Bill's Backyard

The Authority helped to fund the San Jose Children’s Discovery Museum’s Happy Trails Project, which offers a free, multiple-experience program addressing the lack of opportunities for today’s urban children to connect with nature. Happy Trails blazes a path for diverse, primarily low-income children and families to explore nature's health benefits and natural resources of the Santa Clara Valley through facilitated programming in the Museum's unique outdoor learning environment and nearby Guadalupe River, guided activities and trail hikes at open space preserves, and a fun nature festival.

The Authority contributed funds totaling $3,235,000 towards the purchase of land along the former Union Pacific railroad in the Willow Glen neighborhood of San Jose. The trail will eventually connect three creek trails: the Los Gatos Creek Trail, the Guadalupe Creek Trail, and the Coyote Creek Trail. This 1-mile trail features an iconic water tower and fruit crates that pay homage to the Valley of Heart's Delight.

Veggielution’s Field to Farm Stand project builds on the momentum of an 18-month land use planning process for the six-acre community farm, completed in September 2019 with support from Open Space Authority. This project takes the ideas surfaced in the land use plan to the next stage, in the form of a comprehensive site design. With a site design in place, Veggielution will be positioned to invest in final construction documents and the build out of a new produce packing station, which will be more centrally located, enabling the organization to more efficiently and safely expand their farm box distribution to 500 boxes or more per week. The site plan and capital improvements will allow Veggielution to expand their urban farm more intentionally, to better support public health and local agriculture on behalf of the beautiful but underserved East San José community and the County of Santa Clara overall.