Friends of Santa Teresa Park Zoom Meeting, 4/6/23

 

    • Attendees: Mike Boulland, Sam Drake, Joan Murphy, Steve Crockett, Ron Horii. 
    • This was an online Zoom videoconference meeting. Mike sent out a meeting link for this Zoom meeting.
    • Beautify San Jose Grants have been delayed due to Ken Podgorsek's death. We don't know when or if we're going to get our Cycle 5 grant. The City is reviewing the process.  However, our final report for the Cycle 4 grant was approved.
    • The T-shirts came in: 28 in various sizes, plus 2 rejects.
    • We had a work day on 3/3/23 (see below). 
    • Our next workday will be on 4/7/23 at the Bernal Ranch. 20 people from Apple are coming to help.
    • After that, our next workday will be on May 5.
    • We will take a field trip on 6/24 to Black Diamond Mines. Jaclyn Caldwell, who was an interpreter at the Casa Grande, will give the tour for up to 30 people.
    • We have $1348 in the bank. There's no change. We're not spending any money until we get our grant.
    • Don Rocha is not retiring.
    • The Volunteer Recognition event is on 4/15 at Hellyer's Buena Vista Group Picnic Site from 12 pm to 3 pm. We hope we're mentioned during the award ceremony. We should ask for volunteers to help us.
    • The planning process will be starting for the Rancho San Vicente to Santa Teresa connection through the newly-acquired property along Fortini Road. The trick will be providing a safe crossing of McKean Road, especially for horses. There can be a signal, a bridge, or a tunnel.
    • The Naming Committee met at the County Building downtown. They voted on renaming the Yellow Kid Trail in Almaden Quicksilver after Kitty Monahan. They were going to rename the trail anyway. It would have been more complicated to rename another trail, like the Catherine Tunnel Trail. They voted on calling the new trail at Santa Teresa the Gulnac Trail. Tere Johnson was part of the committee. There was no public comment period. Mike and Dorene were there. Park Commissioner Ann Waltonsmith was concerned about having a trail named after the Muwekma tribe. Maybe that can be the name for the new trail from Rancho San Vicente to Santa Teresa.
    • We could ask for donations on Facebook. However, we are a 501c4, not a 501c3, so donations are not tax-deductible. It costs $400 to apply for tax-deductible status. Sam has done it twice to get 501c3 status. We could modify the Umunhum Conservancy 501c3 application. However, we may not be covered by the UNSCC insurance if we are a 501c3.
    • Our UNSCC membership and insurance runs out in June. If we never meet in person, do we still need the meeting insurance. Zoom costs $200 per year. Mike is paying for it, as well as the website. If we get our grant, it will reimburse him.
    • We re-elected our officers: Mike is President. Steve is Treasurer and Vice-President. Ron is Secretary.
    • The Casa Grande is supposed to reopen in June.
    • The County Parks is updating the Countywide Trail Master Plan and is soliciting input.
    • Ron showed a slideshow:
      • 3/3/23: Work day at the Bernal Ranch. Mike, Joan, Youngmee, Greg, and Ron showed up, along with 3 volunteers recruited by the Volunteer Office. One was Steve Cassidy, who has been planting trees and doing weeding in the Pueblo Area. Another lady was passing by and stopped to help us after signing in. We cleared weeds from the garden boxes, pulled oxalis from around the valley oak tree, pulled grass from around the garden boxes, and cleared the drain above retaining wall. We put up our 2 new banners.
      • 3/4/23: There were firefighter students training in the Pueblo Area. They had hoses and were spraying water, but not putting out fires. 
      • 3/8/23: The Stile Ranch Trail was open, but for hiking only. Up to its first high point, the trail wasn't muddy. Wildflowers weren't at their peak, but they were starting to bloom.
      • 3/23/23: Hike to the Boundary Trail: Trees had fallen on and near the Coyote Peak Trail. One fell across the trail and was cut up. A creek was flowing next to the Coyote Peak Trail and the Ridge Trail. There were carpets of poppies and goldfields on Tulare Hill. Laguna Seca was full.
      • 3/31/23: The Stile Ranch Trail was still open for hiking only. More wildflowers were blooming.
      • 4/6/23: Signs were up on the Joice Trail about PG&E's trail construction, but they hadn't started yet. The Joice Trail was deeply eroded above the Norred Trail junction. The Norred Trail was very muddy at the start and by the upper barn.
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       Created 4/20/23 by Ronald Horii, secretary of the Friends of Santa Teresa Park
    Funding provided by a Beautify San Jose Grant