Coyote Valley Conservation Areas Master Plan

Making Coyote Valley a Landscape for All, Forever

About the Master Plan Project

Located at the southern edge of San José, Coyote Valley is remarkable for its scenic beauty, wildlife biodiversity, prime farmland and natural floodplains. Thanks to the tireless commitment of partners and community members, over 1,500 acres of valley-floor lands are now protected forever in Coyote Valley. But land protection is just the beginning of an amazing conservation story that’s unfolding here... 

The Coyote Valley Conservation Areas Master Plan (CVCAMP) is a comprehensive planning project that will create a roadmap for the future use and restoration of Coyote Valley’s recently protected valley-floor lands.

About Coyote Valley
Aerial photograph of Coyote Valley with the Coyote Valley Conservation Areas highlighted in translucent yellow boxes

“We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to protect and restore this last chance landscape for its open space benefits including helping to build a climate resilient future for our urban and natural communities.”

Andrea Mackenzie , Open Space Authority General Manager
Three people stand smiling at a camera under a booth and behind a table with the Open Space Authority logo and covered in colorful brochures and informational items about Coyote Valley

Community Engagement

Together We Can Shape the Future of Coyote Valley

The Open Space Authority has embarked on a public planning process to define the future of Coyote Valley and provide more public access. We invite everyone who cares about the future of Coyote Valley to get involved as we plan, restore and steward this important landscape.  

How You Can Get Involved

  • Get to know Coyote Valley by attending one of the many events hosted throughout the year on properties being planned through CVCAMP. 
  • Volunteer to help us manage, steward and restore these open spaces. 
  • Lend your voice to the visioning process by signing up for the Master Plan interest list to be notified of upcoming outreach activities. 
  • Get the latest news on our work in Coyote Valley by signing up for the monthly Open Space Authority News & Events email.

Timeline

Over the next few years, the Open Space Authority will lead a planning process resulting in a draft master plan document, followed by a required environmental review. During the planning process, there will be many opportunities for the community to help us shape the plan for Coyote Valley’s future. 

2021-2022
Project Start Up
2022 - 2024
Understanding Coyote Valley
2025 - 2026
Creating the Vision
Late 2026
Writing the Plan

Recent Updates

Aerial view of Laguna Seca with green mountains all around

Laguna Seca Transferred Into Public Ownership

November 14, 2024 - The Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) has announced the transfer of 376 acres of land in North Coyote Valley to the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority. Click here to learn more about this historic milestone.

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

Coyote Valley Photo Contest: Meet the People's Choice Winner

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.

Past Community Engagement

A display in an indoor space with posters on easels and photographs set up on tables, where a crowd of people is looking at the various displays.
At CVCAMP open house events, community members were invited to learn all about Coyote Valley, provide input on the future planning of the region and vote on their favorite winning photo from the "Picturing Coyote Valley" photo contest.
A group of people stand at the top of a hill overlooking a green valley bathed in late-afternoon light, under a clear blue sky
For Earth Day 2024, the Open Space Authority hosted a guided hike to the top of Spreckels Hill in North Coyote Valley to learn about water, wildlife and habitat connectivity in this special landscape.
A few children and an adult stand over a table covered in colorful brochures and maps about Coyote Valley, with colorful cut-out shapes that they are writing on
The CVCAMP team hosted interactive booths at community events and festivals around Santa Clara County, where guests could write or draw why Coyote Valley is important to them on colorful shapes representing the different benefits of Coyote Valley’s open space.
A painted wooden cut-out of a mountain lion sits in the grass next to a whiteboard easel that says "Learn about Water, Wildlife, and Connectivity!" behind which are people walking towards a line of trees
Visitors attend a guided hike to learn about water, wildlife and connectivity in Coyote Valley during a 2023 Earth Day event, hosted by the Open Space Authority.

Resource Library

Looking over green hills across a valley below filled with agricultural fields, to blue mountains in the distance, under a blue sky streaked with white clouds

About Coyote Valley

Coyote Valley is a remarkable natural and rural landscape located between the cities of San José and Morgan Hill in Santa Clara County, California. Located at the narrowest point between the Santa Cruz Mountains to the west and the Diablo Range to the east, the valley serves as a critical landscape linkage for the region’s wildlife, connecting over 1.1 million acres of prime habitat in the mountain ranges. The valley itself is notable for its unique valley floor habitats, wildlife, scenic beauty, recreational areas, farmland and water resources.   

Learn More About Coyote Valley

Core Partners & Funding

Logos for Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, POST, and City of San Jose

CVCAMP is led and managed by the Open Space Authority in close partnership with the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) and City of San José. Work on CVCAMP is funded by the Open Space Authority with the generous financial support of POST, Santa Clara County Parks Department, California Wildlife Conservation Board, California Department of Water Resources and California State Coastal Conservancy.

We thank the many organizations and countless individuals who worked for decades to ensure Coyote Valley is protected for future generations and have advanced appreciation and understanding of the vital role the valley plays in the long-term health and resilience of the region.