MidPen highlights wildfire resilience, trail access and a proposed Highway 17 wildlife undercrossing

Zoe Christine Tucker, president of the MidPeninsula Regional Open Space District board, presented a broad update on the district’s preserves, programs and local projects to the San Carlos City Council.

Tucker outlined MidPen’s scope and metrics — including nearly 7,400 acres of redwood forests, extensive trail mileage and a reported 2.7 million visitors to preserves in 2022 — and highlighted recent local work, including a new Poulgas Ridge trailhead established with San Carlos parks staff. "MidPen's mission can be summarized with five words: preserve, protect, restore, educate, and enjoy," Tucker said, noting MidPen’s volunteer force and programming. She described ADA accessibility upgrades, a conservation career fair that drew more than 800 attendees, and a robust docent naturalist program.

Tucker emphasized the district’s wildland fire resiliency program, including prescribed‑burn planning carried out with Cal Fire and other agencies, and noted rangers’ training and firefighting equipment. She also described a proposed wildlife undercrossing on Highway 17 coupled with directional fencing, escape ramps and other measures to reduce wildlife‑vehicle collisions and to reconnect more than 30,000 acres of protected habitat. "We are really happy to say that we had our fingers crossed that we will be breaking ground on this important project in 2027," Tucker said.

She raised MidPen’s concern about second‑generation anticoagulant rodenticides, explaining these toxins accumulate in predators and threaten owls, coyotes and mountain lions; MidPen said it is pursuing community education and legislative efforts to reduce use near preserves. Council members thanked MidPen for recent collaboration on local trail access and accessibility improvements and asked about potential wildlife crossing work elsewhere in the region.