A Newsletter Published by the Friends of Stevens Creek Trail Winter 2001

b a rezTrail lIt was a sparkling winter day on December 19th when a group of trail enthusiasts met atRancho San Antonio County Park. This meeting was called and led by Environmental Con-sultant Jana Sokale. Those in attendance were Tom Frankum, Past President, Friends ofStevens Creek Trail and Wildlife Corridor; Susie Brain, Executive Director of the Friends;Steve Haze, Friends Board member and volunteer for the Cupertino Historical Society; MikeO’Dowd, City of Cupertino, and Lisa Killough of the Santa Clara County Parks Department.

The purpose: to explore possible alignment for the Stevens Creek Trail as proposed bythe City of Cupertino especially in the vicinity of Rancho San Antonio County Park. Thisalignment will be on 135 acres of land that will be transferred in the near term from theDiocese of San Jose to the County. The terrain is beautiful and varied, the vistas are spec-tacular, the possibilities are endless!

The Cupertino Histori-cal Society in conjunc-

tion with other localhistorical and cultural organizations is spon-soring the commemoration and re-enactmentof the Juan Bautista de Anza Expedition and93rd Encampment of March 25 and 26, 1776.The event will be held from 1:00 p.m. until2:30 p.m., on Saturday, March 24, to coincidewith the 225th anniversary of the first overlandexpedition of De Anza’s party, which campedin present day Cupertino.

“Last year, this trail (the De Anza Trail) wasone of sixteen distinguished by the White Houseas a National Millennium Trail.”

The event is being held at the top of DeAnza knoll on 65 acres of land owned by theDiocese of San Jose that is scheduled fortransfer to Santa Clara County as a part ofthe future expansion of Rancho San Anto-nio. It is important to note this historic site is apart of the future parkland that includes a pro-posed alignment for the Stevens Creek Trail inCupertino.

The Commemoration or Commemorativois a “living history” event, which will includethe De Anza Lancers of Cupertino, OhloneTribal representatives and descendents fromthe original expedition of 1776. El ConjuntoCalifornia will provide music from this his-toric period.

Parking is available only at Rancho San An-tonio County Park. For more informationplease contact the Cupertino Historical Soci-ety at: (408) 973-1495.

Z

A Living HistoryRe-enactment of the Juan Bautista de Anza Expedition

It is hoped that the Stevens Creek Trailwill be extended through this region.

Opportunities, Challenges, Spectacular Vistas in Cupertino

To walk this area with Jana was to learn fascinating details about opportunities andchallenges. Among those were areas of possible Red Legged Frog habitat, heritage trees,slope and water challenges. The presence of a railroad, a new housing development and ahorse stable were noted as challenges and opportunities. The complex ownership andright-of-way maze was also noted.

In brief, it is certain the challenges can be met and opportunities maximized. We willkeep you up to date on progress in future newsletters. Meanwhile watch for notice ofpublic meetings to address progress on these issues.

It is also noteworthy that our walk included the “knoll” which will be the site of the re-enactment of the De Anza expedition of 1776 later this spring, and where the trail willpass by what is known as the Snyder-Hammond House that was built in 1881.

Z Beautiful landscape in the vicinity of Rancho San Antonio County Park.

It is with much sadness that we report thatlongtime Friend’s Volunteer, Scott Harger, isleaving the San Francisco Bay Area. He, andhis wife Pat, have purchased a home on 10acres of land including their very own trail,in the Flagstaff area of Arizona.

Scott has been an active volunteer withthe Friends since 1993, just months after theFriends were formed. He has contributed inalmost every facet of Friends activities sincethat time. Scott led many of the Friends ini-tiatives including, Trail Workdays, the part-nership with the Foundry School and thefunding and building of an Amphitheater onthe trail in Cupertino, to name just a few.

In addition, Scott could always becounted on to pitch in where help wasneeded on other Friends activities. Scott’smany contributions to the annual TrailblazerRace were instrumental to its ongoing suc-cess. There is not a single aspect of theFriends operation that has not benefitedfrom Scott’s support: from furnishing the of-fice, getting donated computer equipmentrunning, putting together the booth forstreet fairs, writing grant applications, to

The Friends of Stevens Creek Trail welcome2001 officers Steve Olson, President; AaronGrossman, Vice President and Interim Trea-surer; and Ross Heitkamp, Secretary. Withhistories of trail involvement, the new lead-ership team will continue to build commu-nity awareness for the trail and its wildlifecorridor and advocate on behalf of the trail’sextension.

