A Newsletter Published by the Friends of Stevens Creek Trail Summer 2014

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Save Sunday, September 28 for the fun and exciting Trailblazer Race and trail walk on the scenic Stevens Creek Trail! This is our 20th annual fundraiser and features certified 10K and 5K races, a 3-mile scenic Trail Walk, and free kids’ events. All proceeds benefit the nonprofit Friends of Stevens Creek Trail.

Race and walk events start at 8:30 a.m. sharp, include a race T-shirt, and are open to anyone who can safely participate. Free for kids are ongoing inflatable mazes, games, and face painting. Our famous (and also free!) age-appropriate children’s races are about 9:45 a.m.

This family-friendly celebration is for all ages and experience levels, from first-timers to competitive athletes and from children to senior citizens. One of our goals is to get more people outside for fun, healthy exer-cise and enjoyment of the trail. It is made possible by support from the city of Mountain View, presenting sponsor Microsoft Corporation, and our other generous sponsors.

Everything starts and finishes at the Microsoft campus, 1065 La Avenida Avenue in Mountain View. The 5K (3.1-mile) and 10K (6.2-mile) footraces are certified by the U.S. Track and Field Association and officially timed. They head north on the trail to Shoreline Park before returning back to campus for a spirited finish in front of a crowd of cheering onlookers. The more relaxed, self-paced, and non-competitive 3-mile Trail Walk enters Stevens Creek Trail from the Microsoft campus and heads south away from the runners along a particularly scenic stretch of trail. Complimentary food and water are provided to participants.

Registered race and walk participants receive a T-shirt with this year’s stylish race logo created by local artist Bill Murray. Free children’s events

do not include a T-shirt. All registered par-ticipants including children are eligible for a post-race drawing of valuable prizes donated by race sponsors.

We need many adult and student volun-teers to come early and help set up, hand out food and water, guide participants on the course, manage kids’ events, and then help clean up after. Pre-registered volunteers receive a free race T-shirt and become mem-bers of the Friends of Stevens Creek Trail!

Register to run, walk, or volunteer using the attached form, a copy, or online at our website. Runners and walkers get a $5 advance registration discount if they mail or email fully completed forms in to us by September 14, or register online with a credit card at www.stevenscreektrail.org by September 25th. We welcome prize dona-tions and sponsorship of the event from

businesses, organizations and individuals. Please call 408-255-5780 or email us at exec-dir@stevenscreektrail.org.

The Friends organization has been dedicated to the completion, en-hancement and enjoyment of the trail and wildlife corridor since 1992, and each Trailblazer Race helps raise the funds we need to continue our work. Thanks for your support!

Registration Advance AtEventAdult 5K or 10K Race $25 $30Youth 5K or 10K $10 $153-Mile Trail Walk Any Age $10 $15*Youth rates are for ages 19 and under.

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September 28th — Save the Date!Proceeds Benefit the Friends of Stevens Creek Trail

NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE

PAID CUPERTINO, CA PERMIT NO. 466

Friends of Stevens Creek Trail22221 McClellan RoadCupertino, CA 95014

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

408-255-5780

Online Registration: www.stevenscreektrail.org

Board of DirectorsMeghan StawitckePresidentTim OeyVice PresidentAnne NgSecretaryGarth WilliamsTreasurerDirectorsKathy BettmanTom BornheimerJohn Brazil Steve GarrityRoss HeitkampGeoffrey PaulsenAlan RossGreg Unangst

Sarah Chekfa, Associate DirectorAaron Grossman, Executive Director

The Trailblazer is a publication sponsored by the Friends of Stevens Creek Trail. The Friends of Stevens Creek Trail is a nonprofit 501 (C) (3) or-ganization. All contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. The Friends orga-nization promotes community pride and citizen involvement in the completion, enhancement, and enjoyment of the Stevens Creek Trail and Wildlife Corridor.

Thank You Thank You Thank You

Newsletter Design and Production

ChrisMendible,PageCreations408-316-5299

chrismendible@gmail.com

Articles and PhotosSarahChekfa,StephenGarrity,AaronGrossman,RossHeitkamp,AnneNg,

TimOey,MeghanStawitcke,GregUnangst

Trailblazer Race 2014 Sunday, September 28th

Mark your calendar for a day of fun for the entire family!

