Would you like to have access to more hiking trails? Do you want to see our redwood forests protected? Everyone can get on board with cleaner air and water.
On June 3, voters within the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District’s jurisdiction—which includes parts of San Mateo and Santa Clara counties as well as a portion of unincorporated Santa Cruz County—will be asked to vote on Measure AA, a $300 million bond measure that would fund preservation of and improvements to open space within the district.
Greenbelt Alliance urges you to vote yes on Measure AA. If it passes with the required two-thirds vote, future bond money would be used to:
- Expand public access to protected land
- Save local redwood forests
- Provide clean air and water by restoring land that feeds lakes, streams, ponds, and waterways
- Preserve agriculture along the San Mateo coast
- Restore native vegetation to create a healthy habitat for wildlife and preserve biodiversity
Since its inception in 1972, the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, or the “District”, has played a starring role in growing the Bay Area’s greenbelt. To date, the District has permanently preserved 62,000 acres of open space, which adds up to an area more than two times the size of San Francisco. The District buys up natural lands throughout its jurisdiction to protect them from sprawl development and to enhance them. From the incredibly popular Rancho San Antonio County Park to cleaning up the former Almaden Air Force Station atop Mt. Umunhum, the District is responsible for much of the open space that we enjoy in the Peninsula and South Bay.
Measure AA builds upon the successful foundation of investment in open spaces that the District has established. If passed, the bond measure would fund 25 priority projects, which include opening preserves, building trail connections, and creating wildlife corridors.
Our region’s natural landscapes make the Bay Area one of the most desirable places to live. Greenbelt Alliance is committed to safeguarding them by making sure the right kind of development happens in the right places, and not in the greenbelt. A successful Measure AA would be a huge step toward our goal of fully protecting the Bay Area’s greenbelt.
To learn more about Measure AA, visit openspace.org.
Photo: All rights reserved by Aubrey Rust
