California Coastal National Monument (18824436018)

The California Coastal National Monument is located along the entire coastline of the U.S. state of California. This monument ensures the protection of all islets, reefs and rock outcroppings along the

coast of California Coastal California, also known as the California Coastline and the Golden Coast, refers to the coastal regions of the U.S. state of California. The term is not primarily geographical as it also describes an area distinguished by cultural, economic ...

within of shore along the entire long coastline. Conservative estimates are for at least 20,000 such outcroppings. The monument was created by Bill Clinton via

Presidential President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese fu ...

proclamation on January 11, 2000, with the authority in section two of the Antiquities Act of 1906. , the monument has expanded to . The

U.S. Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands. Headquartered in Washington DC, and with oversight over , it governs one eighth of the country's la ...

, an agency of the

U.S. Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the mana ...

that manages the monument, has developed gateways in cooperation with other agencies along the California coast to introduce the monument to the public. These include the Trinidad,

Point Arena Point Arena, formerly known as Punta Arena (Spanish language, Spanish for "Sandy Point") is a small coastal city in Mendocino County, California, Mendocino County, California, United States. Point Arena is located west of Hopland, California, H ...

, Fort Bragg-Mendocino,

Pigeon Point Lighthouse Pigeon Point Light Station or Pigeon Point Lighthouse is a lighthouse built in 1871 to guide ships on the Pacific coast of California. It is the tallest lighthouse (tied with Point Arena Light) on the West Coast of the United States. It is sti ...

Piedras Blancas State Marine Reserve and Marine Conservation Area Piedras Blancas State Marine Reserve (SMR) and Piedras Blancas State Marine Conservation Area (SMCA) are two adjoining marine protected areas that lie offshore of San Luis Obispo County on California’s central coast. The combined area of th ...

, and the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Although being the most-viewed national monument in California, people are usually unaware that the entire coastline is a national monument.

Expansion

The monument has seen two major expansions since its creation:

Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands

On March 11, 2014, President Barack Obama used a presidential proclamation to add the Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands to the monument. The proclamation added of onshore areas to the existing monument, comprising the estuary of the

Garcia River The Garcia River is a river on the northern coast of California, in southern Mendocino County. The river's watershed covers and its mainstem is long. The watershed receives of precipitation per year near the coast and inland. The watershed's ...

. The Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands is located on the Mendocino County Coast, north of the small town of Point Arena. Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands will receive full federal protection and will be open to the public. The Point Arena-Stornetta Public Land was the first onshore segment of the national monument that visitors were allowed on. Under federal protection, the public is allowed to use the land for bird watching, fishing, picnicking, nature photography, and wildlife observation. Overnight camping and parking is prohibited. Along the coastal area there are numerous sinkholes and unsteady cliffs. A bill adding this area passed the US House in 2013.

California Coastal National Monument Expansion Act

California Coastal National Monument (19006631852)

The California Coastal National Monument Expansion Act of 2017 added five coastal sites: at Lost Coast Headlands, at

Trinidad Head Trinidad Head (Yurok: ''Chuerewa' '' ) is a rocky promontory surrounded by sea stacks sheltering Trinidad Harbor, adjacent to the town of Trinidad in Humboldt County, California, USA, designated as California Historical Landmark #146. History ...

, at Lighthouse Ranch in Humboldt County, from the Cotoni-Coast Dairies in Santa Cruz County and from

Piedras Blancas Piedras Blancas is the capital town of the municipality of Castrillón, in the province of Asturias, Spain. It is west of Avilés, west of Gijón, northwest of Oviedo and east of Asturias Airport. Piedras Blancas is a singular entity of pop ...

in San Luis Obispo County. It also would include some small rocks and islands off the coast of Orange County. In January 2017, President Obama used his executive power under the 1906 Antiquities Act to designate these sites as National Monuments.

Onshore units

Six onshore units comprise of public land: Trinidad Head, Waluplh-Lighthouse Ranch, Lost Coast Headlands, Point Arena-Stornetta, Cotoni-Coast Dairies, and Piedras Blancas.

Cotoni-Coast Dairies Unit

Cotoni-Coast Dairies is part of the California Coastal National Monument in Santa Cruz County, California, north of the city of

Davenport Davenport may refer to: Places Australia *Davenport, Northern Territory, a locality * Hundred of Davenport, cadastral unit in South Australia **Davenport, South Australia, suburb of Port Augusta **District Council of Davenport, former local govern ...

. For most of the 20th century, Coast Dairies was run as a farm and ranching operation by the descendents of two Swiss families. After it was purchased by Save the Redwoods League in 1998, it was transferred to Trust for Public Land. In 2006, about of its beaches to create Coast Dairies State Park.Coast Dairies State Park
at Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks Most of the rest of the land has been transferred to the Bureau of Land Management. In 2014, the

Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands. Headquartered in Washington DC, and with oversight over , it governs one eighth of the country's la ...

bought a tract of land on the inland side of the highway adjacent to the coastal parcels. President Barack Obama designated Cotoni-Coast Dairies as a National Monument in 2017. The Bureau of Land Management developed a management that was approved by the California Coastal Commission in 2020. Some of the land east of the highway will continue to be used for farming, but most will become open to the public.

References

External links

* *
POINT ARENA STORNETTA UNIT
includes trail map, at

Mendocino Land Trust Mendocino may refer to: __NOTOC__ Geology * Mendocino Fracture Zone, a seismic feature off the coast of Cape Mendocino, California * Mendocino Triple Junction, a point where three tectonic plates meet Music * ''Mendocino'' (album), by the Sir Doug ...

{{authority control National Monuments in California Marine sanctuaries in California Bureau of Land Management National Monuments Bureau of Land Management areas in California Parks in Southern California Protected areas of Southern California 2000 establishments in California Protected areas established in 2000 West Coast of the United States Units of the National Landscape Conservation System