OUTSIDE: Ode to a Monument

Ten years ago, on April 20, 2012, then-President Barack Obama signed a proclamation establishing the Fort Ord National Monument – permanently protecting 14,651 acres in the former Fort Ord for recreation and habitat.

In the decade since, it has grown even more popular, and has become a go-to destination for hikers and cyclists, some of the latter of whom travel from all over to attend the Sea Otter Classic, one of the world’s premier cycling events. The monument is home to rare vernal ponds, one of the largest habitats of maritime chaparral on the planet, and stunning oak woodlands, draped with lichen, all of which evince a sense of wonder.

Obama’s 2012 proclamation reads, in part, when describing the former Fort Ord: “One of the few remaining expanses of large, contiguous open space in the increasingly developed Monterey Bay area, this area is a rolling landscape long treasured for recreation, scientific research, outdoor education, and historical significance. Originating in the Pleistocene Epoch, ancient dunes provide the foundation for this landscape’s unique array of plant and wildlife communities.” But accessing the Fort Ord National Monument is still not as easy as it could or should be in some places, and to help change that, Seaside is opening up Eucalyptus Road for public vehicles this month for the first time since the road was built about a decade ago. It’s a cause for celebration – and a clear opportunity to get out an explore a local monument. [DS]