Little progress toward protection of rare Coyote Ridge habitat
by Brian Schmidt

Over the years, Committee for Green Foothills members have had the special opportunity to visit an endangered habitat that is home to endangered species - the serpentine habitat of Coyote Ridge, south of San Jose. Parts of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties are fortunate to contain outcrops of this rock type, actually a family of serpent-green minerals created under heat and pressure from pre-existing rocks.

In April, CGF members enjoyed a hike up to the wildflower displays of Coyote Ridge.

Where this rock meets the earth's surface, as it does at Coyote Ridge, serpentine breaks down into thin soil with fewer plant nutrients than most soils. In this case, poor soil means more rare species. Because certain native plants thrive in this environment -and the exotic species that have taken over much of California's landscape do not - these serpentine outcrops harbor remnants of native flora. Animals such as the threatened Bay checkerspot butterfly in turn have adapted to those specialized plants.

This careful balance is upset by nearby Highway 101 and the automobile exhaust it brings to Coyote Ridge. Pollution from the vehicles eventually falls into the soil and provides nutrition for the non-native grasses that are otherwise unable to survive in the poor soil. Fortified by this pollution, the invasive species outgrow the native plants and reduce the food plants for the checkerspot butterfly.

Surprisingly, riding to the rescue of the serpentine community is a herd of cattle - a slightly unusual cavalry. Cows will eat non-native grasses before they eat the native plants, so if they are properly managed, cattle can effectively erase the advantage non-native grasses have and maximize the serpentine habitat quality. CGF members on our springtime Coyote Ridge hikes have seen the distinct difference in quality between grazed and ungrazed areas of Coyote Ridge. Grazing is one of just a few effective techniques for preserving the serpentine ecosystem.

Protecting this remaining Coyote Ridge habitat has been a long-term priority of the Committee and many other environmental groups. The widening of Highway 101, along with other projects, has forced government agencies to promise some degree of protection, but that potential help could be facing a setback.

Waste Management Incorporated (WMI), the company that owns the Kirby Canyon Landfill on the southern edge of Coyote Ridge, recently purchased a significant portion of land on Coyote Ridge - the same land that government agencies, particularly the Valley Transportation Authority, have been seeking to purchase and protect.

The logical reason for Waste Management's purchase is to expand Kirby Landfill. Fortunately, this doesn't necessitate environmental destruction: if WMI permanently protects the most sensitive areas, it can limit the environmental damage.

Of course, the Committee for Green Foothills and others are already asking whether a major landfill expansion is appropriate on Coyote Ridge.

Meanwhile, government agencies required to mitigate harm to serpentine habitat may have to protect other parts of Coyote Ridge. The biggest remaining question currently concerns the City of San Jose's stalling on the Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) for Coyote Valley below.

Development of Coyote Valley will certainly cause major damage to Coyote Ridge, but San Jose may deny that in its stampede to permit development before Mayor Gonzales completes his final term of office. San Jose may be stalling the HCP, which would protect the serpentine habitats, so that the HCP does not interfere with the development of Coyote Valley.

By contrast, the Committee for Green Foothills is seeking to ensure that the unwise plan for destroying Coyote Valley farmland does not drag down Coyote Ridge's wildlife habitat along with it.

The Committee is monitoring Coyote Ridge closely, and we will keep our action alert subscribers and Green Footnotes readers updated on the protection of this valuable habitat and its many rare species.