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Martial Cottle Park Volunteer Newsletter He who ploughs his land well, Will have withal to eat and sell. Farmer’s Almanac, 1802 By Dave Zittlow An 11-member team from AmeriCorps performed various tasks at Martial Cottle Park from February 1 through 19. The team assigned to MCP was Gold 3, which is headquartered in Sacramento. Leader Catie Bargerstock made herself available for this interview with me. AmeriCorps NCCC stands for National Civilian Community Corps, which carries a mission to strengthen communities and develop leaders through team based national and community service. The program is federally funded, and funding is voted on annually. AmeriCorps NCCC serves non-profits, government agencies and faith-based organizations in five main project categories: environmental stewardship, urban and rural development, infrastructure improvements, energy conservation and disaster relief. There 5 AmeriCorps serves at Martial Cottle Park Volume 1 Number 2 Spring 2016 Continued on

Martial Cottle Park Volunteer NewsletterLisa Pappanastos, Matt Silva, Connie Ralls, Jason Bombardier and I supervised the various 4 crews. Tasks included removing 550 linear feet of

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    Martial Cottle Park Volunteer Newsletter

    He who ploughs his land well, Will have withal to eat and sell.

    Farmer’s Almanac, 1802

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    By Dave Zittlow

    An 11-member team from AmeriCorps performed various tasks at Martial Cottle Park from February 1 through 19. The team assigned to MCP was Gold 3, which is headquartered in Sacramento. Leader Catie Bargerstock made herself available for this interview with me.

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    AmeriCorps NCCC stands for National Civilian Community Corps, which carries a mission to strengthen communities and develop leaders through team based national and community service. The program is federally funded, and funding is voted on annually. AmeriCorps NCCC serves non-profits, government agencies and faith-based organizations in five main project categories: environmental stewardship, urban and rural development, infrastructure improvements, energy conservation and disaster relief. There

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    AmeriCorps serves at Martial Cottle Park

    Volume 1 Number 2 Spring 2016

    Continued on

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    Martial Cottle Park Volunteer Newsletter Spring 2016

    Vitis californica 'Rogers Red'

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    By Tom Brown

    While happily pruning the grapevines one day, I was approached by a member of the Green Growth team. Since I hadn't had any contact with them, I wasn't sure what to expect. He seemed sincerely curious about what I was doing. I explained that we were trying to train the vines on the split rail fence. Hoping to boost my bona fides with him, I clumsily added that more should probably have been done when they were planted. He gently informed me that he was a member of the planting team! After a shared awkward moment, I removed the foot from my mouth.

    Being eager to change the subject, I asked if he knew what variety of grape we were working with. To my surprise, he offered to check the set of plans he had. After

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    By David Zittlow

    You and our park guests may have noticed the small piles of fresh dirt dotting the landscape of this beautiful park. This is the handiwork of pocket gophers and ground squirrels. Besides destroying our lawns, perimeter beds, trails and Community Partner's fields, they are eating crops from Jacobs Farm and they are undermining our efforts to provide a safe place for the public. These varmints carry a variety of diseases and fleas that further aggravate the situation. The ground animal population has been compounded by development of the park and near elimination of their predators. It has, therefore, been necessary for the County and our Community Partners to implement a rodent control program throughout the park. Various methods of control, none of which is harmful to humans or dogs, will be utilized as we endeavor

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    to bring the population down to a manageable level.

    Please do not confuse these ground squirrels with those fuzzy little creatures that we see in city trees. While ground squirrels may be native to this area, when they reach this number and cause these types of damage they must fall into the

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    classification of pest. We will appreciate your understanding of these ongoing efforts and accurate communication with our park guests. Please do your best to explain the rodent control in this manner and refer any questions to park management. Stay tuned for additional updates.

    Rodent Management at Martial Cottle Park

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    showing me the plans, I said that I wish I had access to them. At that point, he generously offered to give them to me!

