landscapes newsletter, summer 2000 ~ peninsula open space trust

8/9/2019 Landscapes Newsletter, Summer 2000 ~ Peninsula Open Space Trust

1/12

LANDSCAPES SUMMER 2000

PENINSULA OPEN SPACE TRUST

SAVED BY POST

Whalers Cove AT PIGEON POINT


2/12

S ince 1993, POST has attempted to acquire andprotect Whalers Cove, a scenic beachfrontproperty on Highway 1 adjacent to the Pigeon PointLighthouse. When construction of a motel on thesite began last year, our efforts intensied.

Our patience and persistence paid off in May,

when we were able to purchase Whalers Cove for$2.65 million. Located 21 miles south of Half MoonBay between Pescadero and Ao Nuevo StateReserve, the three-acre parcel includes four buildings,a water purication system and sewage treatmentfacilities, all of which will be removed.

Preservin g th e San Mateo Coast

Whalers Cove at Pigeon Point

Preservin g the San Mateo Coast


3/12

T he purchase of Whalers Cove is a very impor-tant and symbolic achievement for POST. Ourgoal is to preserve the extraordinary, rural characterof the coast and prevent it from being compromisedby building and development. The motel would havebeen the rst commercial development west of Highway 1 between the county of Santa Cruz andHalf Moon Bay.

POSTs acquisition accomplishes several things.It allows us to restore beach access to Whalers Cove,which was closed to public use in 1994, and removevisual obstructions from a beautiful piece of coastline.It also eliminates possible run-off from the waterdesalination and sewage treatment plants whichcould have degraded the bluff and polluted the tidepools at Whalers Cove.


4/124

L A N D S C A P E S

POST plans to turn the property over tothe state park system, which now maintainsthe lighthouse and an adjacent youth hostel.The hostel originally housed the Coast Guardpersonnel who manned the station from

1939-1972, when the light became automated. Beforebulldozing the structures, we will attempt to recyclethe four buildings for other possible uses, such asenvironmental education or farm labor housing.

While this property is much smaller than manyof our recent acquisitions, Audrey Rust, POST

President, regards it as one of our most signicant.The lighthouse is a very visible symbol of ourefforts to save the coastline, she said. The plannedconstruction of the facility next to the lighthousewas a signal that the coast is very vulnerable. Thefact that we have been able to stop it gives peoplehope that we can work together to prevent furtherdevelopment.

Thanks to your ongoing support, POST wasable to commit the resources necessary to acquire

this property. The $2.65 million we paid for WhalersCove was borrowed from our land acquisition fund,moneys that must be replenished so we have thenecessary working capital in place for future landpurchases. We need your additional support now tohelp save the coast when new opportunities arise.There are a number of ways we can recognize yourcontributions at the Whalers Cove site.

K nown as the Lighthouse Inn, the motel wasto include three bungalow-style buildings,each containing three units. While adamantlyopposed by historians and environmentalists, itwas approved in 1996 by the San Mateo CountyPlanning Commission, Regional Water Quality

Control Board and California Coastal Commission.Construction was delayed by water and sewagetreatment issues, nally commencing in late 1999.The shells of the buildings had been completed beforework was halted last month when POST and theprevious landowner, Lighthouse Inn at Pigeon Point,LLC, reached agreement on the terms of the sale.

Pigeon Point Lighthouse, now a State HistoricalPark, was established in 1872 after a series of ship-wreck disasters in the area. The name, Pigeon Point,comes from the clipper ship, Carrier Pigeon, whichran aground and sank at the spot in 1853 on itsmaiden voyage from Boston to San Francisco.

The lighthouse is now owned by the CoastGuard and leased to the California State Departmentof Parks and Recreation. From the lighthouse,visitors can observe migrating whales, seals, sea lions,elephant seals, and many species of seabirds.

P h

t

R

b

t B l

t


5/12

SUMMER 2000

5

A Bit of Pigeon Points Rich HisWe learn that the clipper ship Carrier Pigeon, Captain Doane, 130 days from Boston, drifted ashoreon Monday night about 25 miles south of the heads. Captain Doane came ashore and dispatched threeSpaniards on horseback with a note ... that the ship had bilged and would be a total loss.

