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Pressroom

Pressroom

Media Inquiries

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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Read Our Latest Newsletter

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
A sounder of feral pigs rooting in a field at the Open Space Authority Tilton Ranch property

September 11, 2025 - KQED Bay Curious

Invasion of the Grub Snatchers: How One Rich Guy’s Russian Boars Colonized California

This story features David Mauk, the Open Space Authority's Natural Resource Technician II, and dives into the history of how wild pigs were introduced to our region and the damage they cause to local ecosystems, specifically including Máyyan ‘Ooyákma — Coyote Ridge Open Space Preserve. 

Click here to listen to the podcast episode.

A photo of a woman in Open Space Authority gear with a title card that reads "Katheryn Hill, Volunteer Program Coordinator, Open Space Authority."

September 3, 2025 - Northern California Public Media

Riparian Restoration: Helping Native Plants Thrive 
Kat Hill, the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority's Volunteer Program Coordinator, works with staff and volunteers to return native plants to ecologically sensitive riparian areas along Fisher Creek in Coyote Valley.

Watch this video to learn more.

Woman walking with mapping tool on trail with green hills and blue sky

July 8 - Northern California Public Media

There’s a MAP for that!  Cartographer Anna McGarrigle uses the latest Geographic Information System technology (GIS )to make up-to-date maps for the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority.

Click here to watch the video.

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.

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Looking across Coyote Valley, covered in golden fields and farmlands, towards rolling golden hills in the distance all under a blue sky

Understanding Coyote Valley

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Understanding Coyote Valley documents history and existing conditions across 10 topic areas that correspond to the goals of Coyote Valley Conservation Areas Master Plan (CVCAMP). CVCAMP will address needs for protected “last chance” valley floor that is critical to climate resilience of the region. Public process continues with community open houses starting in August.

With Newly Approved Work Plan and Annual Budget for 2024-25 Fiscal Year, Public Land Agency Invites Applications for Volunteers to Advise Board and Provide Public Fiscal Oversight

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June 17, 2024 – The Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority (Authority), a 30-yearold regional public land conservation agency that protects open space and connects people to nature, today announced openings for new members of the Authority’s Citizens’ Advisory Committee (CAC) and Expenditure Plan Oversight Committee (EPOC). The open call for applicants follows the ratification on June 13 by the Authority’s elected Board of the agency’s 2024-25 fiscal year work plan and annual budget.

Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority Opens New Preserve to the Public: Máyyan 'Ooyákma – Coyote Ridge Open Space Preserve

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The Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority (Authority) will open the 1,859-acre Máyyan ‘Ooyákma – Coyote Ridge Open Space Preserve to the public on Thursday, August 31. Five miles of new trails – including a new 3-mile segment of the Bay Area Ridge Trail, and a wide range of accessible experiences – will be open for free to hikers on a schedule that balances recreation and nature experiences with the sensitive habitat for the many species that make their home in the preserve’s rare serpentine grasslands.

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.