Endangered species
The County Park system’s diverse landscape is home to numerous rare, threatened, and endangered wildlife and plant species. Endangered and threatened species are at risk of extinction or extirpation and are officially protected by the Federal and California Endangered Species Act. This important environmental law conserves and protects habitats vital to species survival. Rare species are considered uncommon in the region even if they are not officially listed under the Endangered Species Act. As many as 147 rare, threatened, and endangered species live or have the potential to be seen on County Park lands.
The County Parks Department is committed to protecting and preserving rare, threatened, and endangered species and protecting their ecosystems at a landscape level in partnership with regional partners. To work toward this mission, County Parks was a lead partner in the creation of the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Plan. The Valley Habitat Plan conservation strategy calls for the protection of nearly 34,000 acres of open space lands over the next 40 years in support of rare, threatened, and endangered species. This will be achieved by enrolling existing parks and open space areas into a reserve system as well as by purchasing and acquiring new lands to be part of the regional conservation strategy. County Parks plays an important role in the protection and management of the resulting reserve system.
Species included in the Valley Habitat Plan
Where can I see threatened or endangered species at Parks?
The serpentine grasslands of Santa Teresa County Park, managed with our conservation grazing partners, provide important habitat for the Bay Checkerspot butterfly. The serpentine rock outcrops also support the rare Santa Clara Valley Dudleya. Protection and management of these areas will also benefit many other species native to this grassland ecosystem.
Historic stock ponds located throughout the grasslands of Joseph D. Grant County Park provide critical breeding habitat for the California Tiger Salamander and California Red Legged Frog. Wetland vegetation surrounding some of these ponds provides important breeding habitat for the Tricolored blackbird. Raptors such as golden eagles and bald eagles are also seen soaring over the oak woodland savannahs and lakes in the Diablo Mountain Range. Monitoring, management, and enhancement of these habitats is important for the persistence of these species in a changing climate.
Almaden Quicksilver County Park and Calero County Park provide prime habitat for mountain lions, a key predator in our region facing many challenges. The California Fish and Wildlife Commission is considering listing the Central Coast mountain lions under the state’s Endanger Species Act. County Parks supports mountain lion conservation by preserving important breeding habitat and providing habitat connectivity via a network of 29 regional parks.
