Key financial pieces of the $36 million purchase of Jenner Headlands are falling into place, although the state's budget problems are creating anxiety among open space advocates.
Sonoma County's open space district is contributing $10.1 million, following action this week by the board of supervisors. But another $16 million pledged by two state agencies is hanging in the balance as local officials seek a rare exemption from the state's bond funding freeze imposed last December.
The goal is to acquire the sprawling coastal overlook by the end of December when open space advocates expect to announce public access plans. Initially, access will be guided hikes over a 5-mile trail, according to officials at the Sonoma Land Trust, the private, non-profit that is slated to become owner of the 5,630-acre Jenner Headlands.
Amy Chestnut, acquisitions director at the Sonoma Land Trust, said securing state funding is "the last hurdle." Public access further inland will be developed as part of an interim management plan, she said.
Land Trust officials said an $8 million contribution from the state Coastal Conservancy and another $8 million from the Wildlife Conservation Board have been delayed until the freeze is lifted.
Officials said the Jenner Headlands purchase may be the only exemption granted by the state Department of Finance, which is allowing the boards of both agencies to commit funding and pay at a later date.
The board of the Coastal Conservancy approved the project on Sept. 24 and the board of the Wildlife Conservation agency will take it up on Nov. 17.
Chestnut said the landowner, New Orleans surgeon Dr. Ollie Edmunds, agreed to extend the purchase agreement from last September until the end of the year, but is unwilling to grant another extension.
"We have a good expectation that the (Wildlife Conservation) board will approve it," Chestnut said. "We are working toward a close of purchase in December, when it will all magically come together."
The balance of funding is in place. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is contributing $5.8 million, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation $4 million and the U.S. Forest Service $1 million. When purchase is complete, it will be the largest conservation acquisition in Sonoma County history.
The $10.1 million provided by the county's Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District is funded from a quarter-cent sales tax approved by county voters.
"Some people may look at this price and say that it is really expensive," said Supervisor Mike Kerns. "But I think this is a real value given the size and the location."
The headlands rise above the town of Jenner where the Russian River empties into the Pacific Ocean. They are adjacent to the 13,000-acre Sonoma Coast State Park, one of the most visited parks on the California coastline.
Historically, the hillsides have been used for cattle grazing while the inland forested areas have been harvested for timber.
Although all the property is on east side of Highway 1, it is slated to host a 2.5-mile section of the state's coastal trail because there's no room to safely put it close to coastline.
"It will be too dangerous to be on the coast side," said Misti Arias, conservation program manager for the open space district. "This will be part of a safe trail."
Former west county supervisor Mike Reilly, who is now a board member of Coastwalk, said the segment of trail traversing the Jenner Headlands will enable hikers to see, on a clear day, as far as Bodega Head, the Point Reyes Peninsula and the Farallone Islands.
Reilly, who led efforts to purchase Jenner Headlands during his board tenure, said the open space district's commitment of $10.1 million will be influential because "it leverages dollars from other places for the purchase."
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