Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency

?? Big news for conservation in Santa Clara Valley! ?? We’re thrilled to share that we’ve secured a $4 million grant from the Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) to complete the Richmond Ranch Acquisition Project. The final phase of the Project will culminate in the permanent protection of over 1,200 acres of land, which is home to 9(!) Habitat Plan covered species. We would like to extend a sincere thank you to WCB staff and leadership for their support for the project and continued investment in biodiversity conservation. Stay tuned for future updates on this exciting project. #Conservation #LandAcquisition #30x30Initative #Biodiversity

4 Mountain Lions Feeding on a Bait The little sister goes to get mom because her two brothers won't let her feed. Mom arrives and asserts dominance over the bait, allowing the female kitten to eat. A while later, one of the young males, now with a full belly, steps away to digest and rest. Unfortunately, F337, the collared adult female and mother in this video, was hit and killed by a vehicle on Highway 152 (Pacheco Pass) a few weeks after this scene was recorded. The Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency?is leading efforts to construct a wildlife overpass in the area, and we are working with the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Wildlife Health Center to capture and GPS-collar mountain lions. Genetic samples collected during each capture, and the collar data will help support lion conservation efforts in Pacheco Pass and statewide. To support the SCVHA's conservation efforts, go to: https://lnkd.in/eDrk3Rwb To support California Mountain Lion Research, go to: https://lnkd.in/ehT5fQEG The trail cameras and field gear we use to monitor Wildlife: https://lnkd.in/eux_9NjU #mountainlions #californiamountainlions #mountainlion #californiamountainlionproject #santaclaracounty #wildlifeconnectivity #wildlifeconservation #wildlife #trailcameras #trailcamera #trailcams #fieldcamera #pacheco #pachecopass #wildlifedetections #santaclaravalleyhabitatagency #ucdavis

Happy Holidays from the Habitat Agency! As the 2024 calendar year ends, we’re thrilled to reflect on our conservation efforts in Santa Clara Valley. We’re particularly excited to share that since last holiday season, we have: - Acquired (through fee and title or conservation easement) over 3,700 acres of private land that will be permanently protected and enrolled in the Reserve System. - Made significant progress on planning for a wildlife crossing structure on SR-152 near Pacheco Pass. - Controlled over 300 acres of invasive plant species. - Restored two amphibian breeding ponds. - Planted almost 8,000 plants within the Pajaro River Restoration Project area. - Installed 14 beaver dam analogues to build off previous restoration activities in Joseph D. Grant County Park. - Witnessed the most successful year of the Western Burrowing Owl Overwintering and Reintroduction Projects. This important work would not have been possible without our partners and supporters. We thank you all and wish you a safe and healthy start to 2025.

???????????????? ???????? ?????? ?????????? ?????????? ???????????? ???????????????? ????????????????????. We will lead the ???????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????????????? ???????????????????? ??????????????, advancing ecologically restorative shovel ready resilience initiatives for 110,000 acres. The Santa Clara County FireSafe Council Fire Safe Council, in partnership with the Saratoga Fire Protection District and in collaboration with other private and public agency partners, is developing the West Santa Clara Landscape Resilience Project to implement ecologically restorative fuel reduction treatments across more than 110,000 acres in western Santa Clara County. Strategically placed treatments will focus on the Wildland Urban Interface and areas where high fuel loads are impacting the health of ecosystems. Public agency partners with lands in the project area include: Santa Clara County Parks, Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency, Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, and City of Palo Alto, City of Cupertino, and the City of Gilroy. The project area also includes ~80,000 acres of private lands. ???? ???????? ???? ?????????? ?????? ?????????????? ?? ?????????????? ???? ???????????????? ???????? ???? ?????????? ?????? ???? ???????? ?????????? ???? ???????? ??????????????. Thank you to all our partners (Ascent, Auten Resource Consulting, etc.) for your vision, engagement and support. We are proud to create this legacy of a more wildfire resilient County of Santa Clara with you. #wildfire, Dorothea (Dede) Smullen James (Jim) Wollbrinck Heather Blair Rob Rennie Daniel Berlant Jacy Hyde, PhD Cody H. Esther Cole Adelsheim Stephen Harrington Sara Clark Andrew Abranches Bill Clerico Nick Schuler, CFO, PIO Josh Becker Sam Liccardo Jason Brooks Susan Ellenberg Elizabeth Johnson Christopher Anthony John Clarke Mills Kenneth Dueker Thomas Chin Louay Toma, CEM, MPA, CA-PEM, PPP Emily Pachoud? Scott Cheeseman Steve Auten Laura Blaul Derek Fong Michael Wara Dave Cortese

This morning, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) proposed listing the monarch butterfly as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act. The proposed rule opens a 90-day public comment period. The Habitat Agency is proposing to cover monarch butterfly as part of the Habitat Plan amendment process. Stay tuned for future updates.

