Committee for Green Foothills
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| Committee for Green Foothills | |
|---|---|
| Name | Committee for Green Foothills |
| Formation | 1962 |
| Type | Nonprofit conservation organization |
| Headquarters | Los Altos Hills, California |
| Location | San Mateo County; Santa Clara County; San Francisco Bay Area |
| Leader title | Executive Director |
Committee for Green Foothills
The Committee for Green Foothills is a regional nonprofit land conservation and environmental advocacy organization based in Los Altos Hills, California, active in the San Francisco Bay Area since the early 1960s. It focuses on preserving open space, protecting wildlife habitat, and influencing land-use decisions across Santa Clara County, San Mateo County, and adjacent jurisdictions through conservation easements, litigation, and public outreach. The organization engages with local agencies, environmental coalitions, and community groups to conserve rangelands, riparian corridors, and coastal foothills threatened by development and infrastructure projects.
History
Founded in 1962 during a period of rapid suburban expansion, the organization emerged amid debates over land use in the Peninsula and South Bay that involved actors such as the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, and municipal planning commissions. Early campaigns intersected with regional efforts led by figures associated with Sierra Club, The Nature Conservancy, and civic leaders from Palo Alto and Mountain View. Through the 1970s and 1980s the group participated in landmark disputes touching on proposals linked to Interstate 280, U.S. Route 101, San Francisco International Airport, and local general plans, aligning at times with litigants before the California Coastal Commission, California Environmental Quality Act challenges, and county-level land-use hearings. In subsequent decades the organization worked alongside county park districts such as Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District and agencies like Santa Clara Valley Water District on acquisitions and stewardship, while engaging in cases before the California Supreme Court and coordinating with conservation entities including Trust for Public Land and Point Reyes National Seashore. Its history reflects interactions with municipal governments of Los Altos Hills, Los Altos, Menlo Park, San Carlos, and regional planning bodies such as the Association of Bay Area Governments.
Mission and Programs
The group’s stated mission emphasizes protection of open space, watersheds, wildlife corridors, and farmland across the Bay Area peninsula, aligning programmatically with land acquisition, conservation easements, habitat restoration, and public education. Programs have targeted preservation of creeks feeding into the San Francisco Bay, protection of grasslands contiguous with Santa Cruz Mountains, and safeguarding of coastal bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Educational initiatives have partnered with organizations like California Native Plant Society, Audubon Society, Bay Nature, and university programs at Stanford University and San Jose State University to promote stewardship, native species planting, and community science. Outreach often involves coordination with district school boards and municipal recreation departments in communities such as Cupertino, Los Gatos, Burlingame, and Redwood City.
Conservation Projects
Major conservation projects have included efforts to conserve ranchlands, oak woodlands, and riparian zones near landmarks such as Sierra Azul, Tunitas Creek, San Gregorio Creek, and the Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve. Projects frequently intersect with land trusts such as Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, Peninsula Open Space Trust, and Sempervirens Fund, and with federal entities like U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service when endangered species habitat is implicated. The organization has advocated for easements on properties associated with historic sites in Rancho San Antonio, worked to protect agricultural parcels in the Santa Clara Valley, and supported acquisition of parcels adjacent to Foothills Park (Menlo Park). Conservation work has addressed species of regional concern including California red-legged frog, San Francisco garter snake, and habitats for raptors known from Monte Bello Preserve and Edgewood Park.
Advocacy and Policy Work
Advocacy activities target local general plan updates, zoning decisions, and environmental review processes under statutes like the California Environmental Quality Act. The organization engages in administrative appeals and litigation before county planning commissions, boards of supervisors, and state entities including the California Coastal Commission and courts. It has joined coalitions with groups such as Save the Bay, Friends of the Earth, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics on regional land-use, agricultural preservation, and climate resilience policies, and has intervened in proceedings involving transportation corridors including California Route 35 and utility infrastructure managed by entities like Pacific Gas and Electric Company and San Jose Water Company. The group also participates in regional planning efforts with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Association of Bay Area Governments to influence habitat connectivity and growth management.
Organizational Structure and Funding
Governance is typically by a volunteer board of directors drawn from local civic, academic, and conservation communities, with an executive director overseeing staff, land-use counsel, and stewardship personnel. Funding sources include private donations, foundation grants from entities like Packard Foundation and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, membership dues, and revenue from conservation easement transactions; the organization has collaborated financially with the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and corporate donors. It has also leveraged public funding mechanisms such as county open-space bonds, state grant programs administered by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and federal conservation funds through U.S. Department of Agriculture conservation programs. Administrative interactions have involved local registrars, nonprofit compliance with the Internal Revenue Service, and charitable partnerships with regional community foundations.
Partnerships and Community Engagement
Partnerships span local land trusts, park districts, academic institutions, and community groups including Peninsula Open Space Trust, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, Sempervirens Fund, Stanford University Woods Institute for the Environment, Santa Clara County Parks, and municipal park departments in Menlo Park and Los Altos Hills. The organization engages volunteers drawn from neighborhood associations, garden clubs, and youth programs linked with schools in Palo Alto Unified School District and Mountain View–Los Altos Union High School District. Community engagement includes collaboration with indigenous groups active in the region, historians associated with Los Altos History Museum, and local media such as San Jose Mercury News, San Francisco Chronicle, and KQED to promote campaigns and public events. Cross-sector coalitions have included agricultural representatives from California Farm Bureau and watershed advocates working with entities like South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project.