Guadalupe River Park Conservancy Monthly Update

Spring Fever Spring in Guadalupe Gardens on April 25th kicked off our busy event season.  Next up was our annual Window on the River Park fundraiser on 5/13 followed the next morning by Bike to Work Day 5/16’s National River Clean up Day (click here to read the SJMN article), the Heritage Rose Garden Hall of Fame award ceremony on May 18th, and the 8th annual Water Wizards Festival. We greatly appreciate the sponsors of these events: Spring in Guadalupe Gardens City of San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs; South Bay Water Recycling; Keep San Jose Beautiful, NBC11, Club Rodeo, and GreenWaste Window on the River Park Gold – Cisco; City of San Jose; Hugh Stuart Center Charitable Trust; Kaiser Permanente; Pacific Gas & Electric Co., Barry Swenson Builder Silver – Adobe Systems Inc.; San Jose Water Company; Sobrato Development Companies; Verde Design Inc. Bronze – Bay Area Geotechnical Group; Blach Construction Company; Boston Properties; Sheila and Dan Breeding; CH2MHill; Cornerstone Earth Group; Dave Finn; Focus Business Bank; Garden City Sanitation Company; Heritage Bank of Commerce; Le Petit Trianon Theatre; Lee Lester; Library World Inc.; Mineta Transportation Institute; Morgan, Franich, Fredkin & Marsh; Rotten Robbie; Santa Clara Valley Water District; Saggau & DeRollo; Salas O'Brien Engineers, Inc.; Seven Flags Inc.; The Schoennauer Company Water Wizards Festival Ecolab and Mercury News Wishbook Look for us at the Rose, White, and Blue Celebration!		Follow Us On   GRPG FlickR Group
Trail Update At long last, the ruts north of Airport Blvd. are being smoothed out. From the City of San Jose, “We will have a contractor repairing the damaged dirt trail on Monday through Wednesday of next week. As an alternate route, please use the west bank trail, north of Airport to reach Green Island Bridge. Hopefully this minor rerouting won’t be too inconvenient. After Wednesday, trail users will enjoy a much improved gravel trail.” More good news - Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar designated three connecting trails - Guadalupe River Trail, the Hwy. 237 Bikeway, and Coyote Creek Trail North - from San Jose’s trail network as National Recreation Trails. Ours were the only trails in the state this year to receive the honor. Our 16.4 miles of trails will soon feature NRT trail markers and join a network of more than 1,050 previously designated trails (five in California) that total more than 12,500 miles.
Watchable Wildlife on the Guadalupe River with Ranger Pam The Common Merganser is a large, slender diving duck that has a long, thin, toothy bill designed to catch fish.  The Merganser is common along the Guadalupe River and can be easily identified by the unique bill that is also bright orange... more >>>

Education
For more information, contact our Education Coordinator, Linda McCabe

Don’t forget GRPG when you are trying to come up with somoething to do to keep your kids busy this summer!!  We concentrate on environmental science curriculums, designed to use the amenities of our beautiful park! Check out some of the daily topics available for June!

Build Your Bodies
Monday, June 22nd
9:00 am – 1:00 pm
$40
Ages: 5-7
Start your week out right with outdoor activities in the Guadalupe River Park. Learn how your body works, practice proper stretching techniques, center your mind and spirit with Yoga, and get your heart rate up by playing some fun games. Bring your tennis shoes, workout clothes, water and energy for a morning of physical fun. 

Dig and Discover
Tuesday, June 23rd
9:00 am – 1:00 pm
$40
Ages: 5-7
Travel back in time as we explore the lost world of prehistoric beasts. Discover the different animals that once roamed this area, learn how fossils form and become a junior paleontologist as we complete a simulated fossil dig.  

Seeds, Dirt, Buds and Bugs
Wednesday June 24th
9:00 am – 1:00 pm
$40
Ages: 5-7
Do you have a green thumb? Or are you interested in growing one? Join us as we explore the world of plants and their pollinating friends. Gain an understanding of what plants need in order to survive and plant your own seeds to take home. Discover dirt, bugs and everything else good for plants in this day of gardening fun! 