    As a result of this chance encounter, I gained a set of the original working plans for the park. As of this writing, Bill Lemke is in the process of making a copy that can be shared by all volunteers. And we all know the variety of grape that is growing in the park: Vitis californica or Rogers Red.

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    Martial Cottle Park Volunteer Newsletter Spring 2016

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    By Eric Goodrich

    As we transition into our peak season, I would like to thank each of you for your efforts, and let you know more exciting things are planned for this spring and summer. You’ve successfully staffed the Visitor Center on weekends without missing a day since the end of November, making more than 900 direct visitor contacts, completed significant grape and tree pruning projects, performed site host security on the Life Estate, and submitted numerous trail counts. Thank you!

    You will see we have had some staffing changes saying farewell to Lisa Pappanastos, Mathew Silva and Kristy Barton (She’ll be back to MCP in October) and a warm welcome to Carolyn Schimandle and Sara

    From my tractor seat

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    Shellenbarger. Both Sara and Carolyn will be engaged in specific outreach projects that you may be interested in assisting with. These include developing the curriculum for school programming and combining the collaborative educational programming with our partners. Additionally, when the landscaping contractor leaves, we will have a need to complete other maintenance tasks. Park Ranger Connie Ralls is setting up a barn owl, bluebird and kestrel program where you can be involved too.

    We’re hoping to extend our Visitor Center operating hours in June when school is out. We are considering staffing it on weekday evenings as this is when we have the most visitors–more to follow.

    What use am I?

    This is a De Laval Cream Separator. Cream separators utilize a centrifuge device to efficiently and thoroughly separate the lighter milk fat from the skim milk, a process previously accomplished by allowing milk to sit at risk of turning sour. This manual crank model, on display at the Visitor Center, could spin the milk at thousands of revolutions per minute allowing the cream and skim milk to flow out of separate spouts (motorized models were also available).

    Western farmers were increasingly dependent on grain production and were getting poorer. They were unable to market what milk they produced at a profit. The cream separator is universally recognized as a major factor ushering in the modern dairy industry by quadrupling production, saving time, labor and formerly wasted butterfat, and greatly improving the quality of cream and butter. Faster production also allowed time for products to be shipped farther away, increasing their customer base and profit.

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    We plan to have a field trip at some point too, most likely mid-week. We will let you know what is planned well ahead of time.

    I look forward to what spring brings to Martial Cottle Park. Again, my thanks, for your work in meeting the mission, vision and values of the Cottle and Lester families! You’re doing great things!

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    Martial Cottle Park Volunteer Newsletter Spring 2016 4

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    Meet our Community Partner: University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Program of Santa Clara County

    By Pamela Roper, with Nancy Creveling and Elizabeth Evans; UCCE Master Gardener Program of Santa Clara County Co-Liaisons to Martial Cottle Park

    The University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Master Gardener Program has been in existence since 1980. The UC Master Gardener Program is an effective partnership with the University of California and county governments. The UC Master Gardeners at Martial Cottle Park represent Santa Clara County and are tasked to provide research-based information on sustainable urban horticulture practices.

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    At Martial Cottle Park the UC Master Gardener Program is primarily focused on training and demonstration in the following areas: • Establishment and care of residential/home

    gardens and orchards • Creating and maintaining the 4 acres of garden,

    orchard, and growing grounds • Adaptability of vegetable cultivars for Santa Clara

    Valley’s home gardens. • Working landscapes with low-water requirements

    and native plant species • Training on the recycling of compost

    So what does this all mean? In simple terms at the UC Master Gardener parcel you will learn how to: • Grow your own food sustainably • Water-wise garden during a drought • Enrich your soil by composting • Garden for wildlife • Create and maintain your own home orchard

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    From early on, the UC Master Gardener volunteers knew they had a long haul ahead of them to develop a field of tall grasses, weeds and compacted soil into a training, demonstration and research parcel. Work started in 2015 and not much was in place except some signs and a shed when Martial Cottle Park hosted their first Fall Harvest Festival. In partnership with the County Park we held a Fall Garden Market on our parcel and transformed the site into a horticultural street fair complete with a cool season plant sale, children’s hands-on gardening activities, educational gardening classes and even entertainment.

    After the festival, we got down to work and focused on the creation of the Entry and Demonstration Gardens and the infrastructure work required to move forward.

    Continued on

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    Martial Cottle Park Volunteer Newsletter Spring 2016

    AmeriCorps serves at Martial Cottle Park

    Continued from page 1

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    are currently 29 teams working throughout the Pacific Region, serving ten western states, including Alaska and Hawaii. However, in the event of a national disaster they could be called to any state or territory.

    Corps members commit to ten months of service and must pass a background check and drug test, among other criteria. Members are unique individuals with varied backgrounds and education, and ages range from 18 to 24. They join AmeriCorps to learn new skills, do great work and clarify life direction. Catie stated that “this program is not for the faint of heart. Many people quit because the demands are almost as high as the sacrifice.” And they do sacrifice while they are away from home: they travel from state to state in a 12-passenger van, live in dorm style housing and receive only $4.75 per person/per day for meals.

    Catie, Team Gold 3’s leader, was raised in East Lansing, Michigan, and recently graduated from Michigan State with a double major. Her teammates come from states east of the Rockies, including Maine, Kentucky, Florida and Texas, and include high school grads, college grads, and one grad student working on a Masters degree. According to Catie, members join for various reasons, but stay because they “love waking up every day and going to work knowing that, in whatever small way it may be, they are making a difference in this world. Certainly not every single day feels extremely fulfilling, but every day is a contribution, and every little bit of good helps.”

    Team Gold 3 spent most of their time at MCP working on projects within the Life Estate, which will not be visible to the public until that area can be opened. However, their accomplishments certainly impressed the staff and management. Lisa Pappanastos, Matt Silva, Connie Ralls, Jason Bombardier and I supervised the various

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    crews. Tasks included removing 550 linear feet of chain link fencing; sorting Cottle/Lester family ranching materials and equipment; removing 140 cubic yards of refuse; placing 4,000 square feet of weed fabric and 160 cubic yards of wood chips around most of the barns, corrals and the Cottle/Lester house. (As you may know, since our largest partner is an organic farmer, weed control is accomplished by laying weed fabric and wood chips.) Probably the dirtiest job was removing hundreds, if not thousands, of pieces and parts, tools and equipment from the Battery House, cleaning the barn interior, and then returning the parts and equipment after they were cleaned and categorized.

    Team Gold 3 also participated in enrichment programs with Jacobs Farms, Master Gardeners and Lee Pauser’s Barn Owl & Kestrel Program. The project most visible to the public is the barn owl and kestrel nesting box project. Members of Gold 3 built six barn owl, four kestrel and two passerine (bluebird) boxes. They then cut and cemented ten-foot poles around the land farmed by Jacobs. The boxes were mounted on top of the poles and will provide nests for birds that can prey on gophers and ground squirrels throughout the park.

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  • Martial Cottle Park Volunteer Newsletter Spring 2016

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    AmeriCorps serves Continued from page 5

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    MCP Staff Spotlight: Jeremy Celaya, Park Maintenance

    By Joyce Chesnos

    The MCP Maintenance Staff consists of Jeremy Celaya, Frank Mercado and seasonal employee, Shane Wittig. Matt Silva has recently been promoted and transferred to Joseph D. Grant Park.

    Spring is here at last, with extra credit given to our El Niño rains for the flush of blossoms, sprouting leaves, mustard and fluorescent green grasses blessing this park’s paths and trails. As you commence your weeding, planting, and spring cleaning projects, just try to imagine what it takes to maintain an entire County park. Thankfully, Martial Cottle Park is blessed with a very capable maintenance staff. Park Maintenance Worker II, Jeremy Celaya is the focus of this article.

