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Bay News • July 24 – 30, 2008 • BN 11 bay news nature N ature lovers have a new slice of coastline to fall in love with. Pacific Gas and Electric recently opened up to the public some 1.4 miles of additional hiking trails north of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant and adjacent to Montaña de Oro State Park, giving everyone a chance to explore new beaches, sea caves and more of this spectacular coastline. The new trail was leveraged by the Coastal Commission as part of the mitigation for PG&E’s projects at Diablo Canyon and if initial impressions are anything, the public is excited about the new trails. “I think it’s magnificent,” said Vonda Husted of Santa Barbara, who learned about the trail in an article in Sunset Magazine and was hiking it last week. “In Santa Barbara we don’t have as many large open spaces along the coast. I high- ly recommend it.” “You see hundreds of pelicans,” said Husted’s hiking part- ner Diane Kemp, also of Santa Barbara. “The water is a beautiful color compared to Santa Barbara, where the water is kind of dirty.” The new trail is accessible from Montana de Oro and extends from Big Wash south to Crowbar Canyon, which is just north of the power plant. It was opened to the public on June 28. However, mountain bikes are not allowed. The trail connects to a 1-mile loop that is accessed from Coon Creek Beach, at the southernmost part of the park and runs out to Pt. Buchon. That trail was opened last July. This past February, another mile of bluff-top trail was added run- ning from Pt. Buchon south to Big Wash. The path is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays. According to Emily Christensen, a PG&E spokesper- son, there is a check-in point at the end of the parking lot at Coon Creek. A docent will help in filling out a waiver and then you can enjoy the breathtaking views on your own. According to Charles Lester, director of the Coastal Commission’s Central Coast District, in the last 12 months the trail has been used by 8,000 people. At a recent meeting of the Coastal Commission held in San Luis Obispo, Lester said that they expect about 1,000 hikers per month to use what they have dubbed the “Point Buchon Trail.” “We certainly support it,” said Christensen. “It’s a beautiful trail and it’s an opportunity for the public to see a part of the coastline that they haven’t been able to see. We have protected the land and we want the pub- lic to be able to access it and we’re happy to do it.” The new trails are part of an opening up of PG&E’s lands to the public, which has been prohibited from most of the area for decades mainly as a safety precau- tion for the nuclear plant. Since late 2007, a docent-led program has allowed access to about 3.5 miles of Diablo Canyon property at the southern boundary. Known as the Pecho Coast Trail, it includes tours of the Point San Luis Lighthouse. “This pilot program has allowed up to 60 hikers each Saturday to hike the trail without having to make reser- vations,” said Christensen. Interested hikers can show up at the Fisherman’s Memorial at the end of Avila Beach Dr., in Avila on Saturdays. The hikes depart at 9 a.m., but participants are encour- aged to arrive early to register. More than 750 people so far have hiked the Pecho Coast Trail this year, said Christensen. “We contin- ue to work with the Coastal Commission and the Port San Luis Harbor District to explore opportu- nities to increase access to this por- tion of the coast,” she explained. “One example of this was outreach to underserved youth in our com- munity. In March and April of this year, five groups of sixth and sev- enth grade students [a total of 120] from local middle schools were able to hike the trail.” Unlike the Point Buchon Trail, in order to hike the Pecho Coast Trail you need to be in above aver- age physical condition and wear a pair of sturdy shoes. There is no charge. For more informa- tion, call 541-TREK. Linda Locklin, coastal access program manager for the Coastal Commission, said they are working with PG&E to increase public access to the lighthouse. She said they would like to have a trail that is out of view of the Diablo Canyon guard station so people don’t have to see the guards and barbed wire while they are on a nature hike. Another goal is to have vans that would drive visitors to the lighthouse. According to Christensen, opening the Point Buchon Trail and allowing for increased access to the Pecho Coast Trail were among the conditions of approval that the Coastal Commission imposed on PG&E in exchange for approval to build an above-ground storage facility for the plant’s spent reactor fuel. Christensen said that they expect to be able to load the storage facility starting next summer. Cost through the first loading campaign is $105 million. But opposition continues. Mothers For Peace is still try- ing to get the federal government to require more safe- guards against a possible terrorist attack on the facility through the air. That effort will have no effect on the opening of the new trails. An additional 1.4-mile segment of the Pt. Buchon Trail was recent- ly opened to public access giving nature lovers even more to fall in love with at Montaña de Oro. Photos by Jack Beardwood More to Fall in Love With New Trail Opened at Montaña de Oro By Jack Beardwood
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Transcript of BN_Page 11
Bay News • July 24 – 30, 2008 • BN 11
bay newsnature
Nature lovers have a new slice of coastline to fall inlove with.
