What's New

• Dear Lupe: Why are there so many weeds in the orchard?

• Community Garden

• Adobe Systems Community Investment Partnership

• Project to Beautify Gardens Begins

• New Officers and Board Members

• Leslee Hamilton Appointed As New Executive Director

• Lower Guadalupe River Trail to Become Fully Accessible

• New Segment of Los Gatos Creek Trail Celebrated

• Friends Team up with Local Girl Scouts

• Small Landscape Project Example of Public-Private Partnership

• In Memory of Mel Hulse

• Park Maintenance: How Volunteers Make A Difference

• Innovative Soil Improvement Program Underway

• Four Ways You Can Help Us!

• City of San Jose Youth Watershed Education Grant

On the Air

Our program manager Phil Cornish sat down in the park with Sam VanZandt from KBAY to do an interview for their Sunday morning program.  Sam was gracious enough to provide us with a copy to share with visitors to our web site!  Thanks Sam!

Small Version (5.0 MB .mp3 file)
Large Version (13.2 MB .mp3 file)

2006-2007 Annual Trails Report - City of San Jose
.pdf file, 906 KB
This is a low resolution file, printing is not recommended.

Dear Lupe: Why are there so many weeds in the orchard?
You might think the weeds are competing with the trees for nutrients and water, but that is not the case. According to Brian Debasitis of Mauby All Natural, the weeds actually provide some benefits to the trees. They help the soil retain more moisture than they use by preventing evaporation, and they also act as a trap species for pest insects. The weeds are covered in aphids, but the trees are mainly aphid free because the aphids would rather eat the weeds than the trees. The weeds are also a great breeding ground for beneficial predatory insects such as lady beetles and lacewings. We are actively working to improve the health of the trees in the Historic Orchard by improving the soil they grow in. As part of this effort, we are not using any chemical controls and have stopped tilling the soil, which is why the weeds are so abundant this year. As the soil health improves through the application of compost tea and mulch, the number of weeds will be reduced naturally, though some will remain to lure pest insects away from the trees. Have a question for Lupe? Send it to info@grpg.org

Adobe Systems Community Investment Partnership
Friends of Guadalupe River Park & Gardens is pleased to acknowledge a $25,000 grant from Adobe Systems, Inc. as the second installment of a 3-year Community Investment Partnership. Adobe’s corporate philanthropy goal is to support strategic programs and partnerships that impact the communities where their employees live and work. The company’s world headquarters is located adjacent to the Guadalupe River in downtown San Jose and many Adobe employees regularly use the park for recreation, participate in the Friends’ education programs, and offer their time as volunteers.

Project to Beautify Gardens Begins
After five years of planning, the City of San Jose, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, AT&T and Comcast have begun a project that will significantly affect the appearance of Guadalupe Gardens. Over the course of the next 18 months, above-ground power poles will be removed and new utility lines will be installed underground throughout the Gardens area.

Under Rule 20A, the California Public Utilities Commission requires PG&E to set aside funds annually for financing the undergrounding of overhead utility lines along major thoroughfares, civic areas and in parks and other public spaces. These funds can be tapped when the governing body of a city determines, after consultation with PG&E and public hearings, that such undergrounding is in the general public interest. AT&T and Comcast also budget funds to participate in these projects.

Crews have already begun the work between Hedding Street and Highway 880 and will move south of Hedding in January. The total value of the project to the City of San Jose is approximately $5 million. The aesthetic value for those who enjoy Guadalupe Gardens is priceless!

New Officers and Board Members
Friends of Guadalupe River Park & Gardens is very pleased to announce the election of new officers and four new members of the Board of Directors for 2008.

Chairing the Board as President is Phil Sims, partner in the firm of Sims & Layton, Attorneys at Law in downtown San Jose. Phil has been prominent in many community organizations over the years, and his practice includes a specialty in non-profit law. Vice-President is Jodi Starbird, an expert in environmental planning with David J. Powers and Associates. Secretary is Derek McKee, a landscape architect and President of Verde Design, Inc. David Jackson, a Senior Vice President at Comerica Bank, will serve as CFO.

New Board members are Nicholas Adams, a marketing and event consultant; Michael Bangs, Global Facilities Director at Adobe System, Inc.; Rebecca Dishotsky, Senior Manager for Internal Communications with PayPal; and John Tang, Manager of Government Relations & Corporate Communications at San Jose Water Company.

