The Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History and Bureau of Land Management offer a glimpse at a national treasure just over the hill.
By Hilltromper staff
The California Coastal National Monument was born 20 years ago when more than 20,000 small islands, offshore rocks and exposed reefs were offered permanent protection. That followed nearly a century of state and federal government actions protecting this valuable property.
In 2017, the effort was moved onshore with the inclusion of six new units totaling almost 8,000 acres. By far the largest of those, at 5,800 acres, is the Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument. And this remarkable piece of property will soon be available and open to anyone who wants to drive over the hill or down the coast to Davenport.
While Cotoni-Coast Dairies is not yet open to the public, the Bureau of Land Management, with the help of several nonprofits including Santa Cruz Mountains Trails Stewardship and the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, is preparing to turn the monument into a publicly accessible outdoor experience.
Two weeks ago, the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, which is preparing interpretive trailside signage for the park, offered a guided tour, led by BLM Ranger Lee Thompson and the museum’s public programs manager, Ross Johnston.
Hilltromper was invited to join the tour, and you can see the place and read about it over on Hilltromper Santa Cruz.
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