Help Rewild Mountain View

Tom Grey

Help protect wildlife at Shoreline Park, and rewild a city

Dear Friend,

In its Strategic Roadmap Action Plan for Fiscal Years 2021-22 and 2022-23, the City of Mountain View leads the region in including “Protect and enhance local ecosystems and biodiversity through rewilding and other measures” in the Sustainability & Climate Resiliency Strategic Priorities. Rewilding and protecting ecosystems in a city takes dedication and attention, and we applaud the City of Mountain View for prioritizing nature and biodiversity.

What is happening:

Mountain View is starting two planning efforts to protect biodiversity and rewild our landscape.

  • The first is the Shoreline Wildlife Management Plan (SWMP) that aims to protect wildlife and habitat at Shoreline Park. Adding to the burrowing owls four representative species (Black Skimmer, Ridgway's Rail, Common Yellowthroat, White-tailed kite), the plan looks to protect a wide spectrum of local species.

  • The second effort considers the community forest, and we look forward to rewilding the City through the management of parks and the Community Forest.

What can you do?

There are opportunities to support these efforts, and the City wants to hear from all of us. Here is how you can help:

  • Shoreline Wildlife Management Plan: Respond to a survey by June 30th (5 minutes of your time) Please tell the city:

    • About the species you like watching at Shoreline (name species or groups of birds, butterflies, rabbits, ground squirrels etc.)

    • Where you like to watch them (the egret and heron rookery on shorebird way? the island in the lake? Along Permanente Creek? The grasslands? swallow nests on buildings?)

    • Would you like to include additional wildlife species that are not included now (swallows? quail? frogs? rabbits and ground squirrels? Bumblebees and butterflies?)

    • In response to the question regarding recommendations, please ask to include North Bayshore parks , the Charleston Retention Basin and the egret rookery to the scope of the plan. In addition, as for special protection for nesting birds on the island. Ask that the plan include a detailed roadmap and funding

    • Where priorities are offered, please prioritize the protection of wildlife habitat from human disturbance

    • Please consider volunteering with the City of Mountain View.

  • Parks and Recreation Commission Discussion of the Community Tree Master Plan and Biodiversity on June 29
    Please email the City of Mountain View (Send to: prc@mountainview.gov, Subject of email: Community trees, birds and pollinators), and/or speak at the meeting (7PM, City Hall, 500 Castro St. Mountain View, CA).

Say a little about who you are and why you care, and:

    • Tell the city that planting trees is a key tool that the city controls and should use to build the livable, green, sustainable, and climate resilient city its residents want and to support biodiversity in Mountain View.

    • The community tree master plan must reflect the critical environmental services that trees provide: heat island mitigation, air purification, and habitat for birds and pollinators.

    • The plan should include a detailed roadmap for reaching quantifiable goals.

    • Ask for all parks in the city to be transitioned to planting California native vegetation, with habitat linkages where feasible along creeks and streets, to build a resilient urban ecology and rewild the City. Parks should bring nature home, with less manicured spaces and more birds and butterflies.

    • Ask for maintaining parks and trees in an ecologically friendly way. There are (almost) no square plants in nature!


Thank you,

Blackberry Farm Golf Course Open House

Attend an Open House to Help Restore Cupertino’s Blackberry Farm Golf Course to Nature! Take a short survey!

We previously told you about Cupertino’s consideration of restoring the Blackberry Farm Golf Course site to natural habitat (the other option is making repairs and maintaining the golf course). This property is near the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society (SCVAS) and adjacent to McClellan Ranch Preserve, Stevens Creek, and the Stevens Creek Corridor Trail.

The City is holding two open houses at the golf course. Attend and express to City staff your preference for the conversion to natural habitat. Ask staff to describe their draft plan for the restoration. You can tour the site on your own or attend a group tour.

  1. Saturday, June 11, 6:00–8:00 pm (group tour at 6:30 pm)

  2. Monday, July 11, 4:00–6:00 pm (group tour at 4:30 pm)

If you haven’t already, please respond to this short survey and ask Cupertino to Restore the land to its natural habitat.

Reasons for restoring nature:

Option A: Golf Course Minor Repairs and Improvements

  1. The Golf Course will use much more water in a time of growing drought than the natural habitat (irrigation water demand for natural habitat will be less than 10% of that for the Golf Course)

  2. It currently costs $500,000 a year to maintain a large area for a relatively few residents. Repairs will reduce this subsidy, but not eliminate it.

  3. The overall grass used for playing golf is a “food desert” for wildlife.

Option B: Conversion to Natural Habitat

  1. The restored natural area will use less water than the golf course, especially after the first 3-8 years of irrigation to establish the trees and plants.

