Next Steps (updated July 3, 2008) Summer 2007 – Winter 2008 . . . . . . . . Prepare Draft Master Plan Spring 2009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft Plan Open House Summer 2009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1st Public Hearing on Draft Plan Fall 2009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Final Plan and Environmental Review Fall 2009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2nd Public Hearing and Plan Adoption

Open House for the Sierra Azul + Bear Creek Redwoods Master Plan

The District will be scheduling an Open House for the Sierra Azul + Bear Creek Redwoods Master Plan Project project during the spring of 2008 to unveil the draft Master Plan.

The Open House will provide an opportunity for the public to ask questions prior to the Public Hearing, which is expected to be scheduled in the summer of 2008. The District looks forward to presenting the recommendations for each Preserve that incorporate comprehensive natural and cultural resource information as well as many comments, concerns, and desires raised by the public during the multi-year process.

Please check this page for confirmed dates. Meeting notices will be mailed to persons on the project mailing list. If you would like to be added to the mailing list, please contact Jeannie Buscaglia at (650) 691-1200 or jbuscaglia@openspace.org.

Just outside the town of Los Gatos, on either side of Lexington Reservoir, sit the District’s two southernmost preserves, Sierra Azul (“Blue Range”) and Bear Creek Redwoods. These preserves are the focus of a public planning process to develop a Master Plan that will serve as a guiding vision for the land. The Master Plan will define the desired future use, direct resource and land management efforts, and outline public access opportunities at both preserves.

Sierra Azul is vast, encompassing more than 17,400 acres. Because of its size, the Preserve is divided into four areas: the Kennedy-Limekiln area adjacent to Lexington Reservoir County Park; the Cathedral Oaks area, which is almost entirely surrounded by private property and is therefore currently closed to the public; the Rancho de Guadalupe area, which is also currently closed to the public pending the planning and development of public access facilities; and the Mt. Umunhum area, named for the 3,486-foot mountain that is its most dominant feature. Although known for its chaparral-covered slopes, Sierra Azul has pockets of serpentine grasslands, bay and blue oak woodlands, and lush riparian corridors, including the headwaters of Guadalupe Creek. Home to deer, bobcat, coyote, and the federally threatened red-legged frog, the preserve also provides exceptional habitat for the elusive and far-ranging mountain lion. It has the beauty and ruggedness of an unspoiled wilderness and attracts visitors seeking a more vigorous hiking, biking, or equestrian experience.

No less beautiful and rugged, although much smaller in size at just over 1,340 acres, Bear Creek Redwoods abounds with Douglas fir, oak, and madrone as well as the redwoods for which it is named. There are also grasslands, five ponds, and three perennial creeks. Of historic interest, the Preserve is the site of the former Alma College and once contained the first mainland radio tower to receive the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Much further back, the Preserve served as one of General Fremont’s camp sites. Now, with its direct access to Lexington Reservoir County Park, its proximity to State Route 17, and its potential connections to many trails in the region, including the Bay Area Ridge Trail, Bear Creek Redwoods can easily become one of the Bay area’s most popular recreation destinations.

The master planning process aims to provide the public with greater opportunities for recreation access, interpretation, and education, while protecting the natural, cultural, and historic resources of the landscape. The District is developing a long-term vision for these public lands and addressing opportunities for access and regional trail connectivity, species and habitat protection, safety concerns, and maintenance issues, among others. District staff and consultants are actively soliciting and encouraging community involvement from various agencies, non-profit organizations, neighbors, and constituents throughout the planning process.