SAN F RANCISCO H ERALD , J UNE 8, 1853

O n the evening of June 5, 1853, a clipper shipon its maiden voyage ran aground on theCalifornia coastline 50 miles south of San Francisco.The disaster was the rst of several tragic losses inthe area that 19 years later led to the establishmentof a lighthouse. It also was the origin of the name,Pigeon Point.

With a nely-carved gilded pigeon gracing itsbow, the Carrier Pigeon had sailed for San Franciscofrom Boston on January 28, 1853, carrying 1300 tonsof cargo. Four months into its journey, the shipencountered several days of dense fog off theCalifornia coast. On June 5, lost in a thick blanketof fog near Point Ao Nuevo, it was pulled bystrong currents into the rocky shoreline. All handswere saved, but the shipwas a total loss. Thepoint where the wreckoccurred thereafterbecame known asPigeon Point.

The fog, gales,current and reefs atPigeon Point causedseveral other high-prole shipwrecks,

including the Sir John Franklin in 1865 and theHellespont in 1868. Pressure increased on thegovernment for the construction of a lighthouse towarn mariners of the dangers of the coast.

An editorial in the November 28, 1868 editionof the San Mateo County Times-Gazette argued:The recent terrible wreck of the ship Hellespont

at Pigeon Point in this county which resulted inthe loss of eleven of her crew... constitutes anotherappeal to the government at Washington for theestablishment of a lighthouse at Pigeon Point.Several vessels have been wrecked in that vicinitywithin the past few years... Thousands uponthousands of dollars are monthly expended fromthe national treasury for matters of much less

benet to the country than wouldbe the construction of a lighthouseat this point.


6/126

L A N D S C A P E S

by an automated 24-inch Aero Beacon. The fog hornwas discontinued in 1976 after loran, radar andother electronic systems made sound signals obsolete.

Prior to the wreck of the Carrier Pigeon, PigeonPoint had been called Punta de las Balenas, or WhalePoint, after the gray whales that frequently passoffshore as they migrate between the Arctic andMexico. In the 17th and 18th centuries, ships rarelypassed the Point. However, after gold was discoveredin California in 1848, hundreds of vessels carryingpassengers and cargoes to the booming town of SanFrancisco transformed the waters off Pigeon Pointinto a well-traveled marine highway.

In the late 1800s, a trading village and whalingstation operated at the Point. Lumber, hides, tallow

and farm products were bartered and shipped to SanFrancisco, while Portuguese whalers harpooned graywhales and hauled them onto the shores for rendering.

Today, Pigeon Point Light Station is recognizedas one of Americas most beautiful and historic light-houses. It is a popular stop for travelers enjoying thenatural beauty of the California coast.

B y 1871, the U.S. Lighthouse Service hadpurchased a site at Pigeon Point for $5,000and installed a foghorn to warn ships away from therocks. The steam whistle was fueled by wood andcould be heard up to two miles out at sea.

A year later, the 115-foot tall Pigeon PointLight Station was erected. The reinforced tower wasbuilt from approximately 500,000 locally-madebricks. The lantern room was constructed at the U.S.Lighthouse Service General Depot in New York andshipped around the Horn. A 136-step spiral staircaseprovided access to the ve-wick land oil lamp andFresnel lens. The lens, manufactured in France andcomprised of more than 1,000 prisms, previouslyhad been in service at the Cape Hatteras Light Station

in North Carolina. It showed white ashes of lightevery ten seconds and could be seen from the deckof a vessel at a distance of 181 / 2 nautical miles.

The lighthouse was illuminated for the rsttime on November 15, 1872. Initially operated bythe men and women of the U.S. Lighthouse Service,it was manned by the U.S. Coast Guard from 1939to 1972, when the original Fresnel lens was replaced

Photo: Robert Buelteman


7/12SUMMER 2000

7

between the Bering Sea and Baja California.Harbor seals can be spotted foraging nearby,along with elephant seals, otters, sea lions,dolphins and humpback whales.

