September 2026 Conservation Corner

This month has been another reminder of just how important the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) is for birds, wildlife, and the places they depend on. 

CEQA is fundamentally a disclosure law: it requires us to look before we leap. Before approving a project, agencies and developers must identify significant environmental impacts, consider less damaging alternatives, mitigate those impacts where feasible, and give the public an opportunity to understand what is proposed and weigh in. Many of the protections we routinely seek, for creeks and wetlands, mature trees and habitat, nesting birds and wildlife movement, bird-safe design and better lighting, come through this process. 

But CEQA is being steadily weakened. Most housing development has already been exempted or streamlined, and recent state laws are extending exemptions to other kinds of development. For SCVBA, that makes our work protecting open space, creeks, oak woodlands, Baylands, and the urban-wildland edge even more important. Without environmental review, impacts to birds and wildlife may never be fully disclosed, less damaging alternatives may never be considered, and mitigation that could make a project better may never be required.

We saw why this matters in projects across the Valley this month. In Los Gatos, we called for a full EIR for Twin Oaks, a residential development proposed amid creek, oak, and riparian habitat. In Saratoga, we joined residents in asking for denial of the Masson Estates development, where CEQA review identified significant and unavoidable wildfire risks. In Los Altos, we submitted comments on the demolition of Halsey House, seeking better protection for Adobe Creek and wildlife during work at Redwood Grove Nature Preserve. In the City of Santa Clara, we asked that CEQA review address the removal of mature trees and potential impacts to nesting birds from the reconfiguration of Pruneridge Golf Club. And in Morgan Hill, we commented on a Builder’s Remedy housing proposal, raising concerns about groundwater, wildlife habitat, and the project’s reliance on new private wells and an onsite wastewater treatment system.

In San José, we challenged the rezoning of part of the former IBM Almaden Research Center, where new industrial zoning could allow future projects to avoid CEQA review altogether. With no project proposed, why give away environmental review now?

Read Shani Kleinhaus's opinion: Almaden IBM Rezoning: When CEQA Disappears, So Does Your Voice — San Jose Inside

The lesson from this month's work is simple: protecting birds means protecting habitat and protecting the laws and public processes that give us a chance to defend it.

November Ballot Measures

1. SCVBA opposes Proposition 45, which would weaken CEQA review for projects ranging from data centers and highways to dams and mines and energy facilities and development in open space.  Vote NO on Prop 45. 

2. SCVBA endorses Cupertino’s Parks and Open Space Protection Measure (Measure L), which requires voter approval before designated parks and open space can be rezoned or developed. Cupertino residents:Vote YES on L.

August 2026 Conservation Corner

Trump Administration Weakens Endangered Species Protections

For decades, the federal Endangered Species Act prohibited not only directly killing endangered wildlife, but also destroying habitat essential to species’ survival. It also required federal agencies to ensure that projects they funded, permitted, or approved did not destroy or adversely modify designated critical habitat.

The Trump administration has now eliminated the longstanding regulatory definition of “harm” that included significant habitat destruction. This could allow development, logging, mining, and drilling to destroy places endangered species need to survive, so long as the animals are not directly killed or injured.

California cannot easily fill this gap. The California Endangered Species Act prohibits killing or capturing listed animals, but unlike the longstanding federal rule, it has no equivalent protection against habitat destruction itself. California must instead rely on a patchwork of CEQA review, state permitting, and other resource laws. Federal protection has therefore been an essential backstop for California species and habitats. Removing it places our most imperiled birds and other wildlife at even greater risk.

Vote No on Proposition 45 This November

At the very moment the Trump administration is dismantling federal protections for nature, including protections against habitat destruction under the Endangered Species Act, California should be strengthening its environmental safeguards, not weakening them.

Yet Proposition 45, sponsored by the California Chamber of Commerce, would make development faster and cheaper by curtailing review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Its attack on CEQA goes far beyond housing. It would reduce transparency and weaken the public’s ability to influence highways, data centers, dams, reservoirs, energy facilities, and sprawling development in undeveloped areas.

Prop 45 would rush reviews, limit consideration of less damaging alternatives, restrict public participation, and make harmful approvals harder to challenge. Developers could reap the profits while communities and taxpayers absorb the costs: polluted air and water, depleted water supplies, increased traffic and wildfire risk, and the destruction of wetlands, streams, open space, and wildlife habitat. Birds and other wildlife would lose the places they need to nest, feed, migrate, and survive.

With federal wildlife protections already being stripped away, California cannot afford to weaken its own environmental safeguards. Vote No on Proposition 45 this November.

July 2026 Conservation Corner

A Win for Biodiversity in Mountain View

After several years of grassroots advocacy, Mountain View has officially adopted its Biodiversity and Urban Forest Plan and Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan. This is a major milestone and a victory worth celebrating. Together, these plans establish biodiversity as a core community value and recognize that parks can support wildlife and healthy ecosystems, not just recreation.

SCVBA was proud to work alongside GreenSpacesMV, Mountain View Coalition for Sustainable Planning, the California Native Plant Society, Santa Clara Valley Chapter, the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter, and many passionate community members to help advance this effort. Together, we encouraged the City to think intentionally about biodiversity, habitat, and the role parks can play in supporting both wildlife and people.

The adopted Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan includes the concept of a Biodiversity Anchor, which sets aside space in every park to support biodiversity and ecological function. We are pleased that many of our recommendations were incorporated into the final plans and that Mountain View has committed to making biodiversity part of its long-term vision for parks and urban forestry.

