The Open Space Authority envisions the Santa Clara Valley and its surrounding hillsides as a beautiful place where a vibrant network of interconnected open spaces, trails, wildlife habitats, and thriving agricultural lands enrich the region’s cities and make it an exceptional and healthy place to live, work, learn, and play.
The Authority follows these initiatives and priorities for conservation:
- Coyote Valley is one of the last remaining natural landscapes in the Silicon Valley and is the Authority's highest priority for preservation. Coyote Valley is natural infrastructure that provides our residents with critical life support services that make our region more resilient to climate change. The Coyote Valley Landscape Linkage Report identifies the necessary elements for protecting and restoring a broad and resilient landscape; one that can sustain biodiversity and facilitate wildlife movement in a changing climate.
- Santa Clara Valley Greenprint, a 30-year roadmap to guide the Authority’s efforts to conserve our region’s water, wildlife, and working lands and provide outstanding recreational opportunities in rural and urban settings. The Greenprint identifies the Authority's Top 10 Priority Conservation Areas, which are lands determined to have the best opportunities for protection and connected landscapes.
- Healthy Lands & Healthy Economies Initiative, a multi-county effort launched to increase the pace and scale of conservation, secure new sources of funding, and enroll new allies for open space conservation and stewardship.
- Santa Clara Valley Agricultural Plan, an innovative approach to agricultural preservation that will reduce future conversion of local farmland and the associated increase in greenhouse gas emissions while growing a vibrant local food economy that contributes to our quality of life.
