Birds and Biodiversity should be prioritized in the Moffett Park Specific Plan

Sunnyvale City Council is hosting a Moffett Park Specific Plan (MPSP) Study Session on Monday, March 7th at 6:00pm. They will discuss open space and urban ecology and they need to hear from us!

Moffett Park and the Sunnyvale Baylands are home to over 200 bird species, both native and migratory, including burrowing owls. The MPSP will allow 20,000 new housing units and 10 million square feet of office space to be developed in Moffett Park, and we need your help to make sure birds are protected and their habitats expanded and enhanced to nurture biodiversity and native flora and fauna.

Tens of thousands of new residents and employees will live, work and enjoy open space at the edge of the bay. We must ensure that access to parks and wetlands is planned through a conservation lens that will allow birds and wildlife to thrive.

Please email Sunnyvale City Council and ask for strong habitat protections, protective lighting and bird safety standards, and measures to ensure that birds and wildlife in the wetlands thrive. Please forward this alert to your friends and neighbors and ask them to do the same!

Sample Email:

To: council@sunnyvale.ca.gov,

CC: moffettpark@sunnyvale.ca.gov,

BCC: Advocate@scvas.org

Subject: Protect Sunnyvale Birds and Open Space in the MPSP

Dear Mayor Klein and Council Members,

[Say a little about yourself] As a community member, nature enthusiast, and bird watcher, I write to ask that you follow the San Francisco Estuary Institute’s recommendations to:

Establish a minimum of 44 acres of high habitat value eco-patches and hubs.
Establish a minimum of 40% canopy cover district-wide.
Expand wetlands and establish terrestrial buffers as setbacks adjacent to the wetlands and flood channels.
Ensure mobility greenways include habitat, canopy, and dark sky attributes and that habitats are effectively connected and sufficient to support wildlife in an urban area.

Please prioritize strong bird safety and dark sky standards for Moffett Park and plan access to baylands and nature along the bay in a way that allows sensitive species and ecosystems to thrive.

Our local open spaces are dwindling and we need plans such as the MPSP to prioritize nature, create responsible development, and balance habitat and human access. Habitat patches that foster connectivity, native plants and wildlife, and restore habitat are beneficial for both humans and nature. Please prioritize nature and open space in the MPSP!

Thank you,

[Your Name]