Steve Olson, President, says, “This year weanticipate a great deal of community supportfor Reach 4 Segment 2—the proposed seg-ment which will take the trail fromYuba Drive to Mountain ViewHigh School. This is a criticaltime for the extension of thisbeautiful trail, and the Friendswill be working hard to ensure asmooth process.”

The FOSCT is also pleased to wel-come three new Board members tohelp with the challenges ahead:John Brazil, Diane Haze and

President’s

MessageWhen I first heard atrail was coming tomy neighborhood acouple years ago, I

was thrilled; as a hiking enthusiast, I couldn’twait to get my feet over fresh dirt. But when Isaw asphalt being poured, I promptly an-nounced to my wife that I would not be us-ing the trail much. That lasted about a week.Not only did I take to the trail daily via foot,but also something fairly remarkable hap-pened — I purchased my first bicycle since Iwas 13 years old.

I now pedal myself downtown to the Sun-day farmers market, to grab a bite to eat, andto run random errands — I have been spot-ted balancing 10 foot long 2x4’s on my shoul-der heading home from Minton’s Lumber…not one of my smoother moves. I also ride toShoreline Park on more weekends than not.In fact, there are some weekends when I don’teven get in my car — something that wouldnever happen before the trail was extendedbehind my house. Better yet, I now bike towork via CalTrain when weather and sched-ule permit, which removes one car from theCentral Expressway rush hour backup. Makeno mistake, I’m no Greg Lemond. Rather, Iam routinely fanned by serious cyclists whopass me as if I were a toddler on a trike, butthe important thing is that I am out of my carand enjoying a healthy, safe commute alter-native.

Which brings me to the Reach 4, Segment1 trail extension, which will take the trailfrom Landels School to Yuba Drive. After arelaxing ride on the trail out to Shoreline ona recent Sunday afternoon, my wife and I de-cided to bike to the video store. During theshort time we were on El Camino (four of fiveblocks), we dodged three cars pulling in andout of driveways, gulped down exhaustfumes, waited impatiently for a couple of longtraffic signals, and dreamed of the day wecould ride unobstructed to Yuba Drive.

This much is certain; without this trail, Iwould not have the impetus to forgo my carin favor of a bike. So I encourage those of youwho haven’t already done so to dust off theold bike, pump up the tires and hit the trail.

President, Steve Olson

Z

representing the Friends at key trail confer-ences, putting his hand to budgets; the list iswithout end.

The Friends honored Scott with the first an-nual Volunteer of the Year Award, in April of2000. We are fortunate to have had the ben-efit of his dedication and passion for the trailthe last eight years. Scott was a valued col-league in the creation of the trail and one ofthe best Friends that the Stevens Creek Trailever had. He will be sorely missed.

Please join us in sending Scott and his wifePat best wishes as they move to their new com-munity and start anew.

Z

Steve Haze, Past President. These new mem-bers are no strangers to the Friends of StevensCreek Trail and its cause. Both Steve and Dianehave contributed time and energy on behalfof The Friends of Stevens Creek Trail, the U.S.Forest Service and National Park Service andthe Cupertino Historical Society to name afew. John Brazil is an avid bicycle commuterand involved in numerous Bay Area agenciesas a cyclist advocate. Over the years John hasvolunteered for numerous organizations in-cluding Hidden Villa and the Midpeninsula

Regional Open Space District.The new Board members join

Tom Frankum, Past President, RayMeyer III, Carol Olson, PreetiPiplani, Jim Stallman, Art Takahara,as well as Officers Steve Olson,

Aaron Grossman and Ross Heitkampto round out the 2001 FOSCT Board of

Directors. Susie Brain, who joined the or-ganization in December of 1999, serves

as the Executive Director.

New Officers and Directors to Steer Organization Upstream

Scott Harger receiving Volunteer of the Year Award fromRhonda Scherber, Founder and Past President of

The Friends of Stevens Creek Trail

Friends Bid Farewellto a Good Friend

October 8, 2000 turned out to be anothergreat day for the Friends of Stevens Creek Trailannual fundraiser — the Trailblazer Race.This event was a day for the community toenjoy themselves and learn more aboutStevens Creek Trail.

Special thanks go to all of our race spon-sors and donors, especially our presentingsponsor, SGI (Silicon Graphics, Inc.). Thisyear SGI also donated the climbing wall thatwas set up in the festival area for all interestedclimbers to enjoy, as well as sponsoring theSpecial Olympics team — “Special “O” Speed-sters.” Without the many generous contribu-tions of cash and manpower, by so many of you,this event would not have been successful.

