Three people in Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center t-shirts with live birds talking to visitors at a booth

Partnerships

The Open Space Authority is a small agency with a big mission and we need to work with other like-minded organizations to accomplish our goals. We work with community partners to conserve land, restore landscapes, connect people to nature, provide outdoor education, and sustain our natural resources for future generations.

Partnering for LAND Conservation

The Authority works with public and private partners to identify, prioritize, and fund the acquisition and management of connected and accessible open space lands and trails. These partnerships include:

Rocks on ridge overlooking Coyote Valley with agricultural fields and mountains in distance
01.

Working with willing landowners to purchase land or establish easements on farmlands

Brown hillside overlooking valley below
02.

Developing and implementing funding strategies for land acquisition and management in coordination with conservation partners

CONNECTING PEOPLE TO NATURE

Busy San Jose street with cars, bus, and cyclists
03.

Promoting use of transit to access parks, open space, and trails such as through the Bay Area Open Space Council’s Transit and Trails program

Family on bikes riding through Martial Cottle Park
04.

Developing and expanding the Authority’s Urban Open Space Program to implement projects that connect urban residents to local trails and open spaces

INCREASING OPEN SPACE ACCESS

Young boy riding bike on paved trail with older girl on bike behind him
05.

Prioritizing local trail projects that link to transit-oriented development or close gaps in established trail networks

Older couple walking on paved trail through Martial Cottle Park
06.

Partnering with the County and cities in their efforts to build out their network of planned parks and trail systems

Environmental Educational PROGRAMS


The Authority collaborates with education providers and partners to provide a hands-on experience of nature through a wide variety of programs and projects throughout the Authority's juridiction, including the Authority’s open space preserves and urban parks.

Environmental education programs are also funded through the Urban Grant Program. One category within this competitive grant program aims to advance environmental literacy and nature-oriented experiences for children, adults, and families free of charge.

The Authority partners with West Valley College in a Parks Management Intern Program that gives participants real project experience, such as helping to build the Mayfair Ranch Trail at Rancho Cañada del Oro Open Space Preserve.

For those in higher education programs, environmental studies graduate students are invited to conduct their research projects on the Authority’s lands and preserves. Our rich environment of serpentine grasslands, riparian habitats and a variety of rare, threatened and endangered species provide ample opportunities for study and observation.


Read more about Environmental Education or contact us to inquire.

Two young students holding and examining a snake skin

SOME OF Our RECENT Partners


Memberships

The Open Space Authority is a member of the following organizations: