Winter-Spring 2009

A Publication For, and About, Santa Clara County Parks Volunteers “Volunteer Here!”

A Tribute to Trails The “Volunteer Spotlight” by Trail Crew Sr.– Greg Bringelson by Volunteer Coordinator– Heidi McFarland

On behalf of the Santa Clara County Parks Ron Horii has been a vol- Trails Program, I would like to wish each of you a happy unteer with Santa Clara and safe holiday season. We’ve had another great year out on the County Parks and Recreation for over trails. We’ve had many outstanding projects and I would like to thank 10 years now. Like Ansel Adams, the volunteers who help with maintaining and building trails. Thanks to Ron has an artistic passion for pho- our Trail Watch groups, our dedicated Adopt-A-Trail volunteers and our tography. He has been our champion Crew Leaders who continually amaze us with their passion for trails and volunteer photographer for many commitment of their time to keep our trail system safe and enjoyable years now. Ron has been known to for our visitors. literally run from one event to an- other across the County to capture the moments of a Wild- One project that highlighted our year was the 2008 Earth Day event at flower Walk, or a South Bay Fishing in the City event. Almaden Quicksilver’s New Almaden Trail in April. This was an ambi- He takes it upon himself as an artist to capture the hidden tious effort and a great collaborative project with our friends from the gems of the many beautiful destinations within our park Trail Center. We had over 44 volunteers complete ¾ of a mile of a system, which is a win-win for us both! After an event, he new trail to meet our new bridge location. Some thought we wouldn’t promptly burns CD’s, clearly labels them and sends them in get this done in a four hour timeframe, but not only did we get the re- the mail to us, at no cost. We have used his photos in our routed trail completed, we were also able to get the old trail alignment Healthy Trails Book, Parkhere.org website, as well as many removed. This event was a logistical challenge in many ways: a 45 of our newsletters and press releases. minute hike into a remote project site, limited parking near the trail head, shuttling volunteers and a minor search party to locate our be- In addition to his wonderful photography, Ron is also a very loved Kitty Monahan, who took right turn at the Webb Canyon junction active member of the Friends of Santa Teresa Park. He instead of a left!! Big thanks to Irene, Julia and Kitty for running the takes the minutes, provides a monthly power point to all shuttle, meeting, greeting and signing in volunteers at the Castillero the members, and maintains the websites for both the School, and another big thanks to Heidi for her tireless work behind the Friends of Santa Teresa, and the New Almaden Quicksilver scenes. County Park Association.

Our Uvas Canyon retaining wall/steps project Through our Volunteer Photo by Ron Horii on the Contour trail was another great experi- Docent Program and the ence with our Crew Leaders in July. We Outdoor Recreation Pro- camped over the weekend of July 12 & 13 and gram, Ron has taught we had a great time with great food, great several photography company and a very educational workshop on courses free to the pub- step building, retaining wall construction and lic. He also provides our crew leaders getting some exposure to photos for other non- trail rigging. We look forward to another outstanding year at Coyote profits that capture the trails in Santa Clara County, in- Lake Harvey Bear Ranch building several miles of new trail, which will cluding his own personal website which offers virtual tours include constructing a new bridge, many retaining walls and at least 2 of our parks, trails and natural beauty. step projects. For our crew leaders, we will be holding another trail Ron has also not only captured photos, but actively volun- rigging, rock retaining wall workshop at Uvas in August. We plan to have teers for trail day restoration projects and park cleanups as a weekend campout and I hope to see you there!! It’s hard to believe well. Ron is delighted with technology and brings the clas- it’s been 7 years since the inception of these programs. I can’t thank sical art form of photography together with modern tech- you enough for the time and dedication each of you give to our parks. nology to achieve a symbiotic relationship that everyone Happy Holidays and HAPPY TRAILS!!! benefits from. Its people like Ron Horii that conveys the important mes- sage of park preservation to not only the surrounding com- munity, but also the worldwide network. Thank you Ron, for all your incredible services!