Larry Ames • Eric Anderson • Joane & Ross Anderson • Steve & Ruth Anderson • Michael Aratow • Kevin Ashley • Peg Asprey • Subramanya Avadani • Sherry & Peter Barba • George B. Bell • Kathy Bettman • Tom Bornheimer • Peter Botsford • Susie & Sam Brain • John J. Brazil John M. Brazil • Hilton Brown • Russell Brown • Matthew Burdick • Patricia J. Campbell • Anders Carlsson • Steven Chin • Reba Cohen Clare & Eugene Cordero • Kathleen Creger • Bill Danielson • Dick & Edwina de Losa • Tanya DeCell • Curt & Joan Demele • Karen DeMello • Barry Elkins • James Enloe • Wallace Erichsen • Judith Fan • Rhonda Farrar • Samuel Feldman • Patricia Figueroa • Tom & Jan Frankum • Martin & Leslie Gates • Heidi Gerster • Ellen Gilkerson • Elliot Gillum • Judy & Steve Gorin for Jim Meyerson • David Greenstein • Waldo Griffin • Aaron Grossman • Scott Harger • Diane & Steve Haze • Ross Heitkamp • Teena Henshaw • Leroy A. Jebian Rune Jensen • Robert Karchevski • Bruce & Twana Karney • Jack Kay • Thomas Kempe • Isaac M. Kikawada • Deborah Kilpatrick Tracy King • Robert Kirby • Anthony & Judith Kramer • Dean Kudlick • Chris Kuszmaul • Helen Landsman • Mark Lentczner • Edgar & Barbara Lo • Kathleen Long • Steven W. Longcor • Julie B. Lovins • Leanne Luna • Basil Ma • Darren Magda • Jean-Philippe Martin Alice Martineau • Nancy McKown • Hugh McLaughlin • Joe Mitchner • Tom Myers • Jim Napier • Anne & Sam Ng • Leslie & Anita Nichols • Tim Oey • Steve & Carol Olson • Abraham & Anna Oren • Roberto & Dalia Perelman • Byron Rader • Bob Reay • Diane Reedman • Randy Rhody • Philip Roemer • Michael M. Rogers • Larry Rosenberg • Alan Ross • Janette & Thomas Rudkin • D. Grover Sams • Owen & Barbara Saxton • John Schaefer • Tom Schaefer • Jeffrey Segall • John Seyfarth • Patricia Shriver • Carol Stanek Meghan Stanley • Andrea Stawitcke • Bridget Steele • Sharon Storms • Lennie Stovel • Hartono Sutanto • Art Takahara • Kathy & Page Thibodeaux • Rick Thomas • Mary & Clinton Turner & Gilliland • Greg Unangst • Robert Ward • Donald Weden • Linda & Glenn Wegner • Tracy Wingrove • Fern J. Wollrich • Keith Wood • Bill & Lauren Zuravleff

Logo by Bill Murray

Beforeyourecycle,perhapsyouhaveafriendwho

wouldliketoreadabouttheFriendsofStevensCreekTrail.

Pleasepassiton!

President’s CornerHello to All Our Friends of Stevens Creek Trail

Welcome, friends!Over the past year, as Sunnyvale continues to work

with the four cities, government officials and commu-nity members to complete its feasibility study, I continue

to be impressed by the passion the people of the Bay Area possess for the Trail. I am truly grateful to live in a community that is dedicated to bettering the world we live in. We would not have come this far, or have this bright a future, without all of you.

This year has been busy, which seems to be par for the course. In this newsletter, you’ll read about the exciting happenings in Sunnyvale, the Joint Cities continued collaboration, the upcoming Trailblazer Race, a new board member, our exciting Creekipedia project and more.

The Stevens Creek Trail continues to see progress in several cities. In Cupertino, the second phase of trail restoration and extension to Stevens Creek Boulevard is complete. The opening ceremony to celebrate this new-est trail portion was on July 1st. Mountain View added new trail access, saw a possibility of a major new addition towards the bay, and considered continuing on to Mountain View High School. Sunnyvale continued lead-ing the crucial Trail Feasibility Study to link all four cities together. We are excited about all the progress happening with the Trail in these cities.

As we mentioned last year in the newsletter, the Friends of Stevens Creek Trail received a grant from Google to develop an educational tool to convey the complexities of the Stevens and Permanente Creek corridor to the public. We named our mobile application “Creekipedia” and progress is continuing at a rapid clip. We are proud to say that Google has recently chosen us as recipients of a second grant to continue our hard work. We are eager to share with you all, and are proud of the many layers this mo-bile app will explore, including wildlife, flora, human impact and even pollution. If you or your organization is interested in participating, please contact board member Greg Unangst at gunangst@stevenscreektrail.org.