One area where we hope to see continued progress is the use of locally native plants within Biodiversity Anchors. Biodiversity depends on relationships that have developed over millenia between native plants, insects, pollinators, birds, and other wildlife. Local native plants are often best able to support these ecological connections and the food webs that sustain biodiversity. While the adopted plans allow a broader range of species, the City has committed to adaptive management and periodic review of the program. As Biodiversity Anchors are implemented and evaluated, we look forward to working with the City to strengthen their ecological value over time.

Most importantly, the adoption of these plans reflects a growing community commitment to creating a city where people and nature can thrive together. We are excited to help turn that vision into reality.

Measure D Passes: A Big Win for Open Space

This spring, voters approved Measure D, renewing funding for the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority. SCVBA endorsed the measure, which will help protect natural open spaces and waterways, reduce wildfire and flood risks, restore habitat, and expand public access to nature. The measure's success reflects the community's strong commitment to conservation and the places that make Santa Clara Valley special. 

San Mateo County Adopts Bird-Friendly and Dark Sky Standards

This spring, the County of San Mateo adopted updated Design Review Ordinance standards that include bird-friendly design and dark sky protections for new development in portions of the unincorporated county. SCVBA supported these provisions, which will help reduce bird collisions, minimize light pollution, and lessen the impacts of development on wildlife.

Jain Temple Expansion Project (Santa Clara County)

We reviewed the plans and environmental review documents for the Jain Temple project near Harvey Bear Park, and identified concerns related to outdated biological surveys, nesting bird protections, wetland habitat, wildlife movement, and lighting impacts. We submitted detailed CEQA comments requesting stronger analysis and mitigation measures. The County has not yet responded to those comments, so the project remains under review.

Agrivoltaics Proposal Advances in Santa Clara County

Supervisor Lee's proposal to explore regulatory options for agrivoltaics on lands zoned Agricultural-Large Scale is moving forward. SCVBA and Green Foothills opposed this proposal and urged the County to take a more comprehensive look before proceeding.

While agrivoltaics is often presented as a way to combine agriculture and renewable energy, it remains largely unproven at scale and could ultimately create a pathway for utility-scale energy development on agricultural lands. We urged the County to evaluate not only solar panels themselves, but also the substations, transmission infrastructure, utility corridors, interconnections, battery storage facilities, fencing, and other infrastructure that may accompany large energy projects.

We are particularly concerned about what this could mean for Santa Clara County's rural landscape. Areas characterized by farms, ranches, and open vistas could gradually give way to a patchwork of solar arrays, power lines, substations, battery facilities, access roads, and security fencing, fundamentally changing their character. That is a very high price to pay to help meet the growing energy demands of data centers and other energy-intensive uses.

Despite these concerns, the Board approved the referral. Many important questions remain unanswered, and the County's work is just beginning. We will continue to participate in the process and advocate for farmland protection, wildlife habitat, open space, and the rural character that makes Santa Clara County unique.

Help Us Engage on the Joseph D. Grant Master Plan

Santa Clara County Parks is well underway with a Master Plan update for Joseph D. Grant County Park, one of the County's largest and most ecologically important parks. The plan will help guide future decisions about trails, camping, recreation, habitat management, and natural resource protection for years to come.

Because Grant Park encompasses thousands of acres of grasslands, oak woodlands, streams, and wildlife habitat, the decisions made through this process could have lasting impacts on both visitors and the park's natural resources. SCVBA is beginning to engage more closely in the planning effort and would like to better understand the opportunities and concerns from the perspective of people who know the park well.

If you regularly hike, bird, camp, ride, volunteer, or otherwise spend time in Grant Park, please contact advocate@scvbirdalliance.org - we are especially interested in hearing about sensitive habitats, recreation conflicts, restoration opportunities, and areas of the park that you believe deserve special protection. Your local knowledge can help inform our advocacy as the planning process moves forward.

Biodiversity in Mountain View on June 23rd

Common Yellowthroat: Susan Weinstein

Mountain View City Council will consider the Biodiversity and Urban Forest Plan on Tuesday June 23rd. This important plan will help shape the future of trees, parks, habitat, and wildlife throughout our city for years to come.

Please write to the City Council or attend the meeting and urge adoption of a strong plan that puts nature first.

Key messages:

• Biodiversity means supporting entire food webs, from native plants and insects to pollinators, birds, and other wildlife, not simply increasing the number of plant species.

• Native plants generally provide greater benefits for wildlife and ecosystem health than non-native plants.

• The definitions of "Regionally Native" and "Near-Native" species should be revised to prioritize plants from the San Francisco Bay Area and Peninsula that support local food webs and ecological relationships.

• Plants from distant parts of California or North America should not be treated as equivalent to locally native species for biodiversity purposes.

• The Plan should prioritize locally native plants in parks, habitat areas, and public landscapes whenever feasible.

How to Participate:

• Send comments: Email City Council at city.council@mountainview.gov and ask that your comments be included in the June 23rd meeting record.

• Attend the meeting: Tuesday, June 23, 2026, at 6:30 p.m., Mountain View City Hall, 500 Castro Street. Virtual participation options will also be available.

Even a short email can make a difference. Tell Council that Mountain View's biodiversity goals should focus on protecting the ecological relationships that sustain birds, pollinators, wildlife, and healthy urban forests.

Thank you for helping ensure that Mountain View's Biodiversity and Urban Forest Plan reflects the best available science and creates lasting benefits for nature and the community.

Thank you