Fall Landscapes - 2021 by Peninsula Open Space Trust

LANDSCAPES Peninsula Open Space Trust Fall 2021

A PLACE TO THRIVE At POST, we are working toward a future where people and nature can connect and thrive. For more than 40 years, we’ve been hard at work conserving open spaces, farms and parkland for the benefit of all in our region. But our work isn’t just about protecting land — it’s also about careful stewardship, restoration and building resilience in the face of climate change. This issue of Landscapes includes several examples of long-term POST projects that are coming to fruition. Though the lands highlighted have already been protected, it takes years to evaluate, repair, revive and, in many cases, open them to the public. Discover how nearly a decade of restoration and stewardship work at Butano Creek is paying off. Learn more about the Bay Area Ridge Trail with a new six-mile segment approved for construction in San Mateo County. Explore the research underway in Coyote Valley that will inform restoration of its freshwater wetland and Fisher Creek. And finally, begin to picture a day at Tunitas Creek Beach with a look at park designs.

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This is a great time to reflect on how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go. In addition to our dedication to preserving local land, we’re also working to ensure that our plans and actions accommodate everyone in our region. This includes strengthening partnerships with Indigenous communities so that we can work together going forward, taking care of the very lands that their ancestors tended before their painful displacement and oppression. With the help of supporters like you, we’re able to continue learning, adapting and taking steps to improve. We’re excited about the progress we’ve made, and we’re looking ahead to a bright and abundant future for generations to come. With gratitude,

Liz Torczyner Director of Marketing

IN THIS ISSUE

Butano Creek Reviving a Watershed, One Project at a Time

Laguna Seca Finding the Pulse of San Jose’s Lost Wetland

The Bay Area Ridge Trail Making a Key Connection

Tunitas Creek Beach A Vision Coming to Life

B U TA N O C R E E K

REVIVING A WATERSHED, ONE PROJECT AT A TIME HALF MOON BAY

BUTANO FARMS

PALO ALTO SAN JOSE SANTA CRUZ

WHAT’S A WATERSHED? An area of land that directs water into a common creek, river or basin.

When POST protected 903-acre Butano Farms in 2012, we were given the opportunity to restore more than a mile of Butano Creek. Since then, working with our partners at the San Mateo Resource Conservation District (RCD), we’ve made tremendous progress. Now, nearly a decade later, we are starting to see the impacts of our stewardship in this revived watershed. To understand the importance of this creek to our local ecosystems, let’s take a step back and look at how it once functioned: For thousands of years, Butano Creek descended from high in the Santa Cruz Mountains and flowed freely past stands of towering redwoods until it reached the waters of the Pescadero Marsh. This creek would swell when full with heavy winter rains, spilling over its banks to flood the surrounding landscape and depositing nutrient-rich sediment. In its natural state, it performed an essential function, supporting the entire watershed. Unfortunately, after nearly two centuries of abuse, including past clearcuts of the forest, incompatible agricultural practices

and heavy road construction within the watershed, Butano Creek was disconnected from its historic floodplain and choked with too much sediment. As a result, it no longer functioned the way it once did, causing problems for both humans and wildlife. But your support has allowed us to complete a number of projects that have helped to put this landscape back into balance. All of these projects have had a measurable impact — each nudging Butano Creek and its surrounding watershed toward a positive future. It’s clear though that the impact of this work is much greater than the sum of its parts. We’re witnessing the landscape’s holistic recovery — and the momentum is building.

DID YOU KNOW? There are 51 major watersheds on the Peninsula — 30 flow east to the Bay and 21 west to the Pacific.

HERE’S WHAT WE’VE DONE SO FAR AND WHAT WE HOPE COMES NEXT:

2012

2013–2014

2015

We protected 903-acre Butano Farms, safeguarding over a mile of Butano Creek and over 100 acres of critically important floodplain habitat.

We took time to learn about this newly acquired property, chart a course for its restoration and initiate lease agreements with farmers and a rancher.

A careful inventory of the property’s road conditions informed our ongoing road repair work, which ultimately minimizes unwanted sediment from entering Butano Creek.

2018

2019

2020–2021

To provide farm operators an alternative to drawing water directly from nearby creeks in the dry summer months — when wildlife need it most — we began the construction of a reservoir and wells along the watershed.

The RCD and State Parks removed large amounts of sediment from Pescadero Marsh — unplugging the blocked waterway and allowing salmon to, once again, return to the fresh waters of Butano Creek. This work, along with the restoration in 2016, also helped reduce flooding in the town of Pescadero.

