About Coyote Valley

Surrounded by hills and mountains on all sides, Coyote Valley is home to Coyote Creek, Fisher Creek, and Laguna Seca. Together, they are a wetland that filters and stores groundwater for San José residents protecting them from flooding and drought. With extreme weather events happening more frequently, protecting and restoring Coyote Valley’s multi-benefit landscape is a smart investment in the health and sustainability of our entire region.

Coyote Valley connects over one million acres of core habitat in the surrounding mountain ranges. Using the valley floor as a thoroughfare, it enables a variety of species to disperse, migrate, and shift habitats in response to a changing climate – ensuring their survival and elemental role in our regional biodiversity.

As a beautiful landscape just outside the 13th largest U.S. city of San José, scientific studies have confirmed that conserving Coyote Valley as protected open space ensures the environmental and economic vitality of the greater San José area. Santa Clara County voters agree and consistently demonstrate their support for its conservation.

California’s 30×30 initiative was made law in 2023. It aims to conserve 30% of California’s lands and coastal waters by 2030. Coyote Valley is a key element of 30×30 due to its significance as a biodiversity hotspot, critical wildlife movement corridor, rich agricultural landscape, effective floodplain, and its many recreational opportunities.

The Protect Coyote Valley coalition has been involved in this effort all along the way. Led by Green Foothills, the coalition has effectively opposed every development threat in recent years with the help of many people and organizations across our community. And, bolstered by the strong support of our public and private partners – the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority and Peninsula Open Space Trust, we will continue this work in the decades to come.