Fort Ord Dunes State Park | |
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IUCN category III (natural monument or feature) | |
Coastal dunes at Ford Ord Dunes State Park | |
Location | Monterey County, California, USA |
Nearest city | Monterey, California |
Coordinates | 36°39′16″N121°49′20″W / 36.65444°N 121.82222°W Coordinates: 36°39′16″N121°49′20″W / 36.65444°N 121.82222°W |
Area | 980 acres (400 ha) |
Established | 2009 |
Governing body | California Department of Parks and Recreation |
Fort Ord Dunes State Park is a state park in California, United States, along 4 miles (6.4 km) of coastline on Monterey Bay and created from part of the closed Fort Ord. The park includes a boardwalk, a path to the beach, a 4-mile (6.4 km) road for walking and biking, and interpretive exhibits describing its former use as a military training area. As the dunes are a nesting area for sensitive species, public access is limited to the paths and trails.
The Fort Ord Dunes State Park encompasses coastal areas of the closed Fort Ord, a United States Army installation. The area once held 15 rifle ranges for the installation. [1] After undergoing restoration work the landmark became a state park in 2009. [2] The land was transferred as a public benefit conveyance to the State by the National Park Service through the Federal Lands to Parks Program. The conveyance, at no cost to the State, requires that the land be used only for public park and recreation area purposes in perpetuity, with the federal government retaining a reversionary interest if the terms of the deed are not met. [3] Other areas of Fort Ord have become the Fort Ord National Monument or have been used for commercial or educational purposes.
Fort Ord Dunes State Park was one of the 48 California state parks proposed for closure in January 2008 by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as part of a deficit reduction program. [4] The closures were ultimately avoided by cutting hours and maintenance system-wide. [5]
A new campground is planned for 2022. One unit will have 45 recreational vehicle (RV) sites with hookups for electricity and water. A second unit is for family camping with 40 sites for tents and small, self-contained RVs. The third unit will be for walk-in and cyclists. [6]
The Presidio of San Francisco is a park and former U.S. Army military fort on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
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Marina is a city in Monterey County, California, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimated its 2019 population at 22,781. Marina is located along the central coast of California, 8 miles (13 km) west of Salinas, and 8 miles (13 km) north of Monterey. Marina is on California State Route 1 between Monterey and Santa Cruz. Marina is at an elevation of 43 feet. Marina was incorporated in 1975 and is the newest city on the Monterey Peninsula. The city includes part of the California State University, Monterey Bay campus, UC Santa Cruz UC MBEST center, and the Veterans Transition Center (VTC). In 2012, Marina was named one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People by America's Promise Alliance. The Fort Ord Station Veterinary Hospital, built in 1941 to provide healthcare for U.S. Army horses and mules, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. This is the first such official recognition on old Fort Ord. Now knows as the Marina Equestrian Center, has been operated by the Marina Equestrian Association since 1994 when the property was seeded to the National Park Service. The association serves hundreds to thousands of visitors a year who come to enjoy the vast trail systems or to just meet equines up close and personal.
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The California Department of Parks and Recreation, also known as California State Parks, manages the California state parks system. The system administers 280 separate park units on 1.4 million acres (570,000 hectares), with over 280 miles (450 km) of coastline; 625 miles (1,000 km) of lake and river frontage; nearly 15,000 campsites; and 3,000 miles (4,800 km) of hiking, biking, and equestrian trails. Headquartered in Sacramento, park administration is divided into 21 districts. The California State Parks system is the largest state park system in the United States.
Fort Ord is a former United States Army post on Monterey Bay of the Pacific Ocean coast in California, which closed in 1994 due to Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) action. Most of the fort's land now makes up the Fort Ord National Monument, managed by the United States Bureau of Land Management as part of the National Conservation Lands, while a small portion remains an active military installation under Army control designated as the Ord Military Community.
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