Urban Grower Network

The Authority contributed $250,000 toward the planning of a new 3.2-mile segment of trail along Silver Creek. Once complete, the Lower Silver Creek Trail system will link Lake Cunningham to the Coyote Creek Trail.

The Authority contributed funds to Guadalupe River Park Conservancy’s field trip program that allows for inquiry-based learning. The program is committed to getting children outdoors and uses Guadalupe River Park & Gardens' river, rose garden, and orchard as an outdoor lab. The program prioritizes serving Title One students and connects them to their local environment while providing hands-on science lessons that teachers cannot deliver inside their classrooms

Valley Verde's San Jose Food Sovereignty Project supports urban agriculture and environmental education in underserved neighborhoods by providing approximately 120 families per year with intensive support to learn to grow fresh, healthy, culturally relevant produce. In collaboration with residents and schools, the organization creates and maintains vibrant urban gardens, provides a curriculum based on environmentally sustainable gardening methods and nutrition, fosters community building and environmental leadership, and increases access to urban green space. Families participate for an entire year or more, which gives them a foundation in growing their own food for the long-term and, ultimately, building a local food system that supports healthy ecosystems.