open space authority funds contributed to project
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The Authority contributed funds to the Santa Clara County Creeks Coalition for their Santa Clara County Creeks Coalition's Coyote Creek Homeless Stream Stewards Trash Free Coyote Creek project where they worked in collaboration with Friends of Coyote Creek Watershed and other volunteer groups and public agencies to achieve a trash free creek within the 10 mile stretch between Yerba Buena Road in South San Jose and Tasman Drive in North San Jose. Project coordinators worked with the homeless who reside along the creek by having them participate in the program. Over 100,000 pounds of trash was gathered in bags, removed from the creek, and hauled to a suitable sanitary landfill.
The Authority helped fund Bay Area Older Adults’ Environmental Education Park Crawl program. The project consisted of eight, 4-hour walks in different parks and one wildlife lecture. Each two- to four-mile walk had an environmental theme that educated the participating adults age 60+ about our valley’s parks, natural resources, and urban green spaces. It also included lunch, coordination of transportation, parking fees, and three trained guides. Participants benefitted in multiple ways: safely walking outdoors in a group is critical in reducing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer and depression, and learning about nature promotes cognitive health and reduces the risk of dementia.
The Authority grant funded the San Jose State University Research Foundation's project, a signature CommUniverCity program, that aims to create a self-sustaining food system for low-income communities in Central San Jose where each child has opportunities to garden at a school garden or urban farm in their neighborhood. The program increases awareness of the importance of eating healthy, fresh foods, and promotes environmental stewardship among low-income children and their families.
