Guadalupe River Park Conservancy Monthly Update
Looking for something different this summer for your child? Do you find it difficult to commit to weeklong camps because of scheduling conflicts or preplanned vacations? Friends of Guadalupe River Park and Gardens offers a fun half day camp with exciting daily topics built around your schedule. Sign up for individual days based on your availability and your child’s interests. Do something different this summer – explore the natural world right in downtown San Jose!
| Times |
Group |
Ages |
Days of the Week |
| 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM |
A |
5 – 7 |
M, T, W, Th |
| 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM |
B |
7 – 10 |
Fridays |
 August 3 – 7
Monday: Weather is Cool!
Tuesday: Cultural Food Exploration!
Wednesday: The Sun is a Star!
Thursday: Who lives in our Park?
Friday: Bike Adventure along the River! (7-10year olds only)
August 10 – 14
Monday: Orchard Pioneers!
Tuesday: Seeds, Soil, Buds and Bugs!
Wednesday: Dig and Discover!
Thursday: Build your Bodies!
Friday: World Record Exploration! (7-10year olds only)
All sessions are $40, see registration form for more details. To register by phone, call 408-298-7657. To view the .pdf registration form, click the link below. For session descriptions, scroll down or view form.
SummerCampReg09.pdf, (355 KB .pdf file)
Click here to read more about the sessions!
Look for us at the Rose, White, and Blue Celebration!
The City of San Jose’s sixth Annual Trail Program Report is posted on the program’s website - www.sjparks.org/trails, (click on “Reports”).
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GRPG FlickR Group
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School Year comes to a close!
With a lot of help from volunteers and our education staff, over 3,000 students from local schools visited the Guadalupe River Park & Gardens this school year. The most popular field trip was the second grade Flower Power field trip, focusing on life cycles of the insects, pollinators and parts of a flower. Having 820 students working  through several stations and then getting to explore among the roses and see what they learned is a special hands-on experience! Most of these 2nd graders and their parents have never been to the Heritage Rose Garden, and, almost universally, they are afraid of bees. After learning about the different jobs that insects and animals have in nature, they use their magnifiers to observe many different species of bees, the special dance the bees do to find nectar and a new respect for these hard working insects.
Second most popular is the first grade River Sleuths field trip where the students get to climb down to the river’s edge and use the nets to collect macro invertebrates. There are always different animals to see. We discuss habitats and what is needed to survive. Our favorite surprise this year was a pair of Pacific Lamprey trying to spawn in the gravel right in front of the group, an unfortunately rare occurrence. Again, most of the students and their parents have never been so close to this river, and they are always amazed by how clean the water seems. The visual connection between the trash from the streets and parking lots and where it is directly washed into the river through the storm drains is the perfect reminder that it is humans that create the trash and it is something we can change. But the best part is always when we hear comments like the first graders who announced “Wow – this is really the wilderness!”
The hard work spent aligning these environmental science programs to the CA State Standards in Science has paid off. We’ve been able to track a growing number of repeat schools, and teachers coming from school districts for the first time not represented before, in Evergreen School District and Oak Grove School District. Among the first timers to the Guadalupe River Park & Gardens this year also were seven new schools from the Diocese of San Jose.
Schools are signing up for next year’s field trips already. We’ll be doing a pilot project this summer with middle school students and hope to expand the age levels we currently serve during the school year to include that age group as well as pre-schoolers. We’re getting children into nature, and teaching them to observe, explore and respect our hidden urban gem, the Guadalupe River Park & Gardens; our ultimate goal is to create the stewards of the future. |
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Are those Sunflowers in the Rose Garden?
 The Heritage Rose Garden is coming up with more than roses this summer! Check out the sunflowers growing among the roses in the garden. In a controlled experiment, we are using the sunflower’s strong tap root to break up compacted soil, along with the continued applications of compost and compost tea. And as an added benefit, in addition to the beautiful flowers, they will be food for the birds! |
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Save the Date - Guadalupe Community Garden
Grand Opening Celebration
Friday, August 14th
3:00 - 7:00pm
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Did You Know?
