Campaign Launched to Protect Coyote Valley from Industrial Development

Grants from Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Aim to
Protect San Jose’s Coyote Valley Natural Resources for the Long Term

San Jose, Calif., November 1, 2017 – Coyote Valley, San Jose — 7,400 acres of valley floor between the Santa Cruz Mountains to the west and the Diablo Range to the east — provides multiple values, including flood control, wildlife habitat and rich farmland. The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation is supporting a coalition led by the Committee for Green Foothills (CGF) and Greenbelt Alliance to defend Coyote Valley’s resources. Together with the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter, the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society, SAGE, and Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful, CGF and Greenbelt Alliance are leading a three-fold strategy of advocacy, research and community mobilization to safeguard Coyote Valley’s open space from industrial development.

Coyote Valley: Targeted for Sprawl for Decades
Located within the southern reaches of San Jose, Coyote Valley has been targeted for the expansion of the City of San Jose since the 1970’s. In particular, technology company campuses, warehouses, and distribution centers have eyed the valley for growth. Most of these efforts have been thwarted but the valley is still under threat. The Moore Foundation grants are far-reaching in helping to achieve a strong conservation outcome.

“We are on a mission to save Coyote Valley from sprawling development,” said Megan Medeiros, executive director of CGF. “We know San Jose and Silicon Valley residents are with us. We’re very grateful to the Moore Foundation for their support in helping us to mobilize action to preserve this remarkable place.”

“I am encouraged to see this kind of proactive engagement that conserves our important open spaces,” said Sergio Jimenez, city council member for San Jose’s District 2, which encompasses Coyote Valley. “There is a new vision for Coyote Valley that bolsters resilience to climate change and protects San Jose residents from flooding while caring for the Valley’s natural resources rather than old ideas such as sprawling development.”

Momentum Building to Keep Coyote Valley for Future Generations
There have been many recent notable acquisitions and substantiating research reports published aimed at protecting Coyote Valley, thanks in large part to the support by voters of Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority’s 2014 Measure Q.

In June 2015, Santa Clara Open Space Authority (OSA) opened the 348- acre Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve. Later that same year, OSA acquired the 1,831- acre Coyote Ridge Open Space Preserve.

In 2016, Committee for Green Foothills, Greenbelt Alliance, Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter and the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society launched a campaign to prevent a proposed 30-acre warehouse development in Northern Coyote Valley from moving forward, ultimately supporting the property owner’s decision to sell their land for conservation purposes. This property was subsequently purchased by Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) in June 2017.

In May 2017, the Santa Clara Open Space Authority purchased 52 acres near the Santa Teresa foothills.

In June 2017, the Open Space Authority published a significant report called The Coyote Valley Landscape Linkage that establishes a clear vision of the Valley’s functional land connection for wildlife and water resources for San Jose.

In October 2017, POST purchased another 63-acre property at the intersection of Santa Teresa Boulevard and Richmond Avenue in the mid-Coyote Valley, near the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority’s Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve.

To learn more about the Protect Coyote Valley campaign and take action, visit protectcoyotevalley.org.

About Committee for Green Foothills
Founded in 1962, The Committee for Green Foothills is a widely acknowledged leader in protecting open space and natural resources in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties through advocacy, education and grassroots action. It serves as the first line of defense for healthy, working ecosystems—on the coast and hillsides and in forests, streams, bay lands and farmlands. To learn more about the Committee, please visit www.greenfoothills.org

About Greenbelt Alliance
Founded in 1958, Greenbelt Alliance addresses a single challenge: how the Bay Area handles growth. We shape the rules that govern growth to protect the region’s open spaces and to ensure everyone can live in a thriving neighborhood. For nearly 60 years, we have shaped the amazing places of the Bay Area. www.greenbelt.org

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Photo Credits: Ernest Goitein

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