Ulistac Natural Area Restoration & Education Project

10th annual Celebration of California Native Plants at Ulistac

ulistac@scu.edu (Laughlin Barker) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:00:00 PST

Sunday April 18, 2010 from 10AM to 2PM will be the 10th annual Celebration of California Native Plants at Ulistac.

The celebration brings community members from across the South Bay for a day of play, learning, and celebration of Ulistac's volunteer restoration efforts. Local businesses, non-profit organizations, and neighborhood coalitions will be joining the celebration and talking about some of the exciting things they are doing to bring more community involvement to Santa Clara.

Last year's event drew over 250 people who participated in workshops, tours, games, and talks ranging from habitat restoration to terrace gardening. We're currently working to make the 2009 event even better, so we hope to see you on the 19th!

For more information, please visit www.scu.edu/envs/ulistac or send an email to ulistac@scu.edu.

Regular Restoration Workdays

ulistac@scu.edu (Laughlin Barker) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:00:00 PST

1st Saturday and 3rd Sunday every month, regardless of holidays

Please visit our Calendar for more information.

Wild Zone Family Play Day!

lcromwell@scu.edu (Laughlin Barker) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 07:57:00 PST

Wildzone Family Play Day!

When: Sat, March 28, 1pm – 4pm

Where: Ulistac Natural Area

Wild Zones are places where adults, children and adolescents can co-create a new form of public space that is dedicated to unstructured free play in nature.

Wild Zones differ from parks and nature reserves because they offer opportunities to alter the environment rather than leaving it untouched: build dens, forts and treehouses, make new pathways, play around with water and mud, create sculptures from natural materials, invent games, and many other kinds of free play.

Join us for a fun family event at Ulistac!

Ulistac Natural Area Featured in City of Santa Clara Video!

lcromwell@scu.edu (Lindsey Cromwell) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:54:00 PST

Watch the video!

Visit the City of Santa Clara's Website

Wildflower Celebration 2008

ulistac@scu.edu (Marisa Ornelas) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 08:53:00 PST

Save the date: The 5th annual Wildflower Celebration will take place on Saturday, April 12 from 10 am - 2 pm. Join us!

What are people saying about Ulistac Natural Area?

lcromwell@scu.edu (Lindsey Cromwell) — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 08:54:00 PST

"There are few natural areas where you can interact with the place and see the results of your labor over time. Helping to build and maintain the native plants demonstration garden at Ulistac is one such place. It is incredibly satisfying to plant penstemon in fall and see it bloom in spring. Or prune a sage to see it burst into silvery blue health the next season. Or weed out invasive grasses to help Zauschneria spread their red blooms. And it's a place that engages all your senses: the smell of sages, the sight of circling hawks, a fox on the run, the songs and calls of mockingbirds and others."

"My favorite thing about Ulistac is that it is a place where people are deliberately working to foster and nurture native plant and animal life. Its purpose pleases me most."

Water System Construction Project in the Ulistac Natural Area

ulistac@scu.edu (Marisa Ornelas) — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 08:51:00 PST

Informational Meeting
January 2008

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) owns and manages the Hetch Hetchy water system that delivers drinking water to 2.4 million people in the Bay Area, including residents in Santa Clara County.

SFPUC is proposing a construction project on two of its largest pipelines that carry water from the Sierra Nevada to the South Bay and the Peninsula. The project would allow the SFPUC to shut down shorter portions of the pipelines and transfer water between the two pipes for maintenance and repair, and would reduce water loss in the event of an earthquake or other emergency.

One of the three proposed project sites is located on SFPUC-owned land adjacent to the Fairway Glen Pump Station within the Ulistac Natural Area in Santa Clara. Project construction, anticipated between 2009-2011, may temporarily close portions of trails near the southeast end of the Ulistac Natural Area, and access to Ulistac from Lick Mill Boulevard may be limited.

Please join us at an informational meeting to meet the project team and learn more about the project and how it may affect Ulistac Natural Area users and nearby residents.