We are gearing up for our 20th annual Trailblazer Race on Sunday, September 28th. We are always happy to have more volunteers, so if you are interested, let us know! Email us at exec-dir@stevenscreektrail.org or see our webpage for more information and to register at www.stevenscreektrail.org.

Happy Trails!

Meghan Stawitcke, Presidentpresident@stevenscreektrail.org

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I have been a part of the Friends of Stevens Creek Trail since May 2013. What started off as a simple one-time volunteering episode has turned into a journey that continues to teach me valuable lessons almost every day. I am proud of having launched the FOSCT social media campaign and creating the organization’s Twitter website. It did take a bit of work at first, but now is relatively man-ageable, as I post our interesting updates and upcoming events. When this venture proved

to take less time than expected, I began a new project proposed to me by a fellow board member. Its main goal is to research all Stevens Creek Trail development in the four cities involved and categorize the details over the years into logical categories such as finance, support, feasibility, and objectives. We expect this data will give valuable insight into the trends of the trail, and will use it to advance our constant efforts to expand the trail.

Besides these two special projects, I regularly attend our monthly board meetings, participate in publicity booths at local fairs, and recently attended the first FOSCT public forum. I have to say that of all these experi-ences, the one which truly opened my eyes to the reality of our endeavors and plight is indeed the public forum. Over a hundred people showed up, some against the trail and all it stood for. It instantly brought to mind visions of the hit NBC TV show Parks and Recreation, with Leslie Knope being verbally attacked by volleys of violent outburst. During this forum, however, fears of staggering safety issues and plummeting property values

pervaded the area. Although the situation was almost frightening in its intensity, I learned something very important that day, that our mission is much more than just extending the trail—it is getting people to understand the positive benefits of the trail and all it entails.

While this report cannot catalogue all my enlightening endeavors with FOSCT, my hope is that it highlights what I do for it and how participating has influenced my life and shaped my ideas about the world around me. I believe in our ability to extend the trail, I believe in the people’s ability to open up to new possibilities such as the trail, but most of all I believe in the trail. As Dale Evans, the applauded film star and writer once said –— “Some trails are happy ones, others are blue…here’s a happy one for you.”

Sarah ChekfaZ

Editor’s note: Associate Board Member Sarah Chekfa is a Monte Vista High School senior. As a non-voting member, she is not responsible for the financial decisions and liabilities of the Friends of Stevens Creek Trail.

Report from Our Student Associate Director

Start/Finish Microsoft Campus 1065 La Avenida, Mountain View Exit Highway 101 at Shoreline to the Bay. Follow signs to La Avenida. Free parking and bicycle corral.

Race Day Registration 7:30 a.m. Events start 8:30 a.m.Free Children’s Races about 9:45 a.m. (no T-shirt).

USATF 5K/10K Races Stevens Creek Trail & Shoreline Park, mostly asphalt for serious and casual runners. Strollers okay.

3Mile (5K) Trail Walk mostly flat Stevens Creek Trail, with beautiful creek and wildlife views. Wheelchair accessible.

M/F Age Divisions 12 & under, 13-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70+

Registration Fee Adult 10K, 5K: $25 advance/$30 race day Adult 5K Trail Walk: $10 advance/$15 race day Youth (19 & under): $10 advance/$15 race day

Registered Participants & Volunteers Receive T-shirt, free food, drinks, and entry in post-race raffle prize drawing! Mail Advance Registration by 9/14 or online by 9/25.

Info 408-255-5780 or ED@stevenscreektrail.org.

Special Thanks to City of Mountain View, Mountain View Voice, Hobee’s, Starbucks and our sponsors.

Register at www.stevenscreektrail.org

Official Entry Form — Mail before September 14 or bring with you on race day

Sunday, September 28, 20141065 La Avenida, Mountain View

10K & 5K USATF Races

3-Mile (5K) Scenic Trail Walk

Free Children’s Races, Inflatable Games and Face Painting

Festival Area

Free Car Parking

Secure Bicycle Corral

Trailblazer Race & Walk—Information & RegistrationPresenting Sponsor

Register Onlinewww.stevenscreektrail.org

Steve Garrity joined our board this February after helping us out with many years of support. A long-time Sunnyvale resident, former Lockheed Martin Chief System Engineer & Director, Sierra Club hike leader and regional group chairman, Coastal Cleanup volunteer, and Vice Chair-man of Thrivent Communities Silicon Valley, Steve brings with him a valu-able background of skill and experi-ence. “I believe the Trail contributes to the city and the region in many ways, such as recreational, environ-mental and preservation of open

spaces. Involvement in its development provides a give-back for me, after years of enjoying the outdoor resources offered in the area. The FOSCT Board mission to promote community involvement fits my interest to see the Trail’s vision carried out.”

