State conservation board allocates cash to expand Montaña de Oro

David Sneed
Monday, June 7, 2010

The effort to expand Montaña de Oro State Park to Avila Beach took a big step forward recently when state conservation officials approved nearly $7 million to purchase 2,400 acres of land west of San Luis Obispo.

The state Wildlife Conservation Board voted unanimously May 27 to allocate $6.735 million in bond money for the purchase of Wild Cherry Canyon in the southern Irish Hills.

The property, also called Avila Ranch, will be combined with other land to expand Montaña de Oro by 5,500 acres to some 13,500 acres, making it one of the largest of the state’s parks.

Within the next couple of months, another state board is expected to approve the final $7 million needed to complete the project, said Kara Blakeslee, Wild Cherry Canyon project coordinator with the American Land Conservancy.

The state Public Works Board is scheduled to allocate State Parks Department bond funds that voters set aside for conservation of the Irish Hills as part of a larger bond initiative. The board must also vote to accept ownership of the land on behalf of the state. No date has been set for that hearing.

“You can’t take anything for granted, but the fact that the funds have already been earmarked for conservation in the Irish Hills really helps,” Blakeslee said.

A recent appraisal put the final price of the Wild Cherry Canyon property at $21.24 million, down from an original estimate of $24 million. The lower appraisal eliminated the need to raise more than $1 million in private donations to seal the deal.

The bulk of state money being used to buy the property comes from a series of conservation bond measures approved by voters before the recession hit. The nearly $7 million approved by the Wildlife Conservation Board came from Proposition 84, a clean water measure passed in 2006.

Eight local activists attended the board meeting in Sacramento to urge approval of the money. In their staff recommendation, state officials said preservation of Wild Cherry Canyon will benefit wildlife in several ways.

“The proposed funding source allows for the acquisition and protection of habitat that promotes the recovery of threatened and endangered species, provides corridors linking separate habitat areas to prevent fragmentation, and protects significant landscapes and ecosystems such as old growth redwoods, mixed conifer forests and oak woodlands, riparian and wetland areas and other significant habitat areas,” the staff report concluded.

The acquisition will also be a boon for outdoor recreation enthusiasts. The property has dirt roads and trails ideal for hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians. A 15- to 20-mile extension of the California Coastal Trail, linking Los Osos to Avila Beach, is also planned.

Reach David Sneed at 781-7930.
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