Saving a Valley: How Coyote Valley Inspires Conservation

Have you ever thought about how or why natural areas, like state or county parks, open space, or wildlife refuges were set aside and saved? Sometimes it seems amazingly unlikely that these places exist.

And it’s too easy to assume that there is no land left to set aside. But today we’re telling the story of Coyote Valley, a land adjacent to the hustle and bustle of Silicon Valley. I don’t want to spoil the story, but I will tell you it is inspiring and shows just what can happen with the right combination of ingredients. And it turns out those ingredients probably exist wherever you live, too.

This episode was actually aired on our Jumpstart Nature podcast last month.

The Jumpstart Nature podcast is a little different than Nature’s Archive. It’s an immersive narrative style, hosted by Griff Griffith. Our goal with Jumpstart Nature is to not only inspire existing nature lovers, but to reach beyond the choir, so to speak.

Here are the show notes from Jumpstart Nature:

On a 1983 morning, Steve Jobs scouted Coyote Valley for Apple’s new headquarters. Despite his plans, Coyote Valley remains one of the most important undeveloped landscapes near Silicon Valley.

This episode tells the story of its conservation through unexpected alliances, resilience, and the invaluable ecosystem services it provides. From critical wildlife connectivity to indigenous cultural significance, discover how perseverance and community action can protect cherished landscapes.

Join host Griff Griffith and our guests, Andrea Mackenzie, Amah Mutsun Chairman Valentin Lopez, Megan Fluke, Nick Perry, and Dr. Stuart Weiss as they provide unique and inspiring perspectives as they explore how to protect and steward unique lands like Coyote Valley, whether near Silicon Valley or your own backyard.

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS
Amah Mutsun Land Trust
Amah Mutsun Tribal Band
Cars, Cows, Checkerspot Butterflies – Dr. Stuart Weiss’s paper
Creekside Science
Green Foothills
Obi Kaufmann
P-22, The Mountain Lion of Hollywood
Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority
Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing

RELATED PODCAST EPISODES
The Age of Connectivity
Dr. Stuart Weiss – Of Checkerspots, Cars, and Cows

Credits
This podcast episode was written and produced by Michael Hawk. Our host and co-writer is Griff Griffith.

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Music: Spellbound by Brian Holtz Music
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist site: https://brianholtzmusic.com

Discover the Jumpstart Nature Podcast - entertaining and immersive, it's the nature fix we all need.

Check past Nature's Archive episodes for amazing guests like Doug Tallamy, Elaine Ingham, and Rae Wynn-Grant, covering topics from bird migration to fungi to frogs and bats!