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Coyote Ridge Hike by Open Space Authority Docents, 3/1/15 by Ronald Horii
On March 1, 2015, docents and staff of the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority gathered at the entrance to the Kirby Canyon Landfill to hike up to Coyote Ridge prior to the public hikes, which would take place during the rest of March. The land on Coyote Ridge is owned by the Valley Transportation Agency, but is managed by the Open Space Authority. VTA set aside the land as mitigation for the environmental impact from the construction of Hwy 101 and the Bailey Avenue ramps. OSA manages the land as a habitat for endangered species, particularly the Bay checkerspot butterfly. There are more Bay checkerspots on Coyote Ridge than anywhere else in the world. For one month a year, during the peak of the wildflower season, Coyote Ridge is opened for guided tours by OSA docents. In 2015, heavy December rains and warm, dry weather in the following months caused the wildflower season to come about a month early. Hikes began in March instead of April, as usual. Docents gathered to survey the route and the wildflowers to prepare for subsequent public hikes. The wildflowers were a couple of weeks from their peak, but the Bay checkerspots were out in force. (Note that Facebook automatically mislabeled these pictures as being in Texas. They're in California. It's too much work to fix it.)
On March 1, 2015, docents and staff of the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority gathered at the entrance to the Kirby Canyon Landfill to hike up to Coyote Ridge prior to the public hikes, which would take place during the rest of March. The land on Coyote Ridge is owned by the Valley Transportation Agency, but is managed by the Open Space Authority. VTA set aside the land as mitigation for the environmental impact from the construction of Hwy 101 and the Bailey Avenue ramps. OSA manages the land as a habitat for endangered species, particularly the Bay checkerspot butterfly. There are more Bay checkerspots on Coyote Ridge than anywhere else in the world. For one month a year, during the peak of the wildflower season, Coyote Ridge is opened for guided tours by OSA docents. In 2015, heavy December rains and warm, dry weather in the following months caused the wildflower season to come about a month early. Hikes began in March instead of April, as usual. Docents gathered to survey the route and the wildflowers to prepare for subsequent public hikes. The wildflowers were a couple of weeks from their peak, but the Bay checkerspots were out in force. (Note that Facebook automatically mislabeled these pictures as being in Texas. They're in California. It's too much work to fix it.)
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