Cea Higgins Presents the Coastwalk/California Coastal Trail Association
Our guest speaker for March 25, 2021, was Cea Higgins. Cea serves as the Executive Director of Coastwalk/California Coast Trail Association (CCTA). She has the credentials or this job, including the Policy and Volunteer Coordinator for the Sonoma Coast Surfrider Foundation, the coastal representative on the Sonoma County Water Coalition, and a founding member of the Bodega Bay Collaborative. She has also worked with NOAA on the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Advisor Council. She received her Masters’ Degree in Science from the University of Wisconsin and her Juris Doctorate from Concord Law School. She’s also a surfer, hiker, and marine mammal and sea bird rescuer!
Coastwalk/California Coastal Trail Association (CCTA) started out as Coastwalk, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1983. The founders were supporters of coastal public access, coastal preservation, and a statewide California Coastal Trail. Over the years, the organization morphed by partnering with local governments, businesses, land owners, state agencies, and other nonprofits to assist in the creation and maintenance of a statewide Coastal Trail. The statewide trail is now 63% complete! Once completed it will cover 1,200 miles from Oregon to Mexico. The core principals of the Coastal Trail are:
The Coastal Trail concept is truly visionary. Walking and hiking has become the most popular form of outdoor recreation! Walking is popular, helps local economies by promoting tourism, and preserves our precious coastal access and resources. The Coastal Trail is also part of a braided network of interconnecting trails! CCTA also sponsors and promotes Coastwalks on trails, and Cea gave us some wonderful examples of groups, including women’s and seniors groups, that have made extended journeys on the trails, some even completing the entire trail! Coastwalks have been delayed because of Covid-19, but they will be starting up again when the time is right.
CCTA has a number of challenges, including:
CCTA also works to develop coastal cleanup strategies, including sponsoring groups to clean debris from the trails and the coastline. In the pre-Covid-19 world, CCTA sponsored an annual California Coastal Cleanup Day. CCTA is now sponsoring a Coastwalk Cleanup Crew program intended to engage its community on multiple cleanups throughout the year.
In case anyone missed this part, you can walk a number of coastal trails in Sonoma County, including Shell Beach, the Coastal Prairie Trail (at The Dunes near Bodega Bay), Bodega Head, the Jenner Headlands, and Salt Point Park, among others. Many thanks to Cea for the wonderful presentation! This is an amazing organization doing real, practical, and effective work to preserve and protect our coastal areas (and provide us with great recreation). Keep up the fantastic work, Cea! Sunrise Rotary thanks you for your service.
You may view a recording of Cea's presentation HERE available for the next week or so.
