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- This
was an online Zoom videoconference meeting. Mike sent out a meeting
link for this Zoom meeting.
- Attendees: Mike
Boulland, Joan Murphy, Ron
Horii, Greg Koopman (calling from Delaware, will be back soon), Park Interpreter Rob McDonnell.
- Our
next meeting will be on 1/4/24. The next First Friday Work Day (FFWD)
will be on 1/5/24. We can decide what to do based on the weather and
the conditions at the time. If it's raining, Rob said we can clean up
the barn. We can bring vacuum cleaners to clean up the dust on the
concrete. Rob can provide dust masks.
- We talked about the east
barn. It's been closed since the pandemic because of concerns about
rodents. There's a new pest management person, so this may change. We
talked about getting cats to control the mice. (They wouldn't affect
the squirrels.) The concern would be who would take care of them. If
they run around loose, they could be eaten by coyotes.
- We got 3 new people helping with the First Friday Work Day. Last time, 2 of the new people were from Santa Clara.
- For
our last FFWD, we spread wood chips around the picnic tables by the bus
stop. The wood chips came from Martial Cottle. There were piles of
chips already there when we arrived. It took 3 additional truckloads to
fill up the area. It's still a little thin near the south end and could
use some more.
- For a future work day, we could spread bark
around the picnic tables by the ranch house. The bark is getting thin.
It is redwood bark, not wood chips.
- Alex Ale is assigned to do
maintenance at the Bernal Ranch while Jason Bombardier is working
temporarily in the Volunteer Program office as Volunteer Coordinator.
Jason is subbing in for Blair Pagano, who is on maternity leave.
- Mike
hasn't heard from the Boy Scout who was interested in doing
interpretive signs for the farm equipment. We may need to look for
another scout who is interested in doing it.
- Joan suggests
having signs along the Gulnac Trail to identify the trees. Many of them
are non-natives, but that's OK. There could be QR codes on the signs
that link to more information on a website. The tree identification
signs on the Nature Trail had QR codes that decoded into more
information about the plants, but the stickers wore out or were scraped
off. The posts could have numbers, with more information on a website
or a brochure. (Like the history tour at Almaden Quicksilver.)
- There
are restrictions about digging post holes for signs
because of concerns about disturbing Native American burial sites.
Signs could be put on posts set in concrete blocks resting on the
ground. They could also be put on fences.
- Greg was concerned about goatheads on or near the trails. They are invasive non-native weeds that have hard, spiny seeds that can puncture bike tires. He's seen them before on the Joice Trail. If we see them, we should remove them.
- We
talked about the new Adopt-a-Spot program and whether we should adopt
Santa Teresa Spring. However, we effectively already adopted the entire
Bernal Ranch, so it would be redundant for us. We get more recognition
now than we would with the Adopt-a-Spot program.
- Rob has a flyer template. He could make up a flyer for us for our FFWD's.
- Joan
asked if it would be appropriate to have workers come to our FFWD's who
are doing required community service. Rob said that since our work days
coincide with school programs, that might cause concern among the
parents.
- Rob has A-frames for our FFWD banners. We have been
attaching them to fences with bungee cords. Having them on A-frames
gives us more flexibility for placement. The banners are wider than the
A-frames, so we would need to back them with something stiff, like foam
boards or cardboard.
- Treasurer's report: we have $2748.82 in our Wells Fargo account.
- We got an additional $100 grant to buy tools. Mike spent $97 on tools: heavy duty branch loppers and 2 Hula Hoe weed scrapers.
- Mike ran off newsletters for the local library. We need more copies at the Bernal Ranch house.
- Mike
got requests for doing ranch tours from the Preservation Action Council
and the California Pioneers. Supervisor Joe Simitian's staff may want a
tour.
- We should do our Pre-Mother's Day hike again next year.
- We
talked about ideas for activities. We could do a hike for volunteers
only. How about doing a monthly hike? How about programs on bats or on
rocks?
- We suggested that Greg do a bike tour for e-bikes, but the trails may be too steep for group bike rides.
- Day
of the Dead is on Saturday November 2. Maybe we can do an event then.
Kelsi did La Fuente to coincide with Day of the Dead. She had an
offrenda set up in the barn, where visitors could leave pictures and
messages about their departed loved ones.
- La Fuente will be in
September to coincide with Hispanic Heritage Month. Dates under
consideration were 9/14 or 9/21. Mike pointed out that 9/14 is New
Almaden Day. Mexican Independence Day is 9/16. They need to check with
Lance Beeson and Elena Robles to see when their groups are
available.
- Note: Pioneer Day is the second Saturday in
October. It's also Day on the Bay in Alviso, so that's not a good day
to schedule an event.
- Ian got sick and couldn't staff the ranch last Sunday. There's a new intern coming, who will be able to help on Sundays.
- We
are finishing up our Beautify SJ Cycle 5 grant. The application for
next year's Cycle 6 grant is due on 1/11/24. Ron will be filling it
out, based on the Cycle 5 grant.
- We need to decide whether to
do National Night Out next year. Last year, we got the grant money too
late to plan for it. We don't know if we have enough people to put it
on this year. They are other NNO's going on that some of our members
are going to.
- Ron started to show pictures, but his Internet
connection died, so he couldn't show them. Most of the pictures are on
Facebook anyway. He called in and described them. They included the
last 2 FFWD's, Mike's ghost tour (not on Facebook), the reconstruction
of the Joice Trail, sunset from the Joice Trail, board at the end
of the Santa Teresa Spring viewing platform that broke and got
replaced, cut fence and break-in at the Pyzak House, rocking and
smoothing out the junction of the Bernal Hill and Joice Trails, new
solar panels at the Muriel Wright Center, closure of the Norred Trail
for repair, trailwork on the Mine Trail, tree tubes, our luncheon at El
Amigo's after the last FFWD, replacement of the bridge on the path
to Santa Teresa Spring, conditions around the ranch and spring that we
can work on next month.
- Greg is still concerned about the unused power poles along the Rocky Ridge Trail and the lack of trash can lids on Coyote Peak.
- We
talked about the end of the Gulnac Trail across from Bernal School. The
city built ramps inline with the end of the trail and on the sidewalk
on the other side of the street. However, there is no crosswalk there,
just a stop sign limit line, and it's several feet past the trail
entrace. Ron said he watched kids leaving Bernal School. Most of the
pedestrians used the sidewalk on the other side of Curie Drive.
However, a lot of kids on bikes used the Gulnac Trail. They crossed the
street in front of the school and rode down the sidewalk to the
trailhead. We talked to the principal of Bernal School about the trail
several years ago, but the school has a new principal (Tamara Unck). We should talk to the principal about the use of the trail by students.
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