Inspiring the Next Generation of Restoration Ecologists! ?? A genuine thank-you to San José State University’s Environmental Studies students for partnering with the Habitat Agency on a native oak tree planting project! ? This collaboration combined hands-on experience with valuable insights into restoration work. The Habitat Agency’s Senior Restoration Ecologist (and SJSU alum) Nathan Hale shared real-world habitat restoration lessons with Dr. Cristina Siegel’s Restoration Ecology class through a guest lecture. Nathan highlighted the complexities of restoration planning, permitting, construction, and monitoring using the Habitat Agency’s Pacheco Creek Restoration Project as a case study. ? The partnership didn’t stop in the classroom! Nathan later guided students on a field tour of the project at the Pacheco Creek Reserve, quizzing them on native and weedy plant species along the way. With guidance from Triangle Land Restoration’s resource ecologist Rebekah Tueller, students worked in pairs to plant dozens of native coast live oaks (Quercus agrifolia)—a species that is struggling to recruit new individuals within the invasive grasslands of the property. There’s nothing like planting native trees against the backdrop of a sunset and a moon rise! ? Follow-up care, including irrigation and weed management, will be managed by Triangle’s team to ensure these oaks have a shot at a long life for maximal habitat benefit and carbon storage. ? We’re excited to inspire tomorrow’s ecologists through hands-on restoration in our reserve.

We’re thrilled to share that the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) has awarded the Habitat Agency a $1,000,000 Priority Conservation Area (PCA) grant for land acquisition. This award will help complete the final phase of the Richmond Ranch Acquisition Project, a collaboration between the Habitat Agency, Santa Clara County Parks, The Conservation Fund, and Valley Water. When complete, this Project will have protected over 3,600 acres of land critical to the recovery of special-status plant and wildlife species. ? We’d like to thank staff at the MTC, Association of Bay Area Governmets (ABAG) and the California State Coastal Conservancy for their support. Stay tuned for future updates!

Are you looking for a way to serve the public and shape the future of conservation in Santa Clara Valley? We’ve got an opportunity for you! The Habitat Agency is seeking qualified applicants to serve on its Public Advisory Committee (PAC). The PAC assists the agency with implementing the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Plan/Natural Community Conservation Plan by making recommendations on the agency budget, Reserve System strategies and progress, mitigation fee studies and fees, annual reports, amendments, and broad policy issues. The Habitat Agency aims to fill two vacant seats on the PAC; one representing the environmental community and the other representing the general public. PAC members are expected to serve a four-year term. Meetings are typically held in Morgan Hill at 6:00 PM on the first Thursday of February, May, August, and November. For more information about the PAC and this opportunity, please contact the Habitat Agency’s Management Analyst,?Denise Rosenberger (408-763-4010, [email protected]).

At yesterday’s meeting, the California Fish and Game Commission unanimously voted to protect western burrowing owls as a candidate species under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). Burrowing owls in California will be afforded CESA protection while the California Department of Fish and Wildlife conducts a status review. The species been eliminated from close to one-third of its historic range in California. In the San Francisco Bay area, it is dangerously close to extirpation. ? Western burrowing owls are a covered species under the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Plan. The Habitat Agency is proud to be working with Talon Ecological Research Group and local partners on reintroduction efforts in Santa Clara Valley, with the goal of creating a self-sustaining population. ? Photo courtesy of Talon Ecological Research Group.

A Breakdancing Wild Badger We detected this breakdancing badger on a Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency restoration site. Badgers had not been detected in the area for ten years prior. Song: Bruce Springsteen - Dancing in the Dark https://lnkd.in/dN2DJDn To support the SCVHA's conservation efforts, go to: https://lnkd.in/eDrk3Rwb The trail cameras and gear we use in the field: https://lnkd.in/eux_9NjU #badger #badgers #wildife #wildifeconservation #habitatrestoration #santaclaravalleyhabitiatagency #santaclaracounty #trailcameras #trailcamera #trailcams #fieldcamera #fieldgear