For decades, 2,060 acres of California’s Central Coast remained closed to the public as a buffer around the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. Now, the land above Avila Beach in San Luis Obispo County is set to become a nature preserve with hiking trails and campsites after a $42 million conservation deal.
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The Wildlands Conservancy, a nonprofit land trust, has agreed to acquire the property known as Wild Cherry Canyon, San Francisco Chronicle reported. On Thursday, the state agreed to provide $42 million through the State Coastal Conservancy, allowing the organisation to proceed with the purchase.
The property is owned by Eureka Energy, a subsidiary of Pacific Gas and Electric Company, which operates the nearby nuclear facility. The land has coastal hills, valleys, native grasslands and oak and pine woodlands.
The land which has been the subject of development plans, including proposals for high-end homes, is on the path towards becoming public open space, after the deal. The Wildlands Conservancy plans to create trails and camping opportunities while protecting Native American cultural sites. The preserve is expected to open to the public within five years, while guided tours could begin as early as next year.
Wild Cherry Canyon becomes nature preserve
Wild Cherry Canyon is at the southeastern end of the larger Diablo Canyon Lands, between Avila Beach and Port San Luis. Cattle currently graze on the property, while a road through the area leads to the power plant.
The wider Diablo Canyon Lands cover part of the Irish Hills, with rugged cliffs above sandy beaches and tide pools. Some peaks rise to about 1,500 feet. The area also has native grasslands and oak and pine woodlands, but much of the landscape has remained inaccessible to the public.
“We are excited about the opportunity to establish public access here. This scenic access is what we call absolutely world class,” said Tim Duff, project manager at the Coastal Conservancy.
The three major properties around Diablo Canyon could eventually form about 12,000 acres of preserved open space. The area would extend from Montana De Oro State Park in the north to Avila Beach in the south and run along 14 miles of coastline.
Local residents and officials have pushed for decades to protect the lands around the nuclear plant and make them accessible to visitors. Wild Cherry Canyon is expected to be the first of three major properties to meet the state’s conservation and public-access requirements.
Five- to six-mile trail
Frazier Haney, executive director of the Wildlands Conservancy, said protecting Native American cultural sites would be among the organisation’s priorities. These include sites connected to the yak tityu tityu yak tiłhini Northern Chumash Tribe.
The plan is to build a five- to six-mile loop trail at Wild Cherry Canyon. The site will be the first part of an eventual 20-mile coastal trail across the Diablo Canyon Lands.
