Archive for the ‘CA Native Plants’ Category

8 Jan

We have lost Pat Pizzo

Posted by Martin-Fontana Parks Association in Butterflys, CA Native Plants, History, Jeffrey Fontana Park, MFPA, Our City Forest, Park Maintenance, PRNS, SCCAOR. Tagged: , , , , , , .

SCCAOR Sept 2014 work-party

Patrick Pizzo, a long time member and guiding light of the Martin-Fontana Parks Association passed away on the 2nd of January 2020 at the age of 75.  If you look around our two parks, you will see many examples of his handy work.  Pat was the brains & brawn behind all the native plant islands located in Jeffrey Fontana Park.  His most extensive creation was the 5 Islands Project near Meridian Ave.

Here is a link to a 2017 article on Pat and his many accomplishments by Our City Forest:  http://www.ourcityforest.org/blog/2017/1/4/the-remarkable-pat-pizzo?fbclid=IwAR0FxrzleTYiHR_K8EacOjotqX71Vqwz0FL73QNzDkcOXa7bj6GjCKz1pU8

To view a larger image please click on any photo below:

 

Island A Oct 2011
Native Plant Island C Construction Oct 2011
Restoration Committee Jan 2012
Bench Dedication Aug 2012
Earthday April 2013
Island A fence installation June 2013
Beautiful Day – May 17, 2014
Heart of the Park Sept 2014
Butterfly Garden planting Dec 2015
Island C fence installation Dec 2015
On Feb. 8th 2018, Patrick was awarded the status of “Park Heroes” at the State of the City address.
5 Islands Dedication May 2018
SCCAOR Jan 2019
SCCAOR May 2019

3 Jul

An Aerial Overview of some of Jeffrey Fontana Park’s Native Plant Islands

Posted by Martin-Fontana Parks Association in CA Native Plants, Jeffrey Fontana Park, MFPA, PG&E, PRNS. Tagged: , , , , .

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

Thanks to Patrick Pizzo, shown above second from the left, for providing us with this “Bumble Bee” view of several of the islands located in Jeffrey Fontana Park.

Please enjoy as you buzz along

25 May

A Soggy Day in May

Posted by Martin-Fontana Parks Association in CA Native Plants, City of San Jose, Dog Parade, Dogs, Events, Guadalupe Oak Grove Park, Heart of the Park, Jeffrey Fontana Park, Johnny Khamis, MFPA, PRNS, SJPD, TJ Martin Park. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , .

A hearty round of applause and a big thanks to all the volunteers who braved the drizzle and rain to put on our ninth

Heart of the Park Celebration!

 

Thanks to the morning set up crew of:  Robert Braunstein, Theresa Wellman, Dennis Abad, Rich Grialou, Kent Wilson, Chris Chen, Tami Demayo, Paul Dornell, Michelle, Dan and Grace Judd, Brandon Koehne, Sunny Wagstaff, Rosy Bowring, Stacey and Mike Winters, Patrick Pizzo, Kelly Shepherd, and Wayne and Linda Opp.

They set up the 21 canopies while waiting in the rain for the delivery of 21 tables and 130 chairs.

Linda Opp, District 10 Councilmember Johnny Khamis, Jean LaMarca, and Tami Demayo

Thank you to Linda Opp, Jean LaMarca, and Tami Demayo, who signed in new memberships at the Membership Booth.

The MFPA raffle items collected by our board members were labeled, arranged and readied for the raffle by Michelle Judd, Christine Noordam, Praneetha Vukkadala, Kathy Mulholland, Pat Burrow, and Rosy Bowing, with Kari Wilson once again announcing the winning draws.

Richard Grialou kept winning & winning
Kathy Mujlholland wins prize
Announcer Kari Wilson and another Raffle winner
Some more happy winners

The ever-popular “Strut Your Mutt” dogs paraded in the rain with a small but enthusiastic crowd, under the management of Stacey Winters, Dick and Joy Stevens, and the help of Sophia Snyder and Vince Piazzisi registering the playful pups.  Councilmember Khamis let the judging team and prizes were awarded the winners.

