As cattle are welcomed back onto the land, distrust of open space efforts is fading along the coast, but plans still sometimes meet a wary public.

Of all the district’s powers, one scares people the most: eminent domain. Even though, as far as Lenington can remember, the district has never condemned a property, the threat hung over residents for years.

Larry Hassett remembers the district’s expansion into San Mateo County in 1976, one year after he had moved to the Skyline area. “There was a real nervousness among residents,” he said. “The district had the big hammer. People who had been living in the area for two to three generations felt threatened- they didn’t want their land taken for parkland.”

Hassett and his neighborhood association sat down with district officials and asked them directly how they were going to use eminent domain powers. “Eventually we helped to develop a policy that was adopted by the board that in almost all cases, the district would only buy from willing sellers,” he said.

Hassett represents most of rural San Mateo County as a board member for the district. He believes that, with eminent domain off the table, “the peace pipe has been smoked,” he said. “Now we mostly deal with traffic impacts and little issues.”

His ward has more open-space preserves than any of the district’s other wards, yet one of the smallest populations. As a result, Hassett still feels that he’s the voice of “mountain advocacy,” as he calls it. “I offer that rural perspective,” he said. “I work on issues of how the district deals with neighbors and how it deals with being a neighbor.”

The district gave up its eminent domain powers for the 220 square miles of their coastal expansion, and, Hassett said, the concept is rarely discussed.

While the district and the trust are both actively leasing land for agricultural use, many of these efforts have come in the last two decades.

“If you have 20 years of locking it away and closing it up, people aren’t going to get over it in a day,” said Wendy Millet, the ranch director for TomKat Ranch, a privately owned ranch in Pescadero. “But they have turned the corner, so the community can help them.”

Bob Meehan was the ranch manager at Driscoll Ranch, which is now under management by the district. He’s seen changes, he said, but remains concerned about the slow pace of opening preserves to the public. “The district is trying to be more receptive to the farming and ranching community,” he said. “But I don’t think the public is going to be allowed to be on these properties any sooner than five or 10 years out.”

Chris Pearson, the farmer in La Honda, agreed. “I’d much rather see open space have the land than developers,” he said. “But they bought the McDonald Ranch years ago, and have done nothing with it until recently. There hasn’t been a cow on there since they bought it. And there’s little public access.”

Older residents are less circumspect. Wilbur Azevedo has run a feed store in Half Moon Bay since 1951. “I think this land should be farmed,” he said.

Aware the public wants more access to their land, district leaders say additional funding will help them open up properties faster. For years, the district was focused on acquiring lands at risk, as opposed to opening them up, said General Manager Steve Abbors.

But more money is needed, and the district is supporting Measure AA, a June bond measure that if approved would provide the district with up to $300 million.

The district has made 25 projects top priority in case the money comes through. “We want as many results as quickly as possible, so the public can see what they are getting for their investment,” Abbors said.

“Years ago, the district made the decision to eliminate grazing everywhere,” he added. “But we’ve learned a lot since then. One of the reasons they hired me was that I have a background in natural resources management, and I’ve managed grazing across the bay and in the Sierras. We’re reaching out to other agencies to make sure we learn from their experiences. How do we manage bicycles, cattle, dogs, and horses? It’s not easy.”

Credits:
Top image: The view of Half Moon Bay from the Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve.