Open Space Authority celebrates 30 years, 30,000 acres
Agency's goal is to form permanent greenbelt in the Santa Clara Valley
The Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year by achieving a milestone of conserving 30,000 acres of open space. This open space includes 16 agricultural and natural resource conservation easements covering 5,146 acres.
“It was 1993 when ordinary citizens, local elected leaders and the California State Legislature joined together to form a new special district and public land conservation agency in Santa Clara County whose mission would be to balance growth by creating a permanent Santa Clara Valley greenbelt of protected natural and agricultural lands,” says Helen Chapman, chair of the authority's board of directors and a resident of San Jose's Rose Garden neighborhood.
In addition to its conservation efforts, the Open Space Authority offers inperson events every month to connect people with nature, such as wildflower and plant identification walks and stargazing. It serves over half a million visitors a year at its four preserves, and also educates more than million people annually about nature via social media.
The authority's urban grant program provides funding for community-based organizations, schools and cities to create projects and programs that ensure equitable connections to parks, open space, trails and environmental education.
“We help bring nature to urban neighborhoods,” says Megan Dreger, grants program manager. “By working with local community organizations to remove barriers, we can provide more opportunities for residents to experience nature in their own back yards.”
Awards for program grants will be announced in May, and capital and planning grants in July. The grant program has supported 77 projects to date, totaling $13 million.
Concern for the region's environmental health and sustainability in the face of pressure from population growth, development and climate change drives the authority to help protect communities from flood, drought and wildfire, officials say.
“Protecting nature is the smartest investment we can make to solve the climate crisis,” says Andrea Mackenzie, general manager of the Open Space Authority. “Our conservation vision for the Santa Clara Valley is coming to life in places like the Coyote Valley.”
The Open Space Authority is planning a grand opening of its newest preserve in the fall of 2023. The Máyyan `Ooyákma-coyote Ridge Open Space Preserve will grow the agency's public trail system to 33 miles. The new preserve is the agency's first to include an indigenous language in the name, a Chochenyo translation for “coyote ridge.” A community event is planned for October.
“We are honored to partner with the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area to include an indigenous language into the preserve name,” says Jennifer Hooper, associate open space planner for the authority. “We hope this gives
visibility to the Chochenyo language and helps visitors connect with land stewards of the past, present and future.”
The Open Space Authority has protected over 1,800 acres for the new preserve that are co-managed by the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency. The preserve's hours of operation may be adjusted based on the needs of plant and wildlife, including coyotes, bobcats and tule elk.
“There certainly isn't another place like it within 15 miles of downtown San Jose,” says Derek Neumann, field operations manager at the Open Space Authority. “Máyyan `Ooyákma-coyote Ridge is a perfect habitat for rare and endemic plant and animal species, including the federally threatened Bay checkerspot butterfly.”
The authority also offers educational programming to connect local students and teachers with nature.
Programs include free classroom field trips to publicly accessible preserves; learning about local birds of prey with the educators from the Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center; learning about watersheds and water conservation; and public events like docentled group hikes and educational activities.
The Open Space Authority is funded by Measures
Q and T, a benefit assessment referred to as District 1, and grants and gifts. The authority's jurisdiction includes the cities of Campbell, Milpitas, San Jose, Santa Clara, Morgan Hill and the unincorporated areas of Santa Clara County.
Voters approved Measure Q, a $24-per-parcel tax, in 2014, and renewed the tax in 2020 with Measure T. According to the authority, every dollar of Measure Q funds spent brought in $3 in public and private funding, which was then used for purchasing land, habitat restoration and public access projects.
Accruing 30,000 acres of open space is no small feat, but authority staff expects that its mission to create a Santa Clara Valley greenbelt will take several more decades.
“Our work is far from finished, but every farm that keeps working and every open space restored accelerates a more livable future for everyone,” says Mackenzie.
The Open Space Authority's work has not gone unnoticed. Last August, the authority received the “District of Distinction” accreditation from the Special District Leadership Foundation for “excellence in the governance and management of special districts.”
The Open Space Authority is one of eight districts in the Bay Area to receive this recognition, including the Dublin San Ramon Services District in Alameda County and the Aromas Water District in Monterey County.
For more information, visit https://www.openspaceauthority.org/aboutus/history/30th-anniversary-year.html.