Santa Clara Valley Habitat Conservation Plan

March 10, 2008
By Mark Noack
Morgan Hill Times

Relatively new legal tools for protecting endangered species and habitats are being prepared for approval by the Morgan Hill City Council. According to Ann Draper, assistant operating officer at the Santa Clara Valley Water District, the proposed Habitat and Natural Community conservation plans will give Morgan Hill better control to mitigate and restore natural habitats while also streamlining environmental regulations.

Early in the decade, entering into the habitat plans was a requirement for getting federal and state approval for Highway 101 improvement projects for various local government bodies, including Santa Clara County, San Jose, VTA, the Santa Clara Water District - and later in 2005 - Morgan Hill and Gilroy. "This will be a significant preservation of habitat and open space for our community," Draper said. "It's a habitat legacy for our community."

Once-common bay checkerspot given boost from devoted team of biologists, nature lovers

February 16, 2007
By Jane Kay
San Francisco Chronicle

For the past few springs, people have flocked to the popular Edgewood Park and Natural Preserve in the hills above Redwood City to admire the wildflowers. But they haven't seen a single bay checkerspot butterfly, once a vibrant presence in the rolling serpentine-rock grasslands. On Thursday, a small band of biologists and park lovers hiked into the preserve, carrying a precious cargo that they hope will return the red-and-black butterfly to its home. They gently lifted hundreds of plump, inch-long black, bristly caterpillars from a cooler and placed them on the ground among their favorite food, the plantain, a native plant. By April, they hope, the caterpillars will transform into butterflies and begin to populate part of the 467-acre park.

May 22, 2006
By Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post

San Jose – For one week a year the vibrantly colored bay checkerspot butterfly is in its element on Coyote Ridge, flitting from one wildflower to the next in search of sustenance.  The hillside used to be covered with these creatures – which warm themselves in the sun, mate and deposit hundreds of eggs to launch the next generation before dying off... [Read Full Article]

GILROY — The tiger salamander is making its last stand in South County. Thursday, Gilroy and Morgan Hill will officially join a massive planning effort that could end the constant development battles that infuriate homebuilders and environmentalists alike. When the effort is complete, development projects should no longer be held up for years over concern for the salamander, the California red-legged frog or other endangered species, and acres of critical... [Read Full Article]