2024 Annual Impact Report

Learn about the Open Space Authority's biggest accomplishments over the last calendar year!

View the Report
Kat Hill interviewed by ABC 7

Pressroom

Pressroom

Media Inquiries

Welcome to the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority pressroom. 

If you are seeking information and imagery for educational purposes or media use, please reach out to the Public Information Officer.

Press Contact

Charlotte Graham

Public Information

408-439-6541

News@openspaceauthority.org

A woman in a light blue shirt and sunglasses stands at a podium with the OSA logo speaking into a microphone at an outdoor event

Sign up for Media Updates

Be the first to receive breaking news and updates from the Open Space Authority. Sign up for our media list to receive press releases and media advisories by clicking here. 

brown and white specked burrowing owl surrounded by long green grass against a light brown background

Read Our Latest Newsletter

The Open Space Authority monthly e-newsletter shares important, timely events, information and fun facts about your open space preserves. Click here to read the latest newsletter!

In The News

External links to recent articles about the Open Space Authority
Land Stewards restoring habitat underneath the entry sign at Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve

December 18, 2024 - Morgan Hill Times

Volunteer for Nature in 2025

Openings available for Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority's volunteer cohort.

Click here to read the full article.

Aerial view of Laguna Seca with green mountains all around

November 14, 2024 - The Mercury News

Coyote Valley: 376 acres once planned for offices and parking lots to become public open space preserve

Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority takes ownership of former corporate campus site

Read the full article by Paul Rogers here.

parade of people dressed up as monarch butterflies

November 2, 2024 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Monarch butterfly conservation efforts highlighted during Día de los Muertos

The Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, a conservation group that aims to protect land and wildlife in the South Bay, is creating monarch habitats in an attempt to protect the species during the journey.

Read the full article by Sarah McGrew here.

A monarch butterfly feeds on a flower

October 25, 2024 - El Observador

Protecting Monarch Butterflies

Despite recent population declines of this meaningful Mexican cultural figure, new research is giving hope that the species will fight the risk of extinction

Read the full article written by Avery Cruz in El Observador in English here y en español aquí.

A bird eats insects while sitting on a black cows nose. The background is black.

October 20, 2024 - The Mercury News

San Jose resident’s image a double winner in Coyote Valley photo contest

‘Cattle’s Best Friend’ takes people’s choice, agriculture categories

Read the article by Anne Gelhaus here.

FAQ

Latest News

Press Releases & Media Advisories

Two hikers traverse the Arrowhead Trail at Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve. They are both wearing gray sweaters, black leggings and hiking shoes.

The Mercury News: Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority looking for good citizens

Publish On
The Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority’s Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) is looking to fill two vacancies. One representative is sought for District 6, which encompasses San Jose’s Alum Rock area. Applicants must reside within the district’s boundaries, preferably be a registered voter and have experience participating with community groups within the district.

Peninsula Open Space Trust Transfers 376-Acre Historic North Coyote Valley Wetland Complex to the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority for Restoration and Permanent Protection

Publish On
Palo Alto, Calif. (November 14, 2024) — Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) today announced the transfer of 376 acres of land in North Coyote Valley to the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority (Authority), a 30-year-old regional public land conservation agency that protects open space and connects people to nature. POST purchased the land in 2019 as part of a historic public-private collaboration with the Authority and the City of San José to conserve nearly 1,000 acres in northern Coyote Valley, marking a turning point toward environmental protection in the region’s priorities for land use in an era of accelerating climate change.

Rep. Panetta Secures $800,000 in Federal Support for Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve Accessibility Improvements

Publish On
SAN JOSÉ, Calif. – July 31, 2024 – United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) and the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority (Authority), a 30-year-old regional public land conservation agency that protects open space and connects people to nature, today announced $800,000 in community project funding for accessibility improvements to the Heart’s Delight Trail and other facilities at Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve. Anticipated construction to begin summer 2025 with anticipated project completion 2026.

Understanding Coyote Valley

Publish On
Understanding Coyote Valley documents history and existing conditions across 10 topic areas that correspond to the goals of Coyote Valley Conservation Areas Master Plan (CVCAMP)/ CVCAMP will address needs for protected “last chance” valley floor that is critical to climate resilience of the region. Public process continues with community open houses starting in August.

With Newly Approved Work Plan and Annual Budget for 2024-25 Fiscal Year, Public Land Agency Invites Applications for Volunteers to Advise Board and Provide Public Fiscal Oversight

Publish On
June 17, 2024 – The Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority (Authority), a 30-yearold regional public land conservation agency that protects open space and connects people to nature, today announced openings for new members of the Authority’s Citizens’ Advisory Committee (CAC) and Expenditure Plan Oversight Committee (EPOC). The open call for applicants follows the ratification on June 13 by the Authority’s elected Board of the agency’s 2024-25 fiscal year work plan and annual budget.

Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority Opens New Preserve to the Public: Máyyan 'Ooyákma – Coyote Ridge Open Space Preserve

Publish On
The Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority (Authority) will open the 1,859-acre Máyyan ‘Ooyákma – Coyote Ridge Open Space Preserve to the public on Thursday, August 31. Five miles of new trails – including a new 3-mile segment of the Bay Area Ridge Trail, and a wide range of accessible experiences – will be open for free to hikers on a schedule that balances recreation and nature experiences with the sensitive habitat for the many species that make their home in the preserve’s rare serpentine grasslands.

Open Space Celebrates 30 Year Anniversary

Publish On
2023 marks the 30th Anniversary of the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority. The agency was founded in 1993 as a public, independent special district – envisioned by dedicated local citizens and enacted by the California State Legislature – with the mission of forever protecting natural and agricultural lands and connecting people to nature. The Open Space Authority is funded by a voter-approved benefit assessment and parcel tax (Measures Q and T) and grants. The agency’s jurisdiction is 1,000 square miles and includes the cities of Campbell, Milpitas, San José, Santa Clara, Morgan Hill, and the unincorporated areas of Santa Clara County.

Open Space Renames Coyote Ridge

Publish On
San José, Calif. (October 28, 2022) – On Thursday, October 27, the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority (Open Space Authority) Board of Directors voted unanimously to include a Chochenyo translation of “Coyote Ridge” alongside the current preserve name, making it Máyyan 'Ooyákma – Coyote Ridge Open Space Preserve. Chochenyo is considered a dialect of what linguists now call the San Francisco Bay Costanoan language that also includes Ramaytush and Thámien.