Over 860 racers and walkers registered andparticipated in the 7th Annual Trailblazer Race

Reach 4, Segment 1The City of Mountain View has completed thedesign phase of Stevens Creek Trail and Wild-life Corridor, Reach 4, Segment 1 and is pre-paring the design for construction bidding.

The project consists generally of construct-ing a new 3.2 meter wide bicycle and pedes-trian trail along Stevens Creek, approximately790 meters long from Landels School to YubaDrive. The city is currently accepting Respon-sibility Statements and Questionnaires frominterested contractors.

Reach 4, Segment 2On December 9, 2000, the City of MountainView held a public meeting on the progress ofthe feasibility study being conducted for Reach4, Segment 2. The meeting was held at Moun-tain View High School with a presentation fromNolte Associates, the consultants hired by theCity to study this trail segment.

and Nature Walk. The overall maleand female winners for the 10K racewere: Jason Perscheid and JaneaneSimpkins, an employee of SGI. Eachof these winners received a mountainbike generously donated by theLowenthal Family. As in previousyears, the youth races were enjoyed by par-ticipants and observers alike with the Cityof Cupertino, Recreation Department, doinga terrific job organizing this event.

On behalf of the Friends of Stevens CreekTrail we thank everyone who participated inthis event — runners, walkers, children,sponsors, donors, volunteers, booth partici-pants, race day personnel, support andsafety services — we could not have suc-ceeded without you.

The presentation included several detailed trail maps and a con-tinuous 10-minute video which gave attendees a sense of the pro-posed trail area. Extensive handouts also addressed a variety ofconcerns raised by the public such as: traffic and parking; trail safetyand security; fire protection and environmental impact.

Overall, Nolte Associates and the City of Mountain View gave athorough presentation and addressed community concerns. The in-put from this meeting will be incorporated into the consultants re-port and presented to the Parks and Recreation Committee, expectedin early spring. Parks and Recreation will then make a recommenda-tion on whether or not to proceed with the project to the City Coun-cil. Continued public support is vital to ensure the completion ofthe trail within Mountain View.

To stay informed, check our website regularly at www.stevenscreektrail.orgunder the Trail Status section. It is updated as new information becomesavailable. To request notification of upcoming meetings send us an emailat: reach4@stevenscreektrail.org. Your support is appreciated and vitalto the completion of this trail segment.

Z

7th Annual Trailblazer RaceIs A Success!

Trail Update — Mountain View Trail Status

Trailblazer Race 2000 — Sponsors and ContributorsCarl German Chiropractic, Inc. • Castle Group California, Inc. • City of Mountain View • City of Cupertino • Cupertino Inn • Home Depot. U.S.A. • Microsoft Corporation

Silicon Graphics, Inc. (SGI) • Sobrato Development Companies • Star One Federal Credit Union

Trailblazer Race 2000 — Prizes and In-Kind DonationsSanta Clara Valley Audubon Society • The Club of Mountain View • CMT • Grand Hotel, Sunnyvale • The Ross Heitkamp Family • Hobee’s (Taber Food Services) • KMTV

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts • The Richard Lowenthal Family • Michaels at Shoreline • Milk Pail Market • Mountain View Voice • Page Creations • Palo Alto Daily NewsThe Pines Resort, Bass Lake • Safeway Stores (Shoreline and California Ave) • Santa Clara Valley Water District

Thank you to all the wonderful volunteers too numerous to mention individually

Thanks to SGI and all who made the Trailblazer Race a Success — We couldn’t have done it without you!

Mark your calendars now for this year’s 8th

Annual Trailblazer Race on Sunday, October14th, 2001. We look forward to seeing you there!

Please note: We are always looking for volun-teers that can help us with special events andother activities. If you are interested or would likefurther information we can be reached at 408-255-5780 or 650-903-6067. Check out our website:www.stevenscreektrail.org or send us an e-mail:exec-dir@stevenscreektrail.org.

Z.

Participants get off to a fantastic startat a fun-filled event for the entire family

NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDCUPERTINO, CAPERMIT NO. 466

Newsletter Design & Production: Christine Mendible, Page CreationsArticles: Susie Brain, Tom Frankum, Steve & Diane Haze, Ross Heitkamp, Carol Olson, Rhonda Scherber

Photos: Susie Brain, Aaron Grossman, Bob Weaver of Weaver Photography

Friends of Stevens Creek Trail22221 McClellan RoadCupertino, CA 95014

Board ofDirectorsSteve OlsonPresidentAaron GrossmanVice PresidentInterim TreasurerRoss HeitkampSecretaryJohn BrazilTom FrankumDiane HazeSteve HazeRay Meyer, IIICarol OlsonPreeti PiplaniJim StallmanArt Takahara

Susie Brain, Executive Director

The Trailblazer is a semi-annual publicationsponsored by the Friends of Stevens Creek Trail.The Friends of Stevens Creek Trail is a nonprofit501 (C) (3) organization. All contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. TheFriends of Stevens Creek Trail promote commu-nity pride and involvement in the completion,enhancement, and enjoyment of the StevensCreek Trail and Wildlife Corridor.

