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.
