Presentation by Matt Freeman from the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority at "Wildlands, Food and Your Health." Event hosted by Greenbelt Alliance on June 16, 2012.

1. Connec&ng
Community
Health
with
Open
Spaces
and
Natural
Resources
Gilroy,
CA
June
16,
2012

2. Presenta(on
Topics
• A
liCle
about
the
Open
Space
Authority
• Importance
of
open
space
to
healthy
communi&es
• Examples
of
OSA
ini&a&ves
and
partnerships
• Ques&ons
and
feedback

3. About
the
Santa
Clara
County
Open
Space
Authority
• Responsible
for
land
preserva&on
and
resource
management
for
over
2/3rds
of
Santa
Clara
County
• Protects
and
manages
over
16,000
acres
• Jurisdic&on
includes
ci&es
of
Milpitas,
San
Jose,
Campbell,
Santa
Clara,
Morgan
Hill,
and
Santa
Clara
County
• Administers
an
Urban
Open
Space
Program

4. OSA
Service
Area

5. To
Safeguard
Open
Space
• Provide
a
balance
to
urban
development
• Preserve
quality
of
life
in
Santa
Clara
County
• Protect
natural
and
cultural
resources
• Promote
agricultural
viability

6. Integrated
Approach
to
Open
Space
Protec&on
“When
one
tugs
at
a
single
thing
in
nature,
he
finds
it
aCached
to
the
rest
of
the
world.”
-­‐-­‐
John
Muir
(1838-­‐1914)

7. Parks,
Open
Spaces,
and
Trails

8. Parks,
Open
Spaces,
and
Trails
Sample
Projects
• Bay
Area
Ridge
Trail
• Bay
Trail
• Local
trails
(Three
Creeks
Trail)
that
provide
urban
access
to
open
spaces
• Sustainable
Communi&es
Strategy
(Plan
Bay
Area)
• El
Toro
Trail
in
Morgan
Hill

9. Water
Resources
Key
Elements
and
Issues
• Drinking
water
supplies
• Groundwater
recharge
areas
• Wetlands
&
riparian
areas
to
protect
water
quality
• Floodplains
and
flood
management
areas
• Areas
for
climate
change
mi&ga&on
and
adapta&on

10. Water
Resources
Sample
Projects
• TNC
Upper
Pajaro
Floodplain
Protec&on
Project
• SCVWD
Water
Resources
Management
Plan
• Water
Founda&on
• Bay
Area
and
Pajaro
Integrated
Regional
Water
Management
Plans

11. Wildlife
Habitat
and
Linkages
Key
Elements
and
Issues
• Protec&ng
sensi&ve
species
and
rare
&
unique
habitats
• Maintaining
landscape
linkages
between
the
Santa
Cruz
and
Diablo
Ranges
• Protec&ng
habitats
that
are
resilient
to
climate
change

12. Wildlife
Habitat
and
Landscape
Linkages
Sample
Projects
• Santa
Clara
Valley
Habitat
Conserva&on
Plan
• Bay
Area
Cri&cal
Linkages
Project
(Moore
Founda&on)
• “Safe
Passage
for
Coyote
Valley”
(DeAnza
College)
• Bay
Area
Conserva&on
Lands
Network
(Bay
Area
Open
Space
Council)

13. Local
Farms
and
Ranches

14. Local
Farms
and
Ranches
Key
Elements
and
Issues
• Protec&ng
prime
ag
lands
from
sprawl
• Protec&ng
economic
viability
through
partnerships
and
incen&ves
• Promo&ng
good
stewardship
prac&ces
• Promo&ng
access
to
locally-­‐
grown
foods
• Exploring
new
markets
and
niches

15. Local
Farms
and
Ranches
Sample
Projects
• Coyote
Valley
Agriculture
Feasibility
Study
(Sage)
• “Sustaining
Our
Bounty”
(Sage)
• Natural
Resources
Conserva&on
Service
Programs
• South
County
Vision
(CommiCee
for
Green
Foothills
and
Greenbelt
Alliance)

16. Ecosystem
Services
Valua&on

17. OSA
Conserva&on
Vision

18. Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve

19. Palassou Ridge Open Space Preserve

20. South County Agricultural Easement

21. Rancho Cañada del Oro
Open Space Preserve

22. Our
Legacy

23. www.openspaceauthority.org
www.openspaceauthority.org
Photo
Credits:
Steven
Joseph,
A
Ess
Bee,
Liv
Ames,
Ron
Horri
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