Peninsula Open Space Trust - Impact Report 2019

IMPAC T REP OR T Peninsula Open Space Trust  Fiscal Year 2019

A BOUNTIFUL YEAR Magical settings like POSTprotected San Gregorio Farm are inspiring, with its fertile fields, quaint farm stand and flowing nearby creek. But while this gorgeous farmland may look like it’s always been a thriving part of the coast’s rural landscape, it took an incredible amount of work to ensure its viability. It has a promising future because donors like you supported our efforts to turn vision into reality.

I am sincerely grateful for your generosity.

You have invested in the environmental health of our region and, together, we have accomplished so much this past year. This Impact Report features some of our most significant accomplishments between July 1,

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2018 and June 30, 2019. Across all of our programs, with your support, POST continues to do for our land what it cannot do for itself—safeguard a future that brings the benefits of healthy open spaces to all who live here.

As we become more sophisticated—through experience, research and creative partnering— we can better determine how best to care for our landscapes for the long term so that people and nature connect and thrive.

Though POST has protected more than 77,500 acres, the properties we buy are rarely pristine, healthy or ready for use. From redwood forests in need of management to farms on the San Mateo Coast without functional infrastructure, buying land is only the first step. Often, our work involves major projects that improve the landscapes’ ecological health and function. These important stewardship activities ensure that we fully benefit from the bounty and beauty of our region.

Read on for highlights of the last year—all made possible by you. With your ongoing support, we are honored to continue this meaningful work.

©Teddy Miller 2016 / facing page: top ©Linda Kwong 2018, bottom left ©Andrea Laue 2019, bottom right ©Andrea Laue 2018

With gratitude,

Walter T. Moore POST President

P.S. You’ll find even more success stories at openspacetrust.org/impact-report!

BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS Always evolving, POST takes a forward-thinking approach with everything we do. Here are some organizational accomplishments we achieved between July 1, 2018 and June 30, 2019:

Exceeded

77,500 total acres protected.

Hosted over Welcomed over

1,350 new POST donors.

6,200 attendees at POST hikes, film screenings, family events and more.

Attracted over

389,000 new visitors to our website.

Grew our email list to over

78,000 subscribers.

L A N D C O N S E R VAT I O N HIGHLIGHTS

1,794 ACRES PROTECTED Dedicated to safeguarding wildlife, farmland and redwoods while providing opportunities for people to enjoy our natural spaces, POST significantly increased our regional impact this year.

PUBLIC ACCESS • Celebrated Midpeninsula Regional

Open Space District’s public opening of POST-protected Bear Creek Redwoods.

• Convened the Tunitas Creek Beach

Community Advisory Committee to guide planning priorities for opening a public beach park.

• Initiated a Bay to Sea Trail Planning

Coalition to align 10 organizations around a shared vision for the project.

REDWOODS • Conserved 937 acres of Santa

Cruz Mountain redwood forest by partnering with the McCrary Family of Big Creek Lumber and established an innovative working forest conservation easement.

• With Sempervirens Fund, protected

the historic 320-acre Filice Ranch adjacent to our 8,532-acre San Vicente Redwoods property.

• Removed the invasive plant

clematis and selectively thinned trees to accelerate development of old-growth-like conditions in San Vicente Redwoods.

©Teddy Miller 2019

WILDLIFE LINKAGES • Published a report recommending

ways to reduce vehicle and animal collisions on Monterey Road in the South Bay and initiated a multi-year regional study to inform future wildlife crossing projects.

• In collaboration with the Santa Clara

Valley Open Space Authority (the Authority), protected over 400 acres in the Santa Cruz Mountains, closing gaps in the linkage area between Highway 17 and Coyote Valley.

• Initiated restoration of the Barrett

Creek watershed by removing abandoned, unsafe structures that contributed to stream contamination.

FARMLAND • Preserved the Andreotti Family Farm,

69 acres of farmland in the heart of Half Moon Bay, working with California FarmLink to help the family secure ownership.

• Permanently protected 102 acres of

farmland via the generous donation of an agricultural conservation easement on Double Dog Ranch in Pescadero.

• At San Gregorio Farm, added four

three-bedroom farmworker housing units in partnership with San Mateo County and Blue House Farm; expanded onsite water storage for a more sustainable operation.

