Summer 2009 Outlook, Santa Clara County Open Space Authority Newsletter

8/3/2019 Summer 2009 Outlook, Santa Clara County Open Space Authority Newsletter

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O S

A O UT L O O

K

S u m m e r

2 0 0 9

•

V o l . 3

N o . 2

I N S I D E

Santa Clara County

Open Space Authority

6980 Santa Teresa Blvd., Ste 100

San Jose, CA 95119

OSA is working to protect sensitive lands, preserve natural communities, and manage open space in ways that promote agriculture and compatible recreation.

How do you dene the

natural environment? And

how does the landscape

you live in dene you?

Join our Sense of Place

program this summer and

discover or renew your

connection to nature.

Four sessions and hikes,

discussion, art, games —

a new look at this place

you call home.

More information, p. 3

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p or t i on of R a n c h oi s n o t y e t o p en t o g en er a l p u b l i c u s e.

ph o t o b yL ar k B ur k h ar t



CoyoteSpr ngVolunteers played a

key part in the success

of OSA’s April hikes on CoyoteRidge. All of us at the OpenSpace Authority extend our warmest thank you to these

generous people who made

the event possible:

Hike Leaders Jay Aruta

Dave ChampanCarolyn DorschDoug Greer

Rick Herder Cait HutnikMichael Yantos

Sweeps and Hike AssistantsBob CicislyTom CochraneWoody Collins

Yunyao LiRon MarquartMichelle Valdez

p h o t o b y R a c h e l S a n t o s

MichaelCoffeltlikedthestrawberries

2

The subject was agriculture and the viewpoints

were diverse. But public opinion at the Open

Space Authority’s community meeting in March

found plenty of common ground.

Farmers, ranchers, residents, community activ-

ists, marketers, vintners, health care workers and

representatives

of government

and nonprot

agencies all

pointed out thebenets of local

agriculture.

They also

agreed that the

preservation of

agriculture in

an area on the

urban edge that is likely to experience signicant

growth in the coming decades will be a daunting

and expensive challenge.

Comments at the meeting and from those who re-

sponded in writing addressed two basic questions:

What does agriculture mean to you, and what is

your vision of local agriculture in the future?

The many different answers highlighted the com-

plexity of agriculture as it is practiced day to day

in Santa Clara County. It’s a multi-faceted system

of soil, water, crops, people, knowledge, transpor -

tation and markets.

In summarizing the day’s discussion Patrick

Congdon, OSA general manager, emphasized the

importance of public/private partnerships to the

preservation of local agriculture. The Open Space

Authority will continue to invite public participa-

tion as the Board of Directors develops a vision

statement for agricultural land preservation.

Agriculture today & tomorrow

Thelittleballoffluffin

thisphotographisfive

newlyhatchedwestern

bluebirds,afirstforthe

nestboxesatRancho

CañadadelOroOpenSpacePreserve.The

placementandmonitor-

ingoftheboxesispart

ofanAudubonCavity

NestersRecovery

Program.Theeggs

hatchedthefirst

weekinMay.photobyLeePauser



Santa Clara County Open Space Authori6980 Santa Teresa Blvd., Ste 100 • San Jose, CA 951

tel 408.224.7476 • fax 408.224.75

www.openspaceauthority.ophoto by Teri Rogoway

ph o t o b y C a i t H u t ni k

3

Discover Dexter Canyon

SPECIAL-ACCESS ACTIVITY

NaturewalkatPalassouRidge.Aneasyup-and-back

ramblealongaripariancorridoronapropertythat

isnotyetopenforgeneralpublicuse.Adocent-led

programthatwillhighlightthebirdsandplantlifeyou

encounter.Binocularswillbeprovided.

Saturday,June6,9a.m.-noon

Catamount Challenge

Strenuous7-milehikesetsaquickpacewithaneleva-

tiongainofabout1,300feet.Greatexerciseandgreat

viewsatRanchoCañadadelOroOpenSpacePreserve.

Sunday,June7,7:30a.m.-11:30a.m.

Saturday,June13,7:30a.m.-11:30a.m.

Panorama Power Hike

HikefromtheAlumRockParkeaglerockparkinglot

tothesummitoftheSierra

VistaBoccardoLoopTrail.

