Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History presents ‘Cotoni-Coast Dairies: Monumental Steps,’ celebrating a unique piece of land and the folks who protected it.
By Hilltromper staff
May 28, 2024–The campaign to protect the Coast Dairies property, a 5,800-acre mix of coastal prairie, ancient oak forest and redwood canyons seven miles north of Santa Cruz, culminated when President Barack Obama signed a law creating the Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument in 2017.
The protection of this property in perpetuity required an effort that involved organizations and individuals from both sides of the Santa Cruz Mountains and beyond. The campaign was launched by the Los Altos-based Sempervirens Fund; the property had been purchased in the first place by the Los Angeles-based Trust for Public Land, which gifted the property to the Bureau of Land Management. Former Interior Secretary, Bruce Babbitt, a great champion of National Monument protection, attended the campaign's launch in Santa Cruz.
And over in Santa Cruz next week, the Museum of Natural History is launching an exhibit to celebrate the unique property. Read all about the “Cotoni-Coast Dairies: Monumental Steps" exhibit that celebrates the place itself, and the people that led the process to protect it. The exhibit is sponsored by the Sempervirens Fund and was made possible in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management, the Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship, and the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band.
If you haven’t been there, you should know that the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History is one of that little city’s crown jewels. (If you have been there, you know this.) Located across from Seabright State Beach and situated on a hill surrounded by an Outdoor Learning Center and a charming city park, it hosts awesome exhibits and events all year long.
The “Monumental Steps” show opens with a free event on Friday, June 7, so mark your calendar for a nice trip over the hill. Hilltromper will be tabling at the event!
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