COYOTE VALLEY • Worked with the Authority and the

City of San Jose to plan for and begin negotiations on priority property acquisitions.

• Secured funding through the passage

of Measure T, which set aside up to $50 million to purchase property in North Coyote Valley.

• Gained broad support for a

conservation vision in Coyote Valley including the willingness to review zoning via San Jose’s General Plan update process.

Read more about our conservation programs at openspacetrust.org/what-we-do.

PA S T

PRESENT

FUTURE

SAN GREGORIO FARM Farms need more than just land to survive—they need infrastructure, workers and farmers. To successfully combat the loss of farmland and farming businesses on the San Mateo Coast, strategic investments in infrastructure are key. Take a look at how POST worked to revitalize San Gregorio Farm. It’s a good example of how we are putting Farmland Futures donations to work.

2015

2016

LAND PROTECTION

FARM OPERATOR

Acquired 74 acres of prime farmland along 3,000 feet of San Gregorio Creek from a longtime farming family who was getting out of the business.

Selected Ryan Casey of Blue House Farm to operate on San Gregorio Farm with the option to buy the land.

ORGANIC TRANSITION

PROCESSING SHED

Blue House Farm planted organic vegetables on 15 acres of the property and improved the soil with cover crops and grazing on another 43 acres, beginning the transition to organic production.

Refurbished a processing shed so that produce could be washed, stored and readied for the public.

2018

2019

FARMWORKER HOUSING

SMART WATER UPGRADES

Installed four 3-bedroom housing units in partnership with San Mateo County and Blue House Farm, providing accommodations for farmworkers and their families.

With the support of the San Mateo Resource Conservation District, upgraded the reservoir, more than doubling its capacity and reducing demand on the creek during dry months so that fish are not negatively impacted.

©Andrea Laue 2018

BUILDING IMPROVEMENTS

ORGANIC OPERATION

With POST’s help to plan, design and secure permits, Blue House Farm funded and coordinated construction of a new barn and tractor shed.

After a three-year transition, the farm is now fully certified for organic production.

THANK YOU

TO OUR DONORS Protecting and restoring over 77,500 acres of land would not have been possible without generous donors like you. Your contributions are vital to the future of our region, with its towering redwoods, fertile farmland, sweeping vistas and wild residents. Thank you.

2017

ROADSIDE FARM STAND

POTABLE WATER

Blue House Farm opened a farm stand and U-pick operation on Highway 84 so that people could enjoy the farm’s bounty. The farm stand is open on weekends from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Installed a domestic well to wash vegetables and to support future farmworker housing.

THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT San Gregorio Farm is an example of how POST partners with motivated farm operators for the good of local farming. We’re supporting viable agriculture close the urban fringe of the greater Bay Area. Not only does this benefit our local economies, food system, communities and culture, but farmland plays an integral role in supporting the health of our regional ecosystems.

Visit openspacetrust.org/san-gregorio-farm to read more about San Gregorio Farm’s transformation.

I love the outdoors and exploring wild places, looking for wildflowers and birds. By supporting POST and volunteering, I see new open spaces and protected lands, while meeting and working with like-minded folks.

— Nabeel Al-Shamma

POST’s responsible and realistic approach means that projects they tackle will be handled in a way that is ethical and appropriate to each land-use situation. I also appreciate the opportunities for donors like me to attend events that showcase the impact of their work—this has made me a lifetime supporter.

— Mary Marsh

We love hearing about why you’re inspired to give!

Let us know why this work is important to you by emailing post@openspacetrust.org.

PROTECT LAND TODAY

PENINSULA OPEN SPACE TRUST 222 HIGH STREET

Make an impact with a gift of stock or a distribution from your donor-advised fund. And increase your impact with your company’s matching gift!

PALO ALTO, CA 94301 (650) 854-7696 OPENSPACETRUST.ORG

PLAN FOR TOMORROW Support our future work with a legacy gift in your trust or IRA. You’ll be invited to our Open Space Legacy Society luncheon and exclusive hikes.

Learn more at openspacetrust.org/ways-to-give, or contact Jeanine Crider at (650) 854-7696 or jcrider@openspacetrust.org.

POST is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and our taxpayer identification number is 94-2392007.

©Andrea Laue 2019

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