POST Impact Report: 2021 – 2022

IMPACT REPORT Peninsula Open Space Trust 2021 – 2022 Fiscal Year

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ENVISIONING THE FUTURE of CONSERVATION In the last few years, global and regional challenges have led POST and me to reflect and reset. On the down side, there’s the pandemic, the local effects of climate change and the need for increased equity in conservation. But there has been good news too, such as the 30x30 mandates to conserve 30% of land and coastal waters by 2030. We’ve also celebrated a variety of protection and stewardships wins, in large part due to the overwhelming support and generosity of this community. This combination of circumstances has all of us pondering where we’re headed — as individuals and as an organization.

As such, we used the past year to reevaluate our trajectory, taking a focused look at where POST stands now, where we want to go and how we need to evolve in order to get there. Throughout the last fiscal year, we assembled the State of Conservation Report to understand the current socio-ecological state of our region, the actions the conservation community at large is taking and the opportunities for new approaches. This report set the context for POST's multi-year strategic plan, which lays out our top three priorities: building local climate change resilience, protecting biodiversity and expanding equitable access — with POST taking a leadership role across our region. cover

© Teddy Miller / opposite © Lauren Korth

We also looked inward and, for the first time, with the involvement of both staff and our board of directors, we articulated core values. These will help define our identity and guide us as we work and make decisions: • • • • •

Nature Connects Us All Act Today for the Long-Term Commit to Learning and Growth Care About How We Work Honor Our Collective Strengths

I’m so proud of what we accomplished over the past year, which you’ll read about on the following pages — from land transactions and stewardship projects to fundraising and community engagement. And most of all, I’m impressed by our staff’s ability and willingness to step back and look at the big picture. For those of you who have taken part in professional strategic planning, you know it’s hard. It took significant time and commitment to fully understand what our region needs, and to evolve POST as we continue working toward our mission. We’re moving forward with trust

in each other, faith in our growing community of support and a vision of positive impact on our region for the years ahead.

Warm regards,

Walter T. Moore President

P.S. You’ll find stories, our financial information, details about our core values and more online at OpenSpaceTrust.org/ImpactReport.

Read more about our strategic plan and take a look at our State of Conservation Report by visiting OpenSpaceTrust.org/StrategicPlan.

MISSION MILESTONES Here are just a few organizational accomplishments that took place from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022. Each is fundamental to our mission to protect open space on the Peninsula and in the South Bay for the benefit of all.

Defined

Completed our

POST’s core values

State of Conservation Report,

and began to integrate them into our working culture.

assessing where conservation in our region stands today and informing POST’s path forward.

Solidified a strategic plan for the next 5–7 years of our work.

The plan centers

climate change resilience, biodiversity conservation and equitable access at the core of what we do.

Supported the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe’s creation of their land trust,

the Muwekma Ohlone Preservation Foundation.

Hosted over 50 community hikes and small group events,

creating connections and experiences for hundreds of people in nature.

Held our largest event ever — 4,200 attendees in-person and online — with Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer.

Received generous support from

more than 10,500 donors to help us carry out our mission.

LAND PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS The process of protecting land is long and complex, involving land transactions, stewardship work and more. During the 2021 – 2022 fiscal year, we grew our conserved acreage to nearly 83,000 acres and worked behind the scenes to set the stage for future significant transactions — we’re excited to share more about these projects soon.

Much of our work occurs in the space between protecting land and transferring it to the most appropriate partner for ongoing management. We take that time to restore landscapes and enhance natural resources, build wildfire resilience, conduct studies to understand local wildlife movement and pursue other projects that ensure the land can continue to be well-managed in the long-term.

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© Teddy Miller / opposite © Drew Bird

BUILDING ON OUR FOUNDATION in COYOTE VALLEY • Continued to close gaps in the protected land network along Fisher Creek with two important acquisitions totaling more than 84 acres.

• Assisted the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority (the Authority) in their purchase of 20 acres adjacent to the Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve and a 60acre inholding at Tilton Ranch with exciting potential as a visitor center, staging area and/or museum.

• Worked with the Authority to bring on a consulting team to manage the master planning process.

• Secured $100K from the City of San José to fund exploration on the feasibility of building wildlife crossings across Monterey Road.

Pi ctured: POST continues to protect l and in Coyote Vall ey, working toward a connected and healthy l andscape.

EXPANDING ACCESS to NATURE • Began a Bay to Sea Trail feasibility study to define the trail’s possible route and begin to engage the public in the visioning process.

• Through the Santa Cruz Mountains Stewardship Network’s State of the Trails project, began to evaluate current trail uses in the Santa Cruz Mountains to inform the creation of a environmentally resilient and equitable trail system.

• Established an ongoing partnership with the San Mateo County Park Rx program to provide patients and their families with access to nature at the Audrey Edna Cabin.

• Worked with the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County and other partners to open the Laguna Creek Trail in the Bonny Doon Ecological Reserve and begin constructing 7.3 miles of trails at San Vicente Redwoods.

• Completed the second phase of a 0.9-mile trail easement along Highway 1 between Pescadero and Bean Hollow State Beach, coming closer to closing a gap in the California Coastal Trail.

Pi ctured: We're working with our partners to ensure ever yone has access to outd oor spaces.

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GIVING WILDLIFE a CHANCE • Worked with Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District to publish a newt mortality study at Alma Bridge Road, making a strong case for solutions to ensure this species does not go extinct locally.

• In partnership with Pathways for Wildlife, completed data collection and analysis for a study called "Enhancing ecological connectivity and safe passage for wildlife on highways between the southern Santa Cruz Mountains, Gabilan Range and Diablo Range in California."

• Made a strategic decision based on our learnings in Coyote Valley to expand our work southward in order to maintain and enhance landscape connectivity for wildlife.

Pi ctured: Newts need safe routes to make their journey to f ind mates.

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photos

© Teddy Miller

SECURING a FUTURE FOR FARMLAND

CARING FOR THE FOREST at SAN VICENTE REDWOODS

• Selected Rancho San Benito, a farmworker co-op dedicated to providing workers with tools and knowledge to advance their careers, as the operator on 80 acres at Wavecrest.

• Planted 23,000 redwood trees and 900 Douglas fir trees in select areas that were heavily burned during the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex fire.

• Began piloting the use of air curtain burners — innovative technology that that turns trees burned in the wildfire into condensed ash in a safe and eco-conscious way.

• Began implementing a 97-acre ridgeline fuel reduction project; 52 of these acres are being treated specifically to promote fire-resilient oak woodland communities.

• With the help of volunteers, managed 250 acres of the property for invasive plants, which crowd out the native plants that are so important for local wildlife habitat and sustenance.

Pictured: Air curtain burners are an ecologically sensitive way to dispose of hazardous and dead, highly f lammable trees.

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• Extended Deep Medicine Circle’s lease at Te Kwe A’naa Warep Farm in San Gregorio so they can focus on growing organic, nutritious food using a blend of agroecology and Indigenous knowledge while providing produce to marginalized communities.

• Worked to adjust parcel boundaries on Cloverdale, Johnston and South Cowell Ranches in order to ensure that they are preserved in ways that support grazing, farming and future public access opportunities when transferred to partners.

Pi ctured: Sustainabl e g razing practi ces at South Cowell Ranch help keep both the cows and l and healthy.

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PENINSULA OPEN SPACE TRUST 222 HIGH STREET PALO ALTO, CA 94301 (650) 854-7696 OPENSPACETRUST.ORG

WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER The Bay Area is an extraordinary place to call home, but extremes caused by climate change, including drought and severe wildfires, are hard on wildlife, trees and everyone who lives and works here. POST protects and restores open spaces to improve the resilience of our local ecosystems and provide more places for people to enjoy the outdoors.

Thank you for your past generosity — please donate again today to support our work. Visit OpenSpaceTrust.org/Give for many ways to help, including stock gifts, donor-advised fund grants or monthly contributions.

Questions? Contact us at (650) 854-7696 or giving@openspacetrust.org so that we can help.

POST Tax ID Number: 94-2392007 photo

© Teddy Miller

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID SAN JOSE, CA PERMIT NO. 1513