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Chris Horii at Trail Day with the FOSTP sign

Friends of Santa Teresa Park

The Friends of Santa Teresa Park is a volunteer organization based in San Jose whose purpose is to support Santa Teresa County Park. The president is Mike Boulland. Meetings are normally held the first Thursday of each month at 7:00 pm in the upper clubhouse at the Santa Teresa Golf Course. Check for schedule changes below. The public is invited. Typical meeting topics include park news, history, trail conditions, community issues, volunteer opportunities, and future plans. 

We will not have a general meeting in January. We will be having a potluck dinner at Mike Boulland's house. Contact Mike for details.

You are invited to our next general meeting, on Thursday March 1, 2012 at 7:00 pm.  It will be held at the Santa Teresa Golf Club upper clubhouse/banquet room at 260 Bernal Road, San Jose. Everyone is invited. Contact your neighbors and friends for new members. We are always looking for help in making Santa Teresa Park a better and safer place for our community. 

Minutes from past meetings are available below. See the meeting minutes for park news and upcoming events.

 See you Thursday night,
 Mike Boulland

For more information on the Friends of Santa Teresa Park, contact Mike Boulland.
See and join our Yahoo Group.



Mike Boulland greeting ranger on Stile Ranch Trail

Greetings from Mike Boulland:

The Friends of Santa Teresa Park welcome you and your family to our web page. We welcome you to participate in our service activities to make Santa Teresa Park a gem in the Santa Clara County Park system. Please use this web page to find out about our various activities. 

We invite you to explore and walk in the evening after work along the foothill trails to visit some of the most scenic sites in the entire Santa Clara Valley. Hopefully, you will visit our majestic waterfall trail and eat a snack at its base. Included, in our invitation is a walk to the upper meadows. We encourage you to sit in the shade of the Pueblo area and enjoy watching the various wildlife animals graze on the wild vegetation. Those of you who like views may take an enjoyable hike up Coyote Peak to get a vista view of the whole county. The trail’s scenic views can stretch the boundaries of your eye from San Mateo to Morgan Hill. 

We encourage you to use our web site to help you and your family gain information about our activities and events. We are a growing organization, whose members are dedicated to improving Santa Teresa County Park’s resources for the public to enjoy. 

Join us on our trail building day events, historical adventures, docent activities and other park service projects. We welcome all the volunteers we can muster. In the future we will need lots of volunteers to help us establish a docent program for the Joice-Bernal Museum site. 

Our organization is recognized with the County of Santa Clara Volunteer program and we can offer you and your family an opportunity to volunteer for fun service and be rewarded with a free County Parks parking pass. 

We meet monthly on the first Thursday night at 7:00 in the upper Santa Teresa Golf Course Clubhouse. 

Mike Boulland 
President of Friends of Santa Teresa Park 


News
  • Councilmember Ash Kalra's District 2 newsletter for March 2011 has a picture on page 3 taken by Ron Horii from the Ridge Trail in Santa Teresa Park, showing a rainbow over the Santa Teresa Golf Course.
  • We participated in the Santa Teresa Library Anniversary on Feb. 5, 2011. We had a table, where we displayed artifacts, models, and passed out literature. Mike Boulland read stories to the kids. Ron Horii showed a slideshow on Santa Teresa Park (56 MB), Sam Drake had a display and gave a slideshow and demo on geocaching.
  • We gave a presentation and crafts activity on Santa Teresa wildflowers at the Santa Teresa Library on 4/30/11.
  • We are working on a design for an interpretive plaque on Coyote Peak. Here is a picture of a mock-up design for the plaque.
  • We have applied for Cycle 25 of the City of San Jose's CAP Grant. Here is a copy of our application. We have been awarded a CAP Grant for 2011-2012 of $500, which is half of what we asked for. Our application was initially denied, but after writing a letter of appeal and making a presentation, we received funding for everything except for Fandango Entertainment.
  • Ron Horii made a slideshow on Santa Teresa Park, the Albertson Parkway, and views from La Colina Park.
  • We helped out at Festival in the Park at Hellyer County Park on Saturday June 25. It ran from 11 am to 4 pm. There were booths for County Parks volunteers and Friends groups. We provided our latest newsletter and other information. Our members helped out in various places at the Festival. Here is a web page on the festival.
  • We will be taking a guided tour of Gilroy Hot Springs on July 31. Everyone is invited. Contact Mike Boulland for more details.
  • We be participating in Family Fandango at Santa Teresa Park on August 13, 2011. We could use help manning the booths and activities. Check back for more details.
  • The new County Parks Park Here Brochure is available, which has maps, pictures, and descriptions of all the County Parks. The cover picture is of the Norred Trail in Santa Teresa Park, taken on 5/27/10 by Ron Horii. Ron also took the pictures of Alviso Marina, Chesbro Reservoir, Chitactac-Adams Park, Uvas Reservoir, Rancho San Antonio Park, Sanborn Park, and Stevens Creek Park.
  • Councilmember Ash Kalra's District 2 newsletter for June 2011 has a picture on page 3 taken by Ron Horii from the Norred Trail in Santa Teresa Park, showing the Albertson Parkway.
  • The new County Parks Fall 2011-Spring 2012 Play Here Brochure is available. The cover picture is of the Bernal-Gulnac-Joice Ranch barns taken by Ron Horii. Ron took many of the pictures inside the brochure.
  • The Santa Teresa Community Fest will not be held this year (2011). It should be returning in 2012.
  • Ron Horii has a display of Park Photography at the Santa Teresa Library in the Community Room in September 2011. It will be on display for about a month. The room is normally open only for events. The best time to see it is during the Friends of the Santa Teresa Library's book sale on Saturday September 17 from 10 am to 4 pm.
  • Ron Horii has moved this display of park photography to Moonbeams Coffee, across Santa Teresa Blvd. from the Santa Teresa Library, next to 24 Hour Fitness, for the month of October, 2011.

