El Toro

Sacred Heart Community Service’s La Mesa Verde (LMV) program is a network of urban gardeners that uses innovative solutions to build a sustainable food system in San Jose and the broader Bay Area. Their approach draws on agroecology to bridge knowledge, build an active community, and implement organic gardening practices. This grant will help cover the cost of purchasing materials needed for the urban gardens, staff time, and community-building efforts.

The Authority helped to fund the development and construction of an outdoor classroom and the installation of interpretive signage and trails at the Our City Forest Urban Forestry Educational Site at Martial Cottle Park in San Jose. Taken together, the classroom, signs, and trails showcase outdoor exhibits and provide facilitated and self-guided tours for the community, providing visitors a one-of-a-kind Urban Forest Education Center for learning about Santa Clara County's urban forest and its ecosystem, and how to engage in its growth, care, and protection.

The Authority contributed funds towards a series of Bioblitz Events hosted by Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful. Coyote Creek is a diverse natural area with multiple types of habitat for varied wildlife. The four BioBlitz events took place at two locations along the creek, where the public helped document animal and plant species with a simple mobile app, iNaturalist. These events aimed to attract diverse participants, including people who may spend little time in nature and can expose more people to the outdoors in a new way.