Cotoni-Coast Dairies Timeline
Page In Progress
Dec. 11, 2020 - BLM goes to Public Hearing before the Coastal Commission for a Federal Consistency determination. This step will determine if the BLM’s proposal is consistent with the Coastal Act as required by the Federal Land Management Act.
- Coastal Commission gives Conditioned Concurrence with plan despite the lack of access to the southern part of C-CD, which is contrary to Coastal Act access priorities, the lack of baseline biotic surveys and contrary to the goals of the Monument Declaration.
- April 14, 2014 - Deed transfer C-CD to BLM
- June 6, 2014 - BLM issues an Interim Management Plan Environmental Assessment
- May 7, 2018 - Vision Statement prepared by Friends of the North Coast and submitted to BLM
- Aug. 8, 2019 - FONC submits comments on the NOI
- February 14, 2020 - BLM publishes Cotoni Coast Dairies Draft Resource Management Plan Amendment (RMPA) and Environmental Assessment (EA)
- April 1, 2020 - FONC Attorney comment letter to BLM. (as well as others)
- August 3, 2020 - FONC Attorney Supplemental Comment Letter including Addendum Expanding Detail for FONC Preferred Alternative Southern Entrance.
- Aug. 3, 2020 - Public Release, July 14, 2020 “FINAL Traffic Study for the Cotoni-Coast Dairies Project”
- Aug. 17, 2020 - Peer Review of BLM Traffic Study by FONC’s Traffic Engineer
- Sept. 25, 2020 - FINAL BLM Proposed RMPA/EA along with FONSI (Finding of No Significant Impact) and sends Coast ommission Consistencty determination
- Oct. 23, 2020 - Formal Protest Letter filed by FONC and RBDA (as well as DNCA and 21 Other Protestors)
- Nov. 25, 2020 - Coastal Commission Staff Report
- Adopted Findings
- Exhibits
- Correspondence
- Coastal Commission Final Report
- Dec. 4, 2020 - Letter to Coastal Commission responding to Staff Report
- Dec. 10, 2020 - FONC Letter to Coastal Commission giving notice that BLM apparently does not have the required Easement from Trust for Public Land (TPL) for access to Marina Ranch Gate Parking Lot on 2nd Terrace
- Dec. 11, 2020 - BLM goes to Public Hearing before the Coastal Commission for a Federal Consistency determination. This step will determine if the BLM’s proposal is consistent with the Coastal Act as required by the Federal Land Management Act.
- Coastal Commission gives Conditioned Concurrence with plan despite the lack of access to the southern part of C-CD, which is contrary to Coastal Act access priorities, the lack of baseline biotic surveys and contrary to the goals of the Monument Declaration.
- Coastal Commission gives Conditioned Concurrence with plan despite the lack of access to the southern part of C-CD, which is contrary to Coastal Act access priorities, the lack of baseline biotic surveys and contrary to the goals of the Monument Declaration.
- January – June 2021 FONC works with Trust for Public Land to improve and promote Yellow Bank South Gate Alternative for Southern Entrance and Parking Lot on 1st Terrace.
- June 16, 2021 - TPL Letter to BLM conclusively informing BLM that it cannot allow BLM to access its property from Highway 1 via a road bisecting TPL’s ag land to access its proposed 2nd Terrace Parking Lot.
- June 23, 2021 - BLM issues Ruling dismissing all Protests except those by FONC and DNCA, and denies those two Protests on the merits, and approves the RMPA in a Record of Decision signed by BLM’s State Director. Without the necessary access road easement, the Decision will only open access to the north end of Cotoni-Coast Dairies.
- July 1, 2021 - Seven Organizations present a Joint Proposal to facilitate opening of a Southern Entrance at Yellow Bank South Gate for public access.
- July 22, 2021 - BLM does not respond to Joint Proposal before the deadline to appeal the Decision to the Interior Board of Land Appeals (IBLA) so FONC attorney files appeal of Parking Lot Implementation Actions to the IBLA on behalf of FONC, RBDA, and DNCA. See Statement of Reasons (with Exhibits) filed August 21, 2021 to understand the issues we want to resolve.
- July 30, 2021 - BLM responds to Joint Proposal supporting it in concept, but requesting more due diligence about feasibility.
- Aug. 8, 2021 - FONC issues update on the process.
- Aug. 20, 2021 - Statement of Reasons filed in IBLA Appeal
- September 20-December 20 - BLM obtains several mutually agreed upon postponements of its deadline to file Answer in the Appeal process
- Nov. 24, 2021 - FONC/DNCA/RBDA learn via newspaper that BLM intends to commence Trail Construction at northern end of Cotoni-Coast Dairies without first collecting Baseline information and email concerns to BLM and Coastal Commission Staff.
- Dec. 15, 2021 - FONC/DNCA/RBDA/Sempervirens conduct Zoom Meeting with BLM/Coastal Commission re lack of Baseline and Monitoring Plan and learn that BLM recently submitted a “Biological Monitoring Plan” to Coastal Commission Staff for review and obtain agreement that it will be provided to them.
- Dec. 20, 2021 - BLM files Answer to Statement of Reasons in IBLA Appeal
- Jan. 4, 2022 - FONC follows up with Coastal Commission Staff by email re having not yet been provided with BLM’s Biological Monitoring Plan
- Jan. 12, 2022 - FONC, having still not received the BLM Biological Monitoring Plan again follows up and receives it later that day
- Feb. 3, 2022 - FONC files reply to BLM Answer and Motion for Hearing on Material Factual Issues including Declarations from TPL and Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau demonstrating that TPL’s June 16, 2021 Letter to BLM conclusively rejected the easement sought by BLM and that TPL could not grant it in any event because bisecting TPL’s agricultural field would violate the Agricultural Conservation Easement applicable to it.
- Feb. 16, 2022 BLM files Response to the Motion for Hearing
- Feb. 25, 2022 - FONC/DNCA/RBDA file Comment Letter re BLM’s “Biological Monitoring Plan” demonstrating failure to provide Baseline and Monitoring Surveys required by BLM regulations governing National Landscape Conservation System Lands, as well as those promised in RMPA/EA and in Coastal Commission Conditional Concurrence as to Coastal Act consistency.
- Feb. 28, 2022 - FONC/DNCA/RBDA file Reply to BLM Response to Motion for Hearing
- in ongoing correspondence with IBLA, legal staff denies claims and refuses to take issue to an administrative judge.
- in ongoing correspondence with IBLA, legal staff denies claims and refuses to take issue to an administrative judge.
- March 31, 2022 - DNCA sends letter to Coastal Commission on Friends, Artists and Neighbors of Elkhorn Slough v. California Coastal Commission (FANS).
- May 4, 2022 - Davenport North Coast Association and FONC push back when BLM breaks Federal and State law to advance poorly sited parking lot.
- May, 4, 2022 - Docket No. IBLA-2021-0313 - Notice of Substantial Change to Implementation Action Final
- April 24, 2022 - DNCA’s letter to County Public Works Dept. asking for reconsideration of County Road Encroachment Permit for lot entrance.
- April 24, 2022 - Traffic Engineer identifies problems with BLM’s parking lot location.
- April 26, 2022 - Long established local business identifies problems for their operations created by BLM parking lot entrance.