Completing their terms and leaving the Board at the end of 2007 are Brian Adams, Don Barrett, Bill Del Biaggio, Jr., Andrew Giorgianni, Desiree La Maggiore, Bob Rhodes, Dave Sandretto, and Michele Young. Each of these dedicated people contributed their expertise and talent to the Friends and the Guadalupe River Park & Gardens in a variety of ways, and we thank them for their many contributions!.

Leslee Hamilton Appointed As New Executive Director The Board of Directors of Friends of Guadalupe River Park & Gardens has chosen Leslee Hamilton as new Executive Director, effective January 16, 2008. She will replace Kathleen Muller, who is retiring after twelve years. Leslee brings unique experience, leadership skills, and enthusiasm to the position, having served on the Board of the Friends since 2000, most recently as Board Chair. She is also a member of the San Jose Parks & Recreation Commission and of Envision San Jose 2040, the City of San Jose General Plan Task Force. Leslee holds a BA in Business Economics from U.C. Santa Barbara and served in the Peace Corps in Paraguay in the 1980s where she worked in a rural cooperative and provided support and training to other Peace Corps volunteers. Her employment background includes extensive work on public policy, including policy related to environmental issues, and government service. Leslee’s most recent employment has been with San Jose State University’s Mineta Transportation Institute, where she has been the Communications and Special Projects Director. Leslee is a strong proponent of a vibrant downtown and sees the Guadalupe River Park & Gardens, with its open space and trails, as essential to a high quality of life for downtown San Jose residents and workers. An advocate for the increased accommodation of bicycles on roads and transit, she plans to use the trail to bike to work. We ask that you join us in welcoming Leslee Hamilton to this position.

Lower Guadalupe River Trail to Become Fully Accessible On December 31, the Lower Guadalupe River Trail became fully accessible from Highway 880 to Gold Street.  This adds 6.4 miles of new trail connected to the Guadalupe River Park’s existing 2.6 miles of paved trail.  Significant work at Airport Parkway and Highway 101 was just recently completed.  Construction work at both locations had closed a large portion of the trail system for over 6 months. The paved under-crossings and surface improvements at Airport Parkway permit people to access the gravel levee roads along the river’s banks.  These improvements were made possible through partnering by the City of San Jose and the Santa Clara Valley Water District.  Both organizations are planning a public opening ceremony to celebrate this important trail milestone – expect more news about an event in late January or February.  By the end of 2007, the City had received official authorization from Caltrans to begin making use of a federal Transportation Earmark (grant funding) that will support completion of construction documents and construction of a paved trail between Highway 880 and Montague Expressway.  This work will likely occur within 2 years and will help to make the Guadalupe River Park an even greater draw for recreational users and commuters.

New Segment of Los Gatos Creek Trail Celebrated
Representatives of Friends of Guadalupe River Park & Gardens were among many supporters who came out to celebrate the opening of a new reach of the Los Gatos Creek Trail in Willow Glen on Saturday, October 20! This new segment is only ½ mile in length, extending from Lonus Street (near Lincoln Avenue) to Auzerais Avenue, but it is a crucial link in the trail that will eventually connect to the Guadalupe River Park near HP Pavilion. It took ten years and $4 million dollars to complete.

The Friends recently helped coordinate a count of people on the Guadalupe River Trail to document daily use in the park and on the city’s other trails. We found that the Guadalupe River Trail is already used daily by hundreds of commuters on bicycles, as well as joggers and pedestrians seeking exercise. (To see the report on Trail Count 2007 visit our website, www.grpg.org). It is expected that these numbers will increase tremendously when the Guadalupe Trail extends to Gold Street in Alviso in early 2008 and a final connection is made to the Los Gatos Creek Trail, possibly in five years.

Cobbling together the land, the permits, and the funding to construct trails through developed areas like Willow Glen and downtown San Jose takes many years, dedicated political leadership, and the advocacy of trail users and supporters. But with the completion of every new segment, we get closer to having a network of trails in San Jose and Santa Clara County that will eventually connect San Francisco Bay to the Santa Cruz Mountains, offering cheap and healthy alternatives to commuters and limitless recreational opportunities for area residents.

Friends Team up with Local Girl Scouts
Although the winter brought a number of storms to San Jose, it gave Friends of Guadalupe River Park & Gardens fitness instructor Kristin Strellis and Girl Scout Troop #61580 the opportunity to use indoor time to discover the benefits of healthy living. Last year, Friends received a generous grant from Kaiser Permanente to begin a series of healthy living classes within the Guadalupe River Park. The grant also included funds to reach out to those in the community who are underserved and might not have the opportunity to receive proper exercise and nutritional training. This came to fruition with a partnership with Girl Scout Troop #61580.

