Urban Gardening Initiative – Container Gardening

The Authority contributed funds towards a series of Bioblitz Events hosted by Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful. Coyote Creek is a diverse natural area with multiple types of habitat for varied wildlife. The four BioBlitz events took place at two locations along the creek, where the public helped document animal and plant species with a simple mobile app, iNaturalist. These events aimed to attract diverse participants, including people who may spend little time in nature and can expose more people to the outdoors in a new way.

Sacred Heart Community Services’ La Mesa Verde is a network of gardeners committed to improving the local food system. Authority grant funds were used to strengthen La Mesa Verde’s introductory gardening curriculum, making it more effective, interactive, and consistent with the goal to encourage community leadership and power. The project resulted in an engaging gardening curriculum that builds gardening skills, increases environmental awareness, and grows social connections that inspire a passion and commitment to local food justice.

The Authority contributed funds towards San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory's (SFBBO) Coyote Creek Field Station Environmental Education Program. SFBBO operates a research bird-banding station at Coyote Creek, located at the urban boundary of San Jose and Milpitas, and engages dozens of volunteers and hundreds of visitors each year. For this project, SFBBO worked with interns from local universities to develop a place and a inquiry-based education module to bring students from six classrooms to engage in both classroom and field learning activities.