    Jeremy is a San Jose native and attended local public schools. He spent summers with his grandparents in Oregon, where his contractor grandfather and interior designer grandmother built and remodeled houses, and inspired

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    Jeremy’s interest in learning carpentry, plumbing, electrical; he likes fixing things! He attended wood shop classes throughout middle school, winning big awards for his small-scale woodworking projects such as a covered wagon and a grandfather clock.

    He eventually learned to do home remodeling projects. You can see two of the projects Jeremy has worked on in the Visitors Center: the fruit crate display cases and the table holding the snake tank. Jeremy describes himself as handy at building things and is a self-proclaimed big car person.

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    Catie stated, “No matter who you are working with or where you are, positivity is a universally respected trait.” From staff observations, this team demonstrated that trait to the max. Each day began with a briefing, ended with a de-briefing and each team member could express what they wanted to learn and park staff could discuss tasks and challenges for the next day. Gold 3 was a cohesive team that respected each other, their

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    leader and park staff. Catie reported that the team feels “very proud of everything we were able to accomplish in our three weeks at Martial Cottle. I was also very honored to serve in a place so rich with history, so focused on preserving land, and so dedicated to educating future generations.”

    As of February 22nd the team moved to Anderson Lake and Mt. Madonna County Parks where one of their tasks will be building split-rail fences. When

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    Team Gold 3 leaves Santa Clara County on March 15th, they will have worked at five of our county parks. Catie very graciously said, “Our time with Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation has been nothing short of amazing.”

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    Martial Cottle Park Volunteer Newsletter Spring 2016 7

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    From Dave’s Desk

    By Dave Zittlow

    Much has happened at Martial Cottle Park since my last writing in January. Since our January 30 volunteer training we have had a number of applicants complete the Livescan fingerprint process. Interviews have been conducted with others and we have had discussion with several more persons who are interested in helping with duties at our park. Some are interested in assisting the maintenance team, some want to work in the Visitor Center and others are anxious to assist with the archiving process. At the end of February Lisa Pappanastos received a demonstration on the archive software, scanning routine and some pointers on getting started. Once the system is installed and up and running we will be reaching out to you to see who is interested in assisting with this enterprise. This will be a long-term process.

    It is fortunate that some of the potential volunteers want to work with Jeremy Celaya and the maintenance team once the grounds contractor wraps up their duties. This means that a fair number of new tasks will fall to staff. Right now Bill Lemke, Tom Brown and I are the only volunteers helping with pruning, weeding and other maintenance tasks. It is expected that the primary lawn mowing will be done out of Central Yard, but that leaves a lot of perimeter and fence line work for those of us

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    who can help staff. The rain that we have had will be making vegetation grow and it must be kept under control.

    Two large events are scheduled for the park in April, the City’s Veggie Fest on the 9th and the County 5K Run on the 23rd. During those events we should have at least two docents on duty in the Visitor Center. Rangers will be on duty, but with their other tasks, they probably will not have much time to answer visitors’ questions. Please check your schedules to see if you can make yourself available on one of those days.

    The AmeriCorps team came back for three days in early March to lay more weed fabric, spread more wood chips, clean one of the barns and to build bluebird boxes that you will soon see around the park.

    Our Community Partners’ activities include the arrival of the new lambs and ewes in the 4-H/UCCE plot, Our City Forest finished a shrub row between their parcel and parking lot, Master Gardeners will construct another shed and green house on their parcel and Jacobs Farm will be planting tomatoes in Parcel A. Jacobs has already cultivated under their cover crops and prepared beds for future plantings. Many of you are probably still receiving questions about the

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    status of Community Gardens and I hope there is an answer soon after the publication of this newsletter.

