Coyote Creek Fall Watershed Tour
By Paige Combs, Sociology Community Change Major at SJSU
This event began bright and early on a Saturday morning, October 10th, 2015. The sun was out, the heat of the day was just beginning to spill onto my skin. It looked like a great day for a tour. We were a smaller group, but ready to be dazzled by Deb Kramer’s finesse in organizing. We began with a quick introduction and welcome with efficient instruction providing the upcoming agenda touring Ann Sobrato School, Ogier Ponds, Coyote Valley Preserve, and Hellyer County Park. At 9:00 AM sharp we began to board the bus in anticipation for the upcoming stops. Everything ran smoothly and everyone was friendly and eager to start. I was practically bouncing in my seat. Not to mention I couldn’t help my bemusement at a cute little hedgehog sign that was displayed on the windows of the tour bus.
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| “Don’t be an edgehog” sticker on Google tour bus Photo by: Tad Tjernagel |
Our first stop was at Ann Sobrato School where we learned about SAGE, Sustainable Agriculture Education. When we stepped off the bus I could see in the distance the freeway which was surrounded by an open field and a small mountain range. The school sat to the side of this open space with a sustainable garden nestled right beside it. Our speaker, Jim Leap, who worked at UCSC for 25 years and now works for USDA Ag Research Service quickly jumped to the front of the line and lead the discussion.
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| Ann Sobrato School and guest speaker Jim Leap Photo by: Tad Tjernagel |
From this experience I was able to learn about the importance of schools providing open space and alternative and innovative ways of learning surrounding sustainable agriculture. The reality is that this is our future. Our resources are not limitless and being able to teach this at such a young age like at Ann Sobrato School is ideal.
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| Ogier Ponds Photo by: Tad Tjernagel |
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| Ogier Ponds and speakers Breanna and Ryan Photo by : Tad Tjernagel |
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| Wildlife Research Project Photo by: Tad Tjernagel |
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| Coyote Valley Preserve Trail Photo by: Tad Tjernagel |
The Coyote Valley Wetlands are essential, as described by Cynthia Denny, and the Coyote Valley has many of these types of natural landscapes that need to be preserved in order to keep the environment open for flora and fauna. Not to mention how we as humans can use this space for our own activities and truly enjoy it without disturbing the natural habitat. This was a great addition to the tour.
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| Friendly Tarantula on trail Photo by: Tad Tjernagel |
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| Coyote Valley Preserve and guest speaker Cynthia Denny Photo by: Tad Tjernagel |
Our last location we went to was back to Hellyer Park where we met with Jake Waltrermeyer, a park ranger, who introduced us to the Coyote Creek Wildlife Discovery Program. We took a short walk around the facilities and discussed opportunities and park recreation and we ended with a discussion about the animals in the local area. This was a great educational opportunity to see and touch the pelts of wild local animals as well as see the differing skeletal and dental structures.
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| Pelts at Hellyer Park Photo by: Tad Tjernagel |
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| Sample animal skulls at Hellyer Park Photo by: Tad Tjernagel |
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| Hellyer Park and guest Speaker Ranger Jake Photo by: Tad Tjernagel |
Did you know that you can tell by the dentes if an animal is a carnivore, herbivore, or omnivore? Best way to tell is by looking at their incisors, if really sharp they are carnivores! Also, as indicated by the center photo, you can tell if an animal is a predator or prey. If an animal has the eye sockets facing forward they are predators, if they are facing to the sides they are prey. Animals need to have eyes on the side of their head to have access to their surroundings and potential threat. Animals with eyes facing forward need to be able to hone in on their prey. Thanks Ranger Jake!
Last, but not least I was finally able to see the famous CHEER program and garbage museum. What a treat! Herman Garcia was very passionate about trash and what we find in our creeks and dedicated a lifelong effort to not only clean up his own creek, but to clean up the entire waterways. His stories were phenomenal and the garbage museum was equally so.
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| Garbage Museum with guest speaker Herman Garcia Photo by: Tad Tjernagel |
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| Garbage Museum with guest speaker Herman Garcia Photo by: Tad Tjernagel |
What this opportunity and guest speaker gave us was the information on what we are finding in our creeks, and the importance of keeping trash in the designated spaces we have offered with landfills and recycling options. Herman Garcia’s son, Aaron Garcia, also had a solution to all this trash we were finding. He’s a director of community relations and highlighted the importance of programs like the Green Education Foundation where they take recycled materials like clothes, Capri Suns, old stuffed animals, bottles, and more and make them into entirely new and fun materials. I saw bags, small stuffed animals, wall art, ash trays made from bike chains. The opportunities are endless. He even suggested that they were planning on holding workshops to teach people who are interested in how to reuse old items and recreate them into new everyday things