From fronds to fences and from Whale View Point to Coast Walk Trail, see what the new La Jolla nonprofit is doing with private funding.
The La Jolla Coastal Conservancy continues its nascent push to improve La Jolla’s shoreline, recently undertaking three improvement projects.
The Coastal Conservancy is a recently-formed nonprofit that works in a public-private partnership with the city of San Diego to carry out privately-funded improvement and maintenance projects along the La Jolla shoreline from Coast Walk Trail south to Whale View Point.
At Whale View Point, palm trees were trimmed the week of May 18, in collaboration with the city’s Parks & Recreation department.
Simultaneously, LJCC launched the first phase of a project to help protect the sensitive coastal bluffs at Whale View Point while guiding pedestrians toward preferred beach access points.
Image courtesy of La Jolla Coastal Conservancy
The project began with upgrading the post-and-chain barrier system along Coast Boulevard, a continuation of a project initiated years ago by La Jolla Parks & Beaches President Ann Dynes.
“Everybody was walking all over everything,” Dynes said at LJP&B’s May 26 meeting.
Dynes had been involved with replacing the stakes and ropes that deterred people from walking in the sensitive brush but had wanted “something more aesthetically attractive and more permanent,” she said.
Once LJCC took on the project, Dynes and LJP&B trustee Beth Murphy funded it, making the new post-and-chain barrier a reality.
“We have fixed this stretch of the coastline,” Dynes said, adding more funding will be needed to attend to the next section north on Coast Boulevard, which will require creativity as the plant borderline is uneven.
Further north at Coast Walk Trail, LJCC and partner nonprofit Friends of Coast Walk Trail have begun work on the “Leave a Legacy” plaque wall at the trailhead, which has required renovations after drainage issues, heavy winds and bearing the weight of the plaques.
Image courtesy of La Jolla Coastal Conservancy
Work includes off-site fabrication, removal and preservation of existing plaques, phased demolition of the current fence, installation of the new structure and reinstallation of the plaques.
The “Leave a Legacy” program is a fundraising effort to support Coast Walk Trail restoration and maintenance projects; there are about 125 plaques currently dedicated.
Community members interested in purchasing a plaque may contact Jana Farella at farellajana@gmail.com.
To learn more about the La Jolla Coastal Conservancy, email hello@lajollacoastalconservancy.org or visit lajollacoastalconservancy.org.