Page 1 2009 SCHEDULED VOLUNTEER EVENTS & TRAININGS Date Day Time Event Location 1/3 Saturday 9am - 1pm Monthly Trail Day Savannah Trail - Coyote/Bear 1/17 Saturday 9am - 11am Vasona Beautification Day Vasona Park Office 1/24 Saturday 9am - 1pm Hellyer Beautification Day Hellyer - Cottonwood North East 2/7 Saturday 9am - 1pm Monthly Trail Day Savannah Trail - Coyote/Bear 2/8 Sunday 7am - 1pm South Bay Fishing in the City Sandy Wool Lake - Ed Levin Park 2/21 Saturday 9am - 11am Vasona Beautification Day Vasona Park Office 2/21-22 Sat & Sun 8am - 5pm Trail Watch Academy TBD (space is limited!) 2/28 Saturday 9am - 1pm Hellyer Beautification Day Hellyer - Cottonwood North East 3/7 Saturday 9am - 1pm Monthly Trail Day Mummy Mtn Trail - Coyote/Bear 3/15 Sunday 7am - 1pm South Bay Fishing in the City Los Gatos Creek Park 3/21 Saturday 9am - 11am Vasona Beautification Day Vasona Park Office 3/28 Saturday 9am - 1pm Cleanup Day Hellyer - Cottonwood North East 4/3 Friday 6pm - 9pm Volunteer Recognition Banquet TBD 4/18 Saturday 9am - 11am Earth Day Event Vasona Park Office 4/18 Saturday 9am - 1pm Earth Day/Trail Day Savannah Trail - Coyote/Bear 4/18 Saturday 9am - 1pm Earth Day Event Hellyer - Cottonwood North East 4/26 Sunday 7am - 1pm South Bay Fishing in the City Sandy Wool Lake - Ed Levin Park 5/2 Saturday 9am - 1pm Monthly Trail Day Coyote/Bear 5/16 Saturday 9am - 12noon National River Cleanup Day Sites posted at www.cleanacreek.org 5/16 Saturday 7am - 1pm South Bay Fishing in the City Lake Cunningham Park 5/30 Saturday 9am - 1pm Teasel Removal Santa Teresa Park - Pueblo Area 6/6 Saturday 9am - 1pm National Trail Day Coyote/Bear

6/20 Saturday 7am - 4pm Festival in the Park - Wellness & Fun! Hellyer Park

7/18-19 Sat & Sun 8am - 4pm www.V-O-CAL.org Trail Day Campout! Uvas Canyon - Waterfall Loop

Upcoming Training Opportunities Trail Watcher’s Column

The next Trail Watch Academy will be held February 21st & 22nd. Winter Trail Safety Tips: If you enjoy hiking in the county parks, and want to give back to • Travel with a companion - hike & travel in groups as much the department while you hike, check this program out! Trail as possible. Watch volunteers can go out on their own, or help out at any of our • Dress in layers - be weather wise! special events. Both days of the training run from 9am - 5pm, and • Check your equipment - inspect & make sure your equipment is in working order before trips. it includes CPR & 1st Aid. Be on the lookout for future dates in the • Learn Basic First Aid - be able to identify and treat injuries/illnesses. Fall. • Drink plenty of water - before a hike, drink water so you’re well hydrated and Interested in becoming a County Park Docent? We are looking for energized. Never drink your total supply between refills. some solid volunteers willing to commit time to both our Outdoor • Take frequent rests - or vary your pace to recover from strenuous activity. Recreation & Interpretive Programs. Staff could really use some • Pack Carbohydrates - granola/energy bars/fruit provide an instant pick-me-up on the trail. extra hands setting up and helping with school groups at Chitactac Adams, Almaden Quicksilver, the Jr. Ranger program, Healthy Equestrian Trail Watchers - Need a horse checked out? Trails hikes and Recreation programs. Fingerprinting would be re- Please contact Chere Barger at 683-2247 to schedule a date and time. All new quired and training would be provided. Right now we just want to horses need to be checked out. know if any of you are interested. No training dates have been announced yet. We Need More Bike Patrollers! If you are interested in patrolling on bike, or you know someone else that likes to ride in County Parks, PLEASE, send them Trail Crew Lead Training We are always looking for new Trail our way. We have a Trail Watch Academy at the end of February that still has Crew Leads to help out at our Monthly Trail Days in a leadership space available. role. We offer this training only once a year depending on the number of volunteers interested. If this interests you, please call Need CPR and/or 1st Aid Training refresher? Please call to get on the list so or email [email protected] for more details. we can offer a few dates when we have enough interest.