Please give a big welcome to Steve!Z

Welcome New Board Member Steve Garrity

With growing interest in Stevens Creek, Permanente Creek, and the Stevens Creek Trail, the FOSCT and Google began collaborating in 2012 on developing an educational tool to efficiently and effectively convey the many unique facets of the Stevens Creek corridor and the Stevens/Permanente watershed.

Starting in 2013, with an initial grant from Google, FOSCT developed a beta version of the tool—a browser-based, Google Earth application that can be readily accessed by anyone with an Internet connection. The application includes a custom interface and provides a thorough and de-tailed multi-layered map-based guide to the Stevens and Permanente Creek watersheds and stream corridors. During 2013 we developed these layers: watershed areas, creek networks, Stevens Creek Trail, Steven Creek Trail highlights, Permanente Creek highlights, open space preserves, earthquake fault lines, geology, and historical creeks, habitats, and points.

Our aim is to evolve the tool into a “Creekipedia,” a flexible repository for knowledge about this very special geographic area in the heart of Silicon Valley. The application is designed to accommodate additional layers and includes a module for easily managing the integration of new layers from different sources. We plan to grow and expand this tool to cover almost every aspect of the geographic area, including historic, natural, cultural, and recreational information. We also expect it to serve as a model for similar guides to geographic areas anywhere else in the world. Try it out at creekipedia.com using Internet Explorer or Firefox.

With a new 2014 grant from Google, the next objectives are: • Expand the application data organization capabilities to meet

the growing set of data provided by external organizations• Add new interactive features and more layers and information

points

• Increase ease-of-access and public use• Develop tools to assist authors and editors to enter and edit

text, pictures and coordinates for new layers and pointsAdditionally in 2014, we will actively engage other environmen-

tal, volunteer and nonprofit organizations. If you are interested in contributing to the Creekipedia, the FOSCT will have Guidelines for Preparing Information Points for how to contribute a “layer” to the body of knowledge. We especially encourage environmental, ecological, educational, recreational and historical organizations to participate. Please contact Greg Unangst at greg_unangst@stevenscreektrail.org to discuss the suitability and format requirements of your contribution to this wonderful community asset. We thank you for helping make our Creekipedia a success!

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A Shout-out to Chris Mendible for20 Years of Great Work!Ever since the Friends of Stevens Creek Trail was founded in 1993, our graphic artist, Chris Mendible, has been instrumental in develop-ing and executing almost all of our communications and artwork, and much, much more.

Chris is a freelance graphic designer and mother of three. In addition to keeping her business Page Creations in motion, she has volunteered hun-dreds of hours at her kids schools, been a Girl Scout leader and attended countless soccer matches, lacrosse games and swim meets.

For over twenty years, Chris has been our newsletter designer, editor, photographer and layout chief, critiquing content and making copy sug-gestions as well. As Chris reports, “Some projects required much com-munication and coordinating with board members for articles, pictures, etc. Over the years, I have done every aspect of print production from rough articles and ideas to final labeling, proper sorting and delivery to post office for bulk mailings.”

Chris has also produced artwork for all of our annual Trailblazer Races including posters, postcards, flyers, T-shirts, banners, and advertising, plus our mailings and award plaques. In recent years, she has been the Trailblazer Race Volunteer Coordinator, finding and then managing

literally hundreds of teenage and adult volunteers needed to put on our major fundraiser.

“I suppose my biggest contribution to the Friends has been my ability and willingness to jump in where needed, from project research, vendor searches, phone calls, emails, and running errands, whatever it takes, to get a project completed. The scope and detail of any given project varies with the board as each Executive Director and board member brings his/her own strengths and weaknesses, talent and time constraints. My years of experience working with the organization has helped maintain continuity throughout its continued growth. In the last two decades I have had the pleasure of meeting and working with the Executive Directors and many board members. ”

As Chris puts it, she has watched the Friends organization grow up just as she has her children. She first started working with us when her oldest was just a baby. She now has three and two are in college! Her husband and three children consider our annual race a family tradition and have quite a collection of T-shirst to prove it! In the beginning a stroller-friendly route was a consideration; now it is who is driving to the race from where.