1st & 2nd place winners
Vince Piazzisi, Dick Stevens, Johnny Khamis, and Stacy Winters
First place winner

 

Kathy Krenn and her daughter Hannah, braved the rain to take care of the refreshment booth, while free ice cream was given away at SJPD’s Operation Frozen Treats Patrol ice cream truck during the afternoon.

Starting the day off, for the second year in a row, Lisa Myers of Los Gatos Bird Watchers, led another successful birding tour of Guadalupe Oak Grove Park with 15 intrepid bird watchers. 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Our photographer for the event was Wayne Opp, who captured the activities on film and preserved the rainy memories!  Also providing photos were Johnny Khamis and Dave Poeschel.

27 Feb

PRNS Deputy Director reveals new plan for our Parks at MFPA General Meeting

Posted by Martin-Fontana Parks Association in Adopt-a-Park, CA Native Plants, City of San Jose, Heart of the Park, Jeffrey Fontana Park, MFPA, Park Maintenance, PRNS, Public Art, SCCAOR, TJ Martin Park. Tagged: , , , , , , , , .

Members of the Board
Attendees
Attendees

President Rod Carpenter called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm last Wednesday, Feb. 13, addressing an overflow audience of members and guests.

Parks, Recreation & Neighborhood Services Deputy Director, Justin Long, summarized some of the changes that are being made to improve the efficiency of park maintenance.  A new “Activate San Jose” plan will be the new parks’ guiding document and should be in available to the public in June for community review.  MFPA will alert our members when it is presented.

Mr. Long and Dan Greeley, our Maintenance District Supervisor, spoke about the rodent problem affecting many San Jose parks, including ours.  They outlined the action that PRNS will be taking to alleviate the problem, and then answered questions from the floor.

Outgoing President, Rod Carpenter highlighted the achievements of MFPA during his two-year tenure:

  • Completion of the native plant Five Islands Project
  • Construction of the “Surf Shack” tool shed
  • Repair of the Meridian fence at TJ Martin Park
  • The Planting of over fifty new trees in both parks
  • Completion of the “Beautility” Water Vault Painting project
  • Partnership with PRNS Adopt-a-Park Program and Santa Clara County Association of Realtors, (SCCAOR), to maintain existing projects like the Jeffrey Fontana Memorial Rose Garden

Perhaps the most significant achievement of Rod’s term was the completion of the “Right of Entry” agreement with PRNS allowing MFPA to hire qualified contractors to work in the parks on MFPA projects!

Outgoing Secretary, Rich Grialou was honored with the “President’s Award” and received a plaque in appreciation of his contributions to MFPA.

President Rod Carpenter was presented with a plaque honoring his dedication and determination to oversee the accomplishments of the last two years.

The new Board of Directors goals for the next year include:

  • Ongoing maintenance projects with PRNS Adopt-a-Park and SCCAOR
  • The annual Heart of the Park Celebration on May 18, 2019
  • Continued collaboration with PRNS and the City to improve our parks

25 Nov

A updated video of the Five Island Project by Patrick Pizzo

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

These Islands were created by the Martin-Fontana Parks Association (MFPA) to provide alternative landscape features using California Native plants. The five berms, or islands, are situated between Heritage Coast Live Oaks and were finalized in January of 2018.  They are in Jeffrey Fontana Park just across the street from 1278 Oakglen Way in San Jose.

19 Jun

Have you been to the Islands yet?

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

Well you don’t have to go far.  Just drop by Jeffrey Fontana Park at the corner of Meridian Avenue and Oakglen Way and you will see our beautiful 5 Islands display of native plants.  Stroll around the Islands, find a plant you like, check the name on the plant ID signs, head to your nursery, and add one to your yard.  Mother Nature will thank you.

Almaden Valley Nursery has a wonderful island displaying some of the plants they have available for sale.

Almaden Valley Nursery Island
Almaden Valley Nursery Island

Check out East Bay Wilds‘ Island:

Then there’s DGDG‘s Island:

And don’t forget PG&E‘s Island:

And last but not least, is the Presidents’ Island, so named for the past MFPA Presidents who we want to thank for their generous donations to make this island possible:

In fact we want to thank all these generous organizations for their contributions of either Plants or Monetary donations.  We couldn’t do it without you.

 

Come on out.  The Islands await you.

 

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

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