News

Coyote Valley is Yours: Help Us Plan Its Future

The last decade brought many changes to the trajectory of Coyote Valley, and the Authority and its partners are excited to begin engaging with residents in developing a Coyote Valley Conservation Areas Master Plan. Premiering this September is an exciting three-part educational webinar series titled "Discover Coyote Valley" to help introduce people to this unique landscape and spread the word about how to get involved.

Staff Spotlight: Meet Nick Perry

“This is why I went into city planning. This is what I hoped to do.”

A link to the past, a symbol in the present, and an opportunity for the future - Coyote Valley tells a story. Nick Perry, Coyote Valley Project Manager at the Open Space Authority, is among those who know this best.

Santa Clara Valley Wildlife Olympics

As the world watches the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, we are celebrating our own version of the Olympics closer to home. Welcome to the Santa Clara Valley Wildlife Olympics 2021!

Discovering Coyote Valley: A Three-Part Webinar Series

With the Coyote Valley Conservation Areas Master Plan on the horizon, people of all ages, identities, and backgrounds can soon help shape the future of this incredible last-chance landscape. The Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority is launching a three-part educational webinar series, Discovering Coyote Valley, to tell the story of this landscape and raise awareness about the Coyote Valley Conservation Areas Master Plan for these protected lands.

Five Benefits to Protecting Coyote Valley

Coyote Valley is a rural landscape located at the southern edge of San José, California in Santa Clara County. Due to its location and natural resources, Coyote Valley has long been a place where human and natural communities intersect. The long-term vision is to make Coyote Valley a landscape for all, forever. Check out the list below to learn some of the benefits of protecting these lands.

Urban Open Space Corner: Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful

In September of 2020, Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful (KCCB) was awarded a $37,701 grant from the Open Space Authority's Urban Grant Program for their Community and Virtual BioBlitz Events. Now, in 2021, these projects are in full swing.

White-Tailed Kite: A Conservation Success Story

With scientists warning that humanity is causing the sixth mass-extinction of Earth’s history, it’s not often we hear uplifting stories about the success of an endangered species. And more seldom do such stories take place right in our own backyard. This is the case, however, for the white-tailed kite, a once highly endangered bird – and even locally extinct, in some areas. Much to our excitement, the white-tailed kite is defying the odds and making quite the resurgence in Santa Clara Valley.

Peninsula Open Space Trust and the Open Space Authority Take New Approach to restoring Coyote Valley's Watershed

Updated on Thursday, July 15, 2021

In 2020, severely dry conditions resulted in yet another record-shattering fire year across the West. Amid rising summer temperatures, California’s rapidly shrinking water supply reveals an urgent need to address the State’s worsening drought, a side effect of our warming climate. It also draws attention to local water management practices, and the importance of groundwater as a water source during droughts. Together, Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) and the Open Space Authority are monitoring local drought conditions and using nature-based solutions like groundwater monitoring to help inform floodplain and habitat restoration projects to help make drought impacts less severe.

Equity Lens: July 2021

The Open Space Authority is committed to the values of inclusion and equity in every facet of our work. We recognize this is a life-long effort, without a beginning or an end. It includes short-term and long-term goals, and our first step is listening to the community and reflecting upon our own practices and systems of work. From here, we will reflect on the ways that we engage in larger systems and structures within our community, both positive and negative, to identify and inform meaningful actions and change.

Leave No Trace This Summer As You Enjoy the Outdoors

With summer upon us, who wouldn’t want to get outside and enjoy some sunshine?