Company Profile
Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
Company Overview
The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District owns and manages over 60,000 acres of land in 26 open space preserves. It is an independent special district created with the mission to acquire and preserve a regional greenbelt of open space land in perpetuity; protect and restore the natural environment and provide opportunities for ecologically sensitive public enjoyment and education. The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District protects the areas natural resources and wildlife habitat, and provides low-intensity public recreation. Activities on the open space preserves include hiking, biking, horseback riding, picnicking, jogging and nature study.
Company History
The late 1960s was a time of rapid growth in the Bay Area. As tract housing and commercial development began to dominate the “Valley of Heart’s Delight,” concern for the preservation of the Midpeninsula’s irreplaceable foothill and bayland natural resources mounted among open space advocates.
Through the determined and heart-felt efforts of local conservationists, the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District was created by successfully placing a voter initiative, Measure R, on the ballot in 1972. Measure R’s sentiment is as powerful today as it was more than 30 years ago:
"Measure R will preserve open space by creating the Midpeninsula Regional Park District (currently named the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District). Open space is our green backdrop of hills. It is rolling grasslands - cool forests in the Coast Range – orchards and vineyards in the sun. It is the patch of grass between communities where children can run. It is uncluttered baylands where water birds wheel and soar, where blowing cordgrass yields its blessings of oxygen, where the din of urban life gives way to the soft sounds of nature. It is the serene, unbuilt, unspoiled earth that awakens all our senses and makes us whole again … it is room to breathe."
At that time, the District was created in northwestern Santa Clara County. Fulfilling the conservationists’ original dream to include portions of San Mateo County within the District’s boundaries, the voters expanded the District in 1976 to include southern San Mateo County. And in 1992, the District further expanded by annexing a small portion of Santa Cruz County.
Most recently with the final approval of the Coastside Protection Program on September 7, 2004, the District’s boundary was extended to the Pacific Ocean in San Mateo County, from the southern borders of Pacifica to the San Mateo/Santa Cruz County line.
Notable Accomplishments / Recognition
The District has permanently preserved over 60,000 acres of mountainous, foothill, and bayland open space, creating 26 open space preserves (24 of which are open to the public). The District covers an area of 550 square miles and includes 17 cities (Atherton, Cupertino, East Palo Alto, Half Moon Bay, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Menlo Park, Monte Sereno, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Portola Valley, Redwood City, San Carlos, Saratoga, Sunnyvale, and Woodside).
Benefits
Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District is a member of the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) and offers CalPERS medical insurance plans to benefited employees.