Friends of Santa Teresa Park Zoom Meeting, 8/1/24

 

    • This was an online Zoom videoconference meeting. Mike sent out a meeting link for this Zoom meeting.
    • Attendees: Mike Boulland, Ron Horii, Park Interpreter Rob McDonnell
    • There will be an ice cream social for County Park volunteers on 9/28/24 at 1-3 pm in the Pueblo Area of Santa Teresa Park.
    • State Senator Dave Cortese will be having his "Picnic By the Lake" event at Hellyer County Park on 9/28/24 from 10 am to 5 pm.
    • Alex Ale is in charge of maintenance of all of Santa TeresaPark, not just the Bernal Ranch.
    • Ron showed a slideshow:
      • 6/7/24: First Friday Workday: cut weeds around the barn, pulled weeds from the tanbark by the picnic tables between the ranch house and the barn, cut weeds in the barnyard.
      • 7/9/24: Teresa Fire burned hills almost to the Archery Range. The park was closed temporarily.
      • 7/20/24: Rob had a "Friendly or Fearsome" pop-up display in the barn about predators.
      • 7/27/24: Conditions around the ranch: weeds in-between the garden boxes; leaky pipes by the garden are not leaking, but they are not buried yet;  yellowstar thistles growing in the barn yards; blackberries growing back by the drain and along the ramp to the spring; weeds and dirt around the spring; privets and trees of heaven along the Gulnac Trail; trash on Heaton Moor; views along the Norred Trail.
      • 7/28/24: Rattlesnake in tree hole, bench with graffiti in the Pueblo Area, dry pond on the Hidden Springs Trail, deep erosion ruts on the Coyote Peak and Ridge Trails, view of the Teresa Fire from the Boundary Trail, memorial plate stolen from bench on Boundary Trail, sycamore trees leaning over in Pueblo Area.
      • 7/29/24: Graffiti on bench leg at the top of the Joice Trail before it turns to run below the Vista Loop Trail.
      • 7/30/24: Ron cleaned off graffiti from bench leg in the Pueblo Area at the Hidden Springs Trail entrance, graffiti on sign post at the Bernal Hill/Mine Hill Trail junction.
      • 7/31/24: Graffiti on back of sign board in the Pueblo Area at the Hidden Springs Trail entrance.
    • Our July First Friday Workday was cancelled because of the heat. Also, it was the 4th of July weekend. We will have a First Friday workday tomorrow, 8/2/24 at the Bernal Ranch starting at 9 am. Our next one after that is on September 5.
    • We were awarded the Beautify San Jose Grant, but we haven't gotten the check yet. It should arrive in a couple of weeks.
    • Ron said that Steve Cassidy has been watering the plants in the Pueblo Area, including the 100 or so sycamore trees. The irrigation system for those trees was chewed up by ground squirrels, so Steve has been hand-watering them. Each tree takes 50-100 gallons of water every 2 weeks. He has only had 2 people show up on his work days.
    • Park report from Rob:
      • There have been 2 twilight strolls, led by Katrina. One of them was well-attended. At the other, which was on a hot day, only Ron showed up.
      • Rob had a nature pop-up on predators in the barn. 15 people walked through during the day. This was a trial run. He may do more of them once a month in fall and winter.
      • In the summer, visitations tend to spike at the ranch house around 4:30. Evening programs tend to get more people.
      • Rob has been doing summer programs at Grant. He will be doing a night hike there.
      • Ian will be doing a night hike in the Pueblo Area for Girl Scouts on 8/11. Zach had a hike in the Pueblo Area.
      • August is wellness month. Rob will be making a video featuring chickens.
      • Sophia is making a virtual junior rangers program using the Agents of Discovery app. The program will mention the Bernal Ranch.
      • School programs will start mid to late October.
      • Rob had crops growing in the planter boxes. He pulled them out. He's waiting to the end of summer to re-plant. The cages need to be repaired and repainted. The boxes need to be repainted, but the old paint may need to be stripped first.
      • The DAR may be planting flowers around the ranch house.
      • County Parks is conducting a survey by park users.
    • La Fuente will be on 9/21/24. Rob is organizing it. He hasn't decided on the layout yet.
      • Lance Beeson and his group are not available. Rob is looking for music. He got a referral from Elena Robles to a mariachi band. Mike mentioned getting the Bernal Band, but it may be too short notice, and school will have just started, with not much time to practice.
      • Elena Robles and her foklorico dance group are coming. They would not have been available on 9/14, since that is close to Mexican Independance Day.
      • The east barn has been cleaned up. It will be open for La Fuente.
      • Valley Water and the County Library will be coming. POST and the Anza Trail people may be coming. Rob is looking into getting an ice cream vendor. Janice Frazier will bring her horse. There will be arts and crafts. There will be a hike in Spanish.
      • Rob is looking for a blacksmith to be in the barn talking about historical blacksmithing. John Grafton and Chuck Ferrier are possibilities.
      • There will be cattle roping and branding with the sawhorses.
      • The straw bales on the pulley demonstration in the east barn were taken out. They were becoming rodent-infested. They can be brought back for the event.
      • FOSTP will have a booth there, with games.
    • The acting senior ranger position at Santa Teresa is alternating between Ruben Suarez and Vanessa Clayton. Other rangers at the Hellyer/Santa Teresa/Martial Cottle unit are Zach Martinoso, Chris Shear, and Daniel Morales. 
    • Terri Lopez is the new Interpretive Programs Supervisor. She replaced Elizabeth Evans, who resigned. She worked as an interpretive ranger at Wilder Ranch State Park with Carolyn Schimandle. All 6 permanent positions in the interpretive department are filled. Katrina is extra help. Ian is half-time.
    • Ron noted that the webpages for each park does not list the senior ranger and senior maintenance, just the park office phone number and the main County Parks info email address. Rob said this may have something to do with them wanting to centralize communications to one contact, who would pass the information to the relevant parties.
    • Mike Will, head of maintenance, is retiring in December.
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       Created 8/15/24 by Ronald Horii, secretary of the Friends of Santa Teresa Park
    Funding provided by a Beautify San Jose Grant