The Cove is also a bird-watchers paradiseregarded as one of the nest vantage points forobserving seabirds anywhere on the CaliforniaCoast. The areas accessibility, geography, anddeep ocean waters close to the shore combineto produce excellent birding possibilities. Theprime time of the year is during spring migration(March May), when thousands of northboundloons, scoters, brant, cormorants, shearwaters,gulls, terns and shorebirds pass this promontory.

Over 50 species of seabirds have been

spotted, including the resident American BlackOystercatcher, as well as Wandering Tattlers,Surfbirds, Black Turnstones, and MarbledMurrelets.

In addition to seabirds, Pigeon Point canalso be a good place to check for unusual land birdsduring fall migration (September-November). Raritiessuch as Tropical Kingbird, Bobolink, Palm Warbler,Red-throated Pipit, Common Ground-Dove andClay-colored Sparrow have been spotted there.

T wenty-one miles south of Half Moon Baybetween Ao Nuevo State Reserve andPescadero, Whalers Cove at Pigeon Point is a beautifulpiece of California coastline with spectacular views,a secluded beach, fascinating tidepools and rockformations, and endless opportunities for whale andbird-watching. If POST had not stepped in, thisbeautiful piece of property would have been accessibleonly to guests of the Lighthouse Inn and limited

school groups.Now, public access to the beach and tidepools

will be restored, ensuring that all residents of theBay Area and visitors to the San Mateo Coast will beable to enjoy the wild and rural character of thisextraordinary property.

At Whalers Cove, gray whales can be observedin early winter and spring during their migrations

AppreciatingWhalers Cove

1

AO NUEVOSTATE RESERVE

N

C l o v e r

d a l e R

o a d

BEAN HOLLOWSTATE BEACH

AO NUEVOSTATE RESERVE

PIGEON POINTLIGHTHOUSE

CLOVERDALECOASTALRANCH

G a z o s

C r e e

k R

o a d

PESCADERO

CASCADE RANCHSTATE PARK

BUTANOSTATE PARK

Whalers Cove


8/128

L A N D S C A P E S

L ess than a year after taking out a $10 millionloan for the purchase of 805 acres at BearCreek Redwoods near Los Gatos, POST has raisednearly $9 million in gifts and grants to repay ourloan and direct expenses. Our call for support broughtin over 1,500 new donors to POST, in addition to a

generous response from regular friends of POST.Thank you for your help! With your continuingsupport we are well on our way to making a park atthis beautiful location a reality.

One interesting development in our efforts toraise funds for this project has been the invitationby POST donors to approach their local city councilsfor support. Susan Anawalt, a resident of Monte

Sereno, and Joanne Rodgers of Los Gatos, have beeninstrumental in getting resolutions put forth beforetheir respective councils. In May, Monte Sereno citycouncil approved a grant for Bear Creek Redwoodswhen it becomes public open space, and Los Gatoshas a similar resolution on its agenda for discussion

this month. These local governments are giving tothe project because of the strong response fromPOST donors in their own towns. With the aid of other involved POST donors, we plan to ask additionalcities including Saratoga, Cupertino, Sunnyvale andMorgan Hill to participate in this campaign.

Well keep you POSTed on our results!

Bear Creek Redw oods Update

Photo: Bria


9/12SUMMER 2000

9

The Garden Club of America, founded in 1913,is a national conservation and civic improvementorganization. Nominating Audrey for this awardwere the Woodside-Atherton and HillsboroughGarden Clubs. Among those supporting her nomi-nation were U.S. Secretary of Interior Bruce Babbitt,former U.S. Ambassador Bill Lane, and South BayCongresswoman Anna Eshoo.

Audrey has taken on major programs of pre-serving lands when other organizations wereunwilling to take the risk, said Colburn S. Wilbur,retired head of The David and Lucile PackardFoundation. Audrey Rust is truly one of thosepeople who can say that their life made a real differ-ence and added value to the people of this world.

P OST Presiden t Rece ivesNation al Con servation Aw ard

P OST would like to extend a warm welcome tothe newest member of our Board of Directors,Paul Newhagen of Los Altos.

