Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority

MEASURE T, the Open Space, Wildlife Habitat, Clean Water, and Increased Public Access Measure, has PASSED with 81% of the vote! Measure T will provide the Open Space Authority with ongoing funding to support the protection of open space, wildlife habitat, water resources and local farmland, operation and management of the Authority’s growing system of open space preserves, and providing additional and more equitable access to nature, helping connect even more residents to th...e benefits of nature, especially in our most disadvantaged communities. YOU, the voters, have sent a message that we must act without delay to protect and restore nature as an essential action in the fight against climate change. THANK YOU! For more information about Measure T visit https://www.openspaceauthority.org//measure/measure-t.html

This MLK Weekend we hope you’ll celebrate in nature - safely! We encourage you to explore #HiddenNature in your local community and visit parks and green spaces close to home, or even in your own backyard. While our preserves remain open, we are NOT allowing picnics or other group gatherings. Visit our website before heading out to check conditions and safety updates: https://www.openspaceauthority.org/v/conditions-safety.html Help us keep your parks open! #LoveYourParks6FeetApart and #RecreateResponsibly

Discover what nutty things might be happening right in your own backyard! In honor of #SquirrelAppreciationDay, tune in on January 23 to learn more about the secret lives of squirrels.

Once a month, celebrate #OpenSpaceTransformationTuesday with us to see how we are transforming Santa Clara Valley’s natural spaces into beautifully restored, healthy landscapes! This month, our #CoyoteValley restoration work continues! Despite the pandemic postponing some hands-on conservation work with volunteers, these projects are moving full steam ahead. Our staff and partners are hard at work planting a mix of 1,300 native plants at Fisher’s Bend, an essential creekside habitat in Coyote Valley. Find out more about this project in our latest post.

At 10:00 a.m. this Friday, Educational Aide Betty will be sharing another one of her favorite nature stroybooks, Little Owl’s Night, by Divya Srinivasan. Join us every Friday morning in January for #OpenSpaceFamilyFriday! We’ll be bringing nature to you and your loved ones at home through nature crafts, short storytime videos in open space, and more!

As the rainy season returns, we welcome back some of our favorite native animals - salamanders! Check out this great article from our friends at Bay Nature magazine to learn about the types of salamanders you might find on a Bay Area nature walk this winter: https://baynature.org///which-bay-area-salamander-are-you/ By the way, did you know... All newts are salamanders, but not all salamanders are newts! "Salamander" is the name for the entire group, or scientific order, of amphibians that have tails as adults. Some use the terms interchangeably, but newts are technically a type of salamander.

Our friends at Our City Forest are hosting a Breathe Easy! Walk-a-thon event on November 7 to encourage getting outdoors and appreciating what trees provide us! Any form of activity is welcome - whether it’s by foot, bike, chair, or something else - as long as you are outside for the trees!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Natural Resources Technician David took these delightfully spine-chilling photos of creepy critters found on our open spaces. What a perfect way to celebrate the spookiest day of the year!

Today is #NationalSaveTheEaglesDay, and we’re honoring our most majestic birds of prey! Here in the Santa Clara Valley, we’re lucky enough to have TWO species of these majestic birds - the Golden Eagle and the Bald Eagle. Both species have been spotted on our open space preserves. You're most likely to see a beautiful Golden Eagle like this one soaring over the open grasslands of Sierra Vista! Photos by Natural Resource Technician David Mauk

Daylight Saving Time ends Sunday morning - it’s time to set those clocks and watches back an hour! Instead of using the extra hour to sleep in, why not enjoy a morning out in nature? Please remember that due to the time change, our open space preserves will close one hour earlier. You can always check our Facebook preserve pages (Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve, Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve, Rancho Canada del Oro Open space), website, Google business pages, and Yelp for the most up-to-date times!

We’re feline good, because it’s National Cat Day! We’re not kitten around when we say we LOVE our native cat species... To celebrate the day, check out a study we released last year to learn more about and protect one native cat, the bobcat! We are hopeful that conservation efforts to save essential habitat will ensure bobcats are here for the long haul.

As #EmotionalWellnessMonth comes to an end, we want to remind you that nature is ALWAYS here to support and strengthen your mental health - no matter what the season. This #WellnessWednesday let us know what YOU get out of Nature’s healing benefits. How does being in Nature help to support your wellness?

You may know artist and naturalist Edward Rooks from our livestream Art and Nature programs - now is your chance to meet the artist and learn more about his fascinating background! Tune in this Sunday as Edward share’s his life’s journey, from the environmental degradation he witnessed growing up in Trinidad to leading plein air painting experiences for the Cheesemans' Eco-safaris in Antarctica and his relocation here to Santa Clara County where he has found a place with open space.

PRESERVE NOTICE: Rancho Cañada del Oro Open Space Preserve is now open! Check our trail conditions page for updates. https://www.openspaceauthority.org/v/conditions-safety.html

Our Volunteer of the Month, Ron has been helping us restore and protect open space for the past five years! As a life-long tinkerer and a retired semiconductor manager, Ron has always loved the hands-on projects, teamwork, and camaraderie of the Authority’s stewardship programs. Thank you, Ron, for all your help in stewarding our open spaces! We are so glad to have you on our team. If you’re interested in joining Ron and the rest of our amazing community of open space volunt...eers, join our virtual volunteer session next month! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nov-2020-santa-clara-valley-op See more

*10/26, 2PM UPDATE: All preserves are now open!* Original post: PRESERVE NOTICE: All preserves will be closed starting at 4pm Sun 10/25 through Mon 10/26 due to high wind and fire danger. Check our trail conditions page for updates.

Celebrate #NationalArtDay today with us through our Art & Nature playlist, a series of livestream art lessons, led by artist and naturalist Edward Rooks! Check out these Bob Ross-style videos to get tips for illustrating native plants and animals that you might see in our own open spaces. The lessons are also just fun to watch, even if you aren’t following along!

What does Ulistac Natural Area look like in the fall season? Come take a virtual walk with us as we explore the area and see how it has changed with the coming of autumn. Meet Janay, a member of the Ulistac Natural Area Restoration and Education Project, as she shows us around this pocket of wild in middle of the City of Santa Clara.

If you love nature and want to make a positive impact on our local environment, come get involved with the Authority’s volunteer team! We are hosting our next virtual volunteer session on November 7 for anyone interested in joining our amazing community of open space volunteers.

Have you ever visited the Alviso Adobe in Milpitas? This 175-year-old farmhouse is one of the oldest buildings in our area, made partly of original adobe bricks. Today, Alviso Adobe Park features a fruit orchard, picnic tables, restored outbuildings, and interpretive signs highlighting various aspects of the farming and ranching done onsite over the years. Come tour the grounds with us and learn some of the local history as we explore this hidden treasure!