Archive for the ‘CA Native Plants’ Category

9 Feb

Our 2018 Membership Team is off and running

Posted by Martin-Fontana Parks Association in CA Native Plants, Funraiser, Jeffrey Fontana Park, MFPA, TJ Martin Park. Tagged: , , , .

Thanks to the efforts of our hard-working team, six new members have been signed up to date; bringing our total membership count to 165. In addition, sponsorships are up as more people are becoming sponsors for the first time or our current sponsors are increasing their gifts. Thanks so much, members & sponsors. Without your generous donations where would we be? Just take a look around our parks to see where your money has been going. Lots of projects such as:

New Native Plant Islands
New trees planted
Piles of mulch spread
Lots of weeding

Remember, you too can become a member or sponsor by just selected the “memberships/sponsorships” menu selection at the top of our page and follow the directions provided.  We are a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code so your donations are tax-deductible.

28 Jan

MEMBERSHIP DRIVE 2018 – We need you

Posted by Martin-Fontana Parks Association in CA Native Plants, Jeffrey Fontana Park, Membership Drive, MFPA, TJ Martin Park. Tagged: , , , .

The Board of Directors are once again holding their Annual Membership Drive. Our goal is to add at least 30 memberships to our Association. If you know of someone who would like to join our organization, please pass along their name. Also, there are a lot of renewals due this time of year; if you have already renewed, a big THANK YOU, and if you haven’t renewed as yet, please do so, we really need your support.

To become a Member, renew a Membership, or become a Sponsor, just click on the “membership/sponsorship forms” heading at the top of the page.  It’s only $20 per person or $35 per family for a one year membership.  Your contributions go toward making our two parks the best they can be.

Painting the Tot Lot fence
Helping with refreshments
Adding another Native Plant Island

 

4 Dec

Our first of five Native Plant Islands is completed

Posted by Martin-Fontana Parks Association in CA Native Plants, City of San Jose, Jeffrey Fontana Park, MFPA, PRNS. Tagged: , , , , .

Our first of five islands completed
Our first island visitors, Vince Piazzisi & great-grandaughter Amber

It may not look like much for now but just wait till Spring arrives and these plants get going.  Thanks to our Martin-Fontana Parks Association members Larry Sasscer, Lee Pauser, Rod Carpenter, Vince Piazzisi, Sunny Wagstaff, Richard Grialou, Pat Pizzo, PRNS District 1 Manager, Dan Greeley and our Fontana West Park maintenance person, Mark Conklin, for all their hard work and expertise.

Rich Grialou, Pat Pizzo, David Poeschel, Lee Pauser, Vince Piazzisi, and Sunny Wagstaff
Mark Conklin

And, of course, a BIG Thank You to the sponsor of the island, Pete Veilleux of East Bay Wilds for providing over 40 plants.  He didn’t just donate plants. He spent almost a day sorting, loading and driving them down here with a paid member of his staff, placing them and instructing the volunteer crew in rock and plant placement. What makes this distant nursery special is that Pete has a broad selection of CA native plants.  Plants that cannot be found in other South Bay nurseries.  Additionally, Pete has extensive experience with native plants.  His use of native plants in containers is unique.  We encourage anyone interested in CA native plants to visit Pete’s nursery, Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley, and the  UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley some weekend!

We still have four more islands to go and we have sponsors lined up for two of them.  Look for more planting to come now that all the water lines have been completed.  Sponsorships for two of these islands are still available for service clubs or community groups.

 For more info please contact Martin-Fontana Parks Association President, Rod Carpenter for details at 408-997-2174.

 

 

2 Oct

Please don’t pick the flowers. Oops! I meant to say FLAGS….

Posted by Martin-Fontana Parks Association in CA Native Plants, Drought, Guadalupe Oak Grove Park, Johnny Khamis, Park Maintenance, Tree Data. Tagged: , , , .

 

 

You may have seen green/blue and red irrigation flags in one area of Guadalupe Oak Grove Park between two of the main walking trails.  These flags represent a project being done in cooperation with District 10.  They mark a 30 foot-wide swath from trail to trail, and all the one-year old, baby Valley and Blue Oak shoots that are growing within.  These shoots are to be ‘caged’ in chicken wire cages to protect them, watered and encouraged to live as they are to be the replacement trees for the Blue and Valley Oak trees we are losing to the extended drought and other issues.  The flags are there because after the deciduous native oak trees drop their leaves they will be ‘invisible’ but for the subsequent caging.  Blue and Valley Oaks will not regenerate due to the high-weed and grass load in the park and the out-competing Coast Live Oaks which are overtaking the open Savannah.

Thanks for your understanding and cooperation.

 

 

 

Pat Pizzo

29 Aug

Help save the Monarch Butterflies

Posted by Martin-Fontana Parks Association in Butterflys, CA Native Plants. Tagged: .

8 Aug

Five Island Project Becomes a Reality in Jeffrey Fontana Park

Posted by Martin-Fontana Parks Association in CA Native Plants, City of San Jose, Jeffrey Fontana Park, MFPA, PRNS. Tagged: , , .

Here’s the plan to incrementally introduce NP-Islands in Fontana West-

Monoculture Islands

 

24 Jun

Vegetation Management Plan for Guadalupe Oak Grove Park?

Posted by Martin-Fontana Parks Association in CA Native Plants, Guadalupe Oak Grove Park, Park Maintenance. Tagged: .

 

Patrick Pizzo, one of Martin-Fontana Parks Association’s project managers, proposes timed grazing for GOGP:

A method suggested in the Vegetation Management Plan for Guadalupe Oak Grove Park.  Grazing may be done via goats, sheep, or cattle; and the timing part deals with the ideal time to remove European introduced grasses and weeds, promoting the return of CA native grasses and wildflowers, which once were common in our park.  This improves the wildlife habitat for the birds, animals and insects.  Since the park is enclosed by fencing, all that would be required to exercise this option is to bring in the domestic animals and provide them with water (a plastic tot-swimming pool or bathtub).  These three photos taken in the Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge, illustrate the benefit of timed grazing. You are looking out at Vernal pools in the Spring, about mid-March.  An area has been cyclone-fenced to provide a ‘control’.  In this area, the Cattle cannot graze.  What you see is the effectiveness of grazing in removing the European grasses and weeds which fill the fenced-in area and providing room for the native plant seed base to do its thing.  The yellow flowering plants outside the cage are native wildflowers common to Vernal Pools, as are the other ground-plants you see in the photos.  You can imagine the difference in fire-load and, considering the events of last week (a fire in the northern portion of the GOGP), one can see the benefit from timed grazing.

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