Coastal Land Deals for June and Sept 2020 by the Coastal Conservancy
DEL NORTE: disburse up to $96,000 to the County of Del Norte to assess the feasibility of expanding camping opportunities and develop a park improvement plan for 2.25 acre Clifford Kamph Memorial Park, the northern gateway to the California Coastal Trail, in Del Norte County. SCC 6/2020
MAP: https://scc.ca.gov/webmaster/ftp/pdf/sccbb/2020/2006/20200618Board03C_Kamph_Park_Ex1.pdf
HUMBOLDT COUNTY: authorization to substitute Friends of the Dunes as the interim fee owner of the 356-acre Samoa Dunes and Wetland Complex and disburse up to $30,000 to Friends of the Dunes to provide interim management of the 356-acre Samoa Dunes and Wetlands Complex in Humboldt County, CA. Currrent owner is Security National. In 2018, SCC allocated $673k for the purchase. SCC 9/2020
MAP: https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2020/aug/10/harbor-district-friends-dunes-develop-agreement-se/
MENDOCINO COUNTY: amend the Conservancy’s revenue sharing agreement with The Conservation Fund (TCF) related to the Garcia River Forest (formerly known as Coastal Forestlands), Mendocino County. SCC 9/2020
SONOMA COUNTY: disburse up to $500,000 to the Sonoma County Regional Parks to acquire approximately 515 acres in the Dutch Bill Creek watershed, a tributary to the Russian River, to protect open space, habitat, natural floodplain and water quality and to provide an opportunity to develop a future regional parkway with recreational trails. Funding is by: Sonoma County: $2.167k, Regional parks Measure M: $445k, CA State Parks: $954k. SCC 6/2020
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SANTA CLARA COUNTY: disburse up to $5,000,000 to the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority to acquire the approximately 235-acre Sobrato South property for protection of open space, natural floodplain, wildlife habitat, biological resources, and agriculture; natural resource restoration; and compatible public access, as part of a larger Coyote Valley open space acquisition effort in the City of San Jose in Santa Clara County. One of the significant regional values of theCoyote Valley is that itprovides a linkage between theSanta Cruz Mountainsand the Diablo Rangefor both the movement of wildlife and for the migration of species .
The Sobrato South acquisition terms require that the Brandenburg, Sobrato North and Sobrato South parcels be acquired together because of the properties’ interrelated infrastructure easements. To successfully complete this complicated and costly acquisition, the OSA is working with Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) and the City of San José. The City of San José acquired part of the Brandenburg property,Brandenburg East, and OSA holds a conservation easement over this property. POST acquired the remainder of the Brandenburg property, Brandenburg West, and the Sobrato North. POST will eventually transfer its interests in the Brandenburg West and the Sobrato North propertiesto OSA, likely next year. POSTis also the buyer under the Sobrato South acquisition agreement but will assign its rights to purchase the Sobrato South property to OSA and provide $1,000,000 toward the acquisition. OSA anticipates that the remaining $15,000,000 necessary to complete the acquisition will be coming from the Wildlife Conservation Board($10,000,000)and from the Conservancy ($5,000,000), and $1 million from POST.. SCC 6/2020
MAP: https://baynature.org/article/the-last-big-save/
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY: transfer fee title to five Conservancy-owned parcels adjacent to Hidden Beach County Park to the County of Santa Cruz and approval of the disposition plan for the property transfer; and authorization to disburse up to $35,000 to the County of Santa Cruz to prepare plans, environmental review documents, and permit applications for a new restroom at Hidden Beach County Park. SCC 9/2020
MAP: https://scc.ca.gov/webmaster/ftp/pdf/sccbb/2020/2009/20200903Board07_Hidden_Beach_Ex3.pdf
SAN LUIS OBISPO: disburse up to $600,000 to The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County for the acquisition of a conservation easement on the 717-acre Nicholson Ranch in northern San Luis Obispo County. The ranch is adjacent to the 1,779-acre Hill Ranch that has also been protected by a conservation easement recorded in 2018 with funding support from Conservancy Proposition 1 funds. Further west, the Hill Ranch shares a border with the 2,032-acre MK Ranch which was donated to the Land Conservancy in February 2020 for perpetual conservation purposes . Additional Funding is from: Dept of Conservation $1mil, WCB $760k. Total cost is $2.36 million. SCC 9/2020
MAP: https://scc.ca.gov/webmaster/ftp/pdf/sccbb/2020/2009/20200903Board08_Nicholson_Ranch_Ex2.pdf
ORANGE COUNTY: disburse up to $2,460,000 to acquire the 44-acre Newland Marsh property in Huntington Beach from the California Department of Transportation, and to transfer the property to the Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy.
The purchase is part of a 191-acre wetlands complex located on the north side of the Santa Ana River. The complex consists of four areas: Talbert Marsh, Brookhurst Marsh, Magnolia Marsh and Newland Marsh(Exhibit 1). The complex is all that is left of an almost 3,000-acre wetland that once existed at the mouth of the Santa Ana River. All the other marshes except Newland Marsh have been acquired and restored by the Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy(HBWC).Acquisition of Newland Marsh will complete the protection of the Huntington Beach Wetlands Complex . HBWC has already completed full tidal restoration at Talbert, Brookhurst, and Magnolia Marshes. Project costs: SCCC $400k, WCB $1.08 million, USFWS $980k SCC 9/2020
ORANGE COUNTY: disburse up to $250,000 to the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority to prepare plans, CEQA documentation, and permit applications for wetland restoration and public access facilities in the southern area of the Los Cerritos Wetlands in Seal Beach. SCC 9/2020
Since its formation, LCWA has acquired 166 acres, of which the Conservancy has helped fund the acquisition of 66 acres and has prepared conceptual restoration plans for the entire 500-acre complex.
