2024.11.07 | Big Crowd Celebrates the Dedication of New Ranch Boardwalk

More than 100 people celebrated the dedication of the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve’s new boardwalk in Cambria on Saturday. October 26. The dedication followed years of planning and permitting, and two months of construction.

The Board of Friends of the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve (FFRP) and its Executive Director Kitty Connolly marked this special occasion with a gathering on the Bluff Trail. Seamus McKeon, Senior Legislative Assistant for Congressman Jimmy Panetta, Jennifer Ford, Senior Field Representative for California State Assemblymember Dawn Addis, and San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Bruce Gibson each offered their congratulatory remarks.

FFRP Board Chairperson Dianne Anderson and Cambria Community Service District board President Tom Grey cut the ribbon opening the boardwalk. Inspired by the Hands Across the Ranch event that marked the purchase of the property in 2000, celebrants then joined together to span the trail while holding an orange ribbon. The whole program was filmed to create a record of the joyful day.

The boardwalk was built entirely by private funds donated to FFRP. It links the Ranch’s two most popular trails – the Bluff and Marine Terrace Trails – and it completes a 1.6-mile accessible loop along the coast, ensuring that those with mobility challenges can fully experience the splendor of the Ranch. When the project is completed, FFRP will turn the boardwalk over to the Cambria Community Services District as their gift to Cambria and its visitors.

Through restoring the old path over the next couple of years, FFRP will expand the preserve’s rare coastal prairie habitat. In the meantime, every Wednesday and the third Saturday of the month people can volunteer to groom trails, remove invasive plants, and care for the Ranch. Volunteer opportunities are described on the Friends of the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve website fiscaliniranchpreserve.org.

SAVE THE DATE: Tickets for Songs for the Season, Saturday, December 7 from 2-4 PM, are now on sale at fiscaliniranchpreserve.org. This annual event of food, drink, live music, and gathering with friends kicks off the holiday season.