PRC AGENDA: 02-07-18 ITEM: VII. D.

TO: PARKS AND RECREATION FROM: Mike Will COMMISSION

SUBJECT: PARK RANGER REPORT DATE: February 7, 2018

Approved Date

COUNCIL DISTRICT: Citywide

RECOMMENDATION

It is recommended that the Parks and Recreation Commission (PRC) accept the Park Ranger Report.

OUTCOME

The PRC will be updated on the current status of the Park Ranger Program.

BACKGROUND

On February 1, 2017, the Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services (PRNS) provided the PRC with a report on the Park Ranger Program. Staff presented information on the deployment of existing staff, hiring status, and emerging trends to protect and preserve the City’s park lands, watersheds, and open spaces. PRNS outlined the status of the of the Watershed Protection Team, who enforce no trespassing, no camping, and environmental protection laws along the Guadalupe River and Coyote Creek Watersheds, including the portions of the Los Gatos Creek adjacent to the Los Gatos Creek Trail. The Watershed Protection Team is a partnership with Santa Clara Valley Water District (District) and the City of San José’s departments of Housing, Environmental Services, and PRNS. PRNS provides the funding for two full time park rangers and the District funds two full time park rangers on a five year, renewable contract. Today’s report will provide the PRC with an update on status of the Park Ranger Program, Watershed Protection Team, volunteer support, and the current reorganization of the Park Ranger Program, to include concepts for a new City-wide deployment plan.

PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION 2-7-2018 Subject: Park Ranger Report Page 2

WATERSHED PROTECTION TEAM

The Watershed Protection Team has been actively patrolling their assigned watersheds and working with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Santa Clara Valley Water District, the San José Conservation Corp, the Department of Housing, and with volunteers from the South Bay Clean Creeks Coalition to reduce the presence of unlawful encampments, remove encampment debris and illegal dumps, and enforce resource protection laws along the City’s streams. The team continues to maintain a strong working relationship with the City Attorney’s Office and the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office of Environmental Enforcement. Rangers work closely with a dedicated City Attorney to prosecute chronic municipal code violators, and the City Attorney also serves as the Department’s liaison to the District Attorney’s Office for the prosecution of more serious crimes. The chart below provides an overview of the Watershed Protection Team’s activities:

January 2017-December 2017 Guadalupe Coyote Los Others Totals Gatos Encampment Deterrence 57 144 51 10 262 Patrols Violation Warnings 137 355 106 11 609 Citations 3 87 15 0 105 Arrests 0 24 2 0 26 Est. Volume of Trash 68 417.08 42.61 2 529.69 (cubic yards) Ranger Labor Hours 170.50 501.53 144.75 10 826.76

Park rangers assigned to have also been supporting the Watershed Team’s efforts with additional clean-ups along Coyote Creek from Story Road to Phelan Ave. During the majority of 2017, two of the four ranger positions assigned to the Watershed Protection Team were vacant. One of those two vacant ranger positons was filled at the end of 2017. That ranger completed the law enforcement academy in December, is currently in the Field Training Program, and is scheduled to be a fully functioning park ranger by March 2018. Staff is in the process of hiring the fourth Watershed Protection park ranger in 2018. With the full contingent of Watershed Protection park rangers, staff anticipates a higher level of Watershed Protection program activity.

VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES

Park rangers continue to work closely with a number of volunteer, community, and educational institutions to make park and resource improvements within our parks and open spaces. Improvements include trail work at , the removal of 24 tons of trash from the Coyote Creek, and providing interpretive and docent services in Kelley Park and the Japanese Friendship Gardens. Volunteers have also built and donated benches and fencing in a number of regional and neighborhood parks. One of the more unique volunteer projects occurred at Alum Rock Park, where following the Lariat Fire, the hearth and foundations of an old structure were exposed. Rangers contacted West Valley College, and a dedicated group of park management PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION 2-7-2018 Subject: Park Ranger Report Page 3 and archeology students, both current and former, began a survey and “dig” at the site to try and discover who lived in the structure and when. Under the direction of the Andrew Kindon PhD, Department Chair of Anthropology and Geography for West Valley College, students conducted historic research, mapped the area, and recovered artifacts, curating and inventorying them as collected, to be returned to the park for future interpretive use.

