Bay Area Conservancy Program

The Bay Area Conservancy Program was established through State Legislation in 1997 and is administered by the California Coastal Conservancy. The Program received its first funding in July of 1999.

The reports below summarize how funds have been expended. Grants have been awarded in all nine Bay Area counties within the jurisdiction of the Program, and for the full range of Program responsibilities—regionally significant public parks, trails, natural habitat preservation and restoration, farmland protection, and environmental education. All acquisitions have been with willing sellers, and have involved both the purchase of fee title ownership and conservation easements. Grant recipients have included public agencies and nonprofit organizations. Despite the diversity of grant recipients and project purposes, all of the funded projects share several characteristics: They are regionally significant. Each achieves multiple goals. All are cooperative ventures bringing together many different agencies, organizations, and interests. They close institutional gaps and bring coherence and comprehensiveness to individual efforts. The Bay Area Open Space Council is excited about the progress that has been made by the Bay Area Conservancy Program, and is pleased to present these progress reports.

• Sixth Year Report (FY 2004/2005): January 2006
• Fifth Year Report (FY 2003/2004): November 2004
• Fourth Year Report (FY 2002/2003): October 2003
• Third Year Report (FY 2001/2002): March 2003
• Second Year Report (FY 2000/2001): March 2002
• First Year Report (FY 1999/2000): March 2001

Regional Needs Briefing Book

Prepared in 1999, the Regional Needs Briefing Book provides an overview of the preservation themes and needs of the nine-county region. The information contained in this publication is derived from adopted plans and policies, published reports, and discussions with key professionals.

• Regional Needs Briefing Book: July 1999

The Bay Area's Regional Open Space Vision

The State Coastal Conservancy and the Bay Area Open Space Council in late 2002 and early 2003 compiled information on park, habitat and agricultural resource areas in the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area which have been variously identified by public agencies and non-profit land trusts as worthy of permanent protection and sustainble stewardship. This information is displayed on the following two maps, which may be viewed on-line or downloaded. These maps should not be interpreted as indicating mandatory priorities or in any way constituting a Master Plan, but rather are intended to inform decisison-making for the Bay Area Conservancy Program and it's land conservation partners.

Open Space, Habitat, and Recreational Areas of Interest

Major landscape-scale habitats and recreation areas worthy of public investment, including current high priority projects for the Bay Area Conservancy Program.

• Regional Priorities: April 2003

Regional Priorities for Agricultural Preservation

High priority areas for agricultural protection, distinguishing areas of irrigated agriculture from important grazing lands.

• Farmland Priorities: April 2003