Funds from the grant were used to provide the girls with expert training and to teach them about the different components of a healthy lifestyle. For four weeks, Kristin met the 21 Girl Scouts just outside the park at a local elementary school to learn about healthy food choices, fun daily exercises, healthy living practices such as stress reduction through yoga. She also took them on a fitness walk to the Guadalupe River Park to pick up trash that washed downriver following January’s storms. The girls completed activities from the Girl Scout handbooks, earning a badge each: the Girls Sports Badge for Brownie Troop members (grades 1-3) and the Fun & Fit Badge for Junior troop members (grades 4-6).

We are looking forward to more opportunities to partner with local organizations to educate and encourage healthy living. For more information about education programs for small groups and scout troops, visit our education page.

Small Landscape Project Example of Public-Private Partnership
When a corporate volunteer team from NEC America, Inc. completed a planting day in Guadalupe Gardens in late October, they were putting the finishing touches on a project that illustrates how public-private partnerships can enhance our community’s parks.

The project began three years ago when the City of San Jose, using State bond funds to develop Guadalupe Gardens south of Taylor Street, constructed a small parking lot for visitors at Seymour and Walnut streets. A planting area was created adjacent to the parking lot, but never fully developed. Friends of Guadalupe River Park & Gardens recognized the parking lot as a new entry point to Guadalupe Gardens and took on the task of coordinating the landscaping.

Derek McKee, President of Verde Design, Inc., and a member of the Friends of GRPG Board of Directors, donated an irrigation and planting plan to get the project started. Santa Clara Valley Corporation, through an in-kind donation from Barry Swenson Builder, installed the irrigation system. And, finally, volunteers from NEC America, Inc. completed the planting, with plants purchased by the City of San Jose Parks Recreation & Neighborhood Services Department.

The result – an enhanced entry to Guadalupe Gardens and a project that shows how collaboration can work for the benefit of all!

In Memory of Mel Hulse
Rose Garden Supervisor Mel Hulse passed away on January 22nd after a long illness. Mel got bitten by the rose “bug” during the planting of the Heritage Rose Garden in 1995 and soon taught himself all there was to know about rose care and propagation.

A former Air Force colonel and Lockheed engineer, Mel was an early adopter of technology and recognized its potential. He started the “virtual rose society” online, was a consultant for www.HelpMeFind.com/roses, and used the Internet to befriend rosarians across the globe. He served on the board of directors of the Friends from 1997 to 2004, where he was an advocate for the rose garden.

Mel became a master propagator, a rare talent and one that the Friends will have a difficult time replacing. He patiently showed hundreds of volunteers how to prune roses, and took enormous pride in overseeing one of the largest collections of roses in the western hemisphere.

The Friends and rose lovers everywhere are indebted to Mel’s generous devotion to this beautiful garden. Discussions are underway to determine the most appropriate tribute. The Hulse family designated the Heritage Rose Garden for donations, with the Friends as the fiscal agent. Mel’s investment will be paying big returns in April; you can appreciate his legacy by visiting the Heritage Rose Garden..

Park Maintenance: How Volunteers Make A Difference

How cities, counties, and even our federal government deal with the maintenance of parks and public spaces is a topic of great debate. Everyone wants their favorite park to be accessible, safe, and well-maintained, but when government leaders are faced with very difficult budget decisions, park maintenance often goes under-funded.  Increasingly, that is when volunteers are called upon to fill in the gap and organizations like ours play a crucial role.

Friends of Guadalupe River Park & Gardens recruits and supports volunteers – both individuals and groups – to work in many areas of the park. Our Volunteer Coordinator, Lucy Perez, schedules the volunteers and ensures that they receive the proper training, supervision and tools to succeed.

There are volunteers who work in the park every week – like Bob Pariani – who spends every Wednesday in the Courtyard Garden, and Greg Hernandez who staffs the reception desk at the Visitor & Education Center every Tuesday. And there are volunteers like Donna Snodgrass and Bernice Jackson, who are “on-call” to help with stuffing envelopes, preparing materials for education programs, or staffing events.

We have expert rosarians – like Mel Hulse and Marianne Sugg – who serve as volunteer supervisors in the Heritage Rose Garden and direct other volunteers in caring for more than 3,000 roses. A core group of approximately 30 rose garden volunteers works faithfully in the rose garden every Wednesday and Saturday, providing hours of necessary maintenance.

