Peninsula Open Space Trust is handing over 132 acres of oceanfront land at Pigeon Point to California State Parks, the centerpiece of a conservation push that would add about 934 acres to five state parks in one sweep. The package mixes donations with negotiated purchases and stretches from the San Mateo County coast into Santa Cruz County and up to the Sierra foothills, taking in coastal bluffs, redwood forest, and river corridors. State and nonprofit officials say the cluster of deals offers a rare opportunity to link habitat and public access across multiple park units simultaneously.
What’s in the package
The announcement pulls together six separate transactions: a 132-acre oceanfront gift from Peninsula Open Space Trust near Pigeon Point, a 453-acre donation slated for Montgomery Woods, a 217-acre offer to extend South Yuba River State Park, roughly 101 acres tied to the Black Point Slope property near Mount Diablo, and smaller additions that include about 31 acres for Big Basin around Saddle Mountain. In total, the moves would cover roughly 934 acres and touch five state park units across Northern California. The reporting first appeared in a Bay Area News Group story shared publicly on Sam Liccardo's X account.
Congratulations – with many thanks coming from future generations of coastline-lovers – to the Peninsula Open Space Trust for preserving this critical stretch of coastline for posterity. https://t.co/bRcTm0yfj8
— Sam Liccardo (@sliccardo) March 17, 2026
Pigeon Point and the lighthouse
The 132-acre Pigeon Point parcel sits along the Pescadero–Pigeon Point stretch and touches the northern edge of Año Nuevo State Park, protecting bluff, grassland and tidepool habitat that draws both hikers and wildlife watchers. According to California State Parks, the Pigeon Point Lighthouse is in the middle of a roughly $16 million rehabilitation project and has been closed to the public since 2001 while structural work continues. “California State Parks looks forward to once again providing public access to this historic landmark,” Santa Cruz District Superintendent Chris Spohrer said in a parks news release, according to California State Parks.
Redwoods, rivers and ridgelines
Inland, other land gifts would bolster protections for forest and river landscapes. Save the Redwoods League is reported to be donating about 453 acres to expand Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve, while Bear Yuba Land Trust has offered 217 acres to add to South Yuba River State Park. Conservation leaders say those transfers, together with the Big Basin additions, will help reconnect habitat, safeguard watersheds and support low-impact recreation that benefits salmon, native plants and a range of wildlife. For background on the groups involved, see Save the Redwoods League and Bear Yuba Land Trust.
Negotiations and next steps
State parks officials have signaled interest in taking title to the former CEMEX parcel known as Black Point Slope and say negotiations are underway, although any transfer will depend on funding, environmental review and title work before the land can formally become part of the state park system. Officials and land-trust partners are coordinating on stewardship plans and public-access details for when transfers are finalized. Local and state leaders will now move from broad commitments into the nuts-and-bolts steps, including appraisals, funding approvals and public outreach, that turn donated or purchased acres into functioning park units.
Why this matters locally
For Coastside residents and inland visitors, the package offers a rare shot at locking coastal bluffs, redwood groves and river corridors into long-term public care while expanding trails and viewpoints. Peninsula Open Space Trust and California State Parks will now work on maps, stewardship agreements and funding priorities to turn the commitments into on-the-ground parkland, a process that will include environmental reviews and community input. For more on Peninsula Open Space Trust’s work on the Peninsula, see Peninsula Open Space Trust.
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