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- Attendees:
Mike Boulland, Kitty Monahan, Youngmee Kim, Greg Koopman, Joan Murphy, Woody Collins, Steve Crockett, Sam Drake, 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.
- December's First Friday work was cancelled. Our
next First Friday work day is tomorrow, Jan. 7. Jeremy Celeya gave us a
list of things to do. We will meet by the Bernal Ranch House. We have a
locker for our tools by the parking lot at the ranch. There's a new
lock on it. Mike has the combination. The locker is rusty on the inside
and need to be repainted. We will have a work day on 2/4/22.
- We
had a work day on 11/5/21. Mike, Youngmee, Greg, and Ron pulled
blackberries, fixed erosion at the ramp to the spring, and cleaned up
around the spring.
- On 11/6/21, there was a Bay Area Ridge Trail service day in Santa Teresa Park.
It was a joint effort between the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council and
the Santa Cruz Mountain Trail Stewardship.
They were working to fix drainage and erosion issues on the Stile
Ranch Trail. The County Parks' Trail Crew was managing it. (Eric
McFarland is head of the Trail Crew.) They put gravel on the lower half of the switchbacks.
- On
11/7, Mike led a history tour of Rancho Santa Teresa at
2:00. They started at the ranch house and went to Santa Teresa Spring.
The new trail wasn't open, but they followed its route to its end.
- For
December, we did not have a meeting. We had a potluck party at
Mike's house on 12/2 at 6 pm.
- We
met with County Parks Public Information Officer Tamara Shear and Tom
McLauchlan, project manager for the new trail. We talked about plans
for a celebration for the new trail. We decided on having it on
12/11/21 at 11:00 am. The county would be hosting it. They would invite
speakers. FOSTP would have an information table. We can give out
newsletters, mementoes, and snacks. We'll open up the time capsule.
- Ron
gave a slideshow: 11/5/21: work day at the spring; 11/6/21: BART work
day on the Stile Ranch Trail; 11/18/21: meeting to plan for the new
trail opening event; 12/2/21: our potluck party at Mike's house;
12/7/21: new weedcloth below the spring; 12/10/21: repairs to the fence
around the spring; 12/11/21: new trail opening ceremony, hike, and time
capsule opening; 12/24/21: waterfall, hike to Coyote Peak, view of
Coyote Valley; 12/30/21: Family Twilight Stroll; 1/4/22: garden boxes,
Norred Trail; 1/6/22: Nature Trail, signs, waterfall, Ohlone Trail,
golf course, banquet room (our usual meeting room).
- The
ribbon-cutting and opening ceremony for the new trail was held on
12/11/21. There were speeches by County Parks Director Don Rocha,
Supervisor Mike Wasserman, former Congressman Mike Honda, Ranger Ruben
Suarez, UNSCC Executive Director Ken Podgorsek, and FOSTP President
Mike Boulland. FOSTP had an information table there. We passed out our
newsletters and other park information. We gave out candy and cookies.
Ron had posters with pictures of the park. After the ribbon-cutting,
Ruben and Mike led a hike on the new trail. After that, we came back
and opened up the contents of the time capsule, with help from Ranger
Vanessa Clayton.
- In 1996, when the Bear Tree Lot monument was
installed, Mike got a 5-gallon plastic paint bucket and filled it with
school items and notes from his students, as well as notes from other
park people, including Kitty. We unearthed it on 5/28/21 before the new
trail construction started. The bucket was full of water, but the items
were sealed in plastic bottles and were mostly dry. We opened up
the bottles and looked at the contents during the trail opening day on
12/11/21. Mike will scan in those items.
- Mike got a new time
capsule. It's made of heavy ABS pipe, with a screw-on cap. We need a
plan for the new time capsule: what to put in it and where to bury it.
- There
will be an event on January 16: "Join Park Interpreter Katrina to
explore the moon and the night sky on a dusk-to-dark walk at historic
Bernal Ranch. Share your traditions that involve the moon, get to know
the lunar phases, and navigate through the ranch using only the light
from the night sky. Families are welcome. Best for ages 8+." Ron and
Mike are going.
- Rachel Caioili, Extra Help Park Interpreter,
who was stationed at the Bernal Ranch, has been called away to be a
Disaster Servicer Worker, along with Park Interpreter Rob McDonnell,
who was reassigned earlier last year. They will be helping with the
County's COVID response. The Bernal Ranch house and barn will not be
open on Fridays. It will only be open on Saturdays and Sundays from
12-4.
- The Parks Department is looking for volunteer hosts to
work at the Bernal Ranch to help with opening/closing duties, cleaning
tasks, and interacting with visitors. They need to have already had
interpretive host training and take a refresher course. The courses are
offered on 1/22, 1/29, and 2/5 from 10:30 am to 11:30 am.
- Our Fall 2021 newsletter
is available. It has articles about the new trail, the early history of
Rancho Santa Teresa, our First Friday work days, news about the park,
and Patrick Joice's passing. We printed up 20 color and 50
black-and-white copies and passed them all out at the trail opening
day.
- Carolyn Schimandle asked for help to save the
historic Bean sprayer. It's sitting outside by the Caretaker's House.
It is exposed to the elements. It can be moved into the goat pen or
inside Barn 2.
- We need to ask Jeremy Farr in park planning
about removing the power poles that used to provide power to the
now-gone microwave relay station on the Coyote Peak Trail.
- We
need to submit our new work work plan. It was due in November. Mike has
a draft, which he presented. He is going to submit it this month.
- We
got our Beautify San Jose Cycle 4 Grant for $1500. We applied as a
Community Partner Group instead of a Neighborhood Association. It
better matches what we are, as it specifically mentions "Friends of
Parks" groups. Grants for that type of group are limited to $1500. The
money has been granted for these projects: UNSCC Membership: $200;
Website Hosting: $260; Newsletter Publications, Communications
Expenses: $310; Post Office Box: $120; Events: informational, handouts,
refreshments, kids' crafts, supplies; Event Insurance: $150; Zoom Fees:
$150.
- The final report for our Cycle 3 Grant is due at the end of the month.
- Treasurer's
report (Greg): We have $596.01 in the bank. $39 in checks are pending
to Joan and Kim for expenses for the trail opening. We can spend
$556.41. Mike donated $200 so we wouldn't be charged an account
fee.
- Applying for 501c3 will cost $600. Ken Podgorsek
said that UNSCC insurance doesn't cover us if we become a 501c3. We
need to get our own directors and officers insurance, which can cost
~$2K.
- We need to print more copies of our newsletter. We can leave copies at the ranch house, library, and businesses.
- Ron
made a sign to put up at our work days, which invites people to come
help us. We need a sign to invite people to become members. Ron will
design it.
- We can talk to Dave Zitlow and FOMCP about
projects. Dave is the lead volunteer at Martial Cottle. We should
invite him to a future meeting. FOMCP is the 501c3 organization that
put in the hedgerow at Martial Cottle. We talk to Jenel Vincze about
garden projects, she's with 4H and the Master Gardeners at Martial
Cottle. Hank Morales is the lead Master Gardener there.
- Greg noticed loose phone wires on the ground by the Pedro Bernal House. They should be cleaned up.
- Mike said FOSTP was founded to preserve historic buildings and get kids in the park.
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