    Sara Shellenbarger has joined the Martial Cottle Park staff as Park Program Coordinator. Park Ranger Kristy Barton will be assigned to Mt. Madonna County Park for the summer. The staff is preparing for Junior Ranger Programs after school in May and June, Movie Nights on June 18, July 16 and August 20 as well as scheduled weekend programs. Carolyn Schimandle has been working on school programs and science standards. The park store has been de-commissioned. Discussions regarding expanding Visitor Center hours continue. You can expect more details very soon.

    As you can see we are gearing up for an active park through this spring and summer. At our January potluck I encouraged all of you to put on your recruiter hats. As busy as the park will be, you can see why it is imperative that we proceed to reaching our goal of doubling the number of volunteers on our team this year.

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    Martial Cottle Park Volunteer Newsletter Spring 2016

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    MCP Staff Spotlight

    Continued from page 6

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    Jeremy reports he spent many years as a Fantasy of Lights volunteer at Vasona County Park. Encouraged by a park ranger, he pursued working with Santa Clara County Parks, spending 8½ years as a seasonal employee at Anderson Lake and Metcalf Motorcycle County Parks. In addition, he earned his Fire Science degree from Mission College and worked as a volunteer EMT at concerts and sporting events. Jeremy has worked full-time for SCC Parks for 3 years. He started at Joseph D. Grant County Park, then a spent a brief 2½ months at Hellyer County Park before moving to Martial Cottle Park over a year ago. Jeremy continues his education as well, pursuing a two-year Park Management degree from West Valley College. Looking a decade into the future, he hopes to achieve the level of Park Maintenance Regional Supervisor, which oversees maintenance for up to six County parks.

    Maintenance duties are his first duties and include daily upkeep of the restrooms, trails and dog waste stations and keeping the park core clean and neat. Other responsibilities include flail tractor mows of weeds and trimming trees. Special projects (Jeremy’s favorite!) come third–fixing things in the Life Estate and getting the old tractors running. Jeremy is also Tractor II certified, so he can drive them. Because Jeremy is handy and capable of fixing things, he sometimes finds the necessary paperwork and approval process for park repairs tedious.

    Jeremy recommends that park volunteers check-in with MCP Maintenance Staff before beginning maintenance projects so that everyone is on the same page about what will be done, how it will be done, and when it will be finished. He quotes Eric

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    Goodrich, saying, “Over-communication is better than none.” Maintenance staff may look busy, but are open to hearing your project ideas or help requests.

    When asked about MCP, Jeremy’s true passion for this park and its purpose is evident. Of all the parks he has worked, MCP is his favorite. When needed, he can go to the middle of the park and find “absolute peace and quiet” even though it is smack dab in the middle of San Jose. He stated, “We are a 100% specialized and unique park.” As the surrounding community has welcomed and embraced us, he especially likes how “this park gets families outside and away from their TVs and video games.” The value of Walter Cottle Lester’s gift to people is not lost on Jeremy–and he wants to “make sure people get what they paid for.” He looks forward to when the Life Estate is finally up and running as “a genuine representation of its era,” and cannot wait to hear people exclaim, “Oh my goodness!”

    Jeremy hopes to be able to show people a working tractor plowing a field or pull a hayride wagon; to inspire kids’ school groups to get their hands dirty planting tomatoes, touching the tractors, and seeing the animals; or maybe even help Veterans deal with PTSD through farming. Jeremy hopes to inspire some future farmers as well. When thanked for his work, Jeremy humbly replies, “It’s just my job;” but underlying that is his lifetime goal to “just make a difference in the world.” He recommends to MCP Volunteers: “Find something that you’re passionate about so you can take pride in your work.” Just like Jeremy does!

    “This park gets families outside and away from their TVs and video games.”

    Jeremy Celaya

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    Martial Cottle Park Volunteer Newsletter Spring 2016 9

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    By Connie Ralls

    You may have noticed the white boxes mounted high on steel posts around the park recently. They are the standard in Barn owl and American kestrel living quarters and we are looking for qualified tenants! Rodent abatement is required in exchange for rent, and the tenants need not worry about housekeeping–our nest box monitors will provide cleaning services once brood rearing is completed!

