Kat Hill interviewed by ABC 7

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Welcome to the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority pressroom. 

If you are seeking information and imagery for educational purposes or media use, please reach out to the Public Information Officer.

Press Contact

Charlotte Graham

Public Information

408-439-6541

News@openspaceauthority.org

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The Open Space Authority monthly e-newsletter shares important, timely events, information and fun facts about your open space preserves. Click here to read the latest newsletter!

In The News

External links to recent articles about the Open Space Authority
Feral Pigs Canva 2

June 11, 2025 - Smithsonian Magazine

Wild pigs are causing big problems in California’s Bay Area, and their population seems to be growing.

Feral pigs are going “hog wild” across the San Francisco Bay Area—and wildlife officials are ramping up their efforts to stop the destructive creatures.

Click here to read the full story.

Feral pig in grass

June 10, 2025 - SFGATE

200-pound wild pigs overtake California parks

Weighing up to 200 pounds, California’s wild pigs live in 56 out of 58 counties. These hybrid creatures — part domesticated pig, part wild boar — have been wreaking havoc throughout the state for the past century, tearing up sensitive habitats and increasingly, posing a safety hazard to humans. 

Click here to read the full story.

Bay Area Ridge Trail Dedication_Janet McBride - Senator Cortese - Andrea Mackenzie - Todd Lofgren

June 3, 2025 - The Morgan Hill Times

Officials dedicate 14.1 miles of Bay Area Ridge Trail in Morgan Hill

Addition of Cañada del Oro trails marks milestone toward 550-mile goal.

Click here to read the full story.

Andrea Mackenzie Full Headshot

May 16, 2025 - KQED Perspectives

Andrea Mackenzie: Preserve California’s Landscape

Open Space Authority General Manager Andrea Mackenzie shares her thoughts on oak woodlands and their significance as a quintessential California landscape. 

Click here to listen to the episode.
 

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Latest News

Press Releases & Media Advisories

Open Space Celebrates 30 Year Anniversary

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2023 marks the 30th Anniversary of the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority. The agency was founded in 1993 as a public, independent special district – envisioned by dedicated local citizens and enacted by the California State Legislature – with the mission of forever protecting natural and agricultural lands and connecting people to nature. The Open Space Authority is funded by a voter-approved benefit assessment and parcel tax (Measures Q and T) and grants. The agency’s jurisdiction is 1,000 square miles and includes the cities of Campbell, Milpitas, San José, Santa Clara, Morgan Hill, and the unincorporated areas of Santa Clara County.

Open Space Renames Coyote Ridge

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San José, Calif. (October 28, 2022) – On Thursday, October 27, the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority (Open Space Authority) Board of Directors voted unanimously to include a Chochenyo translation of “Coyote Ridge” alongside the current preserve name, making it Máyyan 'Ooyákma – Coyote Ridge Open Space Preserve. Chochenyo is considered a dialect of what linguists now call the San Francisco Bay Costanoan language that also includes Ramaytush and Thámien.

Open Space Authority Awarded $247K for Critical Habitat Restoration Work

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San José, Calif. (June 30, 2022) – July is Wild about Wildlife Month, and the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority is highlighting its important work to conserve and restore critical wildlife habitat in Coyote Valley. A particular area of focus is Fisher Creek on the west side of the valley. At this location, wildlife travels between over one million acres of habitat in the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Diablo Range, seeking the cover of plants and trees in the riparian corridors as they move across Coyote Valley.

Popular Pumpkin Patch Returns at New Location in Coyote Valley

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San José, Calif. (June 16, 2022) –The Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority has entered a three-year lease with Spina Farms Pumpkin Patch and Fruit Stand to reopen at a new location at Laguna Avenue and Santa Teresa Boulevard in Coyote Valley. The 60 acres of prime farmlands (known as Laguna 60) where the festivities will be held was permanently protected by the Open Space Authority in October 2021. The fruit stand will open in July, and the popular pumpkin patch will open September 26 through November 6, with a variety of offerings for youth, families, and others looking for fall fun in the South Bay.

County Actions Safeguard Coyote Valley Farmland and Open Space

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San José, Calif. (December 14, 2021) – Today, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to strengthen protections for Coyote Valley’s natural and working lands. Over the last 20 years, farmland in Santa Clara County has declined by 45%, but the amendments to the County's General Plan, zoning ordinance, and zoning map will protect important resources in Mid- and South Coyote Valley to safeguard local food production and climate benefits.

Protecting Prime Farmlands in Coyote Valley

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San Jose, Calif. (November 1, 2021) – Sixty acres of prime farmland are now protected at Laguna Avenue and Santa Teresa Boulevard in the middle of Coyote Valley - also known as Mid Coyote Valley. With this latest addition to Coyote Valley’s growing network of protected lands, the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority (the Authority) is working to establish sustainable, local climate-smart agricultural practices within the Coyote Valley Conservation Program Area.

Community-Focused Climate Resilience Project Receives $16 Million

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San José, CA – In September 2021, the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority (the Authority) received multiple funding awards totaling over $16 million from the State of California for the protection of North Coyote Valley open space lands. $6 million in funding comes from an Urban Flood Protection grant from the California Natural Resources Agency, and $10 million was allocated by the California Legislature in SB-170, the Budget Act of 2021.
An oak tree next to a red barn at the Tilton Ranch Headquarters.

Coyote Valley Conservation Lands Network Grows with Historic Ranch Purchase

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SAN JOSE, CA - On August 9, the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority (the Authority), in partnership with the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), finalized the $5 million purchase of the historic Tilton Ranch Complex. The 60-acre parcel, which includes residential and operational buildings at the heart of the ranch, completes the protection of this historic and environmentally important property. Other supporting partners include Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department and Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency. The partners acquired and protected 1,861 acres of Tilton Ranch in October 2020.