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Dear <<First Name>>,
What a difference a year makes! This time last year we were hopeful yet uncertain about safely returning to our usual activities. The Friends of Stevens Creek Trail hunkered down, cut our expenses, received federal relief funding, and met virtually. Most importantly, we maintained your support through it all. You sent us emails and letters telling us how the trail had become an important refuge in our densely populated community. Your words helped us maintain focus on our mission and on the expectations that you have for us. A big thank you for keeping us motivated!
Our fingers were crossed when we decided in March to hold the Trailblazer Race as an in-person event. You proved that we made the right decision. The 28th instance of the race was a success by all accounts. The return to the Microsoft campus was the icing on the cake. Runners, walkers, and volunteers were happy to gather and be out in the sunshine by the Bay.
This year we invited supporters to participate in our first Trail Development Day, adding an exciting new dimension to our volunteer opportunities. The development work cleared the path for a trail extension where none existed. Participants stacked rocks to make a creek crossing, smashed concrete bases of unused fence posts, cut fallen tree limbs, and cleared eucalyptus leaves and bark. We could not have done it without the 35 HP employees who volunteered to help!
Our Fish Passage Project has finally broken ground. The concrete slab is gone and a steelhead friendly grade has replaced it. In the process we got the most heartening news that rainbow trout exist in the creek and are no longer confined by that barrier!
The Uniform Signage Project has gathered momentum with medallions in place on the trail in the Monte Bello Preserve and more to come in Stevens Creek County Park. With these new signs, many more trail users will know that the trail extends beyond the paved portions in Mountain View, Sunnyvale, and Cupertino into many miles of the wilderness above Silicon Valley.
None of this would have been possible without you. Our advocacy work takes time, effort, and money. We are a small organization with a dedicated all-volunteer Board of Directors and one part time employee. Your contributions go far and we appreciate every single one. 2023 is shaping up to be another busy year for the Friends. We trust we can count on your continued (or new) financial support to enable a shared dream of safe, beautiful trails and wildlife corridors reaching from the Mountains to the Bay.
Happy Trails!
Rajiv Mathur
Executive Director
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