    AmeriCorps Gold 3 assisted Matt Silva and me with building, painting, and installing these new homes. Our consultant was Lee Pauser, a retired IBM employee who monitors over 500 barn owl, kestrel, and bluebird boxes in the Santa Teresa area.

    The oblong rectangular boxes with the oval-shaped opening are specially designed for barn owls. The opening is just the right size for an adult to gain entry into the box, yet small enough to keep a marauding raccoon from getting more than its shoulders inside. A partial wall a few inches in from the opening gives the nestlings protection from being grabbed.

    A male barn owl will usually scope out a box and then attract a female barn owl to it by putting prey that he has caught inside the box. Once a female lays her eggs, she is dependent

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    on her mate to feed her, as she will not leave her nest until the young have grown enough downy feathers to keep warm. Raising a brood of owl chicks requires not only abundant food scurrying about, but a competent hunter to catch it, so the male barn owl cannot count on his good looks alone, he must prove himself a good provider.

    Barn owls can manage fine in close proximity to people, as long as they are not disturbed by any loud, unexpected activity. If something surprises and alarms the owls, the hen will often abandon the nest, and her chicks. In this case, the only way to save the young (and keep them wild) is to find foster homes for them. Individual chicks can be placed in another nest box family where the chicks are of the same age and size.

    The second kind of box we have is smaller, taller, and designed to appeal to an American kestrel pair. Also known as sparrow hawks, American kestrels are the smallest falcons native to North America. Unlike other falcons, they prefer cavities to cliff edges, and will often occupy tree cavities created by woodpeckers. These kinds of cavities are increasingly hard to

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    find in our urban areas, so installing nest boxes is a good way to help them keep their population stable.

    Kestrels are good hunters, eating everything from large bugs like grasshoppers and crickets, to mice, voles, and even small birds. If a smaller bird decides to nest in a kestrel box, and a kestrel decides to use the same box, the kestrel wins.

    The last type of box AmeriCorps helped us build is known as a Passerine box. A passerine is a bird that has a foot with three front-facing toes and one opposing toe, which allows the bird to perch. Many birds are passerines, but the Western Bluebird is our primary passerine cavity-nester. Ash-colored flycatchers, swallows, various sparrows, and starlings will also be attracted to the Passerine boxes. These boxes are mounted on fence posts and hanging from some of our oak trees. Non-native invaders such as starlings and house sparrows need not apply to this housing opportunity–they will be summarily evicted if they take up residence!

    New Living Quarters Established at Martial Cottle Park

    Photo by Lee Pauser

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    Martial Cottle Park Volunteer Newsletter Spring 2016 10

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    Volunteer Tom Brown brought this dessert to the January 30th pot luck and it was a scrumptious hit. He promised to share his family recipe with us. This is from his favorite Aunt Martha (Stewart)!

    Source: Martha Stewart Living, June 2009

    This crisp has a loose and juicy filling. If you would prefer a thicker filling, add an extra teaspoon of cornstarch. Servings: 8

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    Ingredients

    For the Filling

    • 6 cups (3 pints) blueberries • 1/2 cup sugar • 1 tablespoon cornstarch • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice • 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

    For the Topping

    • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour • 1/2 cup rolled oats (or chopped nuts, such as almonds) • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt • 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened • 1/3 cup sugar

    Directions

    1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make the filling: Mix blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and salt in a bowl. Transfer to an 8-inch square baking dish.

    2. Make the topping: Stir together flour, oats, baking powder, and salt. Cream butter and sugar in a mixer until pale and fluffy. Stir dry ingredients into butter. Using your hands, squeeze topping pieces together into clumps.

    3. Sprinkle topping evenly over filling. Bake until bubbling in center and brown on top, about 1 hour. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool for 30 minutes before serving.