Orchard Pioneers
Thursday June 25th
9:00 am – 1:00 pm
$40
Ages: 5-7
Imagine spending your summer working in an orchard to earn money for the coming school year or to help your family with the seasonal harvest. Today we will take a walk in someone else’s shoes as we make crafts and toys, play games, and explore our cities history when it was called the Valley of the Hearts delight. Sample fresh or dried fruit as available and help with the harvesting of the summer season. 

Treasure Hunting with a GPS
Friday, June26
9:00 am – 1:00 pm
$40
Ages: 7-10
Put your map skills to the test as we take to the park with handheld GPS (Global Positioning System) devices in search for “caches” or treasure boxes. Learn basic navigation skills, how GPS units work, and solve a puzzle to reveal the final hiding place of a secret treasure, all while exploring the natural beauty of the Guadalupe River Park & Gardens.

Family Yoga in the Park!

 Twilight Yoga in the Park
Thursdays, June 11th – July 30th
6:15 – 7:15pm
$50/members, $65/ non-members 
Participants must be 18 years or older
With warmer weather and longer evenings on the horizon, it’s time once again for Yoga in the Park, this time at twilight. Join fitness instructor Kristin Strellis for a gentle yoga class designed to improve your flexibility, balance and relaxation. All necessary equipment is provided. All you need to bring is yourself, dressed in comfortable clothing, and any stress or worries that have accumulated throughout the week and to release outdoors in the beautiful Guadalupe Park. This class will be taught outside and enrollment is limited, so make sure you reserve your space in this very popular healthy living class.

California author Amy Stewart is coming to San Jose!
Thursday, June 18th
6:30 – 7:30pm
Children’s Discovery Museum
Free!
Friends of Guadalupe River Park & Gardens and Children’s Discovery Museum with support from the UCCE Santa Clara County Master Gardeners host Amy Stewart  for the introduction to her latest book Wicked Plants: A Book of Botanical Atrocities at the Children’s Discovery Museum.  Fans know that Amy skillfully takes a subject that interests her and explores it scientifically.  Her book The Earth Moved: On the remarkable achievements of earthworms was a witty, off beat exploration of worms and the little known frontier under our feet. And in her book Flower Confidential, Amy winds up traveling from her home in California to South America, Miami and Amsterdam tracking the flowers in her bouquet from the local grocery store. You’ll never look at flowers or worms the same way again. Her fascination with wicked plants, plants that have been used as murder weapons, plants that are illegal or immoral, plants that have started wars and inflict pain, or plants that are badly behaved, bursting into flame or smelling terrible has resulted in an exhibit opening this summer at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.  Books will be available, the author will sign your book, and this is the only chance this trip for the general public to meet this best selling author!

Volunteering
For more information, contact Volunteer Coordinator, Lucy Perez

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: Papia Gambelin Papia earned a B.A. in Environmental Sciences from SJSU and is currently pursuing a Master of Science, Mass Communications degree.  She is employed by PG&E as a Government Relations Representative, after previously working for various solid waste companies and for Santa Clara County’s Integrated Waste Management program. In all of those positions Papia was involved with coordination of community education campaigns to promote recycling and green business practices.  Papia was a founder and board member for her Vendome Neighborhood Association, and she has been a volunteer and teacher for RAFT, a member of the Junior League of San Jose, and served on the Florence Italy Sister County Commission from 2000-2004. Papia, thank you for your leadership and support!

Meet Mary Ellen Hawkins Mary Ellen came to one of our Volunteer Coffees in January 2005 and immediately joined the Heritage Rose Garden volunteers. In addition to the Wednesday garden shift, she can be found at the Visitor Center, helping at the front desk, answering the phones, assisting staff with other projects, or helping at any of our events. Mary Ellen is also a plot holder at the new Guadalupe Community Garden. Mary Ellen was born and raised in New York City. In 1985, she moved to San Francisco. She has worked for the NYPD, US Park Service, and State of California. She met her husband Tom in SF. Eventually, they moved to San Jose due to Tom's job and then Mary Ellen retired in 2000. She spends the summer on the east coast. Her theory on volunteering is it keeps your weight down (fewer lunches out), saves money (less time shopping), everyone is nice (or else you don't come back), keeps you on your toes (learning new things), is relaxing (set your own hours), and fun. We really appreciate Mary Ellen’s ability to change hats when needed and her willingness to help, even on short notice. Thanks, Mary Ellen!