Park Number of Vol. Number of Hours Value* Almaden Lake Park 59 309 $8,525.00 Alum Rock Park 250 2500 $68,975.00 43 814 $22,458.00 Kelley Park 58 537 $14,816.00 228 2625 $72,424.00 Watershed Protection 1721 6011** $165,843.00 TOTALS 2359 12,795 $353,041.00

*Value is calculated at $27.59 per hour by the Independent Sector, a national non-profit policy and advocacy organization for volunteer activities.

** Includes volunteer activity related to flood clean-up activities by Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful and Downtown Core projects.

PARK RANGER REORGANIZATION

In August of 2017, the City Council approved a new park ranger series and a salary schedule to provide park rangers with a defined career ladder, and to address key issues in the department’s challenges in recruiting and retention. Prior to August 2017, the program had 17 full time park rangers and one senior park ranger. The new series includes 13 full time peace officer park rangers, 4 senior park rangers, and 2 supervising park rangers, providing San José Park Rangers with a defined career ladder. With the new series, PRNS continues to be funded for 19 full time peace officer park rangers. Seventeen (17) of the full time positions are supported by the general fund and two positions are funded by the Santa Clara Valley Water District, assigned to the Watershed Protection Team. In addition, the department funds three 0.75 full time equivalent (FTE) benefited positons and has 3.54 FTEs for un-benefited, part time, non-sworn park rangers.

In 2018, PRNS will be modifying current deployment assignments to move toward a City-wide patrol district model. This pilot model will use a centrally dispatched system, managed by the new supervisory staff, to deploy rangers where they are needed throughout the City. This differs from the current fixed post system, in that the rangers will no longer be assigned to a specific regional park. With a patrol district model, and current staffing levels, park rangers will not be responding to all calls for service, and will continue to need police officer support. To better support this new deployment model, PRNS will be aggressively working to fill the six vacancies created in part by the promotion of four internal ranger candidates to Senior Park Ranger, as well as the newly created Supervising Park Ranger position. Staff anticipates that these positons will be filled in 2018.

PARK RANGER PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS AND HONORS

2017 was a particularly active year for the Park Ranger Program, particularly in the public safety service area. PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION 2-7-2018 Subject: Park Ranger Report Page 4

Park rangers responded to 14 missing person calls, with three major search events including:

o A missing disabled adult from Kelley Park o An at risk, run away youth at Alum Rock Park o A missing senior with dementia from Almaden Lake Park

All of these events had successful outcomes with the missing person being located unharmed.

During the winter floods, park rangers traveled areas of the Coyote Creek and Guadalupe River, known for encampment activity, to warn occupants to move to high ground ahead of the flood waters. Occupants were directed to emergency shelters established by the Housing Department. Park rangers, along with other PRNS staff, responded to assist the San José Fire Department in evacuating mobile home parks in north San José. Rangers also conducted evacuations and traffic control in the heavily flood impacted Rock Springs neighborhood.

Prior to the flood waters spilling over the banks of the Coyote Creek at Kelley Park, rangers and PRNS staff worked together to move as many Koi as possible, from the flood area, to the upper pond for safety. Rangers and staff also worked on protecting park infrastructure through sandbagging to try and minimize flood damage.

Park rangers from Alum Rock Park and the Watershed Protection Team also responded to the Lariat Fire, assisting in the evacuation of residents from the fire area and the residents who live east of the park.

Park rangers responded to a report of an 81-year-old male who suffered a stroke and fell from the edge of the North Rim Trail in Alum Rock Park. To provide emergency medical care, rangers used ropes to access the patient who’s fall had been stopped by a tree located on the steep hillside. Rangers worked with the San José Fire Department to bring the patient back up to the trail and extricated him to the parking lot for transport to a local stroke center for treatment.

Park Ranger Mike Peasland received a commendation from the San José City Council for his heroic actions during a structure fire adjacent to Alum Rock Park. Arriving before the San José Fire Department, Ranger Peasland was told by neighbors that there might be an elderly woman in the burning home. Ranger Peasland entered the home to search for the occupant, successfully rescuing the two family dogs, and continued his search until relieved by the Fire Department. Fortunately, the occupant was away for the afternoon.

Across the Department, park rangers responded to 139 medical events, 14 wildland fires, and 14 missing person and rescue events. Park rangers also provided 16 interpretive programs to 811 participants, and developed a new self-paced Junior Ranger Program for Alum Rock Park. Alum Rock Park rangers also partnered with the Youth Science Institute for the Annual Wildlife Festival, with an estimated attendance of 1100 visitors.