 Did you know that GRPG is irrigated with recycled water? No matter how bad the drought gets, the park will stay green because we aren’t using potable water. To find out more about this valuable resource, consider taking the Wonders of Our Water Works tour. |
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Watchable Wildlife on the Guadalupe River
with Ranger Pam
 Guadalupe River Park is well known by the local bird watching community for its diverse bird population but few visitors realize how many small and midsize mammals call the river park home. You may be even more surprised to find the river, even in the heart of downtown, is home to...
more >>> |
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Education
For more information, contact our Education Coordinator, Linda McCabe
Summer Fruit Tree Pruning
Saturday, August 1st
9:00 to 11:00am
$10/members, $15/non-members
Summer is a great time to train young trees and encourage more fruit. This second workshop, led by Sean McGrail, Landscaper and Nancy Garrison, California Rare Fruit Grower will be held in the Guadalupe’s Historic Orchard, a 3.3 acre site planted in 1994 to showcase the varieties of fruit trees that once made the Santa Clara Valley the “Valley of Hearts Delight”. Using demonstrations and actual practice, you’ll learn why summer pruning helps you train the tree, reduce the amount of growth for easier harvest and diminish the trees vigor. Pruning now also allows the pruning wounds to harden off before the rainy season potentially reducing the risk of infection. Bring pruning equipment, and dress ready to walk the orchard among 250 fruit trees, including cherries, apricots, prunes, apples and more. The Historic Orchard is maintained by dedicated volunteers.
Volunteering
For more information, contact Volunteer Coordinator, Lucy Perez
Rose Deadheading Blitz
 Want to do something different this summer to help your community and get a free ice cream as a reward? The Heritage Rose Garden needs volunteers to snip all the dead roses in order to promote more bloom. Volunteers will meet every second Tuesday of the month, 5:30-7:30 pm, starting June 9 until September 8, 2009, with a sweet payoff at the end. No experience necessary. Volunteer experts will show you how. Bring your own clippers, or borrow one from the staff. Please wear closed-toe shoes. It will be an enjoyable and rewarding way to spend a summer evening. The San Jose Heritage Rose Garden is located on Taylor Street, at Spring Street, just east of Coleman Avenue. For more information, and to sign up, contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Lucy Perez, at 408-298-7657.
Office Volunteers
A variety of volunteer opportunities exist in our office at the Visitor & Education Center. Activities include clerical work, answering the phones, organizing the library, preparing materials for educational programs, greeting visitors, etc. We presently have openings Monday and Wednesday afternoon and anytime Thursday and Friday. Please call us to review a convenient schedule for you. Our office hours are Monday-Friday 8:30-5:00.
Volunteer Profiles
Guadalupe River Park Conservancy Board
Member: Dave Finn
 Dave has lived in San Jose more than 17 years. Dave and his wife, Sonja, a San Jose native, have four children and one grandchild. An avid cyclist and outdoorsman, Dave grew up in the Seattle area. After spending seven years in Texas and ultimately settling in San Jose, Dave continued a nearly 30-year career in the construction industry. He has worked with a variety of people and organizations and has developed a strong commitment to conservation, sustainability and community outreach. Dave is a Project Executive for the Santa Clara-based general contractor and construction manager Blach Construction Company, where he manages the firm’s South Bay education construction programs and K–12 school district bond programs. He has a Bachelor’s degree from St. Mary’s College in Moraga.
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Meet Donna Snodgrass
 Donna joined our Volunteer Program at our Volunteer Coffee on January 24, 2006. Initially, she volunteered at our Visitor and Education Center, helping with the phones and clerical work. Program Manager Phil Cornish recognized Donna’s dedication and attention to details and asked her to help with our Heritage Rose Garden Adopt-a-Rose program. She helps with the rose signage project, placing rose plaques in the garden and verifying that an adopted rose is healthy. Donna also helps with the rose adoption events for Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day. Donna was born in Phoenix, Arizona. After finishing college, she went to work for IBM in Phoenix and transferred to IBM in San Francisco where she met her husband. After several years, she decided to stop working with IBM to raise a family. She loves gardening, reading and walking her Australian Shepherd dog. Donna also finds time to foster kittens. Donna, thanks for all your help – we couldn’t run our Adopt-a-Rose program without you!
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