ATTRACTIONS

Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument is set to be Santa Cruz County’s next outdoor marvel

BY JOHANNA MILLER

Growing up, my family and I would often drive the stretch of Highway 1 between Santa Cruz and San Francisco.

We loved taking this scenic route instead of risky Highway 17 or the speedy 101 corridor. My sister and I would watch the world fly by from the back seat of our two-door Honda Civic, the turbulent Pacific Ocean on one side and sprawling prairies and dense forests on the other.

I always wondered: Where do all those dirt side roads lead? What habitats lay beyond? What views could be seen from the tops of those rolling green hills?

Last month, I had the opportunity to find out.

For the past year, I had been corresponding with Katy Poniatowski from Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship (SCMTS), a nonprofit involved in opening sections of the Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument in Davenport for public access. She told me that crews had begun work on building trails, and wondered if I wanted to come out and see their progress.

Of course, I leapt at the opportunity.

Cotoni-Coast Dairies extends from the steep slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains to the marine terraces overlooking the Pacific. Streams cut through the land towards the sea, creating waterways that act as important habitats for native plants, animals and fish and provide fresh water for surrounding communities.

For decades, local organizations worked to save the property from private development. At one point, it was slated to be the site of a nuclear power plant; at another, a housing development of 150 mansions along the coast.

In 1998, the Trust for Public Land purchased the property from Coast Dairies and Land Company, with help from the Sempervirens Fund and other local groups. Hundreds of acres were donated to California State Parks, and by 2014, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) was granted 6,000.

In January 2015, a week before he left office, President Barack Obama officially designated Cotoni-Coast Dairies as a national monument.

On May 3 I, along with photographer Erin Malsbury, arrived at Swanton Berry Farm, where we met Poniatowski and Garret Hammack, trail and park construction manager for SCMTS. We piled into Hammack’s truck and took off up a steep, bumpy farm trail.

“It’s incredible that we finally are able to show people this property,” Hammack said. “There’s just nothing else like it.”

We finally came upon a SCMTS crew busy clearing a newly built trail. Crews and scores of volunteers have been working on building what will eventually be 19 miles of trail loops through coastal prairies and redwood forests. Hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders will be able to explore a brand-new trail system, with the earliest trails opening by the end of 2022.

“I started working here less than three years ago,” Poniatowski said as we began our first hike. “Then, we were barely doing advocacy for this network. It’s wild to see, even through the pandemic and the wildfires that this project is still able to move forward.”

SCMTS is currently 2.9 miles into construction and hopes to fundraise $2.7 million through its ongoing fundraising campaign, Timeless Trails, to complete the rest of the project. By early June, they had reached $2.2 million. Poniatowski said it was thanks to the community’s support that they had been able to make it this far.

“Everyone who spoke up years ago is now realizing the effects of their contributions to public land,” she said. “It’s really cool to see the community’s voice turn into real, tangible trails.”

The prairies of Cotoni-Coast Dairies, dipping gradually down toward the coastline’s jagged cliffs and out to sea, are a sight to behold. I found myself gaping in awe at the expansive view. It almost didn’t look real.

Soon we changed course. For now dubbed “Loop 3,” this trail quickly dipped into a dense redwood forest, with sharp drop-offs on one side. Poniatowski said it will be the most technical trail on the network, skinnier and steeper, less refined. Plans to connect the upper part of Loop 3 to San Vicente Redwoods are also in the works.

“This trail shows just how quickly the terrain changes because of the watersheds,” Poniatowski said. “We

The stunning trails of CotoniCoast Dairies are currently set to open to the public by early fall. PHOTO: ERIN MALSBURY

were just in a coastal prairie, and now we’re in redwoods. In 30 seconds, you can go from one to the other. It’s pretty amazing. I won’t be surprised if it becomes one of the more popular areas.”

Added Hammack: “I love this section here, it looks like a fairy tale. It’s a really hard section to dig, though … right on a cliff edge with a rock wall below it. We had to truck all of it in by hand, too.”

Hammack said that Loop 3 was handconstructed by volunteers. He guessed that in the past year, SCMTS had more volunteers than ever, with nearly 2,000 hours of volunteer impact logged in the last quarter.

Poniatowski confirmed this. “I did the math last week,” she said. “Our volunteers have done more hours of trail work this year than there have been hours in the year. That’s pretty amazing.”

As we hiked back to the truck, I wondered whose footsteps I might be walking in. The Cotoni-Coast land was originally inhabited by the Cotoni (pronounced “Cho-toe-knee”), who were part of the greater Ohlone tribes of the Monterey Bayand San Francisco Bay regions before European colonization.

After settlers forced native communities off the land, it was divided among settlers through the Spanish land grant system, and was eventually acquired by a Swiss farming family in the 1860s. They developed it into a dairy and farmed there for more than a century.

Prior to my trip to Cotoni-Coast Dairies I spoke to Ben Blom, field manager for the Central Coast Field Office of the BLM. He told me more about the property’s history and how they are trying to balance recreation and preservation.

Half of the land—which is currently set to open to the public in early fall of this year—will have no trails, with very limited access, Blom said. Sections will be set aside for scientific and educational purposes, habitat restoration and cattle grazing, and for local indigenous tribes to carry out cultural practices. BLM and its partners are also working with communities in Bonny Doon and Davenport, who have expressed concerns about increased traffic.

“We’ve worked hard to balance a lot with the property,” Blom said. “For protection of its resources, for demands for public access, demands of locals, trying to accommodate people with different abilities. I think we’ve landed in a good place.”