Co-founder of Altera Corporation in 1983 andChief Financial Ofcer of the company for tenyears, Paul comes to POST with great credentials.His knowledge of Silicon Valley and nance will beextremely helpful as POST takes on increasinglycomplex land-saving projects.

Having lived in the Bay Area for the past 27years, I have seen a lot of changes as populationand urban growth have overwhelmed the area, saidPaul. I feel that we need to take the long view asit relates to land use, and I believe that POST is takingthat view. I am honored to help POST maximize itsobjectives and improve the quality of life here in theBay Area.

Pau l New hage n Join s P OST Boa rd o f D irectors

In addition to serving on POSTs board, Paulalso serves on the Board of Directors of AlteraCorporation and GeoHazards International.

P OST President, Audrey Rust was awarded theGarden Club of Americas prestigious CynthiaPratt Laughlin Medal on May 16, for her outstand-ing achievement in environmental protection and themaintenance of the quality of life.

Audrey joins a distinguished line of recipientsof the Garden Club award, including David Packard,generous funder of land conservation efforts, ecologistEugene P. Odum, and Patrick Noonan, President of The Nature Conservancy from 1972 to 1980, andfounder of the Conservation Fund.


10/12


11/12SUMMER 2000

11

LandscapesLandscapes is published quarterlyby the Peninsula Open Space Trust

3000 Sand Hill Road, 4-135Menlo Park, CA 94025

Telephone: (650) 854-7696Fax: (650) 854-7703

Website: www.openspacetrust.org

POST is a nonprot California corporationand is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3)of the Internal Revenue Code.Contributions to POST are tax-deductible.

Edited by Mary ShieldsDesigned by DiVittorio & Assoc.

Printed by TradeMark Graphics, Inc.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Allan F. Brown

Patricia A. Compton Vince S. GarrodSukey Grousbeck

Christina A. HollowayRobert C. KirkwoodNorman E. Matteoni

Dianne McKennaDavid W. MitchellPaul Newhagen

Bill RellerKarie ThomsonT. Chester Wang

Anne M. Westereld

STAFF Audrey C. Rust PresidentKathryn Morelli Vice President

Walter T. Moore Vice President Joni Evans Administrative

Manager

Cristina Harris Development Assistant

Jean Lauer Land ManagerSarah McCarthy Land AssistantSummer Morlock Land AssociateDaphne Muehle Director of

Annual Giving Jeff Powers Cloverdale Project

ManagerPaul Ringgold Director of

StewardshipMary Shields Public Affairs

Program Manager

Stock Gifts to POSTYour contributions are essential to our land conservation work.If you would like to make a gift of securities to POST please contact:

Banc of America Securities LLCMontgomery Private Client Services600 Montgomery StreetSan Francisco, CA 94111(415) 627-2191

Relevant information for a transfer of stock:Account Name:Peninsula Open Space Trust,#1 Land PurchasesAccount #: 110-66982DTC #: 773Tax ID #: 94-2392007

It is important that you also notify POST directly of your gift toensure that it is recorded accurately.

Your gift is fully tax-deductible. Thank you for your support!

POSTSMISSION STATEMENTThe mission of the Peninsula Open SpaceTrust (POST) is to give permanent pro-

tection to the beauty, character, anddiversity of the San Francisco Peninsulalandscape for people here now and forfuture generations. POST encourages theuse of these lands for agriculture, lowintensity public recreation, wildlife habitatand other natural resource protection.

POST

P h o

t o :

R o

b e r

t B u e l

t e m a n


12/12

LANDSCAPES

SUMMER 2000

Peninsula Open Space Trust3000 Sand Hill Road, 4-135Menlo Park, CA 94025

A land conservancy for theSan Francisco Peninsula

Address Service Requested

Recycled Paper/Soy Ink

NON-PROFIT ORG.

U.S.POSTAGEPAID

SAN FRANCISCO, CAPERMIT NO.925

POST

Cover Photos: Robert Buelteman

Patience, patience, patience,is what the sea teaches.Patience and faith.One should lie empty, open,

choiceless as a beachwaiting for a gift from the sea

Anne Morrow Lindbergh

landscapes newsletter, summer 2000 ~ peninsula open space trust

Documents