Founded in 1972 by voter initiative, the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District preserves and manages a regional greenbelt system in the San Francisco Bay Area, that includes parts of San Mateo and Santa Clara counties and a small portion of Santa Cruz county. It is one of California’s largest urban regional open space districts with nearly 65,000 acres, 26 preserves and more than 225 miles of trails. Midpen protects over 70 rare native species and critical habitats like waterways and redwood forests. Over 2 million visits are made annually to its regional preserves. Of Midpen's 26 preserves, 24 are open to the public free of charge, 365 days a year from dawn until one-half hour after sunset. Midpen's mission is to acquire and preserve a regional greenbelt of open space and agricultural land of regional significance in perpetuity, protect and restore the natural environment and provide opportunities for ecologically-sensitive public enjoyment and education. ------------------------------------------- Midpen is a single-purpose, independent special district. This site is intended as a limited public forum for information sharing between Midpen and the public. Comments posted to this page will be monitored during regular business hours. We reserve the right to restrict or remove inappropriate comments including those that have obscene language or sexual content, threaten or defame any person or organization, violate intellectual property rights or the legal ownership interest of another party, support or oppose political candidates or ballot propositions, encourage illegal activity, promote commercial services or products or are not topically related to the particular posting.