Friends of Santa Teresa Park Meeting, 2/1/18

 


    • Attendees: Mike Boulland, Kitty Monahan, Greg & Roxanne Koopman, Ron Horii, Sam Drake, Jorge Porras.
    • John Dorrance said Boy Scouts would be cleaning up Santa Teresa Spring, which has become overgrown with brambles again. John is waiting for the scout to call him back.
    • There is a volunteer system that will be going online in a couple of weeks. Julie Kahrnoff will be going to different parks to train volunteers how to use it. She will spend 2-3 days at each park. She will be coming to the Casa Grande on 2/22 and will spend all day there, training volunteers as they show up. She will be showing Mike how to use it.
    • We talked about fund-raising. One idea is to sell items with our logo on it. Cafepress.com allows you to upload a design, sell products on their website, and you get a cut of the profits, without having to spend money first. Greg will look into it. We need to upload our logo. Mike has the logo file or can get a higher resolution version from the designer, who was an intern that worked on the FOLAW signs. If we sell items on the website, we need a bank account to receive the funds. We may want to have a separate account.
    • We could also sell items, sell ad space, or ask for funds on our website. Ron can make a new page on our website for fundraising. We can use a payment service, like Paypal.
    • We might be able to set up a table, pass out information, and sell items at Trailhead Cyclery's demo days in the park. The next one is May 4-6. Greg knows the owner and will talk to him about letting us set up a table at the event.
    • We have a new Facebook page. It has our logo and banner. Ron has been posting pictures to it. He will post a notice on Next Door about it to publicize it. Sam changed the setup for friends can post to it.
    • Greg: Our bank balance is $2719.47. There are 3 checks pending. After paying those, we will have $2400.08. We approved the treasurer's report.
    • Mike: our UNSCC membership is paid. Mike bought event insurance for history walks. He filed the 990 non-profit form with the state. We got the San Jose Beautify Grant.
    • Next month will be elections.
    • National Night Out is 8/7/18. Mike filled out the application forms for it. There is a new form for doing volunteer projects. Julie Kahrnoff accepts applications. The event has been approved. We need to contact safety agencies so they will come to it. We to work on planning the event, publicity, entertainment, popsicles, and food.
    • We got a $300 donation check from Jorge. It was left over after his Boy Scout troop dissolved. The troop was started 49 years ago.
    • The scouts may be able to help with our pre-Mother's Day hike.
    • The Curie Drive improvement is on hold. Mike will see if we can get support from Bernal School's Latino Club leader.
    • Ron showed a letter from the Sierra Club written to Mike Wasserman, asking about a community meeting to discuss the Muriel Wright Center. If there is a meeting, it will be posted on our website. The Q&A about the Muriel Wright Center's conversion to a mental health facility is on our website, with a link on our Facebook page. New pictures and updates from Mike Wasserman are also on our Facebook page.
    • The Friends of Grant Ranch are having problems being recognized as a County Parks volunteer organization. They are not a 501c3. The rules for friends groups are being reviewed, but have not been decided yet. We may need to become a 501c3 non-profit organization. We are only a state-chartered non-profit. It costs about $700 to become a 501c3 and takes about 4-5 months to get the paperwork done. Mike, Sam, and Kitty have formed 501c3 organizations. 
    • Long-time park volunteer Rick Leonard passed away unexpectedly last November. Mike has known Rick since 1998. He had his daughter as a student. Rick has been volunteering at Santa Teresa Park events for many years. Ron showed pictures of him at Bernal Ranch events from 2003 to 2017. There was a memorial for Rick at his house last week. His volunteer badges and awards were on display. He was a volunteer for many organizations. He got a presidential commendation from President Obama for his volunteer work with the County parks. Mike said we need to recognize Rick somehow. Kitty will find out what memorial tributes are allowed in the parks.
    • Ron proposed we lead 3 hikes this spring. This is what he proposed to Carrie Grisenti, who is reviewing them:
      • 3/31 (alternate 3/25): Photo class in the Bernal Ranch barn, followed by a wildflower hike to Bernal Hill.
      • 4/21 (alternate 5/19): Hike from the Pueblo to Coyote Peak 
      • 5/12: Pre-Mother's Day hike on the Stile Ranch/Fortini Trail loop, with activities at the trailhead and historical talks along the way.
    • Mike proposes we lead a hike for Bernal School students in the Hispanic social studies teacher's class. 
    • Sam wants to see an update of the park's geocaching policy, such as the requirement for geocache monitors and distance from the trails. The current distance requirement is 20 feet. Mid-Pen allows 200'.
    • Mike will ask Mark Frederick about removing the power poles leading to the now-demolished microwave station near Coyote Peak.
    • There are backyard birding events at the Casa Grande and the Bernal Ranch, led by Scott MacWilliam. The next one at the Bernal Ranch is at 8:30am on Feb. 2. The next one at the Casa Grande is at 8:30 am on Feb. 10.
    • Ron showed pictures: overgrowth at Santa Teresa Spring, the Mine and Stile Ranch trails after the rains, rock wall above the Rocky Ridge Trail,  MLK Tral Day on the Ohlone Trail, cattle drive in the Pueblo Area, grafitti on the Pyzak Ranch buildings, the muddy Norred Trail, Muriel Wright Center construction, Coyote Peak views, birds, QR codes on the Nature Trail signs peeling off, grafitti on the waterfall, fire training at the Pueblo Area, rainbows, Bernal Ranch garden boxes, tamarisk next to the Bernal Ranch, Fortini Trail dudleya.
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       Created 2/2/18 by Ronald Horii, secretary of the Friends of Santa Teresa Park