Adobe Systems Inc. • Beverly Ainscow • Joan Alpert • Gail Anderson • Joane Anderson • Melissa Anderson • Rodney Angove • NicholasAnticevich • John & Emmy Arcolino • Momya Avadomi • Virginia Anne Babbitt • Sherry & Peter Barba • Audrey Bates • Marian BeardRichard Bennett • Carol Bergman • Peter Bishop • Peter Blasberg • Thomas Bornheimer • Robert Bouchet • Margaret Bouttell • Susie BrainKarla Broman • Jean Bronstein • David Brown • Flora & Hilton Brown • Rose Brown • Butler Family • Mary Campione • John CaywoodS. Charles • Joe Chera • Duane Clark • Nancy Clayton • Jim Cochran • Erna Coker • Roy Coles • Patricia Collins • Dave Conklin • WilliamDanielson • Donna Davies • Dick de Losa • Katja & Mike DeGroot • B. Delaney • John deLarios • Karen DeMello • Len Doberne • MartinDonald • David & Kathie Downie • Hal Duncan • Emerson Family • Wallace Erichsen • Spence Everson • Dennis Fischette • Norma JeanGaliher • Stephen Garrity • Hazel Gibson • Martin Gorfinkel • W. R. Griffin • Aaron Grossman • Dee Gustavson • Mike Hacker • MattHahne • Molly Hastings • E. Steven Haze • Ross Heitkamp • Karen Shepard • Gary & Beverly Henry • Teena Henshaw • RobertHolmberg • Rick Hoopes • Betty Hoshi • Philip Hurlston • Rob & Mary Hurlston • Lee & Wini Jebian • Linda Johnson • Carl Jones • DavidKahn • Robert Karchevski • Bruce Karney • Jim Kayser • Lisa Killough • Robert & Mimi Kinderlehrer • Chuck Kocher • Tony Kramer • HelenLally • Margaret Lawson • Jerome Lewis • Louis Lipcon • Kathleen Long • Richard Lubman • Annette Luongo • Joan MacDonald • PatriciaMarin • Pam Marino • Carol & Robert Mathews • James Mauch • Curt McDowell • K. H. McFarland • Hugh McLaughlin • Robert MeadW. A. Mersman • Donald Meyer • Ray Meyer III • Vicki Moore • Mary Mourkas • Anne Ng • Leslie & Anita Nichols • Kevin OhlsonPeyma Oskoui • Barbara Ott • June Parker • Doug Pearson • Enid Pearson • The Weyl Hariton Fund at the Peninsula Community FoundationDon & Joan Peterson • Greg & Julie Poist • Allen Price • Walt Rau • Alicia Recktenwald • Sheila & Ravi Reddy • Paul Reinhart • Emily Renzel• Michael Rogers • Anne Rosche • Alan Ross • Janette Rudkin • Jay Russ • Safeway Inc. • Sam and Maria •␣ Grover Sams • SonjaScheelke • Rhonda Scherber • Patti Schmitz • A. Schuman • Ruth Sherer • Mark Shriner • Lenny Siegel • Earle & Vanya Sloan • Susan &Gary Specker • Marla Stein • Angie Steiner • Glenn & Helga Stewart • Madeleine Stovel • Andrew Sugamele • Synopsys, Inc. • ArtTakahara • Ruth Tarno Edward Taub • The Lumarius group • Page and Kathy Thibodeaux • Rick Thomas • Paula Turpyn • Bob Tysko Charles Utley • Domilita Barrios de Chungara Fund of the Vanguard Public Foundation • Don & Kim Weden • Whole Foods Market • DeniseWilliams • Vada Williams • Patricia Wood • Keith Yarwood • Mary Zoglin

Thank you to our generous trail donorsThank you to our generous trail donorsThank you to our generous trail donorsThank you to our generous trail donorsThank you to our generous trail donors

Mark Your Calendar!California Trail Day is on Saturday,

April 21, 2001. The Friends willbe planning a trail workday event for this date. Ifyou can volunteer, please call us at 408-255-5780or 650-903-6067 for more details.