Green Foothills is delighted to welcome a new Environmental Associate, Jessica Wohlander, who will spearhead our work in San Benito County and southern Santa Clara County. Jessica will work on land use issues and development projects to protect the natural resources, rich farmland, and beautiful open spaces of the Upper Pajaro Watershed. Jessica Brings San...
Mountain lions aren’t just beautiful animals – they’re a keystone species, helping maintain a balanced ecosystem in our region. They’re also at risk due to habitat loss and difficulty migrating to new territories. That’s why so much of Green Foothills’ advocacy work emphasizes mountain lion survival. Mountain Lions – A Keystone Species at Risk Whether...
On Thursday, November 30, the city of San Jose will hold a virtual community meeting to hear from the public about the Heritage Oaks Memorial Park, a massive project that threatens to block wildlife movement through Coyote Valley. Please use the form below to ask the city to require a supplemental environmental review to accurately...
After years of advocating for stronger protections for the Stanford foothills, we can celebrate an important victory. On October 17, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors approved updates to the Stanford Community Plan, including extending by 99 years the supermajority vote requirement to allow development in the foothills. Please use the form below to...
Update: Victory! On 10/17/23, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the Stanford Community Plan, including a 99-year extension of the supermajority vote requirement. While this vote won’t prevent any development from ever happening in the Stanford Foothills, it will require that for the next 99 years, 4 out of 5 Supervisors in...
Update: On 9/28/23, the Santa Clara County Planning Commission recommended approval of the 99-year extension for protection of the foothills. This is good news. The next step will be for the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors to vote on this. We will send out an alert when that vote is coming up, so that...
Should residential sprawl be allowed on farmland outside of Gilroy city limits? Santa Clara County’s Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) considered this on August 2, and ultimately voted to allow development to proceed on approximately half of the proposed site. Unfortunately, this compromise still impacts Gilroy’s climate resilience, residents’ safety, and taxpayers’ wallets throughout the...
After 84 years, the cement kiln at Lehigh Quarry – the largest single source of air pollution in Santa Clara County – will now be shut down for good and demolished as a result of a legally binding agreement entered into with Santa Clara County. Lehigh has also withdrawn its earlier request to expand its...
Update: Thank you to the many people who participated in the City of San Jose community meeting on August 28. The city definitely heard from the public that Coyote Valley needs to be protected from development, including along the Monterey Road corridor. The city is continuing to gather community feedback on this issue and eventually...
Increasing urban green space can mean adding new parks and natural areas, but it also means integrating native habitat in urban design. Google’s North Bayshore Master Plan, approved in June by the Mountain View City Council, is a stellar example of how to create urban ecology that benefits both wildlife and people. A Decade of...
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