New Habitat Plan Will Preserve, Restore Santa Clara Valley

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The Santa Clara Valley Habitat Plan will become official during a signing ceremony Thursday at Anderson Dam in Morgan Hill.

The Santa Clara Valley Habitat Plan (Habitat Plan) is both a habitat conservation plan and natural community conservation plan, or HCP/NCCP. This planning document:

* Helps private and public entities plan and conduct projects and activities in ways that lessen impacts on natural resources, including specific threatened and endangered species.

* Identifies regional lands—called reserves—to be preserved or restored to benefit those species.

* Describes how reserves will be managed and monitored to ensure that they benefit those species.

In providing a long-term, coordinated program for habitat restoration and conservation, the Habitat Plan aims to enhance the viability of threatened and endangered species throughout the Santa Clara Valley.

The Habitat Plan area includes portions of Gilroy, Morgan Hill and San Jose. It aims to protect a long list of plants and animals native to the area. 

The Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency, a joint powers authority, was formed to implement the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Plan. It includes the cities of Gilroy, Morgan Hill and San Jose, as well as the County of Santa Clara. In addition, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority and Santa Clara Valley Water District are co-permittees.