Archive for Coast
Newly Opened Cowell-Purisima Trail Is a Hit!
The new Cowell-Purisima Trail — a broad, relatively flat 3-mile trail tucked between artichoke and brussel sprout fields and a rugged stretch of San Mateo coastline — has generated a lot of interest, and more than a few hikers, since it opened last month.
The opening was heralded in nearly every local media outlet, including the San Jose Mercury News, the Half Moon Bay Review, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Bay Citizen, and Half Moon Bay’s Patch. It’s even found its way onto the national everything-but-the-kitchen-sink site About.com.
In many ways, the story of the trail — which is owned and managed by POST — is the story of the California Coastal Trail to which it adds three miles: It’s not easy to secure permanent public access to our coastline, but there’s a lot of pent-up demand for residents to get out there and appreciate California’s windswept western edge.
POST first acquired the land on which the coastal trail now sits 25 years ago. It’s taken that long to coordinate with all of the state agencies that help oversee the state’s shoreline (particularly during difficult economic times), to work with longtime farmers to ensure their operations aren’t disrupted and to secure enough funding to create a safe, visitor-friendly trail on the rugged terrain.
The million-dollar-per-mile price tag may sound like a lot, not least to the many generous POST donors who helped make this public trail possible, but it’s actually slightly under what the state budgeted on a per-mile basis to realize the dream of a public trail along the coast from Oregon to Mexico.
From the interest the trail has gotten, though, it seems that Californians believe the time and effort are well spent to appreciate the sweeping views — and seals! — the trail provides.
Check out POST’s photos of a recent walk-and-talk Paul Ringgold led on the trail, and don’t miss Patch’s virtual hike.
Photos by Kathryn Hargis
The Lands We Love: Featuring POSTies’ Favorite Spots!
By Hannah Kopp-Yates, Intern
File this one away for when the sun returns! Today we have an expedition tip from our executive vice president, Walter Moore. Walter loves visiting the redwoods at Butano State Park, which adjoins POST’s Cloverdale Coastal Ranches. With a contribution from Save the Redwoods League, POST donated 905 acres of Cloverdale to Butano State Park over a decade ago.
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“Going to Butano really feels like entering a new dimension,” Walter says. Trees along the trail bend the space like a cathedral, and the cool shade of the redwoods is luscious, even on the hottest of days. “You’ve got to check out the Candelabra tree. It’s truly surreal.” This peculiar redwood, which lies on the property that POST contributed, branches from one trunk into many.
To get to the Candelabra trail, turn left onto Gazos Creek Road from Highway 1, about 8 miles beyond Pescadero. Half a mile past the intersection of Gazos Creek and Cloverdale Road is a dirt pullout on the right. Park there and walk up the road a short distance; you’ll see the trailhead on the left. Hike up the hill for about 20-25 minutes. Keep an eye out—the trail will fork. Take the cutoff trail to the left. Another 20 yards and you’ll see the mysterious Candelabra tree!
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A word to the wise: “this is serious mountain lion area,” Walter warns, so don’t go at dawn or dusk.
For a breath of ocean air, head back down Gazos Creek Road and south for a few minutes on Highway 1 to see another one of Walter’s favorite places: the dunes at Franklin Point. The trail leads to a bench overlooking the rocky outcrop—perfect for a romantic picnic!
©All rights reserved by Terry Chay
Wondering what to eat? Be sure to stop in Pescadero on your way in and grab a delicious Grilled Pesto Chicken Sandwich at Arcangeli Grocery. Walter also highly recommends their artichoke herb bread.
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If you’re craving something sweet after a picnic, head down to Swanton’s Berry Farms for some fruitcake, blackberry cobbler or strawberry cider!
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On the way home from Swanton’s, Walter loves to drive up Swanton Road, which veers into beautiful wooded scenery and then rejoins Highway 1.
Happy trails, Everyone!
Battling Invasive Plants at Gregerson
By Meghan Scanlon, Conservation Project Manager
In 2008, POST documented a dense 41-acre French broom (Genista monspessulana) infestation on Gregerson, a 203-acre property above the coastside community of El Granada that POST acquired in November 2007.
Gregerson was historically grazed, but by the mid-1980s the then-fallow fields had been infested by a “broom forest.” The previous owners disced and planted it with oats for several years, but stopped doing so in late 2004. Since that time, broom reemerged and migrated into surrounding scrub habitat. The below map identifies the boundaries of the broom population as of April 2008.
Map of initial work.
The broom was encroaching on a population of endemic Montara Mountain blue bush lupine (Lupinus eximus). POST knew that if left untreated, French broom would likely come to dominate the entire area, forming a monoculture that would make it all but impossible for the Montara Mountain blue bush lupine and other native species to survive.
POST took immediate action, treating 35 acres of infestation before plants went to seed in March 2008. In 2009, POST worked to complete initial treatment of the entire infestation, and to re-treat the areas treated in 2008.
Hard at work.
With continued treatments in March 2009 and April 2010, POST effectively eliminated all mature French broom on the property, as well as new sprouts that had emerged after the initial 2008 treatment. The following map identifies the areas that contained broom seedlings as of June 2010. Note how the population has been substantially reduced!
Progress!
Ongoing follow-up treatment, which entails primarily spraying or pulling new seedlings by our dedicated volunteers, will be required for several years, due to this plant’s persistent seedbank.
Thanks to this effective treatment and scheduled follow-up monitoring and treatment, the Montara Mountain blue bush lupine, other Montara Mountain endemics, and other native plants will be able to thrive in this unique natural community.
POST
Jeff Powers
Paul Ringgold
Meghan Scanlon
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