Remembering Peter Douglas – Coastal Hero & Great Guy
Former Coastal Commission Executive Director Peter Douglas passed away April 1st. Peter’s leadership in protecting the coast of California cannot be underestimated and we at Coastwalk will miss him terribly. Peter was not only a Coastal hero, he was inquisitive, self reflective, a lover of nature and wickedly funny. He was a great guy to spend time with. Peter was an inspiration, not because he chose to fight for what was right for California’s coastline, but rather because he chose to fight effectively. He was not a man of the hollow gesture. He did not play Don Quixote...
Read More2012 Summer Overnight Walks are Filling up Fast!
Register today to reserve a spot on another exciting season of Coastwalks – hiking and camping adventures designed to let you experience the California coast in all its splendor and beauty. This season we are offering several “no-pack backpacks,” an “art weekend”, a lighthouse residence stay in Mendocino County, an exclusive backpacking trek along the Lost Coast, a celebration of the Golden Gate Bridge 75th birthday at a city campground, and are bringing back two favorites from years past – a classic Coastwalk in San Luis Obispo and a spectacular adventure in Ventura...
Read More2011 – The Year In Review
It has been a busy year here at Coastwalk. Our 28th Walks season was a great success. We launched a new website, made huge progress on our Coastal Trail signage program, and hosted a reception in Sacramento to educate the legislature about the California Coastal Trail (CCT). We hosted a panel on Youth and Diversity at the Trails and Greenways Conference, and were awarded a National Park Service Technical Assistance grant. We took many opportunities to educate decision makers and the public about the CCT, and did so many more activities that they are too numerous to mention. Read on for a...
Read MoreIn Memoriam
On October 18, 2011 we lost a great friend of the coast and trails. Sara Kocher, Phd, volunteered many hours of her broad expertise in land use planning, landscape architecture and environmental psychology in developing the California Coastal Trail especially along the San Luis Obispo and Big Sur coasts. Early on she brought Coastwalk’s vision for a California Coastal Trail to the American Planners Association. She patiently taught volunteer activists, like me, how to work with multiple jurisdictions, develop report formats and input mapping data which resulted...
Read MoreLeague of Cities Hears of Coastal Trail
Coastwalk California Executive Director, Una Glass, spoke to The California League of Cities Coastal Issues Group, at their recent annual conference in San Francisco. Ms Glass addressed the group on the topic of connecting to the statewide California Coastal Trail (CCT)in their communities and the benefits of doing so. Ms. Glass urged the attendees, who were City Council members and Mayors from throughout California’s coastal counties, to get involved with the CCT if they had not already done so. She pointed out that the CCT is popular not only with hikers and environmentalists, but...
Read MorePeter Douglas Farewells
Coastwalk California staff and board members attended several retirement events for retiring Coastal Commission Executive Director, Peter Douglas, over the past two months. Mr. Douglas lead what many have called the most powerful land use regulatory agency in the world for twenty six years. Mr Douglas has been a towering figure in coastal preservation and was one of the authors of Proposition 20 as well as the California Coastal Act. His impact on the coastal geography of California cannot be underestimated. All his retirement events were glorious celebrations of his legacy to the...
Read MoreCoastwalk Awarded NPS Technical Assistance Grant
Coastwalk California has been selected to receive a prestigious and valuable technical assistance grant from the National Park Service. The NPS will be assisting Coastwalk in developing a network of California Coastal Trail (CCT) stakeholders under Coastwalk’s umbrella. This network of “Coastwalk Associates” will include local and regional agencies, land trusts and volunteer-based trail organizations that own and/or manage segments of the CCT. With the help of the NPS and the identified Associates, Coastwalk will identify specific annual goals that will advance...
Read MorePeter Douglas Retiring
Comment: I’m posting a statement from one of our Coastwalk California Board members, Mark Massara, on the retirement this morning of Peter Douglas, California Coastal Commission Executive Director. In addition, there are articles beginning to be posted on our (Coastal News) webpage commenting on his retirement. Gregory Fearon Board President “Peter Douglas is a mentor to me and an inspiration to thousands of other activists, surfers and coast and oceans lovers everywhere,” said Mark Massara, an environmental attorney specializing in coastal protection. “His accomplishments are the...
Read MoreForty Miles of California Coast Closed
Coastwalk California’s work to ensure access to the California coast continues as we partner with the California League of Park Associations to bring continued hikes and park activity to the 15 coastal state parks (and 40 miles of California Coastal Trail) slated for closure this year. Read the report on the Coastal Access Advocacy Blog.
Read MoreRemembering Don
In 1992, Don and his wife Susana walked the first Santa Barbara Coastwalk. They were enthusiastic participants who loved the Coast, and they loved the mission of Coastwalk. In 1993, Don agreed to organize the first ever Los Angeles County Coastwalk. It was a pleasure for the walkers to discover and enjoy the secret places and interesting locales planned by Don. The group meandered in the Santa Monica Mountains, and walked the Malibu shoreline, as well as the Bay Trail through Santa Monica and Venice. In the late 1990s, Coastwalk teamed with the Santa Monica Trails Council and produced the...
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Lagoon at Jackass Creek
