Five-year Report to the Community

In 2014, an overwhelming 68% of voters approved Measure Q, the Open Space, Wildlife Habitat, Clean Water, and Increased Public Access Funding Measure, a $24 annual parcel tax placed on the ballot by the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority. Measure Q’s purpose is to protect and preserve natural open space areas for future generations by improving parks, open spaces, and trails; protecting water resources to prevent pollution and improve local water quality; preserving wildlife habitat; expanding public access; enhancing environmental education; and protecting scenic hillsides. In its first five years, Measure Q funded an increase the number of acres protected as open space in the Authority’s jurisdiction to over 26,000 acres – including a once-in-a-generation acquisition of almost 1,000 acres long threatened open space in the North Coyote Valley.
 
I’m so proud of what the Authority has been able to accomplish with the public’s strong support. The Measure Q-funded projects and programs in this report highlight the significant investments we together are making in the health of nature and people; investments that are supporting nature in and near our communities for clean air and water, protecting wildlife, their habitats and movement corridors, protecting natural areas and agricultural lands for their many community benefits, providing opportunities for healthy outdoor recreation, and enhancing our resilience to a changing climate.