Friends of Santa Teresa Park Meeting, 9/6/07
	Attendees: Mike Boulland, Ronald Horii, Kitty Monahan, Paul Vincze, Jenel Vincze, Mario Blaum, Holly Davis, Ed Jackson, Woody Collins, Sam Drake Blackberry bushes were cut down below Santa Teresa Spring in order to help the spring flow. Coyote bushes were cut down to keep kids from hiding in the bushes. The neighbors weren't notified. They would like to be notified next time. Construction is going on to reduce the muddiness on the Stile Ranch Trail. There's a trench at the end of the trail and piles of rocks in the staging area. We have 2 new members: Sherry Sullivan and Aurora Bell. Holly said the National Night Out in her neighborhood went well. There was a good turnout and interest in the neighborhood and 4H. Mike is trying to get a van for a tour for planning commissioner Ash Kalra and other officials. Joe Schultz is leaving to become the director of the Santa Cruz County Parks. Jenel said they will be replanting the garden at the BGJ Ranch. They will be planting amaryllis, lilies, and valerian. Ranch Spirit Day: the event went well. Ron has a webpage on it. Robin counted more than 160 people at one point. 4H came at 3:00. Most of the setup was done quickly. They gave out lots of info. The only problem was they were downwind from the blacksmith's forge. We thought the area higher up near the information table would have been a better place for the stage, but it was limited by the PA system. 2 park commissioners, Dang Khoa Vo and Daniel Murillo, will be working on the Santa Teresa Master Plan, The Santa Teresa Community Fest is on Saturday 9/15/07 from 11 to 5. Mike is organizing it. (Ron can't make it this year.) The tables have to be setup by 10:00 for inspection by the fire marshall. Mike can't be there to setup. We can use the Easy-Up shades from New Almaden. Volunteers need to be there to setup at 9:00. Sam can bring geocaching information. We need to get Santa Teresa Park maps from the rangers. Last year, Ron got some from John Dorrance, and the Hellyer rangers brought more later. The maps probably won't have the new trail on it. (We talked about getting a rubber stamp to put FOSTP contact information on the maps.) We should pass out copies of the FOSTP flyer. We can make copies for free at the Neighborhood Development Center (bring your own paper). Mike requested a table spot near 4H, STFNA, Paul Bernal, and the County Parks. Holly: Treasurer's Report: no change. Account balance is $233.44. The Bonetti property was broken into. It can't be occupied until the sewage system is hooked up. In order to hook into the city's sewer system, the property has to be incorporated into the city, which takes time. Meanwhile, the BGJ Ranch and probably the Pyzak Ranch are using septic tanks. We recommended tearing down the old, decrepit horse stable buildings on the Bonetti Ranch. Paul said there's a chain across the service road to the storage building on the hill above the archery range. He would like to see that service road turned into a trail, with a return path down to the Ohlone Trail before the archery range. There's a sign on the steep volunteer trail off the Joice Trail above St. Julie's Church. The sign has been removed, but it has been replaced. There are fence posts above the Bonetti Ranch below the Norred Trail. They may be getting ready to install a fence to block the volunteer trail that drops down from the Norred Trail. This trail was originally on the plan for the Norred Trail as a connector trail and may be in the master plan. Preparations are being made to install a split rail fence along Manila Drive in place of the wire fence. The fence along the Bonetti Ranch needs repairing. Drew Merry says he is waiting for the master plan. We need to make a list of proposed maintenance projects. Ron has been in contact with Joel Gartland, Volunteer Coordinator for the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council, who asked about the possibility of using the Coyote-Alamitos Canal to connect the Ridge Trail in Santa Teresa Park to the Coyote Creek Trail. The trail current dead ends at Coyote Peak. Ron recommended designating the Coyote Peak and Ohlone Trails (leading to the archery range) as a continuation of the Ridge Trail. The Coyote Alamitos Canal could be used as a trail from the end of the archery range to Santa Teresa Blvd. From there, the Coyote Alamitos Canal could be used to reach the Coyote Creek Trail, but it has several problems. Mike talked about providing animal crossings in the Coyote Valley. A tunnel or a bridge could be used to link Coyote Creek to the Coyote Valley. This could also be used for a trail. Kitty talked about the Healthy Trails program. Kathleen Hooper is organizing it. They designated 21 trails as part of the program. They classified them as easy, moderate, and difficult. People can sign up for the program and do 