Palo Corona Regional Park

When a 185-acre golf course along the Carmel River went up for sale, a coalition of local nonprofits and public agencies contacted Trust for Public Land, because they knew we could marshal the resources and expertise needed to act quickly and close the deal, protecting the land from development.

The acquisition of the former Rancho Cañada golf course adds an ample parcel to Palo Corona Regional Park, an already significant open space on California’s central coast managed by the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District (MPRPD). Its transition from golf course to public green space includes an ambitious riparian (riverside) restoration project that will improve 40 acres of habitat along 1 mile of the river.

The restored landscape will absorb water when the river runs high, protecting downstream neighborhoods from flooding. Also important for the water-starved Monterey Peninsula, water formerly used for irrigation will now remain in the river, protecting native steelhead trout by stabilizing storm flows.

The land provides habitat to numerous other threatened and endangered species, including red-legged frogs and tricolored blackbirds. And it fills a missing piece in a checkerboard of conserved land between Los Padres National Forest along the Big Sur coast to Fort Ord National Monument near Monterey.

The transition from golf course to public green space will also provide greater protection against wildfires, a growing concern in California, while broadening opportunities for recreation and learning. In fact, MPRPD moved their headquarters to the former clubhouse and converted the prior pro shop into a Discovery Center focused on environmental and cultural education.

Partners on the project included the Santa Lucia Conservancy, Trout Unlimited, the California Coastal Conservancy, and the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District.