This month, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the approval of Measure AA, a $300 million, 30-year general obligation bond supporting priority projects in Midpen’s community supported Vision Plan.
Voters approved Measure AA on June 3, 2014 to “improve access to hiking and biking opportunities; protect and preserve redwood forests, natural open spaces, critical wildlife habitat and the scenic beauty of our region and coastline; restore creeks to protect water quality; and reduce forest fire risk.”
Throughout this issue, enjoy some of the current highlights from 10 years of progress made possible by Measure AA, including the purchase of the 644-acre Johnston Ranch property and completion of major repairs and improvements to Alpine Road Trail, an important regional connection.
There are three ways to enjoy our quarterly newsletter: scroll down for highlights, read online or download a pdf.
Midpen Improves Alpine Road Trail for
Generations to Come
Recently, as bicyclists rode the Alpine Road Trail through Coal Creek Open Space Preserve for the first time since major improvements to it were completed, they thanked Midpen staff who had worked on the project as they pedaled by.
Alpine Road Trail not only serves as an important regional trail connection, it is also more reliable for trail users, sustainable into the future and protective of nearby Corte Madera Creek thanks to a host of improvements made by Midpen. The $3.6 million in work occurred over two years and was primarily funded by Measure AA.
Midpen has just finalized the purchase of a 644-acre portion of the Johnston Ranch property from the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) for $4.8 million. The purchase aligns with Midpen’s community-supported Vision Plan. It is funded by Measure AA that was passed by local voters in 2014, in addition to a total of $700,000 in grants from the Coastal Conservancy and California State Parks’ Habitat Conservation Fund.
“By joining our resources and unique expertise Midpen, POST and the City of Half Moon Bay partnered to keep Johnston Ranch protected as natural open space and agricultural working lands,” Midpen General Manager Ana María Ruiz said. “We have a shared vision to balance natural resource protection and viable agriculture at Johnston Ranch with future opportunities for new community connections to nearby nature.”
The newly purchased property, which is now part of Midpen’s adjacent Miramontes Ridge Open Space Preserve, is made up of rolling grassy hills, coastal scrub, the Arroyo Leon Creek corridor and working agricultural lands on the southern edge of the City of Half Moon Bay.
Since voters residing within Midpen boundaries voted “yes” on Measure AA in 2014, we have been making good progress on the projects promised.
We’ve preserved in perpetuity nearly 10,000 additional acres of open space, opened five new preserves or preserve areas to public access and added nearly 32 miles of new trail in eight different preserves.
Although parking is often constrained at trailheads where the terrain is steep and the impacts to the natural environment must be balanced, we’ve been able to add three new parking areas.
Opening up some of Midpen’s most magical places to the public are the result of Measure AA investments: the Mount Umunhum Summit at Sierra Azul Preserve, the Alma Cultural Area and western portion of Bear Creek Redwoods Preserve, La Honda Creek Preserve and the Mindego Gateway area of Russian Ridge Preserve.
We’ve also invested nearly $34 million in open space preservation, environmental restoration, public access and agricultural projects throughout Midpen preserves on the San Mateo County coast.
Five of the top 25 Midpen Vision Plan project portfolios are complete, and work continues on the rest.
Grab some popcorn and get cozy to catch Midpen featured in the latest episode of OpenRoad with Doug McConnell & Friends. In this episode, we take viewers on a wildlife adventure featuring rare species located in Midpen open space preserves, plus an inside look from our trail crews who helped construct the new section of the improved Alpine Road Trail.
Set your DVRs or tune in live on Sunday, June 9 at 6:30 p.m. on NBC Bay Area. In case you miss it, you can watch the full episode on our YouTube page after the episode airs.
Calling All Photographers!
Enter Midpen's Photo Contest
This year's contest runs through July 31 with six different categories to enter:
Wildlife
Plant Life
Landscapes
People in Nature
Aspiring Photographers (students K-12)
The Trail Less Traveled
Public voting for the contest will take place in August, and the winners from each category will receive a $100 REI gift card, a Midpen swag bag and bragging rights whenever your photo shows up online!
Midpen’s expert map-makers recently released a new interactive online tool allowing you to filter for 10 different criteria and find the Midpen trails that are best suited to you.
Midpen’s more than 250 miles of trail offer a wide range of experiences from contemplative nature study to easy-access trails a family can enjoy together and more challenging routes for outdoor exercise and more.
The future trail will connect over 50 miles of existing regional trails and is paired with a separate wildlife undercrossing. This Measure AA-funded project, is a joint effort between Midpen, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and Caltrans.
Since opening La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve to the public in 2017 thanks to local voters approving Measure AA, Midpen has been working to build out ecologically sensitive public access in this vast coastal preserve. A primary goal is to provide public access to the central area of the preserve and connect the small existing trail system in the northern area with the larger trail network in the southern area with new trails and trailheads.
An award-winning public working group, made up of Midpen board members and constituents from throughout Midpen’s service area, spent a year of hard work and collaboration helping Midpen identify the best potential new parking area and trailhead locations that met the project goals and aligned with Midpen’s mission.
Join Midpen’s board of directors in-person or via Zoom during their public meeting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 26 to hear the results of a study exploring the feasibility of the working group’s recommendations. The Midpen board of directors will provide direction to staff on which sites to move forward with into the required environmental review phase.
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
Community and Connection
Saved By Nature Leads Public Hike
Under the warm sun of the first day of June, a diverse group of 23 hikers - families, friends and strangers - gathered at the picturesque Pulgas Ridge Open Space Preserve for Saved by Nature’s second community hike. Saved by Nature, a Bay Area-based nonprofit established in 2018, is dedicated to bridging people of all backgrounds, ethnicities and abilities to the outdoors. The group was warmly welcomed by Richard Tejeda, the founder, executive director and guiding force of Saved by Nature, who set the tone for the day with his soothing wooden flute melodies, creating a space of healing and grounding.
Experiencing the Benefits of Measure AA First-Hand
Throughout 2024, Midpen is celebrating 10 years of accomplishments that Measure AA has allowed us to make on furthering our mission and implementing the priority projects in our community-supported Vision Plan.
Midpen’s amazing docent naturalists share these accomplishments with you by highlighting some of the completed projects during many of their free guided outings throughout the summer.
Join one of the free guided activities below marked in green, and see first-hand some of the landscapes that have been protected in perpetuity, explore new trails that have been created and appreciate how nature has been cared for to benefit plants, animals and people thanks to the support of Measure AA.
Join us at an upcoming volunteer project to help care for your open space lands and enjoy a day outside in nature. No previous experience is necessary.
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