The open space agency that manages thousands of acres along San Mateo County's ridgeline has landed nearly $2 million in new grant funding to clear vegetation that fuels wildfires and to protect endangered species habitat.

The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District announced the grants July 25, with the largest chunk, $741,450 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, going toward vegetation management on 167 acres of land where open space meets homes. Three San Mateo County preserves are included: Russian Ridge, Windy Hill, and Skyline Ridge.

The FEMA money covers half the cost of the project. The work adds to Midpen's existing wildfire prevention efforts, which include prescribed burns and fuel breaks.

"Creating a buffer, making sure that that area is cleared out of excess vegetation, is super critical to being able to protect communities and making sure that we are managing the land in a way that facilitates wildfire response," Midpen Public Affairs Specialist Ryan McCauley told the San Mateo Daily Journal.

The district also received a $750,000 grant for a wildlife crossing over Highway 17 in Santa Clara County, south of downtown Los Gatos. That project is in the design phase, and construction could begin in summer 2027 if it receives full funding. The crossing would give mountain lions, deer, and other animals access to an additional 30,000 acres of open space and close a gap in the Bay Area Ridge Trail for hikers. Certain California mountain lion populations have been listed as endangered because highways block them from spreading genetic diversity.

A third grant, $500,000 from the Santa Clara Valley Water District, will fund habitat management for the Santa Cruz kangaroo rat, a critically imperiled species rediscovered on Midpen preserves. The money will improve the chaparral plant community the animals rely on for burrowing. The Midpen Board of Directors authorized the grant application at its April 22 meeting.

Land Stewardship and Trails Manager Michael Gorman briefed the board on the wildfire resiliency program at its Wednesday, April 8 meeting, according to board records.

The total grant package comes to approximately $1.98 million.

Midpen's board meets on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at 7 p.m. at 5050 El Camino Real in Los Altos. Residents can submit comments at openspace.org or by calling (650) 691-1200.