3-4 trails/year. In Santa Teresa, the Coyote Peak Trail and the Stile Ranch/Fortini Trail are listed. We talked about new trails. There is an easement to build a trail to the Lightfoot stables. Mario recommended asking the county to negotiate with IBM to provide access to the ranch roads in the hills behind IBM's Silicon Valley Lab on Bailey Road. Jenel and Holly talked about 4H. They are getting back into the garden. On 9/22, they will meet with Terri to talk about replanting. She has bulbs and ferns. Enrollment night at 4H is next Thursday. They will be having archery, cattle, beef, sheep, and swine-raising programs. The animals are housed at the Tilton Ranch near Morgan Hill. The money for designing the restoration of the old barn at the BGJ Ranch has been approved, but not the money to implement it. We talked about the need to restore the buildings at the Norred Ranch, including the old barn behind the Mounted Ranger Unit, and the one on the hill by the Norred Trail. We need to make a list of proposed restoration projects. Holly said the Coyote Grange is planning a spaghetti feed fundraiser for 9/20 to benefit the youth grange group. On Oct. 18, at 7:30pm, a speaker from the Pacific Legal Foundation will be coming to the grange to talk about eminent domain and private liberties. We'd like to put an interpretive plaque in the park. Mike wants to see something about the Battle of Santa Teresa. We recommended putting a plaque on Coyote Peak. We talked about having viewing pipes aimed at significant landmarks, like the ones they have on Mission Peak. We need to present a plan to Robin. She can hire someone to make it. We are shooting for a proposal by December. We can have a dedication party when the plaque is installed. Mike talked about our 501c3 application. It's at the lawyer now. He is charging $250, but it will be divided between 2 other groups. We can take donations to help pay for it. Ron and Mike will work on the CAP grant to pay for UNSCC membership and 501c3 costs. Adopt-a-Trail: the signs aren't up yet. We are going to adopt the Norred Trail. Right now, it doesn't need maintenance. There were complaints about poison oak in the middle of the trail, but Drew Merry took care of that quickly. 4H needs space for roosters for poultry breeding. It's now being down in Morgan Hill. It would be nice if they were closer. Jenel proposed using the old barn behind the Mounted Ranger Unit. It can't be used now because it doesn't meet fire codes. It would have to be restored and upgraded. Holly asked Don Rocha about seeding trails with wildflower seeds. He said it was OK if the seeds came from plants in the park. Sam talked about geocaching: A group of about 20 geocachers are planning to go to Uvas Canyon for Coastal Cleanup Day on 9/15 to clean it up. Mid-Pen has approved geocaching as a legal activity in the preserves. They essentially copied the geocaching policy from the Santa Clara County Parks. The Guadalupe River Park and Gardens is promoting geocaching activities in their park. On Friday, Sept. 14 from 3:30 to 5:00 pm, they have an event for kids called "Shiver Me Timbers!" It involves pirate-themed activities, including a treasure hunt using GPS's (in other words, geocaching). Cathy Reinhard is designing interpretive panels for the Albertson Parkway. 1 will be on the history of the Santa Teresa area. Another will be on the watershed, which includes the Santa Teresa Hills. She has been in contact with Ron, Mike, and John Dorrance to get information. Ron has sent her pictures of the Bear Trees and the Santa Teresa Hills. There was article on rattlesnakes in the Almaden Times and Blossom Valley Times. It included pictures by Ron of snakes in Santa Teresa Park and Almaden Quicksilver. 9/8/07 is New Almaden Day in New Almaden, starting at 11:00 am. It will include the annual jump-in parade and a dedication of the Pat Tillman memorial. 9/8/07: Wildlife Tracking Adventure, 10-12 at the Pueblo Area. 9/22/07: Bugged Out Movie Night - Grasshoppers, BGJ Ranch barn, 7:30 pm -10:30 pm. Volunteer Hours and activities for August: Ronald Horii: 21 hours, FOSTP meeting, park photography, slideshows, FOSTP & Almaden websites Mike Boulland: 25 hours, FOSTP meeting, planning Ranch Spirit Day, Santa Teresa Spring, County/Community meetings Kitty Monahan: 10 hours, FOSTP meeting, Ranch Spirit Day Paul Vincze: 15 hours, FOSTP meeting, Ranch Spirit Day setup, trail watch Jenel Vincze: 6 hours, FOSTP meeting, Ranch Spirit Day setup, 4H Mario Blaum: 8 hours, FOSTP meeting, trails, Ranch Spirit Day Ed Jackson: 10 hours, FOSTP meeting, Ranch Spirit Day Woody Collins: (hours reported separately), trail crew lead Holly Davis: 8 hours, FOSTP meeting, 4H, Ranch Spirit Day Sam Drake: 2 hours, geocache-watch Return to the Friends of Santa Teresa Park Home Page

Created 9/7/07 by Ronald Horii, secretary of the Friends of Santa Teresa Park