Committee for Green Foothills - Our mission is to protect the open space, farmlands, and natural resources of San Mateo and Santa Clara counties through advocacy, education, and grassroots action.

Recruiting: 8 changemakers to apply for Leadership Academy

By Megan Fluke Launching in January 2020, the Community Advocates Leadership Academy (CALA) will grow regional leaders to be a strong and effective advocate for the natural environment while making meaningful progress toward diversity, equity, and inclusion in their advocacy and public service. Our goal each year is to form a cohort of 20-25 people […]

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Opinion: Primary factor creating wildfire risk is land use

Until counties stop building houses in high-risk areas, threat of wildfires will continue to increase By Brian Schmidt This op-ed was originally published in the Mercury News. Click this link for the original online article. As still more wildfires hit California this fall, we remain in denial about the primary cause of our disastrous wildfire […]

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8 Big Moments of 2019

We asked a lot of you this year. You signed petitions, sent letters, collected signatures, attended meetings, and donated generously. You made a difference. On behalf of all of us with Committee for Green Foothills, thank you for what you made possible. Below is a timeline of our favorite moments from this year. 8 […]

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Protect Juristac From Sand Mine

By Alice Kaufman, Legislative Advocacy Director Juristac, a critical wildlife corridor and sacred Native American landscape, is threatened by a proposed sand mining operation that would dig giant cavities hundreds of feet deep, destroying over 300 acres of habitat and blocking wildlife migration in and out of the southern end of the Santa Cruz Mountains. […]

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People Who Give Us Hope

By Helen Wolter, Legislative Advocate Nuestra Casa has been a true champion of the Latino community in East Palo Alto since its founding in 2002. In standing up for environmental justice in their community and throughout the Bay Area, the non-profit has been influential in the fight for inclusionary access to green spaces throughout the […]

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Boots on the Ground Make A Difference for the Butterflies at Dunes Beach

By Helen Wolter, Legislative Advocate An intrepid group of citizen scientists gathered over the weekend to collect data at our Monarch Butterfly Training event in Half Moon Bay. The event started with a presentation from Mia Monroe of the Xerces Society. Mia discussed the alarming decline of the Western Monarch butterfly and explained the importance […]

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Coyote Valley Victory: Persistence Pays Off

By Alice Kaufman, Legislative Advocacy Director On Wednesday, we celebrated the historic deal to preserve 937 acres of North Coyote Valley with a unanimous vote by the San Jose City Council! Thanks to everyone who joined us at the press conference at San Jose City Hall with Mayor Sam Liccardo, Vice Mayor Chappie Jones, Councilmembers […]

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Stanford Foothills Fight Continues

By: Alice Kaufman, Legislative Advocacy Director For years, we’ve been advocating for the Stanford Foothills to be permanently protected. With Stanford’s recent withdrawal of their development application, we must continue the fight to get permanent protections for the Foothills. Please stand with us in our ongoing efforts to protect Stanford’s open space! In 2016, Stanford […]

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A Historic Victory For Coyote Valley

By Alice Kaufman I’m excited to announce a major victory in the 40+ year effort to protect Coyote Valley. With a historic vote by the San Jose City Council on Wednesday, over 900 acres of land in North Coyote Valley will be permanently protected from development. We have reached this momentous occasion because of the […]

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$20,000 Match Challenge for Leadership Academy

By Megan Fluke This week I was sitting down for tea with Karen Grove, a Menlo Park resident and community leader, sharing information about our reimagined Community Advocates Leadership Academy (CALA). At the end of this conversation she generously decided to put up a $20,000 match to ensure this program launches in January 2020. Her […]

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State Lands Commission Approves Burlingame Shoreline Park!

Fabulous news! The California State Lands Commission voted unanimously on October 24 to approve an initial 3-year lease for the proposed Burlingame Shoreline Park. Please take a moment to thank the Commissioners for their vote by using the form below. Thank you to everyone who showed support for a nature park along the Bay. […]

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People Who Give Us Hope – Carolyn Tognetti

Carolyn Tognetti has been a true champion of southern Santa Clara County’s environment for decades. A native of Gilroy, Carolyn became involved in city land use issues with a local group called Citizens for Balanced Growth in the late 1980s and has remained a core member as it transformed into Save Open Space Gilroy in […]

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Together=Nature Protected