The restoration and expansion of an existing pond helped maintain water availability for the property’s ranching tenant and improved conditions for endangered San Francisco garter snakes and threatened California red-legged frogs.

2016

2017

In close partnership with the RCD, we rehabilitated critical sections of the creek and reconnected it with over 100 acres of its historic floodplain. This section of creek now looks and functions the way it used to — the way nature intended.

Heavy winter rains caused a massive landslide along the creek’s bank, threatening the stability of one of the main thoroughfares for the town of Pescadero. We partnered with the RCD and San Mateo County to make lasting repairs to the damaged section of creek.

2021 AND BEYOND POST is currently spearheading the planning and development of the next wave of projects within the Butano Creek watershed. These projects will build upon our work to date and include: adding large wood structures within the creek to improve habitat, removing levees in key locations to reconnect the creek channel to the floodplain, increasing the amount of habitat typically inundated by winter floods, and pioneering new agricultural techniques that allow both wild and cultivated landscapes to coexist and thrive.

SAN FRANCISCO GARTER SNAKE Arguably one of the most endangered snakes in North America, the San Francisco garter snake is making a comeback due, in part, to restored pond habitat at Butano Farms.

T H E B AY A R E A R I D G E T R A I L

MAKING A KEY CONNECTION Imagine a stunning 550-mile circuit of connected trails along the ridge of the entire Bay Area. Would you attempt to traverse it all? Though not yet complete, the Bay Area Ridge Trail (Ridge Trail) offers unparalleled experiences for outdoor enthusiasts, and POST has been working hard to help fill in its gaps. The Ridge Trail is one of five in-progress regional trail projects that are priorities for POST, and we play a key role in driving them forward. Regional trails connect multiple open spaces, uniting our large network of protected lands. And while they give visitors an opportunity to experience the incredible biodiversity of our landscapes, they take decades of planning, dedicated collaboration and strategic investments. Last spring, plans for a new six-mile trail segment of the Ridge Trail were approved by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), which owns and maintains 23,000 acres of watershed lands running along the spine of the Peninsula. 6

This approval took decades of planning and persistence by SFPUC, the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council and partners like POST — so we are celebrating!

HALF MOON BAY

The new segment, slated for completion in 2023, will connect the trail along Highway 35, heading south from Highway 92 to the northern corners of POST-protected Purisima Creek Redwoods Preserve and the Phleger Estate.

San Francisco Peninsula Watershed Bay to Sea Trail* Lands Purisima Creek Redwoods

REDWOOD CITY

Phleger Estate

i f o r nia

Bay Area

C al

Rid g

* rail eT

Coastal Trail*

Newly Approved 6-Mile Segment

PALO ALTO PORTOLA VALLEY

POST-Protected Land

Other Protected Land

Trail planning is a long process for good reason. The watersheds in this area provide essential drinking water to residents and habitat for myriad wildlife. Balancing environmental health with human recreation takes careful study and the involvement of many. Giving people the ability to experience on foot (or bicycle or horseback) the full range of Bay Area ecosystems on one connected regional trail takes decades — but the patience and perseverance of all involved will provide many benefits for generations to come.

LAGUNA SECA

FINDING THE PULSE OF SAN JOSE’S LOST WETLAND Last summer, we began preparing for the restoration of the Laguna Seca in Coyote Valley — historically one of the largest freshwater wetlands in the Bay Area. Despite being dredged, drained and mostly converted to agriculture in the early 1900s, parts of the Laguna Seca still exist today and have critically important benefits including wildlife habitat, water storage and flood mitigation.

HALF MOON BAY PALO ALTO SAN JOSE

COYOTE VALLEY MORGAN HILL

opposite top

Protecting this landscape in 2019 with our partners the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority (the Authority) and the City of San Jose provided us with an opportunity to restore this vital habitat for species of all kinds. It also marked a turning point in this land’s long history — once a thriving floodplain, then modified for agriculture and a target for development, before finally being conserved.

Recently, we drilled seven wells in Coyote Valley and installed nine subsurface instruments to monitor the land’s groundwater from season to season and year to year. We’re also monitoring water flow in nearby creeks. As data is gathered, we’ll get a clearer picture of how to best restore Fisher Creek and this altered wetland, important for wildlife movement and a critical stopping point for migratory birds on the Pacific Flyway.

