Coastal Stories Program

Courtesy of PBS SoCal, Coastal Stories projects at various stages of development are displayed on an interactive map, each with a brief description, link, and image. Six of these projects were also featured in a special video series. Both the video series and map can be found at Stream Coastal California Seasons & Full Episodes | PBS SoCal.

What’s your Coastal Story? How does your community connect to the outdoors? And who carries the untold histories and stories of California? California is marked by its diversity, and yet many stories told in the outdoors center around a white, settler perspective. A Coastal Stories project advances the Conservancy’s Strategic Plan Goal #2.4 by planning, developing, and implement storytelling installations or materials (such as murals, signage, monuments, or guides) that represent communities and voices that have been systemically excluded in the storytelling of California’s coast and publicly accessible lands. These communities may include but are not limited to Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) people, people with disabilities, immigrant communities, low-income communities, and other historically excluded communities.

From 2022–2024, Coastal Stories projects were supported through a dedicated grant program created to elevate inclusivity in outdoor spaces—a need that was especially amplified during the COVID‑19 pandemic. , the Conservancy continues to actively support and welcome Coastal Stories–aligned projects. These projects must now be integrated into a broader climate resilience, public access, or habitat conservation, enhancement, or restoration effort. and be integrated into a broader climate resilience, sea level rise adaptation, or public access effort. Coastal Conservancy Grants – California State Coastal Conservancy

A valuable opportunity to implement a Coastal Stories project component is during the period between conceptual design and construction—a stage when community engagement often tapers off. Once engineering plans are set, communities are often not re-engaged until groundbreaking or ribbon‑cutting. Developing community‑driven storytelling products during this quieter phase of the project can sustain momentum, deepen local involvement, and lay the groundwork for interpretive materials that will ultimately bring the project to life.

These are the founding principles of the Coastal Stories program:

Promote a sense of belonging in outdoor spaces by presenting perspectives that include BIPOC and/or other historically excluded communities.
Engage representatives of BIPOC and/or other historically excluded communities to develop and share their coastal perspectives and stories.
Improve educational content in California’s outdoor spaces by correcting one-sided histories, retelling stories in more appropriate and inclusive ways, and developing new content that shares untold stories.
Use creative forms of interpretation and storytelling.

The Coastal Stories program is part of the Conservancy’s Explore the Coast (ETC) program, which seeks to provide coastal experiences for people and communities who face challenges to accessing or enjoying the coast. 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.

The Conservancy can fund planning and preparation activities such as hiring historians/ storytellers/ artists, community engagement, designing materials, acquiring permits and permissions, and installation, creation, or implementation of project. Please see our Inclusive Interpretive Material Guidelines for specific suggestions on producing inclusive content.

Examples of previous Coastal Stories projects can be found in the staff reports linked below:

Please email coastalstories@scc.ca.gov with any questions.

Conservancy Jurisdiction Map

Coastal Stories Grant Program FAQ

Inclusive Interpretive Material Guidelines

Coastal Stories Video Series