News!

Board of Directors Pass Resolution Recognizing Native American Heritage Month

A message from General Manager Andrea Mackenzie:

On Thursday, October 28, the Open Space Authority Board of Directors passed a resolution recognizing November as Native American Heritage Month.

Indigenous People’s Day – Monday, October 11, 2021

A message from General Manager Andrea Mackenzie:

We stand in solidarity as we celebrate, recognize, and honor the beautiful languages, traditions, and contributions of Indigenous Peoples here in Santa Clara Valley and beyond.

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.

Open Space Authority Celebrates Pride Month

Resolution Declares Open Spaces Are Welcoming, Inclusive Outdoor Spaces for All 

Nature is a sanctuary for humans in a stressed and challenged world. Nature is a place for peaceful contemplation and connection when it’s hard to find elsewhere. Nature is a place of comfort and acceptance in an increasingly binary, polarized, and divided nation. This past year as we experienced the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw tremendous public desire and demand by Santa Clara County’s diverse communities for access to nearby parks and open spaces for all the physical and mental benefits that time in nature provides.

Asian Americans for Community Involvement: Leaders in Health and Advocacy

The concept of “health” is broad, and it is sometimes complex. When considering what being “healthy” means, we often think of physical health: good nutrition, regular doctor’s visits and exercise; everything in order. However, mental and spiritual health, while often overlooked, are equally as important. Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI) recognizes this, and they are making a big difference in the lives of their community members.

In Acknowledgement of Earth Day

Biological altruism is a phenomenon that causes plant and animal species to behave in a manner that helps another organism, even at the cost of their own well-being. While experts are still theorizing exactly what motivates this behavior, a common perception is that, especially among species with complex social structures, these instances of helping another organism will ultimately benefit that which provides the help. Protecting and assisting other organisms helps to make all organisms thrive because the actions of one will impact another; because we are all connected.

The Equity Lens: April 2021

In response to the intolerable acts of violence and racial injustices against people of color, and the ongoing COVID-19 global health and climate crises, we at the Open Space Authority have made a long-term commitment to ensure that the values of inclusion and equity are reflected in every facet of our work. This is life-long work that does not have a beginning and an end but rather will involve short-term and long-term goals. We have started by taking a step back, listening to the community, and looking inwards at our own practices and systems of work. From here, we will reflect on the ways that we are engaging in larger systems and structures in our community, including those that are both positive and negative, and identify how we can turn our commitment to these values into meaningful actions and change.

Urban Open Space Corner: Our City Forest

In 2015, Our City Forest, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a healthy Silicon Valley through the promotion of urban forestry, acquired a parcel of land at Martial Cottle Park and created an outdoor urban forestry education center and arboretum, the Outdoor Educational Center.

The Equity Lens - December 2020

In response to the intolerable acts of violence and racial injustices against people of color, and the ongoing COVID-19 global health and climate crises, we at the Open Space Authority made a long-term commitment to inclusion and equity in every facet of our work. To work towards our larger goal, we began an initiative to first look outward and listen to the community, and then inward, to reflect on our current practices in the structure and procedures of the organization, and to identify opportunities to improve upon them.