   Old News

Newsletters
 New Pictures!

Rainbow over Santa Teresa Golf Course from the Ridge Trail


New Santa Teresa Park web pages with pictures:
Web Pages On Other Parks


Yahoo Group Pictures

Coyote Peak
Pictures for FOSTP Yahoo Group members only (anyone can apply to join, but you need a Yahoo ID, which is free):

Park Events


Pre-Mother's Day Hike, Fortini Trail
Park Events for 2012
  • County Parks' Calendar of Outdoor Activities
  • 2012 Calendar of Volunteer Events and Trainings
  • Saturday, March 24, 2012, 10 am to 2 pm, Santa Teresa Branch Library, 290 International Circle, San Jose: Friends of Santa Teresa Park 20th Anniversary Birthday Bash. We will have historic displays, pictures, presentations, music, kids crafts, and literature.
  • Saturday March 24, 2012, Healthy Trails Hike, Santa Teresa, 9am-11am. A Park Docent will lead you on a moderate 2.5-mile hike along the Fortini Trail to see beautiful views of the Santa Teresa hills, Calero Lake and Almaden Valley. Meet at the Fortini Trailhead parking lot with sturdy hiking shoes, sun protection, water and snacks. (408) 355-2240.
  • Saturday March 24, 2012, Nature Journaling Hike, Santa Teresa, 1pm-4pm. Come enjoy the spring wildflowers while learning the basics of keeping a nature journal. Journaling is a great way to study and remember the things you see and experience during your outdoor adventures. This is a parent-child participation class geared for families with small children. Meet at the Fortini Trailhead. Bring snacks, sketch book or paper, clipboard and a few pencils. Reservations required. Register online or call (408) 355-2240.
  • Saturday, March 31, 2012 Wildflower Hike, Calero’s Rancho San Vicente, 9am-1:30pm. Join a Park Docent on a 3-mile hike to enjoy the spring wildflowers and learn how the rolling serpentine grasslands provide critical habitat for endangered species. Enjoy panoramic views of the surrounding foothills along the way. Meet at Calero Reservoir, then caravan to a gated site nearby. Bring sturdy hiking shoes, sun protection, snacks, and water. No dogs. Note: This is a guided hike in a “closed area” not yet open for public access; group travels together. Restrooms not available except at reservoir meeting location. Reservations required. Register online or call (408)355-2240.
  • Saturday, May 12: Park Beautification – Joice Bernal Ranch
  • Saturday, May 19: National River Cleanup Day – various parks
  • Saturday, May 19, 2012. South Bay Ridge Ramble. Bay Area Ridge Trail all-day event. Family Ramble: 3.5 mile loop through Santa Teresa Park. Family Geocaching Ramble with REI in Santa Teresa Park. Mining Ramble: 9 miles from Hicks Road/Jacques Ridge in Almaden Quicksilver Park with optional 3-mile loop. Extreme Scramble: 21-miles from Lexington Reservoir through Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve through Almaden Quicksilver to Santa Teresa, with optional 3-mile loop to Coyote Peak at the end. Stage at Santa Teresa Park. Hikers and cyclists on the Mining Ramble and Extreme Scramble are shuttled to the starting point and travel back to Santa Teresa. All participants enjoy snacks and drinks at rest stops along the way, and a tasty lunch. Maps, guides, and sweeps are provided so you can travel the trail at your own pace. To volunteer to help with the event, contact volunteer@ridgetrail.org
  • Saturday, June 2: National Trails Day – New Almaden Trail at Almaden Quicksilver
  • Saturday, June 30: Trail Day – Rocky Ridge Trail at Santa Teresa
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