Inside this issue: New trails are opening this fall, and nearly 60 more acres of open space are preserved (thank you Measure AA). It's also awards season! Check out our photo contest winners and learn about our GIS department's newest accomplishments, including an amazing tool that will help you find the trail that’s right for you.
There are three ways to enjoy our quarterly newsletter: scroll down for highlights, read online or download a pdf.
New Trails Opening This Fall!
Restoring Nature and Expanding Access at
Bear Creek Redwoods Preserve
Get your hiking shoes ready! New trails will soon be open at Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve. Midpen is nearing the finish line on a Measure AA-funded project to expand public access and help restore the ecological health of this South Bay preserve, known for its redwood forests in close proximity to Silicon Valley. Approximately two miles of new trail will open this fall, bringing the preserve’s total trail network to approximately 10 miles.
A healthy forest of second-growth redwoods covers most of the property that was added to La Honda Creek Preserve. (Frances Freyberg)
New Property Expands La Honda Creek Preserve
Recently, Midpen added 60 acres to its La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve with the help of Measure AA funding, a bond approved by local voters in 2014 to support Midpen’s Vision Plan projects.
The addition further protects redwoods and San Gregorio Creek and expands La Honda Creek Preserve to a total of nearly 6,500 acres, making it Midpen’s second-largest preserve.
A new trail junction sign at El Corte de Madera Creek Preserve includes a number which matches the junction on paper and digital maps of the preserve. (Midpen staff)
New Signage Helps Visitors Navigate Midpen Trails
In an effort to assist with visitor wayfinding and support emergency response, Midpen has completed a new trail-junction numbering system throughout the nearly 3,000-acre El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve.
The system assigns numbers to every trail junction, allowing visitors to match numbers on printed and digital maps of the preserve to the physical trail signs they pass.
Midpen staff use an excavator to pull up vegetation, aerating the soil, leaving behind loose soil which is essential for Santa Cruz kangaroo rats to construct burrows and bury seeds. (Ken Hickman, Ryan McCauley)
Ongoing Project Supports Fire Resiliency and Rare Wildlife
Midpen staff identified a patrol road in a remote region of Sierra Azul Preserve as a priority area to reduce roadside vegetation and create and maintain a fuel break, where potential fires can be slowed or stopped.
Staff from multiple departments worked together and came up with a plan to thin the vegetation and support several rare wildlife species, including the Santa Cruz Kangaroo rat.
Students use clippers to trim back overgrown vegetation along a trail. (Midpen staff)
Envisioning Careers in Conservation
Armed with an array of clippers, shears and rakes, a group of determined high school students set off through El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve clearing trails of overgrown vegetation under the guidance of Midpen field staff.
The weeklong partnership between Midpen and the Student Conservation Association (SCA) aimed to foster life-long conservation and natural resource management values in youth.
Over 200 photos were submitted to Midpen's contest this year. Following an internal staff judging panel, finalists were posted to social media for a public vote to decide the winners of each of the six categories.
Midpen's GIS Department Scores Hat Trick of Victories
Midpen's incredible Geographic Information Systems (GIS) team has received several awards and recognitions this summer, highlighting the team’s excellence and innovation in the field!
Among other accomplishments, the team received the prestigious Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) Award for their work on several key projects including the new Trail Explorer tool which lets you filter through all Midpen trails for criteria including slope, width, sun exposure and surface tread.
Though summer may technically be coming to an end, it sure doesn't feel like it out at the Midpen preserves. While it is an excellent time to get out and explore your local open space preserves, remember to prioritize safety.
Identifying and visiting trails with shade cover is an excellent way to explore nature while staying cool. Using Midpen’s Trail Explorer web tool, you can plan your next summer outing to a Midpen preserve by filtering for shaded trails.
The 79-acre Hawthorns Area of Midpen’s Windy Hill Open Space Preserve offers picturesque views of rolling oak woodlands, grasslands and the Santa Cruz Mountains and provides important wildlife refuge. This preserved open space in the town of Portola Valley was gifted to Midpen in 2011.
Currently, Midpen staff are working on two separate planning processes for the Hawthorns property, both funded in part by Measure AA.
Hawthorns Area Plan
Work began in 2021 with the intent of creating a comprehensive plan for protecting and managing the land’s natural, scenic, cultural and open space resources and providing ecologically sensitive public access, consistent with Midpen’s mission.
A Public Access Working Group was formed in June 2023 to help develop and evaluate options for introducing public access to the Hawthorns Area that align with the project’s board-adopted vision and goals.
Hawthorns Historic Complex
The Hawthorns Historic Complex is an approximately 13-acre site located within the Hawthorns Area that includes an old olive orchard and several structures dating back to the late 1800s.
Due to the unique cultural resources within the Historic Complex, planning for its use and management is a separate effort from the planning process for the surrounding undeveloped open space of the Hawthorns Area.
A barn in the historic complex area of the Hawthorns property. (Midpen staff)
*In the printed version of the Fall 2024 Views, there was a mistake on the Hawthorns article regarding architect Julia Morgan as the designer for the house, cottage, barn and garage at the Hawthorns Historic Complex. Only the garage was reportedly designed by Morgan. We apologize for this misattribution.
Purisima Creek Redwoods is one of Midpen’s most beloved and visited open space preserves. Multiple efforts are underway to improve sustainable public access, including Identifying and implementing strategies to address parking and traffic issues, manage visitation and increase greener modes of transit.
Meetings may be viewed online. There is also a dial in number to listen by phone. Links are included in the meeting agendas posted online 72 hours before the meeting.
Public comments are welcome at all Midpen board meetings. You can speak for up to three minutes in-person, via Zoom or provide written comments for the board to read. Either way, get started by submitting a public comment form.
EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
The Heart of Midpen
General Manager Ana Ruiz Congratulates Graduating Class of New Docent Naturalists
People are at the heart of the work we do here at Midpen. This especially includes Midpen’s volunteer docent naturalists, who are doing the critically important task of connecting our community to nature.
It was my great honor to participate in the recent graduation of 23 new Midpen docent naturalists at Picchetti Winery, located in Midpen’s Picchetti Ranch Open Space Preserve.
The ceremony was the culmination of more than three months of weekly evening lecture classes, Saturdays in the field at various preserves in all weather, infinite questions and countless “aha” moments. The 2024 class is the newest addition to Midpen’s 47-year-old docent naturalist program.
By creating opportunities for people from all walks of life to experience awe, wonder and connection to the natural world, docent naturalists are enriching the lives of our residents while instilling the conservation values that are central to Midpen. From the bottom of my heart, I thank them for their dedication and service to their community and for their efforts to support land conservation in our region.
Ana M. Ruiz, General Manager
Upcoming Events & Activities
Midpen offers a number of free guided activities led by volunteer docent naturalists each month so you can explore a new preserve, learn about the natural environment or join others for ecologically sensitive outdoor exploration. Catch Midpen staff and volunteers out at community events to snag some goodies like stickers, pins and more! Or get more hands-on by joining us for a volunteer workday.
Join our talented and dynamic team as we work collaboratively toward our vision and put your passion for open space to work! Here are our current job openings:
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