Midpen Extends South Bay Greenbelt

Midpen recently expanded El Sereno Open Space Preserve, one of the agency’s oldest preserves, to more than 1,600 acres, protecting additional chaparral and bay laurel forest habitat in the San Tomas Aquino Creek and Los Gatos Creek watersheds. As a result, a crucial 0.34-mile gap in the Aquinas Trail has been closed, formally connecting the 3.7-mile trail across the Mount El Sereno ridgeline and through the preserve. This trail is an important link in a planned regional trail system that will not only connect El Sereno to two Santa Clara County parks and St. Joseph’s Hill Preserve, but also join hundreds of miles of ridgeline trails that circumnavigate the entire Bay Area. The acquisition of 182 acres from the San Jose Water Company would not have been possible without support from our long-time conservation partner Peninsula Open Space Trust and California Wildlife Conservation Board funding that was secured by former state Senator Jim Beall.