  2. This will be a place to plant native trees, shrubs and grasses which provide habitat for birds and other species, and support biodiversity as recommended in Cupertino's Climate Action Plan.

  3. There are grants available that will reduce the amount of City funding required for maintaining natural habitat.

  4. The restored area will provide a more inclusive space for recreation rather than an exclusive place just for paid customers.

  5. Children need to learn about nature first hand. Many popular outings and courses at Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society at McClellan Ranch grew during the pandemic, and will continue to grow.

  6. Our region is becoming more urban. We must restore a piece of wildness for wildlife, our children, and the future of our environment.

Lehigh Quarry Violations

Active quarry surrounded by woods, a sprawling city in the background. The quarry is a massive pit with terraced roads

Photo by Jitze Couperus

Lehigh Quarry and Cement Plant: 2,135 violations and counting

Tomorrow, June 7th, our County Board Of Supervisors will receive a report on all noticed violations of permits, laws, statutes, ordinances and other regulations and court actions involving Lehigh Cement Plant and Quarry over the past ten years. The report shows over 2,135+ violations in 10 years - on average, that is 4 violations per week! You can access the report here.

How much have taxpayers invested in processing and monitoring these violations? and what is the cost of polluting our air and watersheds? What about costs to public health?

Please email the Board of Supervisors TODAY.

To: BoardOperations@cob.sccgov.org

CC: Advocate@scvas.org

Subject: Agenda Item #29: Lehigh Cement Plant and Quarry Violations Over Last 10 Years

In the email: (Please introduce yourself) and:

  1. Remind the Supervisors that in February, they directed County staff to research options for acquiring and shutting down the quarry and cement plant and restoring the local environment.

  2. Ask the Supervisors to monitor compliance and impose significant fines on Lehigh for all violations, past and future.

  3. Ask the Supervisors to find a way to close Lehigh environmentally hazardous operation, and stop the pulverization of our landscape.

Protect San Jose Wildlife Corridors

Can one house block a major wildlife linkage? This one can!

Please ask San Jose Planning Commission to require a full Environmental Impact Report for the Gschwend Residence project.

What is happening

A home and driveway are proposed on a 17-acre property on Santa Teresa ridge at the southern boundary of San Jose, along the Coyote-Alamitos Canal. The property is a designated Critical Habitat for the Bay Checkerspot butterfly, and identified as a critical linkage for acquisition by the Valley Habitat Plan. Pathways for Wildlife identified the property as the most important wildlife crossing site where mountain lions, badgers, deer and other species can safely cross Santa Teresa Blvd. Science shows clearly that a house and its associated activities, noise, lighting and driveway will have a significant impact on wildlife movement.

The San Jose Planning Commission will discuss the proposed project on Wednesday, June 8.

The property was purchased 5 years ago for and is currently on the market for sale for 3 times the purchase price. An approval by the Planning Commission would only increase the property value and thus encourage speculation in other environmentally sensitive areas.

Why this is important

So what's the big deal about just one house? It could have a significant environmental impact on the entire region.


Pathways for Wildlife, the research consultants used by the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency and the Open Space Authority to study wildlife movement in and around Coyote Valley has identified this very specific site as critical for the wildlife linkage between the large habitats of the Diablo range and Santa Cruz Mountains needed to maintain genetic diversity of the wildlife populations.

For example, studies show that the existence of mountain lions in the Santa Cruz Mountains is already threatened by health issues due to inbreeding.

Still, what’s the impact of one house? Picture an hourglass with the top and bottom chambers as the large habitats, this site is that pinch point in the middle. If you clog it, you lose the flow and hence the whole functioning of the hour glass is lost.

Pathways for Wildlife identified only two safe wildlife passages available to cross Santa Teresa Blvd. and one is the culvert of the Coyote Alamitos Canal at this site.

Have you ever seen a mountain lion in person? Like me; probably not. But if you’ve hiked our hills, they’ve seen, heard, and smelled you. They avoid human contact and activity including cars, lights, and noise.

How you can help

Ask the Planning Commission not to approve the project but rather require an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to fully study and mitigate the significant threats that building a home and a driveway in this critically sensitive wildlife corridor would cause.

Example email/talking points

As a resident of San Jose who cares deeply about nature, the health of our wildlife populations and the integrity of wildlife connectivity in our region, I ask the Planning commission to deny the Gschwend Residence Project. Please require a full Environmental Impact report to analyze the impacts of the project to endangered species, to fully mitigate the impacts of the project on animal movement and on the critical habitat for Bay Checkerspot butterflies, and to explore alternatives.

Thank You,

[ your Name]

and the wildlife of Santa Clara County