If you have news you would like to see posted here (a wildlife sighting or other unique/remarkable/notable experience in Ulistac) email the Outreach Center.  Please limit entries to 200 words or less. Thank you.

Ulistac Update October 2006
Newsletter
Ulistac Natural Area's Fall 2006 Newsletter is hot off the press! Click here to read the newsletter. If you print it out, please remember to print double-sided!

If you would like to receive a printed copy, please send us your mailing address. You can do so simply by sending your information in an e-mail to ulistac@scu.edu.

Ulistac Update August 2006
Summer of Service
The fourth and last Green Team from the San Jose Children's Discovery Museum's Summer of Service program volunteered at Ulistac this week. They did an excellent and thorough job of watering and attacked rogue field bindweed with a passion. They finished off the workday with a water fight that left everyone soggy. Thank you to the members of the Green Team and to the Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose! For more information about the Summer of Service program, visit http://www.cdm.org/p/ViewPage.asp?mlid=139

Field Trips
The Outreach Coordinator, along with the Education Committee, is in the process of compiling K-8th grade field trip curriculum. The CA standards-based activities focus on ecology and conservation, and encourage students to get out and enjoy the outdoors - especially at Ulistac Natural Area! Teachers from nearby Don Callejon School, Kathryn-Hughes Elementary School, (and more!) are invited to schedule 1 hour, guided field trips for their classes. E-mail the Outreach Coordinator (ulistac@scu.edu) for more information.

Newsletter
We are in the process of creating an exciting newsletter about the many projects happening at Ulistac Natural Area... the newsletter will be posted on this website, and available in .pdf format, but if you would like to receive a printed copy, please send us your mailing address. You can do so simply by sending your information in an e-mail to ulistac@scu.edu.

Ulistac Update July 2006
Summer of Service
The Green Team from the San Jose Children's Discovery Museum's Summer of Service program again included Ulistac Natural Area in their action-packed two week service programs. Three of the four teams have already each spent a day at the park, learning about the mission and purpose of Ulistac Natural Area. They volunteered their time by watering and weeding in the Bird and Butterfly Garden. Here is a big "Thank You" to the members of the Green Team!

Field Trips
Children in the Summer Program at Riverwood Grove Apartments, located very near to Ulistac, recently spent a day at Ulistac Natural Area. They went on a "treasure hunt" to identify native and non-native plants in the park. They learned how specific animals at Ulistac fit together in a large food web. They learned about the history of Ulistac Natural Area, and the importance of volunteers. After that, they each became a volunteer by watering some very hot and dry plants! Some of these children have spent lots of time at Ulistac, for others, it was a first. Hopefully, they will bring their families back to take advantage of their big "backyard"!

Ulistac Update June 2006
Woodpeckers
Some of you may recall the excellent photo Bob Gross took last year of a Nutall's woodpecker at its cavity hole, feeding its young. Bob has done it again and has re-found the birds at a new nest site. Last year they were in the branchless pine tree trunk between the northern most trail and the wetlands. Now, they are further down the trail towards the levee. A careful and quiet observer can see the adults bringing food to the hole. This shows the importance of dead trees in the wild and how important it is that we allow this sort of decay at Ulistac Natural Area.

Work Session
The next work session at Ulistac Natural Area will be on Saturday, June 3rd from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. Wear long pants, sturdy shoes, and a hat. Bring water and a snack too. The hat and water are particularly important as the weather warms up! Many plants are in bloom now and this is a good time to visit. We hope to chop down the last of the weeds before they go to seed, and do some selective watering.

Ulistac Update May 2006
Wetlands
The wetlands are completed and reeds are growing out of the center peninsula. Red-winged blackbirds and mallards have already moved in, and swallows are using the water. The banks are filled with cuttings, but since the exotic grasses are growing higher than the cuttings, they are hard to see right now. 

Mulch
The mulch piles have been moved to the area next to the street and spread out to suppress weed growth there. Jeffrey Kent is going to ask the street department bring over at least 10 more loads of chopped up tree trimmings. The goal is to have a 6" thick layer.

Poison Oak
There are several masses of poison oak near one of the trails along the North part of Ulistac. The City has already treated part of this area because branches had extended onto the trail and could potentially brush people passing by. Since poison oak is a naturally occurring native species, it will continue to be a part of the native environment. A special project under consideration will post signs identifying its location as well as provide information about the plant and the need to avoid it.

poison oak

Research Opportunity
Ulistac Natural Area needs someone to spend time this spring studying the birds at Ulistac. There is a need to identify whether or not particular species of birds breed at Ulistac. The study would need to start immediately, while the birds are nesting, or could be conducted next Spring.

Work Days
June work days will be on Saturday, June 3 and Sunday, June 18 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.
Please refer to our Work Day Schedule for more information.

May 15, 2006
New material has been posted in the Training Materials section.
You can now view a list of common butterfly species seen at Ulistac, as well as view and print your very own Bird Checklist to take with you on your next visit.

Ulistac Update, April 2006
Wildflower Day 2006
Almost 100 people attended the Ulistac Annual Wildflower Day on April 1, 2006.
Luckily, it was the first sunny day in weeks! There were well-attended guided tours and a planting demonstration. Attendees enjoyed blooming California poppies, California lilacs with flowers in every shade from white to lavender to deep purple, and oak trees sporting a burst of new pale green leaf growth.

Larry Wolfe, the director of the City's Parks and Recreation Department, was amazed at how beautiful the one acre Bird and Butterfly Habitat Garden had become after 6 years of growth and planting. "I remember when this garden looked completely bare, and I thought the little plants you guys were putting in the ground just wouldn't have a chance," he commented with a smile.

In anticipation of possible rain, the excellent interpretive exhibits prepared by Wilcox students, the Ulistac Natural Area Education and Restoration Project (UNA-REP), and local conservation groups were housed in the community center across the street in Lick Mill Park. Students from the Wilcox MBR Club helped repair damage to the park trails just before the event with wheelbarrows full of mulch donated by the City of Santa Clara.

Work Sessions
Starting on April 22nd, work sessions will start at 9:00 am.
Work sessions in May are scheduled for Saturday, May 6 and Sunday, May 21. 
June work days will be on Saturday, June 3 and Sunday, June 18.

Please refer to our Work Day Schedule for more information.
Many plants are in bloom now and this is a good time to visit!

Outreach Coordinator
Long-time Outreach Coordinator Kelly Crowley has left to work full time in athletics in the East Bay. For now, Lindsey Cromwell of the Environmental Studies Institute will continue to support current education and outreach commitments.

You can now reach the Ulistac Outreach Center through a new e-mail address: ulistac@scu.edu