POST buys 119 acres of ocean-front bluffs POST buys 119 acres of ocean-front bluffs (September 29, 2004)

The latest coastal purchase by the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) is 119 acres of landmark ocean frontage near Half Moon Bay that will eventually become part of the California Coastal Trail.

Pillar Point Bluff is squeezed between the ocean and the Half Moon Bay Airport, and between Pillar Point and residential lots near Seal Cove. On the west, the bluff drops down 170 feet to San Mateo County's Fitzgerald Marine Preserve for half a mile.

Future hikers will have sweeping views from the ocean to the farms and hills of the Peninsula.

"From the trails on Pillar Point Bluff you can look down over the cliffs and see tidepools, beaches, and seals sunning themselves," said Audrey Rust, president of the Menlo Park-based land trust. "It will be the best place along the Coastal Trail to see the Mavericks surf contest."

POST was able to purchase the land from private owners for $2.7 million, well below the appraised value of $3.8 million Ms. Rust said. The California Coastal Conservancy contributed $1 million toward the purchase, and another $85,000 to plan and design nearly one mile of the Coastal Trail.

Originally part of the historic 1839 Rancho Corral de Tierra Spanish land grant, Pillar Point Bluff was used for dairy farming until the 1980s, when real estate developers planned an office park.

POST hopes to restore the uplands at Pillar Point Bluffs, which suffer from severe erosion along the cliffs, and intrusion of non-native pampas grass and cape ivy. Toward the east, the property flattens into seasonal wetlands that provide water for birds and wildlife, and possibly habitat for endangered species.

"The property has been abused," said Ms. Rust. "We hope to heal this biologically diverse landscape and restore native California plants and wildflowers."

Ultimately POST hopes to transfer Pillar Point Bluff to the San Mateo County park system.

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