Today, the Foundation for Public Lands, the official Congressionally chartered charitable partner of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), announced the launch of a new stewardship endowment to support the Cotoni-Coast Dairies of the California Coastal National Monument. For the first time in nearly a decade, the public will have access to the newest public access unit of the California Coastal National Monument and nine miles of new trails. In support of these beautiful public lands, the Foundation will raise $1 million from private donations to establish this endowment.
“For too long, federal land managers have managed public lands and recreation access on a shoestring budget,” said I Ling Thompson, CEO of the Foundation of America’s Public Lands. “Managing land forever comes with a price tag, and stewardship endowments have been powerful common practice supporting private lands conservation for decades. So why not use that model to connect beloved places – like Cotoni-Coast Dairies – to private philanthropy to provide much-needed financial resources to meet modern-day recreation demands and land management challenges on public lands.”
As the largest manager of public lands in the United States, the BLM is also the hardest working with responsibility for 1 in 10 acres – totaling 245 million acres – across the country and 81 wild and scenic rivers. BLM supports jobs and tourism that generate over $250 billion to local communities and support the employment of nearly 950,000 people. They provide food, fiber, and energy for the nation; offer unparalleled opportunities for outdoor recreation to 81 million locals and visitors a year; and provide important habitats and connectivity for fish and wildlife. Yet, BLM receives the least amount of funding compared to other federal land agencies. Financing models like the Foundation’s Stewardship Endowment Fund create an ongoing source of funding to support the BLM’s management and operations of places like Cotoni-Coast Dairies that are working lands open to the public for outdoor recreation.
Cotoni-Coast Dairies lands are unique because they are managed for multiple uses from ranching to outdoor recreation activities like hiking and biking. Privately owned as farmland for more than a century, Cotoni-Coast Dairies was made possible by nonprofits, including the Trust for the Public Lands that donated to the BLM in 2014, and has long been regarded as a hidden gem within the California Coastal National Monument which sits along the Central Coast north of Santa Cruz.
The opening of Cotoni-Coast Dairies is only possible thanks to phenomenal community champions that came together and advocated for these public lands.
“The Santa Cruz community has shown what’s possible for public lands through partnerships, collaboration, and a shared vision,” said Val Cole, Santa Cruz resident and Board Member with the Foundation of America’s Public Lands. “Santa Cruz is loving this place, and there is no better way to show it than setting up a stewardship endowment to support the long-term stewardship of Cotoni-Coast. What we are seeing here can be a model for how communities across the country can work with the BLM to support public lands for the long haul.”
About the Foundation:
As the official charitable partner of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Foundation for America’s Public Lands serves as a convener, partner, and fundraising catalyst to help ensure the health and stewardship of America’s public lands and waters today and for the future.
Founded in 2022, the Foundation works hand-in-hand with the BLM, local communities, and partners to increase support for public lands and waters and inspire more people to connect with the outdoors. Each unique and truly special scenic river, wilderness area, monument, historic trail, and conservation area holds a story of its own.
To learn more about the Foundation for America’s Public Lands, visit americaslands.org.