The fact that so many volunteers have been involved is meaningful, he added.

“What better way to have the community take ownership and care for the trail than to have the actual community help build them?” he said.

Blom had told me that when I visited Cotoni-Coast Dairies, I would understand the importance of public access.

“It’s a source of pride for Santa Cruz County that we have this resource,” he said. “When you get out there, you’ll see. The views from the property are otherworldly, unmatched and 46 »

Attractions

« 45 inspirational. It’s really special that we have this right in our backyard.”

He was right. I had driven by the property countless times in my life, imagining what it might be like to traverse the landscape, to look out to sea at the curve of the earth.

Now that I had finally seen it, I knew more people should too.

For volunteer opportunities, go to santacruztrails.org.

THINGS TO DO

Agricultural History Project Museum

2601 East Lake Ave., Watsonville, 831-724-5898, aghistoryproject.org See antique farm machinery and get fascinated by how they used to do it in the good old days.

Boardwalk Bowl

115 Cliff St., Santa Cruz, 831-426-3324, boardwalkbowl.com State-of-the-art bowling spot with arcade and lounge.

Capitola Historical Museum

410 Capitola Ave., Capitola, 831-4640322, cityofcapitola.org/capitola-museum Showcases photographs and artifacts dating back to the days of Camp Capitola.

Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve

1700 Elkhorn Road, Watsonville, 831-728-2822, elkhornslough.org Tours, trails, exhibits and events led by knowledgeable naturalists. Explore woodlands, wetlands, and meadows at the center of Monterey Bay. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

Elkhorn Slough Safari

7881 Sandholdt Road, Moss Landing, 831-633-5555, elkhornslough.com Explore the wetlands on a 27-foot pontoon boat to spot sea otters, harbor seals, sea lions and more.

Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks

1543 Pacific Ave Ste 206, Santa Cruz (831) 429-1840, countyparkfriends.org

Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park

101 Big Trees Park Road, Felton, 831-335-7077, parks.ca.gov Known for the 40-acre grove of oldgrowth redwood trees, this park is a short drive from Santa Cruz. Take the .8-mile flat loop trail through the gigantic coastal redwoods or visit the old Roaring Camp Railroad heritage railway.

Kinderwood Farms Goat Yoga

Aptos, 831-345-9766, kinderwoodfarms.com Yoga with bouncing baby goats. It’s an experience you likely won’t forget.

Mount Hermon Adventures

17 Conference Dr., Felton, 831-4304357, mounthermonadventures.com Sequoia Aerial Adventures, Zip Line and Redwood Canopy Tours

San Lorenzo Valley Historical Museum

12547 Hwy. 9, Boulder Creek, 831-338-8382, slvmuseum.com The San Lorenzo Valley is rich in historical interests, and this museum covers it all, from life-size dioramas depicting pioneer life to the tools they carried.

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

400 Beach St., Santa Cruz, 831-4235590, beachboardwalk.com A limited selection of rides are open, with reservations recommended.

Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery

1855 41st Ave. #10, Capitola, 888424-8035, sccmod.org The Children’s Museum of Discovery seeks to inspire, delight and challenge by providing opportunities to interact with an innovative and unique learning environment for children and adults. Regular storytimes and other educational events for kids.

Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park

144 School St., Santa Cruz, 831-425-5849

Built during the 1800s, the Mission de la Exaltación de la Santa Cruz is where the town gets its name: Holy Cross.

Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History

705 Front St., Santa Cruz, 831-429-1964, santacruzmah.org Check out the ongoing exhibits and special events.

Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History

1305 East Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz, 831-420-6115, santacruzmuseum.org Discover the diverse flora and fauna of the Monterey Bay region at the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History. The Museum features permanent and special exhibits designed to engage visitors of all ages, as well as monthly events. Find the Museum across from Seabright State Beach, beside the gray whale statue in Tyrrell Park.

Santa Cruz Mystery Spot

465 Mystery Spot Road, 831-423-8897, mysteryspot.com You’ve seen the bumper stickers and billboards, but nothing quite prepares you for a place where up is down and down is up. Built into a forest hillside, the Mystery Spot will amaze and impress even the most cynical kids. Balls roll upwards, the walls are made for climbing and people mysteriously grow taller and shrink. The tour guides have a wealth of funny lines and the price is reasonable. Make reservations: tours often sell out by noon.

Santa Cruz Surfing Museum

Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse, 701 West Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz, 831-420-6289

The museum is perched above one of the world’s premier surf spots, Steamer Lane, where you can watch some of the best in surfing.

Seymour Marine Discovery Center at Long Marine Lab

100 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz, 831459-3800, seymourcenter.ucsc.edu A place to see and experience marine life in the area. The center’s exhibit hall includes an inveterate pool and a shark pool that allows visitors to get a look at Monterey Bay species close up, and behind-the-scenes areas offer a peek into marine research.

EDUCATIONAL

1440 Multiversity

800 Bethany Drive, Scotts Valley, 844-544-1440, 1440.org A day contains 1,440 minutes, and 1440 Multiversity seeks to inspire you in each of them while you experience time differently on their beautiful campus set in the redwoods. Attend classes and connect with yourself or others.

Five Branches University, Santa Cruz

200 7th Ave., Santa Cruz, 831-4640322, fivebranches.edu A Traditional Chinese Medicine teaching facility as well as a provider of quality healthcare including acupuncture, herbal prescriptions, therapeutic massage, medical qigong, and dietary consultation.