    Dave’s Desk

    Continued from page 7

    Ag Lingo

    Flail Flail is an ancient hand tool for threshing grain. It consists of two pieces of wood: the handstaff, or helve, and the beater, joined by a thong. The handstaff is a light rod several feet long, the beater a shorter piece. The flail remained the principal method of threshing until the mid-19th century, when mechanical threshers became widespread.1

    Now it means a mechanized implement used to mow hay or weeds. It operates through use of centrifugal force and chops the stalks to pulp. The MCP green John Deere tractor has a flail chopper mounted on the rear and it will be very busy this spring!

    1flail. (2016). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/technology/flail

    Blueberry Crisp Recipe

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    Martial Cottle Park Volunteer Newsletter Spring 2016

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    As part of the first phase many changes have taken place. Huge piles of wood chips donated by local arborists were wheeled all over the parcel to cover cardboard, paper and coffee bean sacks in a process called sheet mulching. Most of the planting areas have now been sheet mulched to remove weeds and to provide a nutrient rich medium for planting. Pathways have been laid out, iron edging welded and most of the leveling is complete in preparation for a permeable decomposed granite pathway that will be installed in the next month.

    In February and March this year a Native Garden and several (types of) trees were planted. We are well on our way to installing a Farm Stand and shade structure. When you look at the parcel now you see our progress. Daffodils are starting to come up and we plan to teach a hands-on class in April to community volunteers who will learn to build raised beds and help us assemble our first 44 raised beds for research and ornamental growing grounds.

    There is much more planned for the future. The farm stand will provide many opportunities for showcasing our research and ornamental garden harvests. A greenhouse planned for installation in

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    August will allow us to grow vegetables, herbs, flowers and water wise plants for our Fall Garden and Spring Garden markets.

    Our partnership with the County’s Parks and Recreation Department has been instrumental in helping us progress and develop our parcel. Through this partnership we are putting down roots and using University of California based research to instruct and educate the community. We have Advice to Grow By…Ask Us! Or better yet, stop by and roll up your sleeves and help create an area to showcase all that Walter Cottle Lester envisioned when he left this beautiful property to be used to inform and educate the public about the agricultural heritage of Santa Clara Valley.

    Master Gardeners

    Continued from page 4

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    To learn more about the UCCE Master Gardener Program of Santa Clara County check out:

    Websites http://ucanr.org/sites/sccNew/Master_Gardener http://mastergardeners.org/scc.html

    Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sccmastergardeners

    Spring Garden Market http://www.mastergardeners.org/spring-garden-market

    We work each Wednesday and Saturday from 9:00AM until noon. Martial Cottle Park volunteers, community members from the surrounding neighborhoods and community volunteers are always welcome to come and help out.

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    Martial Cottle Park Volunteer Newsletter Spring 2016

    New Martial Cottle Experience Times The ranger-led tour on Saturdays and Sundays will happen at 2:30–3:30PM starting in April.

    There will just be one tour per day, and the schedule will remain through August 2016.

    Farm Stand Hours

    The Farm Stand is now open Thursday through Monday, 9:00AM – 5:00PM

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    Contributors to this issue: Diane Bacon Tom Brown Joyce Chesnos

    Martial Cottle Park • County of Santa Clara Parks and Recreation Department • 5283 Snell Avenue • San Jose, CA 95136 • (408) 355-2200 • www.parkhere.org

    A Garlic, rosemary, onions, beets & carrots

    B Thyme, marjoram, cilantro, sugar snap peas

    C Blackberries

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    Eric Goodrich Lee Pauser (photo) Connie Ralls

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    Pamela Roper David Zittlow

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    Jacobs Farm/Del Cabo Spring Plantings

    A

    B

    C

    Life Estate

    BRANHAM LANE

    CHYNOWETH AVENUE

    SNEL

    L

    AV

    ENU

    E

    HIGHWAY 85

    CANO

    AS CREEK

    ÙVisitor Center