Presentation by Matt Freeman from the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority at "Wildlands, Food and Your Health." Event hosted by Greenbelt Alliance on June 16, 2012.
2. Presenta(on
Topics
• A
liCle
about
the
Open
Space
Authority
• Importance
of
open
space
to
healthy
communi&es
• Examples
of
OSA
ini&a&ves
and
partnerships
• Ques&ons
and
feedback
3. About
the
Santa
Clara
County
Open
Space
Authority
• Responsible
for
land
preserva&on
and
resource
management
for
over
2/3rds
of
Santa
Clara
County
• Protects
and
manages
over
16,000
acres
• Jurisdic&on
includes
ci&es
of
Milpitas,
San
Jose,
Campbell,
Santa
Clara,
Morgan
Hill,
and
Santa
Clara
County
• Administers
an
Urban
Open
Space
Program
5. To
Safeguard
Open
Space
• Provide
a
balance
to
urban
development
• Preserve
quality
of
life
in
Santa
Clara
County
• Protect
natural
and
cultural
resources
• Promote
agricultural
viability
6. Integrated
Approach
to
Open
Space
Protec&on
“When
one
tugs
at
a
single
thing
in
nature,
he
finds
it
aCached
to
the
rest
of
the
world.”
-‐-‐
John
Muir
(1838-‐1914)
8. Parks,
Open
Spaces,
and
Trails
Sample
Projects
• Bay
Area
Ridge
Trail
• Bay
Trail
• Local
trails
(Three
Creeks
Trail)
that
provide
urban
access
to
open
spaces
• Sustainable
Communi&es
Strategy
(Plan
Bay
Area)
• El
Toro
Trail
in
Morgan
Hill
9. Water
Resources
Key
Elements
and
Issues
• Drinking
water
supplies
• Groundwater
recharge
areas
• Wetlands
&
riparian
areas
to
protect
water
quality
• Floodplains
and
flood
management
areas
• Areas
for
climate
change
mi&ga&on
and
adapta&on
10. Water
Resources
Sample
Projects
• TNC
Upper
Pajaro
Floodplain
Protec&on
Project
• SCVWD
Water
Resources
Management
Plan
• Water
Founda&on
• Bay
Area
and
Pajaro
Integrated
Regional
Water
Management
Plans
11. Wildlife
Habitat
and
Linkages
Key
Elements
and
Issues
• Protec&ng
sensi&ve
species
and
rare
&
unique
habitats
• Maintaining
landscape
linkages
between
the
Santa
Cruz
and
Diablo
Ranges
• Protec&ng
habitats
that
are
resilient
to
climate
change
12. Wildlife
Habitat
and
Landscape
Linkages
Sample
Projects
• Santa
Clara
Valley
Habitat
Conserva&on
Plan
• Bay
Area
Cri&cal
Linkages
Project
(Moore
Founda&on)
• “Safe
Passage
for
Coyote
Valley”
(DeAnza
College)
• Bay
Area
Conserva&on
Lands
Network
(Bay
Area
Open
Space
Council)
14. Local
Farms
and
Ranches
Key
Elements
and
Issues
• Protec&ng
prime
ag
lands
from
sprawl
• Protec&ng
economic
viability
through
partnerships
and
incen&ves
• Promo&ng
good
stewardship
prac&ces
• Promo&ng
access
to
locally-‐
grown
foods
• Exploring
new
markets
and
niches
15. Local
Farms
and
Ranches
Sample
Projects
• Coyote
Valley
Agriculture
Feasibility
Study
(Sage)
• “Sustaining
Our
Bounty”
(Sage)
• Natural
Resources
Conserva&on
Service
Programs
• South
County
Vision
(CommiCee
for
Green
Foothills
and
Greenbelt
Alliance)