PLEASE CALL AND SCHEDULE FOR THESE! Page 2 Coastal Cleanup Day 2008 National River Cleanup Day ~ May 16th, 2009 By Volunteer Program Assistant: Julia Phan www.cleanacreek.org Coastal Cleanup Day is the highlight of the Califor- nia Coastal Commissions year round Adopt-A-Beach Join us for the annual National River program. On September 20th, 2008, volunteers Cleanup Day, which will be held Saturday, across the state of California were gathering at th May 16, 2009 from 9am to noon at over multiple sites within multiple counties for the 24 20 various creeks, reservoirs, and water- Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day. ways in Santa Clara County. Within Santa Clara County there were 26 cleanup sites in the following cities: Cupertino, Mountain View, Alviso, San Jose, Volunteering at this cleanup event helps to keep these natural parts Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto, Saratoga, Morgan Hill and Gilroy. The of our county beautiful for everyone to enjoy. These events also Santa Clara County Parks Department hosted five cleanup sites at local give volunteers an opportunity to meet new people, to get outside, parks: Vasona, Alviso Marina, Coyote Creek Hellyer, Stevens Creek Reser- and to volunteer in a stress-relieving, natural setting. voir and Chesbro Reservoir.

Despite the day being called Coastal Cleanup Day, past cleanup data shows Last year’s Coastal Cleanup Day brought 1,813 environmentally con- that between 60-80% of the debris on our beaches and shorelines comes scious residents from throughout the county. Together, they ex- from inland sources that travel through storm drains or creeks out to the tracted over beaches and ocean. 118, 983 pounds of trash and recyclables from local bodies of water, For the past five years, California Coastal Cleanup Day has shown steady preventing pollution into our bays. growth in both volunteer and debris totals, and our results for 2008 contin- ues this trend. With an increase of over 900 volunteers from 2007, Santa The event is organized by the Creek Con- Clara County brought out over 1,813 volunteers in 2008 to pick up nearly nections Action Group, a group that is 122,000lbs of trash and recyclables. comprised of several local government This year, Santa Clara County Parks was able to host our very first annual agencies, non-profit groups and environ- Volunteer Appreciation Party held immediately following the cleanup at mental organizations including the City Vasona Lake County Park. A huge thanks to our local Whole Foods Mar- of San José, Santa Clara County Parks ket stores (Los Gatos, Campbell, Cupertino and Los Altos) for providing and Recreation Department, Santa Clara such a wonderful spread of hot dogs, chips, smoothies, cookies, and other Valley Water District and Friends of San assorted snacks and refreshments for our volunteers. We appreciate your José. continued support!

Thank you to all the volunteers who made this possible! Let’s strive to continue the growth trend in volunteers and debris pickup for 2009! And a big Thank You to all our Corporate Sponsors: Whole Foods South Bay Fishing in the City Finds a NEW Market, Crystal Geyser, Peet’s Coffee & Tea, and Fairmont Hotels. Home at Ed Levin County Park!

“Be part of the solution to creek pollution!” Hellyer Park is no longer able to host our South Bay Fishing in the City Events due to a lawsuit with Department of Fish and Game which has placed restrictions on fish plants for many reservoirs across the state. We hope you will join us in our new home at the beautiful Sandy Wool Lake at Ed Levin County Park. The dates for this years events can be found on our calendar of events on page two. http://www.dfg.ca.gov/news/news08/08131.html

Don’t Forget to Submit All of Your 08’ Hours by Jan 31st!

This is important for quite a few reasons including: • Park staff will be aware of how you are helping in the park and what work is needed on a regular basis. • We'll be able to keep track of how much time is spent by volunteers on different projects/events. • All of the information compiled from tracking the hours is reported to the Board of Supervisors and Parks and Recreation Commission, and in turn can lead to further support of the Volunteer program. • And last but not least, recognition for your efforts! THANK YOU!

Page 3 Don’t forget to submit all your hours by Jan. 31st!

In this technologically advanced time, I would like to propose sending this COUNTY PARKS VOLUNTEER PROGRAM newsletter to you per email to save some Have Questions? $$$ as well as some trees! Call: (408) 355-2254 or Please provide me with your preferred Email us: [email protected] email address if you would rather have Visit: www.parkhere.org this newsletter sent to you by email in-

stead of by snail mail. Thanks! PARKS VOLUNTEER PROGRAM MANAGER Gloria Gill (408) 355-2275

PARKS VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR Heidi McFarland (408) 355-2299

VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR ASSISTANTS The “County Parks Volunteer” is Irene Tsobanakis & Julia Phan (408) 355-2278 published bi-annually.

Contributions by volunteers, VOLUNTEER COORDINATING COUNCIL staff, and friends are welcome! Garnetta Annable, Chere Bargar, Mike Boulland, Steven Crockett, Please contact us Mike Flaugher, Janice Frazier, Donna Gillette, Woody Collins, Sam Drake, for more information if needed! Bruce Newhall, Steve Schmidt, Kitty Monahan, Jack Wilson

County of Santa Clara Department of Parks & Recreation County Parks Volunteer Program 298 Garden Hill Drive Los Gatos, CA 95032

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED