View from Russian Ridge Preserve to Mindego Hill by Karl Gohl
Back to top

This website and the information it contains are provided as a public service by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. This system is monitored to ensure proper operation, to verify the functioning of applicable security features, and for comparable purposes. Anyone using this system expressly consents to such monitoring. Unauthorized attempts to modify any information stored on this system, to defeat or circumvent security features, or to utilize this system for other than its intended purposes are prohibited and may result in criminal prosecution. 

We want you to know about the collection, use, security, and access to information that may be obtained through use of our website. By visiting this website, you are accepting the policies and practices described in this notice. This notice covers the following topics:

Please note that this use Policy is subject to change without notice, and that it reflects Midpen's current practices.

Personal Information and Choice
"Personal information" is information about a person that identifies or describes an individual, including, but not limited to, his or her name, social security number, physical description, home address, home telephone number, education, financial matters, and medical or employment history, readily identifiable to that specific individual. A domain name or Internet Protocol address is not considered personal information, however, it is considered "electronically collected personal information."

"Electronically collected personal information" that we automatically collect includes your domain name or Internet Protocol address, and statistical information about which web pages you visit. If you voluntarily participate in an activity that asks for specific information (i.e., entering volunteer and docent reports, sending an e-mail, or participating in a survey) more detailed data will be collected. If you choose not to participate in these activities, your choice will in no way affect your ability to use any other feature of the website. If any type of personal information is requested on the website or volunteered by the user, State and federal law may protect it. However, this information may be a public record once you provide it, and may be subject to public inspection and copying if not otherwise protected by federal or State law.


Social Media
Midpen is a single-purpose, independent special district. Our social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube and LinkedIn are intended as a limited public forum for information sharing between Midpen and the public. Comments posted to these pages will be monitored during regular business hours. We reserve the right to restrict or remove inappropriate comments including those that have obscene language or sexual content, threaten or defame any person or organization, violate intellectual property rights or the legal ownership interest of another party, support or oppose political candidates or ballot propositions, encourage illegal activity, promote commercial services or products or are not topically related to the particular posting.

A Special Note About Children
Children are not eligible to use services that require submission of personal information, and we require that minors (under the age of 18) do not submit any personal information to us. This includes submitting personal information to Midpen as part of a user profile or personalization profile. If you are a minor, you can use these services only if used together with your parents or guardians. If you are a minor, you should seek guidance from your parents.

Information Collected and How It Is Used
We do collect personal information directly from individuals who volunteer to use some of our services. If you do nothing during your visit to the website but browse or download information, we may automatically collect and store the following types of information related to your visit:
  • The Internet Protocol Address and domain name used, but not the e-mail address. The Internet Protocol Address is a numerical identifier assigned either to your Internet service provider or directly to your computer. We use the Internet Protocol Address to direct Internet traffic to you and generate statistics used in the management of this site;
  • The type of browser and operating system you used;
  • The date and time you visited this site;
  • The web pages or services you accessed at this site; and
  • The website you visited prior to coming to this website.

The information we automatically collect or store is used to improve the content of our web services and to help us understand how people are using our services. This information does not identify you personally and is used for gathering website statistics. The information we automatically collect and store in our logs about your visit helps us to analyze our website to continually improve the value of the materials available. If you have not opted-in to a Midpen email list our website logs do not identify a visitor by personal information, and we make no attempt to link other websites with the individuals that browse the Midpen website.

Midpen does not sell any "electronically collected personal information". Any distribution of "electronically collected personal information" will be used by Midpen solely for the purposes for which it was provided to us. We may provide or distribute certain lists and statistical reports, but no personal information is sold, and all relevant legal protections still apply to our website.

What Happens to Information Sent to Us
If you choose to submit information to us, the information will be transmitted to our departmental database. Any private information will only be used by Midpen for the purposes for which it was provided and will not be shared with another entity or person except as prescribed by law.

Surveys
If during your visit to Midpen's website you participate in a survey or send an e-mail, the following additional information will be collected:

  • The e-mail address and contents of the e-mail; and
  • Information volunteered in response to the survey.

The information collected is not limited to text characters and may include audio, video, and graphic information formats you send us.

If You Send Us an Email
You may choose to provide us with personal information, as in e-mail with a comment or question. We use the information to improve our service to you or to respond to your request. Your contact information may be added to our database in order to manage and track our communications with you. Sometimes we forward your e-mail to other Midpen employees who may be better able to help you. Except as required by law, we do not share our e-mail with any other organizations. We use your e-mail to respond appropriately. This may be to respond to you, to address issues you identify or to further improve our website.

Public Disclosure
In the State of California, laws exist to ensure that government is open and that the public has a right to access appropriate records and information possessed by Midpen including electronic records. At the same time, there are exemptions in state and federal law to the public's right to access public records. These exemptions serve various needs including maintaining the privacy of individuals. All information collected at this site becomes part of the public record that may be subject to inspection and copying by the public, unless an exemption in law exists. In the event of a conflict between this Use Policy and the Public Records Act or other law governing the disclosure of records, the Public Records Act or other applicable law will control.

Automatic Collection of Information/Cookies
Cookies are simple text files stored on your computer by your web browser. The Midpen portal uses cookies to enable interactive applications. You can refuse the cookies or delete the cookie files from your computer by using any of the widely available methods. However, if cookies are not enabled you may not be able to access some of the features in our interactive applications.

If you sign up to receive email communications from Midpen we may use cookies to collect information about how you interact with our website. We use this information for analytics and metrics about our visitors on this website and to personalize communications in accordance with your preferences.

Security
Security measures have been integrated into the design, implementation, and day-to-day practices of the Midpen operating environment as part of its continuing commitment to risk management. This information should not be construed in any way as giving business, legal, or other advice, or warranting as fail proof, the security of information provided via our supported website. If you place an order with us, we request information from the user on an order form. A user must provide contact information (like name and shipping address) and financial information (like credit card number and expiration date). This information is used for billing purposes and to fill your order/request. If we have trouble processing an order, this contact information is used to get in touch with you. All credit card information will be processed directly by a reputable third party secure credit card processing company, and will not accessed by us or stored on our servers.

Links to Other Sites
The District website contains links to other government agencies (federal, state, and local) and nonprofit organizations that share a similar mission or purpose as the District. The purpose of the links is to provide information relevant to park and open space protection in the Bay Area. The District provides links as a courtesy only; the District does not otherwise make any assurances as to the accuracy of content of the web sites listed.  When you link to another site, you are no longer on our site and are subject to the privacy policy of the new site. 

Limitation of Liability
The Midpen website and all its information and related materials are provided "as is." By using our website, you assume the risk that the information and materials on this website may be incomplete, inaccurate, out of date, or may not meet your needs and requirements. Users should not assume the information on our website to be completely error-free or to include all relevant information, or use it as an exclusive basis for decision-making.
Midpen specifically disclaims any and all liability, whether based in contract, tort, strict liability or otherwise, for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or special damages arising out of or in any way connected with access to or use of our website, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages, including but not limited to reliance by any party on any content obtained through use of this website, or that arises in connection with mistakes or omissions in, or delays in transmission of, information to or from the user, interruptions in telecommunications connections to the website or viruses, whether caused in whole or in part by negligence, telecommunications failure, theft or destruction of, or unauthorized access to the website or related information.

Ownership
The compilation of, and all content included in the Midpen website, such as text, graphics, logos, button icons, images, audio clips, digital downloads, data compilations, and software, are the property of Midpen and protected by United States and international copyright laws.

Responding to Requests for Proposals
Submission of offers is not authorized by any method not stated in the individual Request for Proposals (RFP). The submission of offers via the Internet or by email is not authorized. Any information regarding future business opportunities is for planning purposes only and does not represent any commitment on behalf of Midpen. All interested parties, potential offerors, and those seeking to do business by or through those potential offerors, are hereby on notice that this website may be updated periodically to reflect changes in RFPs and related documentation.

Contact
All questions and comments regarding the content of this website should be directed to the Webmaster at web@openspace.org. If you find or believe that information obtained from this site is inaccurate, illegible, or out-of-date, or you encounter technical or other problems when using or accessing this site, please notify the Webmaster. Midpen welcomes suggestions on how to improve the website and correct errors. This website is the only official website of Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District.

Sign up for our newsletter to find out what’s happening in your open space!