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State funds to help Jenner headlands
by George Snyder
Staff Writer
Members of the Board of Directors of the California Coastal Conservancy met briefly near here recently to take care of official business and then spend much of the rest of the day touring the Jenner Headlands overlooking the azure Pacific at the mouth of the Russian River.
“The main reason we are here is for the field trip to the Jenner Headlands,” said Conservancy Board Chairman Doug Bosco just before a short meeting at Ocean Song west of Occidental on Coleman Valley Road.
“We’ve agreed to help with funding the preservation of the Headlands,” Bosco said with a nod to the ocean on the horizon, nearly as blue as the sky.
“That’s why we are glad to be doing what we do. And we do a lot in West Sonoma County,” he added.
Indeed, the 5,630-acre Jenner Headlands project is only one of more than 80 Sonoma County coastal projects the Conservancy has funded to the tune of more than $28,754,759 since 1987.
In addition, the Conservancy, established in 1976 by the state, has helped facilitate millions more from other agencies for projects that have included funding for Willow Creek State Park, Austin Creek Watershed Restoration, the Bodega Bay Trail, Steelhead Beach Park, Salmon Creek School, Green Valley Creek restoration, the Russian River Access Plan and the Estero Americano Nature Preserve.
Other projects including work with Sonoma County Regional Parks and California Department of Parks and Recreation resulted in new sections of the California Coastal Trail being planned in Timber Cove and developed near Bodega Bay and Bodega Dunes State Park.
In addition new approaches to water conservation are being developed by partners in the Salmon Creek Watershed led by Occidental Arts and Ecology Center, and Ocean Song Farm and Wilderness Center is also working with partners in Sonoma and Marin to map and protect coastal prairie resources.
The Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District is using Conservancy funds to help complete an integrated watershed plan for Green Valley Creek for the benefit of salmonids, and also to help dairy farmers manage nutrients along the Estero Americano.
Meanwhile, the Conservancy has awarded $8 million in its own funds plus a $5.85-million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for the Sonoma Land Trust’s $36-million purchase of the Jenner Headlands property on the east side of Highway 1 north of the Russian River, says Conservancy Communications Director and Real Estate Manager Dick Wayman.
“The highly scenic property contains a variety of wildlife habitats, including redwood and Douglas fir forest, oak woodland, chaparral, meadows, and coastal prairie, and offers excellent opportunities for regional trails,” said Wayman.”
According to Wayman and Conservancy Project Manager Deborah Hirst, the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District will hold a conservation easement over the property and work with the land trust on a management plan for the Headlands.
The tour, meanwhile, according to Wayman and Hirst, Conservancy Board members on the tour, found a clear day that enabled them to see Mount Tamalpais and Point Reyes in Marin County.
“The members of the Coastal Conservancy were very impressed with the property’s diversity—from quiet redwood forests to wind-swept coastal grasslands offering panoramic views of the shoreline,” said Hirst.
Among the Conservancy’s biggest supporters is Lisa Hulette, Executive Director of the Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District.
“The Coastal Conservancy has been instrumental in all the resources conservation work the RCD has been and continues to be involved in,” she said.
“They have provided the primary funding source for the design and implementation of at least fifteen streambank restoration and erosion control projects in the Salmon Creek and Estero Americano watersheds,” Hulette added. “To date they have provided the RCD with $1.5 million in funding to assist agricultural landowners in the Estero Americano watershed for riparian restoration, erosion control and riparian fencing for example. They have also funded $950,000 in the Salmon Creek Watershed for similar projects.”
Hulette said the Conservancy is also providing $485,000 to the Dutch Bill Creek Dam Removal and Creek Restoration Project between Camp Meeker and Monte Rio on the Russian River and a new community bridge in Camp Meeker.
“The Coastal Conservancy has consistently been a strong funding partner, helping us to implement projects designed to enhance salmon habitat while at the same time working with landowners to provide other incentives for participation including fencing, off stream water development for livestock.”
“The main reason we are here is for the field trip to the Jenner Headlands,” said Conservancy Board Chairman Doug Bosco just before a short meeting at Ocean Song west of Occidental on Coleman Valley Road.
“We’ve agreed to help with funding the preservation of the Headlands,” Bosco said with a nod to the ocean on the horizon, nearly as blue as the sky.
“That’s why we are glad to be doing what we do. And we do a lot in West Sonoma County,” he added.
Indeed, the 5,630-acre Jenner Headlands project is only one of more than 80 Sonoma County coastal projects the Conservancy has funded to the tune of more than $28,754,759 since 1987.
In addition, the Conservancy, established in 1976 by the state, has helped facilitate millions more from other agencies for projects that have included funding for Willow Creek State Park, Austin Creek Watershed Restoration, the Bodega Bay Trail, Steelhead Beach Park, Salmon Creek School, Green Valley Creek restoration, the Russian River Access Plan and the Estero Americano Nature Preserve.
Other projects including work with Sonoma County Regional Parks and California Department of Parks and Recreation resulted in new sections of the California Coastal Trail being planned in Timber Cove and developed near Bodega Bay and Bodega Dunes State Park.
In addition new approaches to water conservation are being developed by partners in the Salmon Creek Watershed led by Occidental Arts and Ecology Center, and Ocean Song Farm and Wilderness Center is also working with partners in Sonoma and Marin to map and protect coastal prairie resources.
The Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District is using Conservancy funds to help complete an integrated watershed plan for Green Valley Creek for the benefit of salmonids, and also to help dairy farmers manage nutrients along the Estero Americano.
Meanwhile, the Conservancy has awarded $8 million in its own funds plus a $5.85-million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for the Sonoma Land Trust’s $36-million purchase of the Jenner Headlands property on the east side of Highway 1 north of the Russian River, says Conservancy Communications Director and Real Estate Manager Dick Wayman.
“The highly scenic property contains a variety of wildlife habitats, including redwood and Douglas fir forest, oak woodland, chaparral, meadows, and coastal prairie, and offers excellent opportunities for regional trails,” said Wayman.”
According to Wayman and Conservancy Project Manager Deborah Hirst, the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District will hold a conservation easement over the property and work with the land trust on a management plan for the Headlands.
The tour, meanwhile, according to Wayman and Hirst, Conservancy Board members on the tour, found a clear day that enabled them to see Mount Tamalpais and Point Reyes in Marin County.
“The members of the Coastal Conservancy were very impressed with the property’s diversity—from quiet redwood forests to wind-swept coastal grasslands offering panoramic views of the shoreline,” said Hirst.
Among the Conservancy’s biggest supporters is Lisa Hulette, Executive Director of the Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District.
“The Coastal Conservancy has been instrumental in all the resources conservation work the RCD has been and continues to be involved in,” she said.
“They have provided the primary funding source for the design and implementation of at least fifteen streambank restoration and erosion control projects in the Salmon Creek and Estero Americano watersheds,” Hulette added. “To date they have provided the RCD with $1.5 million in funding to assist agricultural landowners in the Estero Americano watershed for riparian restoration, erosion control and riparian fencing for example. They have also funded $950,000 in the Salmon Creek Watershed for similar projects.”
Hulette said the Conservancy is also providing $485,000 to the Dutch Bill Creek Dam Removal and Creek Restoration Project between Camp Meeker and Monte Rio on the Russian River and a new community bridge in Camp Meeker.
“The Coastal Conservancy has consistently been a strong funding partner, helping us to implement projects designed to enhance salmon habitat while at the same time working with landowners to provide other incentives for participation including fencing, off stream water development for livestock.”
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