Pacific Gas and Electric recently opened up to the publicsome 1.4 miles of additional hiking trails north of theDiablo Canyon Power Plant and adjacent to Montaña deOro State Park, giving everyone a chance to explore newbeaches, sea caves and more of this spectacular coastline.
The new trail was leveraged by the Coastal Commissionas part of the mitigation for PG&E’s projects at DiabloCanyon and if initial impressions are anything, the public isexcited about the new trails.
“I think it’s magnificent,” said Vonda Husted of SantaBarbara, who learned about the trail in an article in SunsetMagazine and was hiking it last week. “In Santa Barbara wedon’t have as many large open spaces along the coast. I high-ly recommend it.”
“You see hundreds of pelicans,” said Husted’s hiking part-ner Diane Kemp, also of Santa Barbara. “The water is abeautiful color compared to Santa Barbara, where the wateris kind of dirty.”
The new trail is accessible from Montana de Oro andextends from Big Wash south to Crowbar Canyon, which isjust north of the power plant. It was opened to the publicon June 28. However, mountain bikes are not allowed.
The trail connects to a 1-mile loop that is accessed fromCoon Creek Beach, at the southernmost part of the park andruns out to Pt. Buchon. That trail was opened last July. Thispast February, another mile of bluff-top trail was added run-ning from Pt. Buchon south to Big Wash.
The path is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdaysthrough Mondays.
According to Emily Christensen, a PG&E spokesper-son, there is a check-in point at the end of the parkinglot at Coon Creek. A docent will help in filling out awaiver and then you can enjoy the breathtaking viewson your own.
According to Charles Lester, director of the CoastalCommission’s Central Coast District, in the last 12months the trail has been used by 8,000 people. At arecent meeting of the Coastal Commission held in SanLuis Obispo, Lester said that they expect about 1,000hikers per month to use what they have dubbed the“Point Buchon Trail.”
“We certainly support it,” said Christensen. “It’s abeautiful trail and it’s an opportunity for the public tosee a part of the coastline that they haven’t been able tosee. We have protected the land and we want the pub-lic to be able to access it and we’re happy to do it.”
The new trails are part of an opening up of PG&E’slands to the public, which has been prohibited frommost of the area for decades mainly as a safety precau-tion for the nuclear plant.
Since late 2007, a docent-led program has allowedaccess to about 3.5 miles of Diablo Canyon property atthe southern boundary. Known as the Pecho CoastTrail, it includes tours of the Point San LuisLighthouse.
“This pilot program has allowed up to 60 hikers eachSaturday to hike the trail without having to make reser-vations,” said Christensen.
Interested hikers can show up at the Fisherman’sMemorial at the end of Avila Beach Dr., in Avila on
Saturdays. The hikes depart at 9a.m., but participants are encour-aged to arrive early to register.
More than 750 people so far havehiked the Pecho Coast Trail thisyear, said Christensen. “We contin-ue to work with the CoastalCommission and the Port San LuisHarbor District to explore opportu-nities to increase access to this por-tion of the coast,” she explained.“One example of this was outreachto underserved youth in our com-munity. In March and April of thisyear, five groups of sixth and sev-enth grade students [a total of 120]from local middle schools were ableto hike the trail.”
Unlike the Point Buchon Trail,in order to hike the Pecho CoastTrail you need to be in above aver-age physical condition and wear a
pair of sturdy shoes. There is no charge. For more informa-tion, call 541-TREK.
Linda Locklin, coastal access program manager for theCoastal Commission, said they are working with PG&E toincrease public access to the lighthouse. She said they wouldlike to have a trail that is out of view of the Diablo Canyonguard station so people don’t have to see the guards andbarbed wire while they are on a nature hike. Another goal isto have vans that would drive visitors to the lighthouse.
According to Christensen, opening the Point BuchonTrail and allowing for increased access to the Pecho CoastTrail were among the conditions of approval that the CoastalCommission imposed on PG&E in exchange for approval tobuild an above-ground storage facility for the plant’s spentreactor fuel.
Christensen said that they expect to be able to load thestorage facility starting next summer. Cost through the firstloading campaign is $105 million.
But opposition continues. Mothers For Peace is still try-ing to get the federal government to require more safe-guards against a possible terrorist attack on the facilitythrough the air.
That effort will have no effect on the opening of the newtrails.
An additional 1.4-mile segment of the Pt. Buchon Trail was recent-ly opened to public access giving nature lovers even more to fall inlove with at Montaña de Oro. Photos by Jack Beardwood
More to Fall in Love WithNew Trail Opened at Montaña de Oro
By Jack Beardwood
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