Reviving the Laguna Seca will benefit humans, too. Water from the slopes of the surrounding hills pools in this landscape before sinking into the soil and recharging the local aquifer, a key water supply for nearby residents and agriculture. Water stored here also helps to mitigate flooding downstream in San Jose, providing the invaluable “green infrastructure” we need as the climate continues to change. Our investment in monitoring the Laguna Seca’s groundwater levels is essential as the Authority embarks on a science- and communitybased planning process. Plans will include wildlife crossings and public access in addition to wetland restoration. Data will ensure we make restoration decisions that benefit key species for whom this is truly a last chance landscape, and help us appropriately balance recreation with sensitive habitat. It’s an exciting new beginning for a landscape that provides the lifeblood of the South Bay.

Researchers examine samples collected while drilling wells at the Laguna Seca last summer.

Learn more about the Coyote Valley master planning process and how you can get involved: OpenSpaceAuthority.org/CoyoteValley 9

T U N I TA S C R E E K B E A C H

A VISION COMING TO LIFE

HALF MOON TUNITAS BAY

Renowned for its dramatic cliffs and location at the mouth of Tunitas Creek, Tunitas Creek Beach will soon assume its rightful position as a jewel of the California coast to be enjoyed by all. Protected by POST in 2017 and transferred to San Mateo County Parks (SMCP) in 2019, the 58-acre property is on its way to becoming the first new SMCP park since 2014.

CREEK BEACH

PALO ALTO

SANTA CRUZ

SAN JOSE MORGAN HILL

The beach has a long and rich history going back to when Indigenous communities tended this bountiful coastline. For many years, it was a destination for locals, fishermen, surfers and other responsible users. But beginning in the mid-2010s, largescale campouts and parties created mountains of trash and a public safety hazard, prompting a community-led effort to protect the beach.

back, as well as a mid-bluff recreation area with facilities, informational kiosks, a picnic area and tiered seating for informal gatherings and educational programs. The beach will remain largely untouched, with previous unofficial hillside trails removed for safety and the landscape restored. Off Highway 1, there will be a paved parking lot with a drop-off zone and overflow capacity.

To preserve the beauty and rich natural resources of the beach and its surroundings, development will be limited. Plans include a 1.5-mile loop trail heading down to the beach and

Opposite right: The ADA-accessible mid-bluff recreation area will have gorgeous views, a picnic area, event space, restrooms and beach access.

The community and project partners have all provided input on the features of the new park. Last fall, the general public was engaged through surveys and open meetings offered in English and Spanish. The resulting designs were informed by the community’s desire for a welcoming, accessible park, as well as environmental needs like maintaining habitat for the endangered snowy plover on the beach, addressing invasive plants and soil erosion concerns, and adding to the California Coastal Trail, which will eventually pass through this area. The park’s conceptual design was approved by the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, and progressive designs and permits are underway. Final plans are expected to be completed by the end of 2021. We look forward to welcoming you, our donors who helped make this project possible, when the park opens to the public by the spring of 2023. Top: A bird’s eye view of the mid-bluff recreation area. Bottom: Safe parking with space to take in the view, as well as access to a future portion of the California Coastal Trail and a loop trail along the hillside, down to the beach and back.

WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU AGAIN UPDATE ON IN-PERSON EVENTS While we continue to adjust to the challenges of group gatherings during a pandemic, we plan to carry on with our virtual events and offer smaller outdoor programs when it is safe to do so. We have tentatively scheduled the following funfilled events, but please check OpenSpaceTrust.org/Events regularly for updates.

COMING UP: October 16, 2021 Family Nature Day at Huddart Park November 13, 2021 Raptor Fest at Rancho San Vicente Our past virtual events are available for your viewing pleasure, too! Visit YouTube.com/POSTPaloAltoCA to get your fill, including educational programs like “Get to Know POST,” “Planning for People and Nature at Tunitas Creek Beach” and more. © Paolo Vescia

CONSERVE OUR FUTURE. DONATE TODAY. Our local lands are precious, but climate change and urbanization have resulted in habitat loss, increased wildfire risk and species on the verge of extinction. With your help, we are working toward a resilient future.

YOUR SUPPORT HELPS POST: •

Protect land critical for wildlife

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Promote well-being through access to natural spaces

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Build wildfire resilience

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Protect local farms and grazing lands

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Ensure clean air and water

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And much, much more

Visit OpenSpaceTrust.org/Give or call (650) 854-7696 to learn more about making a gift in a way that works for you. POST Tax ID Number: 94-2392007

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