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NEWSLETTER: February 2015

In this issue:

Adopt-a-Rose

Looking for a distinctive Valentine's gift? A bouquet of roses will last a week, but a rose bush will bloom throughout the year. With your donation of $60, we will help you select the perfect rose and prepare a gift box for your Valentine. Click here for more details.

Super Guadalupe River Run

Many thanks to San Jose Water Company, our title sponsor, and Santa Clara Valley Water District for their support of our annual 10K/5K/1K run/walk. Supervisor Ken Yeager and Councilmember Raul Peralez were on hand to provide encouragement to their fellow runners on a spectacular, sunny morning. Mark you calendars for next year - Sunday, Feb. 7th. More pics here.

Education Update

We were honored to receive one of the last gifts from the Michael Lee Environmental Foundation, whose trustees decided to spend down their assets. Their generosity will fund our Water Festival for 5th-grade students for the next five years. We greatly appreciate former Executive Director Ralph Schardt and MLEF trustees for their support.

Construction Update

Intersection improvements at Autumn and Coleman have temporarily blocked access to the Visitor & Education Center. We will post updates on our Facebook page so please follow us there if you don't already.

Volunteer Corner

A hearty thanks to all the volunteer groups that toiled to make GRPG a more beautiful place this past December:

California San Jose Mission - missionaries
Mission Bay
Morgan Autism Center
SJSU MIS Program
St. Andrews School

And that is only the groups! We also appreciate the scores of individuals who come out weekly to make a difference. We logged more than 794 volunteer hours in December.

Upcoming Volunteer Opportunties

  • Rose Garden Workdays (Pruning Lessons!)
    Weds. and Sats. 8:30-11:30 am. More info.

  • FULL! - Monthly River Clean Up
    Sat. Feb. 21, 8:30-11:30 am. Sign up.

  • FULL! - Historic Orchard Volunteer Work Day
    Sat. February 7th, 8:30-11:30 am. Sign up.

 

Meet Volunteer Jill Perry
As curator for the San Jose Heritage Rose Garden, Jill manages the catalog of roses (most in the Western Hemisphere!), selects planting locations for new plants, and networks with other heritage rose groups around the world to track down rare and old varieties. And she's been doing this for 10 years now! In her spare time, Jill enjoys watching baseball, playing ukulele and gardening in her Santa Cruz yard. Her vast knowledge of roses is a tremendous help and is one of the reasons the
Heritage Rose Garden is a great garden destination for the Bay Area and beyond.

So many ways to give:
Adopt A Rose, General Donations,
Rotary Children's Playgarden,
The Donor Walkway, Memberships,
Endowment, Critter Donations

Upcoming Events

Homeschool Programs

February
Ecosystem Extravaganza

Explore with us the different types of ecosystems that make up the Guadalupe River Watershed. Students will learn about the living and non-living parts of three different types of ecosystems and how these parts relate to each other.

Ecosystem Exploration
February 4th/5th

Just Around the River Bend
February 11th/12th

King of the Mountain
February 18th/19th

The Grassland's Always Greener
February 25th/26th

Click here to learn more!

Bird Friendly Gardens

Saturday, February 7th 12:00pm to 2:00pm Ages 18 and Up $10/members, $15/non-members

Building and installing a birdhouse is not as simple as it may seem. The location of your residence, the layout of your garden or patio, and the birdhouse's design and size all factor into the habitability of a birdhouse. If you'd like to study the art of building birdhouses, sign up for this adult workshop led by Mike Azevedo, County Coordinator for Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society's Cavity Nester Recovery Program. In addition to teaching the aspects of a successful birdhouse, Mike will share the efforts of the Audubon Society and others in the community to restore bird populations through cavity nesting programs. Check out this interview with Mike in Bay Nature.

Click here to sign up.

Spring Walking Series

Saturdays, February 28th through April 4th
8:30am to 9:30am
Age 18 and up
$30/members, $40/non-members

Burst out of winter with a new walking series! Join fitness instructors Kristin Strellis and Janet Schumacher for the 6-week Spring Walking Series. Step by step, you'll be healthier as you travel the paved trails along the Guadalupe River. Learn proper stretches, toning exercises, and walking technique as you meet others who enjoy exercising outdoors along the way. The program will be tailored to your fitness level.

Click here to sign up.

Rose Pruning Classes

Wednesdays & Saturdays through February
8:30 to 11:30 am
Free!

Hands-on rose pruning lessons will be offered at the San Jose Heritage Rose Garden every Wednesday and Saturday. Lessons begin promptly at 8:30 am.

Come to learn, engage with community members, and have fun! Please bring leather gloves and bypass shears, if you have them; loaners are available if needed. Wear closed-toe shoes and bring a full water bottle. Meet in the center of the garden. More info.

Legacy Giving

Retirement accounts, which are subject to income tax, are good vehicles for charitable gifts. Charities aren't subject to income tax so your gift goes farther.

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