Don Barrett enjoys leading river clean-ups. Betty Danielsen provides interpretive tours of the park. Jane Guinther assists with education programs for children. And members of our volunteer Board of Directors provide leadership and expertise in everything from finance, landscape design, and marketing, to environmental stewardship and education. Board member Elliott Green, for example, has recently taken the lead on fundraising for our annual Window on the River Park event and is exploring the steps necessary to earn LEEDS environmental certification for our Visitor & Education building.

For many years, Guadalupe River Park & Gardens has also benefited from large corporate and community groups coming out to the park for a day of service. This has become increasingly popular, with many companies recognizing the additional benefit of “team building” that often occurs when a group of people work on a project together, outside of the normal office setting. These large volunteer days require much more coordination with City Parks and Friends staff, to ensure adequate supervision and tools, and to make all of the necessary logistical arrangements.  Some of our local corporations are now generously providing cash contributions along with their volunteer service, to offset the expenses we incur.

In conjunction with these many volunteer programs, our Board of Directors spends many hours advocating for further park development and appropriate levels of maintenance funding from City of San Jose officials. The Community & Government Relations Committee of the Board met with all mayoral and Council candidates during recent election cycles to impress upon them the great need that exists and to suggest some creative ideas. Board members found that virtually all candidates were sympathetic to the issue, and they will be listening to what their constituents feel is important.

If you would like to help us keep Guadalupe River Park & Gardens beautiful and well-maintained, please speak up and let your elected representative know that this is a priority for you. If you are interested in becoming one of Guadalupe River Park & Gardens’ valuable volunteers, please contact Volunteer Coordinator Lucy Perez at lperez@grpg.org to sign up!

Innovative Soil Improvement Program Underway

In response to a troubling and mysterious loss of roses in the Heritage Rose Garden over the past two years, garden volunteers and GRPG Board leaders consulted with experts and attempted various remedies.

Late last summer, Board member Michele Young suggested we talk to Brian Debasitis, a soils expert whose company, Mauby All Natural, works closely with Soil Foodweb Inc, a soil biology lab in Corvallis Oregon. This conversation led to an experimental program, under the auspices of the City of San Jose Environmental Services Department, that is taking an innovative biological approach to addressing the problem by amending the soil in the Heritage Rose Garden and Historic Orchard with applications of compost tea.

Brian began by taking soil samples in the garden to assess the state of microbial life and to try to understand the problem of dying roses. His tests determined that the soil was lacking in protozoa and that the ratio of bacteria to fungi in the soil was not right for growing healthy roses. Nematodes and larger worms were also absent in the soil samples, indicating poor soil health. This lack of higher invertebrate life in the soil was an indication of a nutrient cycle significantly off balance.

Brian prescribed a series of amended compost applications and compost tea soil drenches in both the Rose Garden and the Orchard, and the elimination of other fertilizers. Compost was amended with fungal foods, minerals and nutrients and the compost tea was specially formulated to provide the right mix of nutrients for the desired soil conditions. The first applications were done in early October 2006 and these will be followed by more soil tests and additional applications this spring. The next step will be to monitor the roses and orchard trees over the summer of 2007 and take appropriate additional measures.

The goal of this program is to get all the elements in balance over the course of one or two growing seasons. Maintenance of the soil in the rose garden and orchard may then be reduced to a simple topdressing of compost or drench of compost tea once a year. Early indications are that the roses are showing signs of improvement, but only time will tell if this approach is the entire answer. What we do know is that it is a scientifically-based approach that is earth-friendly. We’ll keep you posted as the experiment continues.

Ways You Can Help Us!

Can we get you to consider one of these four great ways to contribute to the Friends of Guadalupe River Park & Gardens?

Take a trip to Hawaii! If you book your travel on Hawaiian Airlines you can travel conveniently from Mineta San José International Airport. Access the Hawaiian Airlines website through www.grpg.org and when you make your reservations, Friends of GRPG will earn Hawaiian Miles for free trips that can be raffled off at future fundraising events. You accumulate mileage credit personally, as usual, if you are a member of the Hawaiian frequent flier program.

Sign up for Escrip. This generous program offers a painless way to direct a percentage of every dollar you spend at participating businesses to the charity of your choice. Signing up is easy, and the rewards to organization’s like ours continue to grow.  Visit www.escrip.com and register listing Friends of GRPG as the recipient of your generosity!  When you register, you can find us by our Group ID which is 500003196 or just search by our zip code, 95110, we'll pop right up.

Take full advantage of your employer’s generosity if you work for a company that offers a Matching Gift program. Many local companies do. Please find out if your employer will match your donation to the Friends and then take a few moments to submit the required paperwork. Let’s let these generous companies know how much we appreciate their contributions to the community!

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