2025 District Update
Joshua Hugg, Governmental Affairs
Program Manager
North Ridge Trail, Purisima Creek Redwoods (Eric Gouldsberry) November 12, 2025
Midpen’s Mission(s)
Midpen’s mission: to acquire and preserve a regional greenbelt of open space land in perpetuity, protect and restore the natural environment, and provide opportunities for ecologically sensitive public enjoyment and education.
On the Coast, Midpen has an expanded mission to acquire and preserve agricultural land of regional significance, preserve rural character and encourage viable agricultural uses of land resources.
Midpen’s Lands
Midpen’s Board of Director Wards
• Public agency, created in 1972 by a grassroots voter initiative • 763,000 constituents (2020) • Elected board: seven directors • Funded primarily through property tax • 27 Preserves in Santa Clara, San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties • Preserved over 72,000 acres, 250+ miles of trails – Over 15,000 acres of grazing land on the San Mateo Coast • Preserves are free and open to the public every day of the year • Main office in Los Altos + field offices • ~250 employees, ~1000 volunteers • Measure AA: $300 million voter-approved general obligation bond passed in 2014 to support public priorities
Some Midpen Facts
El Corte de Madera Creek
Open Space Preserve
Photo: Karl Pingle
La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve
Photo: Frances Freyberg
Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve
Photo: Benjamin Orcutt
Thornewood Open Space Preserve
Photo: Mallie Brathwaite
Project Updates
Wildland Fire Resiliency Program
Implementation
Cherry Springs Prescribed Burn, 2024
Photo: Michael Gorman
Wildland Fire Resiliency Program
For more information visit
openspace.org/what-we-do/projects/wildland-fire-resiliency Wildland Fire Resiliency Program:
Windy Hill Vegetation Management
SB 653 (Cortese): Environmentally Sensitive
Vegetation Management Act (ESVM)
SB 653 (Cortese):
• Sponsored by Midpen
• Defines ESVM as vegetation management
that reduces catastrophic wildfire risk over the
long term while supporting native wildlife and
biodiversity
• Uses Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
approach to fuel reduction
• Benefits: – Prevents Habitat Degradation
– Enhances Biodiversity
– Improves Wildfire Resilience
– Ensures Science-Based Approaches
Wildland Fire Resiliency Program:
Prescribed Burn
Benefits of Prescribed Burns
• Reduces the risk and intensity of wildfire
• Helps preserve grassland habitats by burning
encroaching shrubs and trees
• Helps cycle carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus
through the ecosystem
• California’s native plant community is adapted
to and dependent on periodic fires sweeping
through the landscape
Burn Goals
• Training for Midpen staff • Ecosystem restoration
• Fuel reduction
Midpen Staff at Prescribed Burn, 2024
Photo By Michael Gorman
• Project Description
Develop pilot project at La Honda
Open Space Preserve to restore
degraded forest habitat and enhance
fire resiliency on Midpen open space
preserves.
• Goals – Make ecosystems healthier and
more resilient by selectively
thinning overly dense stands – Improve watershed conditions by reducing sedimentation from
legacy logging roads, gullies, and
stream crossings – Protect and accelerate the
development of old-growth
forests that hold more carbon
– Implement a long-term adaptive
management program to learn
about the forest response to
restoration and climate change
Upper La Honda Restoration Forestry
La Honda Creek OSP Phase II Trails
New Trails
• New 5.8 miles of road and trail
incorporated into existing trail
network, of which 1.6 miles is newly
constructed trail
• Increases the trail network from the
existing 11.8 miles to 17.6 miles.
• Provides a key connection linking the
lower La Honda and upper La Honda
(currently permit access only) trail
networks identified in the 2012
Master Plan
• Allows for mountain bike access from
Sears Ranch Road to the Coho Vista
Point – first bike access on a
conservation grazing property on
Midpen lands
• Expands public access on working
lands, while maintaining the viability
of conservation grazing Opened November 5, 2025!
Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space
Preserve Public Access Initiative
Bay-to-the-Sea Trail
Mountain Lion – Human Interaction Study
Study
• Mountain lion movement and habitat use
• Factors influencing mountain lion behavior
• Strategies to help people and mountain lions
coexist.
Status
• Collared 34 mountain lions over the past 4
years
• The Puma Project is utilizing spatial data
from the collars to analyze factors
influencing human/mountain lion
interactions
• Behavioral modification used techniques on
10 lions to determine if they can be
encouraged to avoid high use trails when
humans are present
For more information visit
openspace.org/what-we-do/projects/mountain-lion-conservation-research Highway 17 Crossings
Rodenticide Outreach
For more information visit openspace.org/rodenticides.
• Provides opportunities to engage surrounding
communities through educational, enriching
outings and events provided by our partners that
work with underserved demographics. • Designed to allow for the organic building of relationships and is broken into three tiers of
partnership and financial support.
Our outreach partnership program participants
include:
Latino Outdoors at El Corte De Madera (Latino Outdoors) East Palo Alto Library at El Corte De Madera (EPA Library) Vista Center at Rancho San Antonio (Midpen Staff)
Tier 1 - Pilot partnerships
• East Palo Alto Library • Puente de la Costa Sur
• Coastside Children
Tier 2 - Formal contracts
• Bay Area Older Adults
• Boys and Girls Club of the Coastside
• Branching Out Adventures
• Saved by Nature
• Silicon Valley Bike Coalition
• Student Conservation Association • Vista Center for the Blind Tier 3 - Multi-Year, Deeply collaborative
contracts
• Latino Outdoors Increased Engagement
Outreach Partnership Program
Join Us! Midpen Events Calendar
Find us at openspace.org/events
Questions?
openspace.org
[email protected]
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