Steep,strenuousandvery

rewarding;5.6milesround-

trip.

Friday,June12,8a.m.-11:30a.m.

Friday,July17,8a.m.-11:30a.m.

Friday,August21,8a.m.-11:30a.m.

Blooms in June

TheMayfairRanchTrailisknownforitswildflower

display.Enjoya4.5-milehikewithadocentandsee

what’sbloomingatRanchoCañadadelOro

OpenSpacePreserve.

Sunday,June14,10a.m.-2:30p.m.

Birds and Babies

AleisurelybirdwatchingstrollerhikeatUlistacNatural

AreainSantaClarasuitableforparentswithyoung

children.Exercise,freshair,companionship.

Friday,June19,10a.m.-noon

Friday,July31,10a.m.-noon

Sense of Place in Open Space

Reconnectwithyournaturallandscapeinthisseries

of4nature-orientedmeetings.Shareyoursenseofyour

surroundingsthroughdiscussion,interpretiveactivities

andhikes.Registrationisrequired.Joinallsessionsorjus

afew.

Saturday,June20,9a.m.-noon

Sunday,June28,10a.m.-noon

Sunday,July26,9a.m.-12:30p.m.

Sunday,August23,9a.m.-12:30p.m.

Picture the Preserve

Bringyourcameraandlearntoseenatureinanewwa

AcasualpaceontheMayfairRanchTrailasyouhuntfo

goodphotoopportunitiesatRanchoCañadadelOro

OpenSpacePreserveonthisdocent-ledhike.

Saturday,June20,8a.m.-11a.m.

Take Your Child to Camp Week

Summerdaycampforkidsandtheir

grown-upsatRanchoCañadadelOroOpenSpacePreserve.Nature

education,artsandcraftsandhiking

forchildrenages6to12when

accompaniedbyaparentor

guardian.Reservationsrequired.

Monday,July6-Friday,July10

9:00a.m.-noon

The Summer Scene

Details, reservation information and directions are available

at www.openspaceauthority.org or by calling 408-224-7476.


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At Coyote Ridge, all you can eat . . .

if you’re a shee p h o t o s b y L a r k B u r k h a r t

As the sheep moved through the foliage on thehillside, the dry stems of last year’s weeds click-

click-clicked on the breeze. Dogs prowled around

the herd, keeping a keen eye on everything that

moved. Except for the hum of trafc on Highway

101, the scene was quiet and pastoral.

In reality, it was an open-air laboratory. The ani-

mals were part of a carefully monitored project to

alter the plant cover on two portions of a 548-acre

parcel OSA manages for the Valley TransportationAuthority. For several weeks in April and May they

ate their way to some clearly dened management

objectives.

The pastures, about 45 total acres, are mostly

California annual grassland, with foxtail chess and

ripgut brome, mustard, wild oats and ryegrass.

Quite a salad for a browsing ovine, but a challenge

for native grass and forb species looking for a little

growing room. Neither area had been grazed or cleared by re in many years.

The goal of the grazing effort was to reduce the

cover of non-native invasive plants by 45%,

increase the cover of native perennial grasses by

35% and decrease the percentage cover of thatch

by 50%. Monitoring plots will enable the gathering

of data that will guidefuture range manage-

ment decisions.

According to Pat-

rick Congdon, OSA

general manager, the

grazing effort was a

clear success. The

animals were easily

managed, allowing good control of their browsingand its impact on both invasive and native plants.

Who are these hardy workers who eat for a living?

The sheep – there were about 350 – are dorpers, a

breed known to be strong and not very picky graz-

ers. The breed was developed in South Africa in the

1930s from a dorset horn–blackhead Persian cross.

The goal was an animal that could thrive in arid and

semi-arid conditions, making it a good choice for

managed grazing in the western United States.

The use of sheep for controlling invasive species has

gained momentum in recent years. One advantage

is that sheep will eat weeds other animals avoid.

In some studies pasturing sheep has been found to

be signicantly more cost effective than herbicides

or cutting and mowing.

Documents

Summer 2009 Outlook, Santa Clara County Open Space Authority Newsletter