MOUNTAIN VIEW ALERT: PEOPLE, BIRDS, AND BUTTERFLIES ALL BELONG IN PARKS!

Dear Mountain View Friends,

The City of Mountain View is initiating a new Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan to direct the future of parks and recreation in the City. The Strategic Plan Will create a roadmap and a shared vision for the future of parks, recreation and community services, shaped by community values, unmet needs and evolving demographics and trends.

We will show you how to participate in this process to help the city imagine a future where people have equitable access to parks and program offerings citywide, and where nature is integrated into parks and recreation activities. Together, let's imagine a future where native trees, flowers, birds and pollinators add beauty and song to every park, where rare species are accommodated, and where people are healthy and happy!

BACKGROUND:

The City of Mountain View is just over 12 square miles. It is home to over 83,500 residents, and thousands more are expected to call Mountain View home in the near future. The City has 44 parks (with one to two new parks anticipated each year). These parks include the 750-acre Shoreline at Mountain View Regional Park, nine acres of trails, and various community and culture centers and facilities. As the population of Mountain View grows and densifies, community needs for parks and recreation are likely to increase and change to provide adequate green streets and green space within walking distance from all neighborhoods.

Let's ensure that Shoreline Park continues to provide sanctuary to special species such as Black Skimmers and Burrowing Owls, that existing and future parks in North Bayshore protect and enhance nature in wetlands and at the egret colony, and that new parks include native plantings and access to nature. Let every child see a swallowtail butterfly, a monarch butterfly, an egret, a bluebird, a lizard, and maybe even a Burrowing Owl!

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

Help us advocate for parks and programs that highlight nature. Participate in the public process and tell the City what you love about Mountain View parks and recreation. Here are a few thoughts you can share:

What are your favorite parks, trails and places? Who do you visit parks with? Where do you go birding and what are your favorite native plants, birds, mammals, reptiles, butterflies and bumble bees? Do you participate in bird walks and bioblitz events? Do you help restore habitat and plant native plants and if so - where? Do you want to see species protected and their habitat restored and expanded?

Participate in one of the upcoming community meeting on Aug 21 or Aug 22:

IN PERSON: August 21 or August 22 6-7 p.m. Mountain View Community Center, 201 S. Rengstorff Ave. Light refreshments and childcare will be provided. Interpretation services in Spanish, Mandarin, and Russian will also be available.
OR
VIRTUAL: August 21 or August 22 7:30 - 8:30pm. Register to participate. Interpretation services in Spanish, Mandarin, and Russian will be available along with closed caption services.Interpretation services in Spanish, Mandarin, and Russian will be available along with closed caption services.

Email neelay.bhatt@benextpractice.com or kristine.crosby@mountainview.gov and tell them what you love about parks and recreation facilities in Mountain View, and what you’d like to see in the future! (Please bcc Advocate@scvas.org)
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