Nestled between the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Diablo Range at the southern edge of San Jose, lies the stunning Coyote Valley. As our top conservation priority, it encompasses a unique combination of nature’s benefits such as floodplains, local water supply, wildlife connectivity, agriculture, recreation, and more.
Coyote Valley offers a rare opportunity to connect over one million acres of core habitat in the surrounding mountains, creating a Landscape Linkage allowing species to disperse, migrate, and shift ranges in response to climate change. With California’s prolonged droughts and more frequent flooding and wildfires, protecting and restoring Coyote Valley's natural benefits is the smartest long-term investment we can make together for the health and sustainability of our region, especially in the face of a changing climate.
The Authority, through an innovative partnership with Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) and the City of San Jose, has protected 1,000 acres of open space in North Coyote Valley, creating the North Coyote Valley Conservation Area. As identified in the Coyote Valley Landscape Linkage vision, protection of the North Coyote Valley is a key link in connecting wildlife habitats, providing opportunities to restore natural floodplains and improve water quality, and helping to build a climate resilient future for the residents of the 10th largest city in the nation.
When the Authority released the Coyote Valley Landscape Linkage, it established a vision to protect and restore Coyote Valley as natural infrastructure, benefiting our human and natural communities. To implement this vision, the North Coyote Valley was deemed an essential element for its vital environmental, social, and economic benefits.
North Coyote Valley is where the two mountain ranges are closest and contains the largest remaining undeveloped floodplain, or low-lying land next to a creek, within San Jose, providing essential flood risk reduction, clean water supply, and water quality benefits.
Protection of these lands unlocks the potential to expand outdoor public recreation and create a world class nature preserve for Santa Clara Valley residents and visitors alike. This landscape also provides the potential to support local farmers and ranchers. Coyote Valley offers unparalleled opportunities to create a 21st century greenbelt near urban San Jose, and delivers a host of ecological, economic, and quality of life benefits - now and for future generations.
The Authority's work in Coyote Valley serves as an exemplary model across the state and nation on how strategic investments in natural infrastructure, smart land use policies, and practical urban design can help us build resilience and adapt to climate change.
This work builds on our extensive research in Coyote Valley, identifying a Landscape Linkage vision through wildlife studies, the importance of our water resources, and the need to support our local agriculture. This research informs our work now and into the future.
The Authority is leading a public planning process to define the future of Coyote Valley and open it to the public. The Coyote Valley Conservation Areas Master Plan will inform how to restore these lands to enhance the natural benefits they provide.
As we plan the future of Coyote Valley through the Conservation Areas Master Plan, the Authority is already working to carefully steward this vital landscape. We invite the community to join us on this mission of stewardship. Opportunities to help heal and restore Coyote Valley’s conserved lands are on-going.