PARK RANGER PROGRAM 2018 WORK PLAN

In addition to continuing to recruit and hire for the vacant park ranger positions, major tasks for the 2018 Park Ranger Program work plan include: PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION 2-7-2018 Subject: Park Ranger Report Page 5

Implement Ranger Centralized Deployment Plan:

With the addition of the four senior park rangers and second supervising park ranger rangers will begin a new City-wide deployment model, replacing the fixed post assignments tied to the regional parks. This will allow for a more fluid response to more areas of the City requiring ranger services.

Completion of the Park Ranger Duty Manual: The existing manual was created in the 1980’s, and was last updated in the mid 1990’s. The Department has contracted with a recognized risk management firm to develop a modern and comprehensive manual for the program. The City Attorney’s Office review is complete, and the manual should be rolled out to the staff in the spring.

Updating Regional Park Operations Manuals: Each of the Departments regional parks is unique, with special operational needs. The information needed to operate the regional parks, and to trouble shoot emergency issues, is contained in an operations manual for new employees to study and to be used as a reference guide for existing employees. The goal is to have all the regional park operations manuals updated and issued by July 2018, with current and validated information.

Resource Protection: Rangers will continue provide Watershed Protection services in collaboration with the Santa Clara Valley Water District and the Housing Department, with the end result of cleaner creeks. Rangers will also work with South Bay Clean Creeks and the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy to help protect and improve our creeks and natural areas.

Volunteer Support: Volunteers are an integral part of our park system, and the rangers will play an important role in supporting volunteers and their projects throughout the City. Working with PRNS’s Volunteer Management Unit, rangers will support scouts, volunteers, and staff to support maintenance activities in our parks.

/s/ Mike Will Division Manager, Parks Recreation and Neighborhood Services

For questions please contact Justin Long, Deputy Director, at (408) 793-5579 PRC AGENDA: 02/07/18 ITEM: VII. D.

PARK RANGER PROGRAM City of San José Parks and Recreation Commission February 2018 PRC AGENDA: 02/07/18 ITEM: VII. D. Park Ranger Program

Mission Statement The mission of the Park Ranger Program is to provide a safe, enjoyable park experience by protecting and educating the public; by providing recreational opportunities; and by protecting, preserving, and enhancing the natural and cultural resources of the City's parks, trails and open spaces. PRC AGENDA: 02/07/18 ITEM: VII. D. Park Ranger Program

2017 Volunteer Activities: • Eagle Scout Projects • Creek Clean–ups • Docent Programs • Fire Restoration • Trail Days • Archeological Research and Preservation PRC AGENDA: 02/07/18 ITEM: VII. D. Park Ranger Program

• Park Ranger Flood Response • Kelley Park and Japanese • Friendship Garden • South Bay Mobile Home Park Evacuation • Alum Rock Park Flood Damage PRC AGENDA: 02/07/18 ITEM: VII. D. Park Ranger Program

Lariat Fire – Alum Rock Park July 11, 2017 PRC AGENDA: 02/07/18 ITEM: VII. D. Park Ranger Program

Lariat Fire – Alum Rock Park North Rim Trail PRC AGENDA: 02/07/18 ITEM: VII. D. Park Ranger Program

Watershed Protection JanuaryTeam 2017-December 2017 Guadalupe Coyote Los Others Totals Gatos

Encampment Deterrence 57 144 51 10 262 Patrols

Violation Warnings 137 355 106 11 609

Citations 3 87 15 0 105

Arrests 0 24 2 0 26

Est. Volume of Trash 68 417.08 42.61 2 529.69 (cubic yards)

Total Creek Patrol Hours 170.50 501.53 144.75 10 826.76 PRC AGENDA: 02/07/18 ITEM: VII. D. Park Ranger Program

Search and Rescue Events: • Kelley Park – Missing Disabled Adult • Alum Rock Park – Elderly Stroke Patient over an Embankment • Almaden Lake Park – Missing Dementia Patient • Alum Rock Park – Missing At Risk Teen PRC AGENDA: 02/07/18 ITEM: VII. D. Park Ranger Program

Interpretive Programs • Self Guided Junior Ranger Program • Kelley Park Night Creek Walk • Alum Rock Park Holiday Campfire • Alum Rock Park Night Photography PRC AGENDA: 02/07/18 ITEM: VII. D. Park Ranger Program

Appointment of New Senior Park Rangers • Jane Lawson • William Steen • Huy Mac • Mathew Mendriski