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By Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority

Once you set your eyes on the fertile 7,400-acre Coyote Valley just outside bustling San Jose, it’s immediately clear there is something special at play. As the vital connection between the Santa Cruz and Diablo Range Mountains, long valued for its rich agriculture and wide diversity of plant and animal life, Coyote Valley has been the subject of many studies proving its unique value.

Scientists, conservationists, and planners alike agree that Coyote Valley’s protection is imperative. The Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority sought to combine that knowledge with a solid preservation plan informed by science.

Now, the landmark Coyote Valley Landscape Linkage report pronounces a clear, science-based vision that will guide the protection and restoration of the Valley to ensure ecological connectivity, health, and resilience to climate change.

Discoveries in the Valley

Development has resulted in loss and fragmentation of Coyote Valley’s tapestry of wetlands, oak woodlands, and grasslands, but determined animals still depend upon this passageway for movement, breeding, and food. There are approximately 1.13 million acres of core habitat within the Santa Cruz and Diablo ranges – but the Valley is the essential corridor between them.

Through field observation, the science team identified Fisher Creek and its floodplain as a critical pathway for mammal movement, and Laguna Seca, which was once one of the largest freshwater wetlands in the Bay Area, as habitat for rare species.

The Valley has high traffic areas for far-ranging wildlife such as badgers and mountain lions – and is home to a number of threatened plants and animals such as the Bay checkerspot butterfly and Western burrowing owl. Black-tailed deer, coyote, and many other mammals have been documented moving through this linkage using a series of culverts and streams. A sizeable herd of Tule elk, which once ranged the Santa Cruz Mountains, lives adjacent to the Valley.

Most recently, since May 2017, scientists are using radio collars to track the movement and specific road crossing of bobcats to further understand their determined travel through many man-made obstacles, including roads, highways, and fencing.

Almost 250 bird species have been documented in Coyote Valley. Some, such as the Western burrowing owl, depend upon restoring and protecting the low elevations of the Valley for breeding – without that space it is likely they will disappear from the region.

Key sections of the Valley – a “last chance landscape” – are increasingly important as plants and animals adapt to a changing climate. Protection of this linkage between mountain ranges is critical to species’ genetic diversity and long-term survival.

Ambitions and Pathways to the Future

The Coyote Valley Landscape Linkage report defines a vision for working with nature to preserve the Valley’s most precious resources. Prevention of further fragmentation, thoughtful connection and expansion of habitat patches, as well as integrating wildlife conservation with other land uses when possible, are just a few of the specific goals set in the report.

The report also calls for calculated planning of safe and effective wildlife crossings. Underpasses, overpasses, and strategic fencing have been shown to effectively increase safety of animals near roadways. Researchers used a critical eye to map out the best potential zones for crossings using data of focal species.

There are several existing culverts and underpasses where animals are successfully crossing Highway 101 and the four-lane Monterey Highway. Modification to existing culverts and creation of new wildlife passage infrastructure will be an important conservation action that requires evaluation by key stakeholders.

Looking to the ecological history of the region, the report details habitat restoration goals that not only benefit plant and animal life, but residents in nearby cities. Healthy wetlands and waterways are an important component of a resilient corridor. Flood risk is reduced downstream when storm water is allowed to spread in open spaces while also replenishing the groundwater basins that supply more than half of the Santa Clara Valley’s drinking water.

The wildlife linkage design also supports regional flood risk reduction efforts and long-term water supplies. The report declares Coyote Valley as a unique opportunity to restore hundreds of acres of rare wetland habitats that are disappearing, including the historic Laguna Seca wetland complex and Fisher Creek’s floodplain. Protection and regrowth of these areas means California tiger salamander, warm water fishes, and bird and mammal species will expand their habitat. Other wildlife species are especially attracted to wetlands during times of severe drought, making it an important part of a regional climate change adaptation strategy.

Complementing protection of existing habitat, the Coyote Valley Landscape Linkage report encourages wildlife-friendly agriculture as further protection for the region. Walnut groves and hay crops can provide valuable cover for wildlife movement or habitat for bird species. Stewardship and careful planning offer an opportunity to provide support for wildlife while maintaining Santa Clara Valley’s rich agricultural history.

Collaboration is Key

The outlook for Coyote Valley and its inhabitants depends upon multiple agencies and municipalities coming together with a unified vision, including the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, Peninsula Open Space Trust, Santa Clara County Parks, Santa Clara Valley Water District, Valley Transportation Authority, Valley Habitat Agency, City of San José, Caltrans, High Speed Rail Authority, private landowners, farmers and ranchers, and the multitude of conservation non-profits focused in the area.

Planning public outreach, education opportunities, and expanding wildlife-friendly recreation will be cornerstones to the vision of a thriving landscape linkage.

Everyone in the region can play a role in this investment. The Coyote Valley Landscape Linkage report examines those potential partnerships. From planning wildlife crossings to integrating landscape linkages into public policy or working toward restoration of sustainable water resources, the Coyote Valley deserves an “all hands-on deck” approach.

Implementing plans to achieve the goals set forth in this landmark report will determine the long-term ecological health of the immediate region and the fate of millions of acres of surrounding land and numerous species. Coupled with sustainability of water supplies and flood reduction, the proposed landscape linkage design is an innovative and unparalleled conservation opportunity for the Bay Area and California.

For more information or to download a copy of the report, please visit openspaceauthority.org/landscapelinkage