What: Informational Meeting
When: 6:00 pm, Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Where: Lick Mill Park Recreation Building. 4750 Lick Mill Blvd. Santa Clara

For more information, please contact Christina Kerby at (415)-554-3203 or ckerby@sfwater.org

2007 Wildflower Celebration - a big success!

lcromwell@scu.edu (Lindsey Cromwell) — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 17:49:05 PST

Over 250 community members of all ages attended the event. Here are a few highlights: Native Revival had a plant sale, enabling visitors to start or enhance their own native plant gardens. Silicon Valley Power provided information about Santa Clara Green Power and gave away free Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs. Ulistac Natural Area Restoration and Education Project hosted a raffle, provided information and history about Ulistac Natural Area, and gave away California Poppy seedlings and wildflower seed packets. Raffle prizes were generously provided by Green Earth Office Supply and Santa Clara Girl Scouts. Acterra gave away information about their programs, including their Environmental Leadership Course. Santa Clara County Open Space Authority provided great information about their programs and how to take advantage of our local open spaces. Santa Clara Master Composters had lots of information about starting and maintaining a home composting system. Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society taught kids and adults about their programs, and even had cool specimens on hand! Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition gave away bike maps and information about their Bike to Work Day program and contest. Santa Clara Girl Scouts nourished park visitors with snacks and beverages! Wilcox High School students in the Montebello Ridge Program shared their projects with visitors. 4th and 5th graders from Don Callejon School taught people about the plants and animals at Ulistac through fun games, face painting, and giveaways. Sports Basement had information about their products, giveaways, and a raffle! The Santa Clara Fire Department parked a fire truck on Lick Mill Blvd, gave children the opportunity to explore the truck, and gave away cool red helmets! A Santa Clara Community Police Officer enjoyed the festivities and gave away sheriff badge stickers! UNAREP offered tours of Ulistac Natural Area, as well as of the Bird and Butterfly Garden. We were all too happy to show off the garden's new plant identification signs, courtesy of a grant from the Mission City Community Fund and the hard installation work of volunteers (especially Santa Clara Eagle Scouts and the Chi Upsilon Zeta crew from Santa Clara University). Local experts Sharon McCray (Master Gardener and Master Composter) and John Allen (Climate change speaker trained by Al Gore) shared their knowledge with park visitors. Chris Salander (UNAREP) and Paul Barghouth (Wilcox High School sophomore) gave planting demonstrations in the garden. South Bay Folks: Ambergrass (Phil & Anne Pflager), Tom Scharf, Randy Wizek, John Sidle and Dave Metzger set the mood of the event with great music!

Wildflower Celebration 2007

lcromwell@scu.edu (Lindsey Cromwell) — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 17:52:25 PST

Wildflower Celebration at local habitat restoration project features hummingbirds, butterflies, and blooming flowers

SANTA CLARA, CA – March 26, 2007. Spring is here and what better way to ring in the new season than with the 4th Annual Wildflower Celebration at Ulistac Natural Area in Santa Clara on Saturday, April 7. Families are invited to visit the natural area to enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of spring at Ulistac’s Bird and Butterfly Garden - a nearly 1 acre native garden, planted and maintained by community volunteers. The Celebration will include fun activities for kids of all ages, planting demonstrations, talks by local experts, booths by local organizations, tours of the park, and giveaways! Visitors can see butterflies, hummingbirds, jackrabbits, and more. Learn more about the event.

WHAT: Wildflower Celebration at Ulistac Natural Area
WHEN: Saturday, April 7, 2007
WHERE: Ulistac Natural Area On Lick Mill Boulevard across from Lick Mill Park, between Montague Expwy. & Tasman Dr. Santa Clara, CA 95054

Field Trips Galore!

lcromwell@scu.edu (Lindsey Cromwell) — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 17:53:18 PST

Elementary students and teachers enjoy their field trips to Ulistac. Not only do they have an opportunity to extend their learning to the outdoors, but they also have easy access to the park! Ulistac's location on Lick Mill Boulevard makes it a convenient walk from either Kathryn-Hughes or Don Callejon Elementary Schools. This school year, the Ulistac Outreach Center has already hosted over 100 students from each of the two neighboring schools, and a class of 15 students from Yew Chung International School in Mountain View! Learn more about our field trip program.

Save the Date! Wildflower Celebration!

lcromwell@scu.edu (Lindsey Cromwell) — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 17:53:49 PST

It's almost spring, and that means it's time to get ready for our annual celebration to welcome wildflowers, warmer weather, and our friends and neighbors! We've got lots in store for children and adults alike - arts and crafts for kids, educational activities, information about native plants, tours and demonstrations, and more! Mark your calendars now, and be on the look out for more information, coming soon!

Calling all volunteers!
If you are interested in helping with the Wildflower Celebration, please let us know! (E-mail ulistac@scu.edu) We are looking for people to help with children's activities, to lead tours of the park (training provided), to lead demonstrations (are you an expert at something?), or to help with setup/clean up. Wildflower Celebration volunteers will receive a free Ulistac Natural Area Volunteer t-shirt!
The event is scheduled from 9:00 am - 1:00 pm. Volunteer for two hour segments: 8:00 am - 10:00 am, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm, 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm or the entire day!