 |
Window on the River Park
Join us on June 16th at Adobe Systems, Inc. for our 10th annual Window on the River Park fundraiser. We greatly appreciate the generous support of our sponsors:
Gold
Silver
Blach Construction Company
Flagship
Hotel De Anza
Rosendin Electric
San Jose Water Company
Verde Design Inc.
Bronze
Able Building Maintenance
Accel Air
Ampco System Parking
Berger/Lewis Accountancy Corp.
Boston Properties
Bridge Bank
CH2MHill
Colliers International
Comerica Bank Building
ExecutivEdge
The Finn Family
Focus Business Bank
Garden City Sanitation
Hardcastle Autobody
Heritage Bank of Commerce
HydroScience Engineers
The Lee Lester Family
LibraryWorld Inc.
Morgan, Franich, Fredkin & Marsh
Santa Clara Valley Water District
The Schoennauer Company
Silicon Valley Law Group
Jerry Silva
Sobrato Development Companies
Jodi & Drew Starbird
Joe and Marianne Sugg
Jack Wimberly
Supporters
ABM Security
Berliner Cohen
Hillhouse Construction Company Inc.
Hulberg & Associates
Pro-Sweep
Morley Brothers
Reed & Graham
Tim & Jane Starbird
Information regarding sponsorships and individual tickets can be found here. Proceeds fund ongoing education and stewardship efforts in the park. Click here to see a .pdf of the invite.
Become a S.T.E.W.A.R.D. this Summer
Looking for something different for your child this summer? Send your child to a fun and educational camp experience at the Guadalupe River Park & Gardens. Campers will be participating in educational activities, experiments, and games all while discovering how to be a:
| S |
cience |
| T |
echnology |
| E |
nvironment |
| W |
ilderness |
| A |
dventure |
| R |
ecreation |
| D |
iscovery |
This camp is designed to be small, so that each camper has an excellent opportunity to experience science and stewardship activities first-hand. As a result, space is very limited and pre-registration is required. Click here or call 408-298-7657 for more information.
Save our Park Rangers
San Jose’s Park Rangers play a valuable role in protecting people, natural resources, and park assets. With the expansion of San Jose’s trail network, rangers also have a critical safety function. Mayor Reed and the city council are faced with horrible choices in balancing the budget; however, cuts need to be strategic. Please join us in advocating for the preservation of the ranger program – it’s a smart investment.
Rose Dead Heading
The Guadalupe River Park Conservancy is looking for volunteers to remove spent blooms every second Tuesday of the month, beginning Tuesday, June 14th, from 5:30-7:30 pm at the Heritage Rose Garden, on Taylor and Spring streets. Come join an awesome volunteer group, learn about roses, and join us for a free ice cream sundae at the Gardens. To sign up, call 408-298-7657 or click here.
Corporate Service Days
If your company is looking for an outdoor team building or community service day experience, contact Emily at 298-7657. Projects include working in the Heritage Rose Garden or Historic Orchard, trail maintenance, or river clean up. As you can see in this photo of a recent Cisco team, we can accommodate large groups!
Wizard Wizard Festival
On Wednesday, May 25th nearly 300 third grade students descended on the Guadalupe River Park & Gardens for the 9th Annual Water Wizard Festival! Students arrived at the park on a chilly Wednesday morning to learn all about the Guadalupe Watershed and the science of water before enjoying entertainment by performing arts group ZunZun at lunch. More>>>
Bike to Work Day
We tallied a record number of riders this year, even though we had to move from our usual Coleman Ave location due to the railroad detour. Cyclists were thrilled to learn that the Hwy 880 to Gold St. trail paving project will begin later this year.
National River Clean Up Day
Nearly a ton of trash was removed from the east bank of the river on May 21st. Several volunteers that day mentioned wanting to pick up trash on a monthly basis. If you are interested in joining them, please contact Emily at 298-7657.
Welcome Back Dahlias
The John E. Stowell Dahlia Society is happy to be back to establish a beautiful dahlia garden plot in the Courtyard Garden. The Courtyard Garden, along with the Community and Taylor St. Rock gardens were part of the first ever Bay Friendly Garden Tour in the South Bay on May 15th. All of our gardens are maintained by volunteers from our community. Join us for maintenance and restoration projects at the Conservancy by contacting Emily at 408-298-7657.
June Orchard Update
Temperatures are slowly starting to warm in San Jose, and the stone fruit trees in the Historic Orchard are dripping with summer fruit! Even the beginnings of our fall pome fruits - the apples, pears, Asian pears - have started to appear among the foliage. The Orchard Management Team is delighted with this fruitfulness, especially since the orchard's fruit production last year was so modest. What a wonderful way to start off the harvest season! More>>
|
Upcoming Events
Beginning Nature Photography
Saturday, June 11th
9:00am to 12:00pm
Ages 18 and Up
$15/Members, $25 Non-members
Are you passionate about photography, but have never taken your art outdoors? Did you get a nice camera for Christmas that is now gathering dust in the closet? Set off on a three hour adventure with Guadalupe River Park Conservancy and SJSU photography program graduate and naturalist Greg Kerekes to enter the exciting world of nature photography. The class will start indoors as Kerekes reveals the basics of nature photography. Then, you will venture out into Guadalupe River Park for hands-on practice with your camera.
