Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District

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The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD) is a special-purpose district that manages over 50,000 acres (200 km²) of open space in 25 preserves in the San Francisco Bay Area. It includes parts of Santa Clara, San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties. The District was created by voter initiative in 1972. The mission of the District is "to acquire and preserve a continuous greenbelt of protected open space lands for public use and enjoyment." It is a member of the Bay Area Open Space Council.

The District's tax and voter base consists of about 550 mi² (1,400 km²) and 741,000 people, mostly in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. It operates on a $19 million budget, most of which is from property taxes. It also occasionally receives state and federal grants, as well as private donations.

[edit] Recreation

Most of the preserves are open to recreation. Popular activities are hiking, cycling, and horseback riding. Camping is generally prohibited, though the Monte Bello preserve does have a backpacking camp available by permit only. Of the 25 preserves, 21 are fully open to the public; the Mills Creek preserve is not open, the Bear Creek Redwoods and La Honda Creek preserves require a permit for use, and portions of the Sierra Azul preserve are closed to the public due to toxic contamination at the summit of Mount Umunhum.

In total, the district has 226 mi. (364 km) of hiking trails, of which 150 mi. (241 km) is open to bicycles, 182 mi. (293 km) to equestrians, and 63 mi. (101 km) to leashed dogs. Preserves are relatively undeveloped, with most having only a parking area, trail signs, and possibly an outhouse. All preserves are open from dawn to one-half hour after sunset.

[edit] Open space preserves

The following open space preserves are managed by MROSD:

Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve
Coal Creek Open Space Preserve
El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve (see also El Corte de Madera Creek)
El Sereno Open Space Preserve
Foothills Open Space Preserve
Fremont Older Open Space Preserve
La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve
Long Ridge Open Space Preserve
Los Trancos Open Space Preserve
Mills Creek Open Space Preserve
Monte Bello Open Space Preserve
Picchetti Ranch Open Space Preserve (see also Picchetti Brothers Winery)
Pulgas Ridge Open Space Preserve
Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve
Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve
Ravenswood Open Space Preserve
Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve
St. Joseph's Hill Open Space Preserve
Saratoga Gap Open Space Preserve
Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve
Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve
Steven's Creek Shoreline Nature Study Area Open Space Preserve
Teague Hill Open Space Preserve
Thornewood Open Space Preserve
Windy Hill Open Space Preserve