The Friends would not be the respected and influential organization it is today without all the great efforts of Chris Mendible over these many years. Congratulations to Chris! Thank you, and keep up the great work!

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Trail Cleanup Day 2014Saturday, April 19 saw another fun and successful Trail Cleanup day at Whis-man Park. A warm but not too hot day brought out 49 volunteers who spent the morning on various cleanup activities. We had plenty of time to check in, socialize, and enjoy juice and snacks before heading out to the creek or other park locations. Mountain View City staff supervised the work and passed out gloves, garbage bags and tools. As always, they helped make the event seamless, fun and safe for the volunteers.

It was rewarding to see several families come out with their kids, many of whom were volunteering for the first time. Our volunteers were quite enthusiastic, and a common sentiment we heard was “I use this beautiful trail so often; the least I can do is give back by helping to keep it clean.” Several groups headed up and down the trail to collect trash, resulting in one very large truckload of trash by the end of the morning. Others installed and painted a trail sign at the Whis-man trailhead, while another team spread out a large pile of mulch below the trees at the edge of the park.

We accomplished a lot in one morning, and we thank our dedicated volun-teers, and the City of Mountain View, for another successful clean-up day! See you next year!

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FOSCT and Google Collaborate and the Creekpedia Website is Launched

WehaveanewvacancyandarecurrentlyseekingaboardmemberfromtheLosAltosarea.

Formoreinformationpleasesendanemailto:exec-dir@stevenscreektrail.org.

Wanttoknowmoreaboutothervolunteeropportunities,

orsupportingtrailactivitiesinyourneighborhood?Forthelatest,pleasecheckourwebsite:

www.stevenscreektrail.org.

Top: Our annual creek cleanup day has become a family outing for some of our trail supporters. Bottom: Many thanks to the Rotary Club of Mountain View.

A screen shot of one of the many layers found at creekipedia.com

NEWSFLASH: The Friends of Stevens Creek Trail is seeking to hire a part-time Marketing and Volunteer Manager for approximately ten hours per week year-round, on a long-term basis. We are looking for a person familiar with Stevens Creek Trail, the Trailblazer Race, and the Friends organization. Preference will be given to self-directed candidates experienced with non-profit agencies, comfortable work-ing with and directing volunteers, and knowledgeable about current social media. Pay will be $18 per hour, under the supervision of the Friends Executive Director. There are no additional benefits other than the enjoyment of working with a great group of people for a wonderful cause. A student intern would be considered in the case of a very strong applicant. Send resume if interested and any feedback to exec-dir@stevenscreektrail.org. Thanks!

We are also looking for new board members. We are in particular need of someone currently residing in Los Altos. We meet the fourth Thursday of the month from 7pm-9pm at our office in Cupertino. This is a volunteer position. Come meet a great group of people and help us in our mission to promote community pride and citizen involve-ment in the completion, enhancement, and enjoyment of the Stevens Creek Trail and Wildlife Corridor. For more information email us at exec-dir@stevenscreektrail.org.

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JCWT and City Updates

Joint Cities Working TeamFormed in 2009 and led by consultant Jana Sokale, the group continued to meet often during the last year and made tremendous progress. The Citizens Working Group (CWG) portion, originally with two representa-tives from each city, was expanded to three each. Major progress was made to identify several feasible routes from the Mountain View section at Dale/Heatherstone to the Cupertino section at Blackberry golf course. Especially exciting is a possible off-street route into Cupertino.

The northernmost segment of this route option would be much like the existing trail and mostly follow the creek from Dale/Heatherstone to Fremont Avenue. It could then go over Fremont Avenue with a bicycle/pe-destrian bridge to Bernardo. One idea is to convert Bernardo from Fremont to Homestead into a one-way street headed north with the southbound side of the street turned into a trail and park. It is very possible that turn-ing Bernardo into a one-way street, along with some other changes, could significantly improve traffic flows around Cupertino Middle School, but a formal traffic study would be needed to confirm this.

Next the trail route could go over Highway 85 on a dedicated bridge adjacent to the north side of the Homestead motor vehicle bridge, continue on the existing path on the north side of Homestead to Foothill, and past that along a path parallel to Foothill to reach the area south of 280. There are several other route possibilities as well using existing streets.

Next steps are for the CWG to specify their preferred alignment and the elected officials to specify theirs. Final feasibility study publication is expected late summer or early fall 2014. After that, all four city councils will need to decide on the final route and pursue planning, design, and funding.

