Stories

Midpen staff are fondly remembering our friend and partner in storytelling about the natural world, Doug McConnell, after learning of his passing last month.

The sold-out Science and Stewardship Symposium recently took place in Santa Cruz, bringing together more than 250 leaders working on scientific research and hands-on land stewardship in the Santa Cruz Mountains region.  

While you are busy making dinner reservations and panic-buying chocolates, a different kind of love is blooming in the underbrush. As Valentine’s Day rolls around, romance isn’t just for humans.

How one local mountain lion's journey highlights the need for wildlife crossings and landscape linkages.

Midpen, along with our partners, have been working to find ways to create trail access at Sierra Azul while protecting migrating newts. Late last year, our project team came up with a solution.

Community leaders and open space partners gathered to celebrate a year of collaboration and showcased how much we can achieve when we work together.

Ever wonder what makes each Midpen preserve unique? Follow in Bay Area local, Judy Cooks’, footsteps (literally) and spend your year exploring each one.

Several Midpen preserves border mountainous Page Mill Road, which is also a designated emergency escape route.

Midpen, in partnership with Santa Clara County Fire, is conducting pile-burn operations through December 2025 in a closed area of Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve. Pile burning disposes of accumulated brush and woody debris.

In several Midpen preserves, a small team of biologists and consultants have been scanning for the subtle signs of creatures that many visitors never notice.