September 21, 2023
456 W Olive Ave,
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
RE: Thank you for proposing and co-sponsoring the study issue item ‘Closure of Interior Levees’
Dear Mayor Klein and Sunnyvale City Councilmembers,
The Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter, Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society, and Citizens Committee to Complete the Refuge, extend our gratitude to Councilmember Mehlinger for proposing the study issue item ‘Closure of Interior Levees’ and to the full Council for co- sponsoring the study issue.
Closing these redundant levees to public access should have no impact on mobility along the Bay Trail or on the operations and maintenance of infrastructure and would help mitigate some of the impacts of human encroachment and disturbance of wildlife and habitat. These interior levees are used by a wide variety of birds and are also a wildlife passage for various mammals like foxes and jackrabbits.
Given that 40,000 new residents and 60,000 new workers are likely to be added under the Moffett Park Specific Plan, these limited trail closures can alleviate some of the encroachment on wildlife habitat from growing trail use while also maintaining existing connections for active transportation.
We hope that the Council chooses to prioritize and budget this study issue. We are available to communicate and collaborate regarding these levee closures.
Sincerely,
Jen Hetterly
Bay Alive Coordinator
Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter
Shani Kleinhaus
Environmental Advocate
Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society
Eileen McLaughlin
Board Member
Citizens Committee to Complete the Refuge
Kira Od
Sunnyvale Resident, Artist and Naturalist