Coyote Valley Open Space concerned about funding for accessible trail project amid federal cuts

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- The budget upheaval in Washington is triggering concern among environmental planners here in the Bay Area.

One example includes a stunning stretch of open space in the South Bay and efforts to help people with disabilities enjoy it.

Craig and Kathy Sutherland both love exploring the Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve near San Jose. But, sometimes just getting on the trail can be an adventure.

"I can do it now, but I don't know if I'm going to be able to do it in five years, because I'm going to be older," said Kathy as she strained to push Craig's wheelchair up a rise at the trailhead.

We followed Craig and Kathy along the Valley's main trail, which is scheduled for a major upgrade that would widen and stabilize the path to make it easier for disabled visitors. General Manager Andrea Mackenzie is hopeful the project will move forward on schedule. But, she's also concerned about the Trump administration's cutbacks on federal funding that is affecting climate projects nationwide. Coyote Valley is slated to receive roughly $800,000, more than half the project's price tag.

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"And now there's uncertainty about whether that funding is going to come through. We just returned from Washington D.C. trying to get some answers. Folks back in D.C. are telling us they're confident that the funds are going to come through. But we just don't know. There is so much uncertainty happening right now around all kinds of publicly funded projects," Mackenzie said.

The concerns are echoed across the country, as the administration takes aim at environmental spending, and the package known as the Green New Deal. Managers at Coyote Valley say they've already begun spending local funds on the trail project and are completing the final design, budgeting in the federal contribution to finish it.

"That's how we plan. The way the federal funding works. It's on a reimbursement basis. So, it's really a leap of faith, that you are counting on those funds to come," Mackenzie explains.

For the Sutherlands, it's been a journey of both faith and determination. Kathy recently joined the board of the Open Space Authority after spending more than a decade on the citizens' advisory committee, working on issues including equity and access. Craig is battling the effects of multiple sclerosis and has been confined to a wheelchair for the past several years. He says a personal goal is to be able to safely reach the trails on his own.

"It would be the world. Yeah, because I'm using a chair now that I have to be pushed in. I have a travel chair that's a power chair, but if there's any slope in the in the landing, I'm heading downhill. I can't stop it," he said.

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Construction Manager Lucas Shellhammer says the improvements will open up access for at least a quarter mile of the trail, and he believes it's a core mission of the open space.

"Absolutely. This is what we do to make this place welcoming this preserve and this landscape, welcoming to everyone in our community. And so, it's foundational to what we do to bring everyone out here and experience these places," Shellhammer said.

It's an experience Craig and Kathy Sutherland already treasure.

"Because there is a spiritual aspect or a grounding feeling that I get when I'm out on trails or near trees. I was just telling Kathy about that particular tree and how much I love the way that looks," Craig said pointing to a tall twisted trunk. "And that's to me, one of the greatest views you can get."

If the funding comes through as planned, managers at Coyote Valley hope to break ground on the upgrades as soon as next year.