Mountain ViewMountain View opened direct access to Stevens Creek Trail from the north side of El Camino Real for the first time last year, eliminating a long and dangerous detour. Further north, access at Crittenden Lane has been identified for future ADA access improvements. Additionally, other access may be added in the North Shoreline area, including a new plan as part of the South Bay Salt Ponds restoration to open an almost two mile long trail extending to a viewing platform by the end of Permanente Creek. At the southern end, continuing the trail on to Mountain View High School, which we strongly support, is under consideration. Additionally, other access may be added in the North Shoreline area, including a new plan as part of the South Bay Salt Ponds restoration to open an almost two-mile long extension of Stevens Creek Trail leading to a viewing platform by the end of Permanenet Creek.

Our May 8 Bike to Work Day Energizer Station at Sleeper Avenue in Mountain View had almost 200 visitors this year. We’ve seen an increase every year, especially following the opening of the Dale/Heatherstone Bridge over Highway 85 in June 2012.

SunnyvaleSunnyvale continues to lead the Joint Cities Working Team feasibility study for the remaining middle portion of the Stevens Creek Trail between Cupertino and Mountain View. Sunnyvale staff acquired additional fund-ing for the feasibility study so new suggestions from the public could be adequately studied to determine if they would be feasible or not. The most recent updates on the study can be found on the Sunnyvale webpage at www.Stevenscreek.inSunnyvale.com.

The Friends of Stevens Creek Trail also conducted a public forum on March 29 at West Valley Elementary School on Belleville Way in Sunnyvale. Titled “Urban Trail Connections: Pros, Cons and Information,” it both presented basic information and gathered input from the public to better understand concerns about how those potential connections could affect their neighborhoods.

Los AltosThe Los Altos City Council voted 3-2 on October 22, 2013 not to publicly discuss the Stevens Creek Trail Feasibility Study topic further until publi-cation of the study draft report, expected later in 2014. The Stevens Creek Trail Feasibility Study was an informational item on the agenda which attracted a full chamber of Los Altos residents.

More than 30 citizens spoke during public comments to express their concerns about the use of on street connectors through South Los Altos and overall concern for the lack of transparency in the study process. Many directly requested that the city adopt the 2008 Los Altos study preferred route as opposed to new routes being studied. A petition circulated by the Fallen Leaf Lane Neighborhood Association collected 800+ signatures calling for the Los Altos City Council to adopt a policy that calls for a 75%

Trail Progress Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Los Altos, Cupertino

approval rate from affected residents before constructing new trail align-ments on city residential streets.

Ultimately, the City Council vote allows the Feasibility Study to complete its mission to study and evaluate all feasible trail routes through Los Altos and publish its results before the city decides on any further action. The city council and residents await the new Trail Study release.

CupertinoCupertino opened a new section on July 1, completing the trail all the way through from Stevens Creek Boulevard upstream to McClellan Road. This new stretch goes through an old orange orchard, under towering trees, and across a new bridge over the creek. Native re-vegetation and restored steelhead habitat were part of the project.

Additionally, the city is restoring the orchard and donating the oranges to help feed those in need. Cupertino’s section of the Stevens Creek Trail

now traverses a natural and historic urban gem, including the only place along the trail where a person in a wheelchair has access to play in the creek.

At the north end of the new section, the City is buying a house on Ste-vens Creek Boulevard adjacent to the creek. This opens up the possibility for continuing the Cupertino Stevens Creek Trail segment downstream along the creek.

On May 21, 2014, the City broke ground for a nature interpretive center at McClellan Ranch. The adjacent old McClellan barn will be restored. A consultant has been hired as part of a master plan for this area to survey residents on what they would like to see changed there.

Looking south from McClellan Ranch, Cupertino intends to extend the Stevens Creek trail upstream from McClellan Road, near an abandoned truck road and then through land where a developer intends to set aside much of their parcel for open space. A connection to the foothills trails is getting closer!

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Cupertino City Manager David Brandt, Councilmen Rod Sinks and Mark Santoro, Mayor Gilbert Wong, Councilman Orrin Mahoney, and Public Works Director Timm Borden cut the ribbon to open Cupertino’s new stretch of the Stevens Creek Trail.

Ribbon-cutting celebrants stroll through the Stocklmeir orange orchard on the newly opened segment of the Stevens Creek Trail joining Blackberry Farm and Stevens Creek Boulevard.

Friends of Stevens Creek Trail board members Geoff Paulsen, Tim Oey, Anne Ng, and Ross Heitkamp check out the freshly unveiled marker commemorating the completion of Phase 2 of Stevens Creek Cooridor project.