"Some people think nothing is going on in the San Mateo lands," said Chris Powell, a spokeswoman for the GGNRA and an El Granada resident. "But things are happening. That is our highest priority, staffing for the San Mateo lands."
Powell said that the next fiscal year would include a new level of attention for the area. The land, which includes Phleger Estates on Skyline Boulevard, Sweeney Ridge, Milagra Ridge and Mori Point in Pacifica will be included in the GGNRA general management plan for the first time since their incorporation into park holdings.
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"I'm working on a comprehensive plan for all the San Mateo lands," said Steve Griswold, a GGNRA trail coordinator and landscape architect. "One of the aspects is to establish the National Park Service identity." Griswold said that the lands were relatively new to the park and that the process to incorporate them included years of inventory and then requests for funding.
"We had requests in to the Washington office both last year and again this year," Griswold said. "We believe it's important that these lands come into park service, and Congress does as well, but it takes time to bring them in and manage them."
The southern portion of the Pedro Point tract will serve as the trailhead for the Devil's Slide section of Highway 1 when it is rendered obsolete by the new tunnel. A portion of the Coastal Trail will run through the area, with cooperation from Caltrans, which will run a water main for the tunnel underneath it, said Griswold.
The road will remain in place along the Slide, according to Powell. But none of the agencies involved in the management of the eventual multi-use trail in the area will be responsible for fixing it when the roadway inevitably sustains future damage. The exact location for the Slide's portion of the Coastal Trail in the area has not yet been decided.
Farther south along the coast, the Point Montara Lighthouse is in the process of transfer to GGNRA control as well. The U.S. Coast Guard recently announced it would transfer five lighthouses within the GGNRA boundary to the park. The Coast Guard will continue to operate navigational aids, but that is all done by remote control. The buildings themselves, including housing and outbuildings, will be viewed as historic structures by the GGNRA and thoroughly inventoried for weaknesses and contamination issues such as lead paint or asbestos, said spokesman Rich Weidman.
Lime Point, Point Diablo, Point Bonita and Alcatraz, all in the northern portion of the park, are the other lighthouses to be transferred. The current arrangement with California State Parks for management of the hostel at Point Montara will be maintained, according to the GGNRA memo on the transfer.
Looming over the Point Montara Lighthouse is the largest piece of land to be transferred. Corral de Tierra, currently administered by the Peninsula Open Space Trust is more than 4,000 acres and has been referred to as the future southern gateway to the GGNRA, the nations largest swath of urban-area parkland. With the incorporation of Corral de Tierra, it will be possible to walk from El Granada to Pacifica on protected trails. With the completion of the Devil's Slide tunnel, there could be multiple options for such a hike.
Corral de Tierra is likely to be the last of the new lands to come under full GGNRA control, said Powell. But even that transfer is expected in the foreseeable future.
At the end of 2005, the boundaries of the GGNRA were formally extended to include Corral de Tierra. It was a key event in terms of obtaining federal appropriations to finalize the purchase, said Walter Moore, the executive vice president of POST.
The land trust has grants from the California Coastal Conservancy and the Wildlife Preservation Fund, which together with private money make up half of the $15 million price tag. The Senate and the House of Representatives must approve the other half of the $30 million purchase.
"The recent elections were a good step," said Moore. "A Democratic government is a much better proposition when you are looking for federal appropriations for the San Francisco Bay Area." Funds could be in place for the deal by 2009, Moore said. The GGNRA management plan will be essential to determine the final rules and level of protection for the new lands, said Moore. Public participation plays a significant role in the process.
The new general management plan for the expanded GGNRA, the first such document in 20 years, is scheduled to be completed by 2010, said Powell.
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