News!

How the Open Space Authority Reduces Fire Risk

Climate change is a big factor behind wildfire intensity, and California fires are burning hotter and spreading faster than ever before. When it comes to mitigating wildfire risks, a proactive approach is key to protecting life and property. Learn about the Open Space Authority's Fuel Management Program and work to prevent wildland fires in and around the open spaces and wildland urban interface zones of the Santa Clara Valley. 

Community Connections - Clayton Koopmann

Community Connections highlights the many leaders, partners, and neighbors who make a difference in our community. This month we are featuring Clayton Koopmann, cattle rancher and rangeland ecologist/rangeland management specialist

242-Acre Purchase Completes Tapestry of Connected Open Space in Santa Cruz Mountains

Opportunities for Firebreak Management, Sweeping Views, and New Trail Connections

SAN JOSE, Calif. (June 27, 2019) - Undeveloped and largely untouched, a 242-acre purchase made by the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority (Authority) in partnership with the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) completes another pivotal piece of the Santa Cruz Mountains preservation puzzle, opening new possibilities for growing an interconnected trail network.

How the Open Space Authority Prepares for Wildfire Season

As the weather warms up, the Open Space Authority field team responsibilities shift to prepare for the summer season. In addition to getting the preserves ready for an increase in visitors, the team is beginning to prepare for the ever-growing threat of wildfires.

Tackling Invasive Species in the Preserves

An invasive species is any organism, a plant, animal, fungus, or bacteria, that is not native to an ecosystem and causes harm to the environment, economy, or human health. These non-native organisms pose a major challenge for our open spaces, threatening biodiversity and the complex web of relationships between native plants and animals. Climate change exacerbates these threats by making it possible for previously incompatible species to survive in our new environment. National Invasive Species Awareness Week is February 24 - 28, 2020, so we wanted to share some of the threats invasive species pose to our preserves and the efforts our land management team makes to identify these threats and limit their spread.

New land deal links 31,000 acres of open space south of San Jose

Authored by Paul Rogers and published in The Mercury News November 27, 2018. Photo by Noel Thurlow.

SAN JOSE — As open space deals go, the property is small. But its impact could be big.

The Peninsula Open Space Trust, a non-profit group based in Palo Alto, announced Tuesday it has closed a deal to purchase 159 acres in the rural foothills of Santa Clara County between Almaden Reservoir and Loma Prieta, the tallest peak in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Public-Private Partnership Protects Another Key Open Space in the Santa Cruz Mountains

Acquisition expands important linkage between Rancho Cañada del Oro Open Space Preserve and Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve

PALO ALTO, Calif. (November 27, 2018) – Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) and the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority (Authority) today announced the purchase of a 159-acre property that widens a vital linkage between the Authority’s Rancho Cañada del Oro  and Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District’s (Midpen’s) Sierra Azul open space preserves. This adjacency provides opportunities for connecting recreation options across the two preserves, while securing wildlife habitat and expanding a protected corridor between Highway 17 and Coyote Valley – a high priority area for both organizations in their shared goal of creating habitat linkages for native wildlife.

The Loma Fire: Two Years Later

In the midst of a long and destructive wildfire season here in California and across the West, we are reflecting back on the Loma Fire, a massive fire that burned close to home and continues to be a focus for the Authority, two years later.

On September 26, 2016, the Loma Fire took hold of the Santa Cruz Mountains south of San Jose. The fire burned for two weeks across more than 4,400 acres, including 2,000 acres of Authority lands, destroying homes, sensitive wildlife habitat, and native vegetation.

The Power of Partnerships