PRESS RELEASE: Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority Receives State Funding to Bolster Wildfire Prevention Work

California State Coastal Conservancy grant enables Authority to purchase new equipment, implement proven methods to reduce potential fire hazards

San José, Calif. (November 20, 2025) – The Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority (Authority) has received a $240,000 grant from the California State Coastal Conservancy for a fuel break implementation project in western Santa Clara County. The grant, approved today by the Coastal Conservancy’s board, enables the Authority to purchase specialized equipment that will allow Authority staff to reduce and remove flammable vegetation along the ridgeline roads in western Santa Clara County. Fuel breaks like this have been scientifically shown to reduce the spread of wildfire and helped contain the Loma Fire above Morgan Hill in 2016.

“Proactive fuels management is a critical part of caring for open space to protect the communities we serve in Santa Clara County,” said Andrea Mackenzie, general manager of the Authority. “We are grateful that the Coastal Conservancy acknowledges the importance of building 
wildfire resiliency for our lands and communities via this generous grant. We are now ready to increase our wildfire management work, in accordance with the County-wide Wildfire Protection Plan, starting in January.”

The Santa Clara County Community Wildfire Protection Plan identifies the western part of the county as the location of most flammable vegetation, or fuels. Removing or reducing these fuels and building fire breaks helps limit the spread of wildfire into residential and urbanized areas.

In western Santa Clara County, nearly 58 miles of fuel breaks—areas where flammable vegetation or combustible materials have been removed, making it harder for wildfires to spread—run along ridge roads. They rise as high as the Loma Prieta and Mount Umunhum summits, descending into dense, fast-growing, low-lying chaparral and scrub before grading into oak woodland at lower elevations. The fuel breaks need proactive maintenance to remain effective.

“Healthy natural lands are vital in preventing and reducing catastrophic wildfires and the Authority has a proven track record of implementing projects like this in Santa Clara County,” said Amy Hutzel, Executive Officer for the California State Coastal Conservancy. “As the threat of catastrophic wildfires increases, we are proud to support the acceleration of the Authority’s wildfire resilience work to protect communities, critical roadways, and open space in some of our region’s most vulnerable landscapes.”

The source of funding comes from a block grant to the Coastal Conservancy from the California Department of Conservation under its Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Program (RFFCP). The goal of the RFFCP is to increase regional capacity to prioritize, develop, and implement projects that improve forest health and fire resiliency.

Next Steps
The Authority’s newly funded project focuses on a four-mile section of the fuel break in need of heavy-equipment work, known as PL-566. Originally established in 1985 by CALFIRE, the miles-long western Santa Clara County fuel break protects the watershed at the Chesbro, Uvas and Lexington Reservoirs, while also protecting multiple residential neighborhoods.

The fuel break implementation project is scheduled to start in January 2026, and this equipment will enable the Authority to continue ongoing wildfire prevention work. This work will complement the Authority’s ongoing conservation grazing efforts, further reducing flammable vegetation and enhancing landscape resilience.

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About the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority

The Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority conserves the natural environment, supports agriculture, and connects people to nature, by protecting open spaces, natural areas, and working farms and ranches for future generations. Since 1993, the Authority has protected almost 30,000 acres of open space, natural areas and working lands, watersheds, and wildlife habitat – providing ecologically friendly outdoor recreation and preserving the natural beauty and environmental health of the Santa Clara Valley. For more information, visit openspaceauthority.org.

About the California State Coastal Conservancy
The Coastal Conservancy is a non-regulatory state agency that works with others along the California coast, in coastal watersheds, and in the San Francisco Bay Area to protect and restore coastal resources, to help people get to and enjoy the coast, and to enhance climate resilience. Its vision is of a beautiful, restored, and accessible coast for current and future Californians. More information at scc.ca.gov.

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