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NEWSLETTER: October 2014

In this issue:

Pumpkins in the Park

Pumpkins in the Park, a fun, family friendly harvest fair with a strong environmental education component, is designed to promote awareness of the Guadalupe River Park and celebrate the fall season. Join us on Saturday, October 11 from 10 AM to 4 PM for a giant pumpkin patch, a costume parade, tons of free kid's activities, a children's concert and so much more. Click here to read more about the event. Children's Discovery Museum is returning with their popular costume swap!

Event Sponsors - Dan Caputo Co., Children's Discovery Museum, Cisco, City of San Jose, Cortese Brothers Farms, eBay inc, Pacific Gas & Electric, Martinelli's, Mix 106.5, NBC11, San Jose Downtown Association, Watershed Watch, Whole Foods

GRPC Partners - Adobe, Mike & Christy Akatiff, Cosmopolitan Catering, Hugh Stuart Center Charitable Trust, SanDisk, San Jose Sharks, San Jose Water Company, Santa Clara Valley Water District, The Sobrato Organization, ValleyCrest Landscape,West Valley Construction

Event Supporters - Air Systems Foundation, AJ Auto Detailing, The Alves Family, The Austen Family, Sheryl Hinshaw, Kaiser Permanente, Sam's Downtown Feed & Pet Supply, South Bay Construction, and The Steene Family

New Field Trip Registration

We will launch our new online field trip registration process soon. Based on the Salesforce platform, it allows classroom teachers to search and select available field trips by date, register online, and immediately receive confirmation and follow up material. This will streamline the scheduling process for teachers by eliminating phone tag and allowing 24-hour access. We are grateful to the Michael Lee Environmental Foundation for underwriting the development costs of this custom application.

Trail Update

Count
We participated in the 8th San Jose Trail Count on September 24th and registered a whopping 50% increase in users over 2013. Many thanks to volunteers Greg Hernandez, Mike Hammes, Mary Holte, Donna Snodgrass, and Caroline Woodhouse for staffing the table. San Jose Trail Manager Yves Zsutty compiled a report on the citywide counts; click here to view it.

Future Construction Project
Per Yves, "In 2015, the City of Santa Clara expects to make pipeline repairs. Their contractor will work near the Lower Guadaupe River's paved trail (east side) for about two weeks. The area of work is near the Phillips Lumileds sports fields." Stay tuned for updates.

Three Creeks Trail
Also from Yves - "Please visit the linked web page to view the final draft master plan and related Initial Study - scroll down half way down the page, and look for the "New" message under Planning Documents."

Rotary Playgarden

The entry walls have been poured! Construction is moving right along, and we will share the ribbon-cutting date as soon as it is set.

Coastal Clean Up Day

Over 30 people joined us September 20th for the annual fall river clean up. Volunteers collected 21 bags of trash, covering the area from the railroad trestle north to Hedding. Thanks to our monthly clean ups, the single-use bag ban, and greater Park Ranger and Fish & Wildlife Warden enforcement, there wasn't nearly as much garbage to remove as in previous years. We have Scouts helping out in October for our monthly clean up, but there is space available on November 15th from 8:30 -11:30 am. Sign up here.

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

Bellarmine College Preparatory
California San Jose Mission
Cisco Systems
Johanson & Yau Accountancy Corp.
Linkedin
Mission Bay
Morgan Autism Center
Moss Adams
National Charity League
San Jose State University

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 1500 volunteer hours overall in August.

Upcoming Volunteer Opportunties

  • Rose Garden Workdays
    Weds. and Sats. 8:30-11:30am. More info.

  • Historic Orchard Volunteer Work Day
    Sat. October 4, 8:30-11:30am. Sign up.

Meet a Volunteer
Katie Pouliot joins us from West Valley's Park Management program. Katie is one semester away from graduation and has joined us as a restoration and education intern. She works in our orchard weekly and develops homeschool lessons. Her love for parks and for being outside drew her to our park. "I liked the idea that GRP was such an accessible park; instead of having to go to the mountains to enjoy the outdoors, GRP is conveniently located in the middle of downtown," says Katie. When Katie isn't interning with us, she is busy working full time at Chipotle, balancing her school schedule. Every so often, you can find her hiking at Big Basin, her favorite park. Thanks for all your hard work Katie!

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

October
Discovering Alternative Energy

October is National Energy Awareness Month. Join us as we explore the science behind some exciting alternative energy developments.

It's Electric
October 1st/2nd

Turbine Time
October 8th/9th

Water Works
October 15th/16th

It's Getting Hot in Here!
October 22nd/23rd

Brewing Biofuels
October 29th/30th

Click here to learn more!

Fall Walking Series

Saturdays, October 11th - November 15th (6 weeks) 8:30 to 9:30am Ages 18 and Up $30/members, $40/non-members

Step by step, you'll be healthier as a result of walking the paved trails along Guadalupe River. Join fitness instructors Kristin Strellis and Janet Schumacher Saturday mornings for fun, fitness and friendship. Whether you are looking to start a fitness program or add to your current program, you will be provided with instruction, motivation and accountability. Interval training, safe for all fitness levels, will be used along with additional strength and flexibility exercises.

Click here to sign up.

Garlic, Onions and Leeks

Saturday, October 18th 10:00am to 12:00pm $15/members, $20/non-members

You can plant garlic in San Jose too, not just Gilroy! This workshop teaches you about the Allium family (garlic, onions and leeks) and how to successfully plant, grow and harvest them. Onions love dry summers, and growing leeks in fall and winter helps develop a deep, rich soil for future veggies such as carrots. Since October and November are the best time to sow garlic, we'll have a hands-on demonstration and send you home with cloves to grow in your own garden. Instructor Sherri Bohan has been teaching organic vegetable gardening in Santa Clara County for 18 years. When Sherri isn't teaching, you can find her growing fresh vegetables year round for her many clients.

Click here to sign up.

Guadalupe Geocaching Family Workshop

Saturday, October 25th 10:00 to 11:30 am Ages 5 and up $15/members, $20/non-members for families of four $10/members, $15/non-members for a parent and one child

North, south, east, and west! Do you know where you are now? Join us for an exciting class about geography, navigation, and geocaching! Travel back in time to learn about ancient navigation and then fast forward to the modern world of Global Positioning Systems. Work in teams to use handheld GPS units (provided) to determine your latitude and longitude in the park, find educational treasure boxes, and solve fun geography puzzles! Bring your friends and family members to explore the park through this Geoacaching adventure!

Click here to sign up.

Pressed Flower & Leaf Art

Saturday, November 8 10:00am to 12:00pm Families welcome $20/members, $25/non-members $30/members, $40/non-members for a parent and one child $40/members, $55/non-members for a parent and two children *Child(ren) must be accompanied by an adult

Join Master Gardener Opal Lemmer to learn how to create gorgeous art with pressed flowers and leaves. Get tips on the best flowers and leaves for pressing and learn techniques for collecting and drying your own. A wide selection of materials will be provided to let you create your own collages for cards, pictures, and more. Adults and children alike can enjoy this craft that preserves nature's beauty for years of pleasure.

Click here to sign up.

Legacy Giving

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

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