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- Attendees:
Mike Boulland, Greg Koopman (remote from Hawaii), Joan Murphy, Steve Crockett, Woody Collins, Ron
Horii.
- This
was an online Zoom videoconference meeting. Mike sent out a meeting link for this Zoom meeting. Here's the agenda for today's meeting.
- We'll defer board elections to next month. We'll have nominations for the board.
- We need a date for Mike Cox's mercury mines presentation. Maybe July. It will be in the golf course banquet hall.
- Kitty was in the hospital. She's back home now.
- We got tentative approval from Carolyn Schmandle for National Night Out.
- Greg
got a note from the city engineer about the curb and crosswalk issue at
the end of the new trail by Bernal School: "Before we can install a
crosswalk at the area mentioned, there needs to be curb ramps for
accessibility reasons. We have coordinated this with the ADA Curb Ramp
Program. They currently have placed the southeast and southwest corner
of Curie Dr and San Ignacio Av on their list of ramps to be built this
year. The estimated timeline is set to this summer. Once the curb ramp
is installed, our team will issue the work order to install a
crosswalk. The eventual crosswalk will span across San Ignacio Av, from
the trail exit to the school." They didn't mention the other end of the
trail.
- Ron showed pictures of our March 4 work day. We whacked
weeds under the farm equipment, pulled weeds around the garden boxes,
and removed blackberry vines from a ceanothus bush by walkway between
the barn and the streets. At the same time, Jason Bombardier, Rob
McDonnell, Katrina Semene, and 2 volunteers cleaned out the
chicken coop. One of those volunteers helped us with the weeding. The
parks department will be looking for volunteers to care for the
chickens and garden boxes.
- We did not have a work day on April
1 due to schedule conflicts, but Jason Bombardier, who is working in
Maintenance at the Bernal Ranch, is organizing an Earth Day work day
event at the Bernal Ranch on Sunday, April 24 from 9-12. He said, "I would like to get some weeding
done in the garden area around the house, on and along the fencelines
and DG pathways, and maybe spread some new wood chips in the seating
areas." Sign up through Samaritan.
- Our next First Friday work day will be on May 6 from 9-12.
- Ron
showed pictures of the mortarstones near the golf course and Bernal Road that have inscriptions by the
Bernals carved into them. There's supposedly a figure of an Indian and
soldier on them.
- On March 13, Katrina led a "Family Twilight
Oaks Stroll," starting at the Bernal Ranch, to Santa Teresa Spring, and
ending at the Bear Tree. She talked about oak trees and wildlife that
depend on them, while looking at the oaks in the park.
- Ron's
slideshow also showed: the big fire in Campbell visible from the Joice
Trail; firefighter training in the Pueblo Area; wildflowers along
the Mine, Fortini, Stile Ranch, Joice, and Bernal Hill trails; and
conditions at the Bernal Ranch.
- Work
that needs to be done at
the Bernal Ranch: protect and refurbish the bean sprayer, refinish the
cabinets in the yard, re-paint the benches, replace the dead plum tree,
maybe in a different location. We need to inventory the tools in our
toolshed and paint the inside.
- The
County Supervisors approved the $8.5 million purchase of the 47-acre
property along Fortini Road between Rancho San Vicente and the Stile
Ranch entrance. It was sold by a developer who had planned to build
houses on the property. The purchase was funded through the County's
Park Charter Fund. It will allow a trail to be built between the two
parks. There will be a planning process, which will include public
input. We'll certainly be involved witih that. One thing that's needed is more room for parking by the Stile
Ranch Trailhead. The current lot often fills up. Parking on side
streets is illegal.
- We turned in our annual work plan. Julie Lee in the Volunteer Office is reviewing it.
- The
Volunteer Recognition Picnic is on 4/23 at Hellyer from 12-3.
Volunteers who have enough hours, recorded in the Samaritan system,
should have received an invitation. They need to
RSVP by April 14 if they want to go.
- There are new hours for the Bernal Ranch: Friday 11-4, Sat-Sun 11-5. Rob McDonnell and Katrina Semene will be there.
- The
interpreters are talking about doing a La Fuente event on Saturday July
30 from 4-7. That is only 3 days before our National Night Out on
Tuesday August 2. It will be too much work for us to do both. This year
is also the 20th anniversary of the Bernal Ranch, which had its opening
ceremony on 6/29/02. We need to work with the parks department to see
if we can combine these events into one. Mike wants to get more input for the time capsule.
- We'll need to prepare
a newsletter for La Fuente if we're going to participate in it. We
would need to do that anyway for NNO, so it's not much different. We
need to start working on it in July.
- Treasurer's report. We have $2049.60 in the bank. We got $1500 from the Beautify San Jose Grant.
- If we pay $25 to the New Almaden Community Club for an annual
membership, that allows us to use it as our official address. NAQCPA is
doing that also. Some government filings require a real address, not a
post office box. That address becomes a public record, so we don't want
to use someone's home as an address.
- Rob has an event on 4/22
from 5-6: "Walk In The Woods Field Notes In Nature: Join Park
Interpreter Rob in the Santa Teresa County Park grasslands and oak
woodlands for an Earth Day late afternoon nature walk where you can
learn some techniques for field notes, drawing, and nature
journaling."
- Katrina has an event on 4/23 from 6-7:
"Family Twilight Oaks Stroll: Take a walk in the early-evening light
and explore the wonderful oak woodlands along the new trail at historic
Bernal Ranch. Learn about the value of this protected habitat and look
for signs of native wildlife as the daylight fades toward darkness."
- Usually,
we lead a hike in May before Mother's Day, which is May 8 this year.
Mike can't do it on May 7. We can do it on May 14. We'll check with the
parks department and see if they'll let us do it as a park event. Mike
and Ron will lead. Steve can help. We'll need a flyer to pass out to
visitors. We can use the event to recruit more members.
- May 21
is the Santa Clara County Preservation Alliance's Award Night at Kelley
Park, "honoring individuals and organizations who have made significant
historical and cultural preservation contributions throughout Santa
Clara County." Kitty will be honored at that event. Tickets are $15.
- We need a permanent sign on the map board to advertise our organization and recruit more members. We need a design for it.
- We
need to recruit more members. We need to get a business card. We
started a design, but stopped because of issues of what to put for
contact information.
- Jeremy
Farr, park planner, is asking for more information about the unused
power poles on the Rocky Ridge Trail. Greg can provide that. Greg can
also tell him about the fallen telephone wires at the Bear Tree Lot,
going to the Pedro Bernal/Bonetti House.
- On 4/3/22, there was a
dedication ceremony on Mt. Umunhum. Mid-Pen recognized the Umunhum
Conservancy's $100K dontation towards preserving the radar tower. The
tower has been newly repaired and preserved, and its perimeter is
now accessible to the public.
- Some of us are joining a hike
organized by the California Native Plant Society on Saturday April 16,
from 9-12 at Little Uvas Creek Preserve, which is an Open Space
Authority property that's not usually open to the public. The hike
is by reservation only, and it's already full. You can sign up on the
waiting list.
- Ron said that the Open Space Authority will have open access days this weekend at Diablo Foothills Preserve. .
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