Despite a virtual tidal wave of opposition to the proposed massive hotel and RV park complex at Dunes Beach, developers Steven Weed and John Vidovich have not heeded the public’s call to work with the city for protection of this important open space. It’s imperative we continue to remind the Half Moon Bay City Council members of the public’s opposition to the project. Please email the City Council using the form below, or write and ask them to preserve Dunes Beach as open space. What’s Happening Developers Weed and Vidovich have submitted revisions to their luxury hotel/conference center and RV...
Tell County Supervisors to Protect Stanford Foothills
Next Tuesday, February 11, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors will consider whether to extend protections for the Stanford Foothills open space for 99 years. Please email the Supervisors and tell them to protect our open space! What’s Happening The County of Santa Clara spent two years reviewing Stanford’s application for a General Use Permit (GUP), including whether to amend the Stanford Community Plan to protect the open space in the Stanford Foothills. County staff ultimately recommended amending the Community Plan to state that any development in the Stanford Foothills would require a 4/5 (supermajority) vote of the Board...
Half Moon Bay Review: Dunes Beach is Treasure Deserving Protection
The scenic open space west of Highway 1 at the Surf Beach/ Dunes Beach area just north of Frenchmans Creek, is a treasured iconic landscape. This 48-acre site is one of the few places in Half Moon Bay where you can see the ocean from Highway 1. Young Avenue bisects the area and provides access to Dunes, Surf and Roosevelt beaches. On the north side of Young Avenue, prime agricultural land supports open field farming in an old subdivision known as the “Surf Beach Tract.” Horse stables provide recreational opportunities at the “Dunes Beach” area south of Young Avenue. Monarch...
A New Leadership Academy for a New Decade
Twice I have visited Cooley Landing as part of Green Foothills’ Community Advocates Leadership Academy (CALA). The first time was as a member of the 2018-2019 CALA cohort. Now, on this windy Saturday morning, I’m here as Program Director facilitating the first session of the reimagined CALA. You could say that this year the proverbial stage was set very much like last year’s. The promise of a warm sun behind fast-traveling clouds and the cold bay breeze seemed to remain. So did the palpable excitement of a brand new cohort coming together. Everyone was on time once again indicating the...
We Are Now “Green Foothills”
On behalf of our board and staff, I have the joyous privilege of announcing a number of exciting changes we have made that reflect the evolution of our organization and will engage more people in the movement to protect our local natural environment. These changes are a culmination of 18 months of intensive listening and planning with focus groups, donors, key partners, board members, advisory board members, and staff. Before I detail the changes, let me be clear about what hasn’t changed. We remain committed to protecting the region’s open space, farmland, and natural resources. Protecting nature is not just...
Thank the Morgan Hill City Council for Supporting Protection of Juristac
On Wednesday, the Morgan Hill City Council unanimously passed a resolution calling for Juristac/Sargent Ranch to be permanently protected...
Oil Wells in San Mateo County?
San Mateo County has some of the oldest oil fields in California dating back to the 1880s. During the past several decades, Green Foothills opposed many new oil wells proposed on prime agricultural land where farming is the principal allowable use. We supported San Mateo County’s Ordinance, enacted in the 1980s, that restricted new oil wells to “non-prime farmland” – basically in the hilly uplands. Unfortunately, improper and careless drilling methods still occurred under these strict regulations creating ponds full of drilling fluids and oil residue where many birds and even one domestic cow perished. Naturally, we supported the San...
Stand Up for Open Space and Indigenous Sacred Sites at Juristac
On Wednesday, January 15, the Morgan Hill City Council will be voting on a resolution opposing a proposed sand mine on the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band’s most sacred grounds, Juristac. Please come to a rally at 6:00 pm at Morgan Hill City Hall, and email the City Council using the form below, asking them to vote for the resolution! What’s Happening Juristac, also known as Sargent Ranch, is a 6,500-acre open space area southwest of Gilroy that is the spiritual center of Amah Mutsun Territory and a critical migration corridor for mountain lions, badgers, and other wildlife. A sand mine...
Recruiting: 8 changemakers to apply for Leadership Academy
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 who represent the ethic, geographic, generational, gender, and economic diversity of the region and live in or serve San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties’ communities. Please spread the word – We are actively recruiting for 4 more applicants who live or service San Jose and 4 more applicants...