Bring your own camera; any digital SLR camera is preferred, but Kerekes will work with anyone who has basic point and shoot equipment. This class is ideal for the beginning photographer who has little experience with nature photography.
Introduction to Birding
Saturday, June 18th
9:00am to 11:00am
Ages 10 and Up
$10/members, $15/non-members
Have you always wanted to try birding, but never knew where to start? Are you looking for a fun, affordable activity to do with your family this summer? Join Guadalupe River Park Conservancy for a family-friendly class all about the world of birding. Learn the basics of birding while exploring the beautiful Guadalupe River Park & Gardens and finish the class with the skills you need to start birding on your own. Introduction to Birding will be led by Ralph Schardt, who is an avid birder, a seasoned environmental educator, and a skilled photographer. This class takes place entirely outside, so bring good walking shoes, a water bottle, binoculars (optional), and a passion for birds of all shapes and sizes!
Summer Fruit Tree Pruning
Saturday, June 25th
9:30am to 11:30am
Ages 18 and Up
$10/members, $15/non-members
Summer is an ideal and pleasant time to train young trees and encourage optimal fruit production. Summer Fruit Tree Pruning, a sequel to Guadalupe River Park Conservancy’s dormant pruning workshop, will be held in the 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 Heart’s Delight”. Using demonstrations and hands-on practice, professional landscaper Sean McGrail will teach you how summer pruning can help you train trees for an easier harvest. Bring pruning equipment, and dress ready to walk a spectacular orchard that contains over 250 fruit trees, including cherries, apricots, prunes, apples, and more.
Composting Classes
Wednesdays,
July 6,
August 3
6 to 8 pm
Free!
Start from the beginning and learn nature’s way of recycling in a free composting class. Join various Master Composters for a workshop covering items such as what can be composted, the different composting methods available (including worm composting), and what to do with the finished compost. The Wriggly Ranch worm bin and the Bio Stack compost bin will be available for sale before and after this workshop.
Twilight Yoga in the Park
10 Week Summer Series
Thursdays, June 9th – August 18th
6:15pm to 7:15pm
18 years or older
$60/members, $80/non-members
As summer’s warmer weather and longer evenings approach, we look forward to Twilight Yoga in the Park. Join Guadalupe River Park Conservancy and fitness instructor Kristin Strellis for a gentle yoga class designed to improve your flexibility, balance, and relaxation. All you need to bring is yourself, dressed in comfortable clothing, and any stress or worries that have accumulated throughout the week to release outdoors in the beautiful Guadalupe Park. All other necessary equipment in provided. This class will be taught outside and enrollment is limited, so make sure you reserve your space in this very popular healthy living class.
Nature News
The Guadalupe River is home not only to the Red-shouldered Hawk but also the Cooper’s Hawk and Sharp-shinned Hawk who both visit our riparian corridor during nesting season. I was walking by the orchard when I spotted what looked like a Red- shouldered Hawk but smaller. I snuck up using a tree branch as cover and noticed it had a rounded tail with thick white and black banding. The Red-shouldered hawk on the other hand has thin white and black banding and a square tipped tail. I wanted to look into it a bit further and consult my bird guide when I returned to the Visitor Center. Indeed it was a Cooper’s Hawk listed as a Species of Concern by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, it has red eyes, a dark cap, rusted barred chest, white tipped tail and yellow feet. The Cooper’s Hawk as a mature adult while reach 15-16 inches tall while the Red-shouldered Hawk reaches 18-24 inches tall. The Cooper’s Hawk preys on a variety of mammals, birds and reptiles including American Robins, Western Blue Birds, Scrub Jays, woodpeckers, European Starlings, Mourning Doves, American Kestrel, chipmunks, hares, mice, squirrels, bats, lizards, frogs, snakes and large insects. The Cooper’s Hawk captures its prey with its feet and will squeeze it to death it’s also known to drown its prey in water until it stops moving. The Cooper's Hawk was first discovered by a cousin of Napoleon a French naturalist named Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1828. The Cooper’s Hawk lives to about 12 years old and is known to inhabit a range from Canada to Northern Mexico. Stop by the park to see of you can catch a glimpse or even better a photo of this magnificent raptor in action.
Richard D. Tejeda, CIG
Legacy Gifts
Why Should You Include a Charitable Gift in Your Will (Or Living Trust)?
1. It’s simple to do. It can be as easy as including language stating, "I give $20,000 to Guadalupe River Park Conservancy."
2. You can change your mind. We won’t receive the gift until after your death. During your lifetime, you can amend anything you choose, i.e., beneficiaries, amounts, etc.
3. Tax-wise, it could be beneficial. Gifts to qualified charitable organizations reduce the value of your estate for estate tax purposes.
4. It’s an easy way to support Guadalupe River Park Conservancy, and we’d be grateful for your gift. Bequests of every size build our future financial strength.
|
|
