Working as a Park Services Attendant at Sanborn County Park and in the WVC Park Management Program, I have assisted in various Maintenance and Natural Resource Management projects. These are as follows:
(Sign A located at the Sanborn Rd. crosswalk along the Saratoga-to-the-Sky Trail, at the base of Welch-Hurst Trail; Sign B located at the parking lot/trailhead for Indian Rock along Hwy 35)
SIGNAGE
Visitor Sign Boards in Sanborn County Park
On this project I assisted Rangers of the Sanborn Unit by transporting materials, digging post holes, installing the signs, cementing the signs in place, attaching the roofs, painting the frames and backboards, and adhering new signage and lockboxes to both backboards.
Trail
Restoration
I assisted with the renaturalization of an unapproved ‘social trail’ created by mountain bikers along the John Nicholas Trail. Here I helped set up a 5:1 mechanical advantage rope & pulley system to pull downed trees and logs across the trail. I also served as a Swamper for the Ranger after felling another tree for use. We then utilized Mcleods and Pulaskis to cover the trail with duff and debris, returning it to a more naturalized state.
Trail Work
In regards to chainsaw and power polesaw work, I have been able to aid Rangers in clearing downed trees from trails while acting as their swamper, as well as having performed felling, clearing, limbing and bucking myself. I have also performed manual brushing along the sides of trails with hand tools as well as pruning overhead for equestrian clearance, and have assisted County NRM and Maintenance personnel in the removal of invasive plant species such as French & Scotch Broom (utilizing Weed Wrenches and other various tools) from Sanborn, Stevens Creek, and Hellyer County Parks. Additionally, I have experience assisting with trail repair and leveling of treadwork using Pulaskis, Mattocks, and McLeods in both Stevens Creek and Sanborn County Parks, where we widened sections of the trails and rid the tread of ruts. (Zinfandel Trail, Sanborn Trail, Lower Madrone Trail).
Picnic Area
Revitalization
At Stevens Creek County Park, I helped install new cement pads in the Villa Maria Picnic Area, and in Sanborn County Park I affixed 'Charcoal Only' signs to the campground BBQ pits. While at Hellyer County Park, I assisted in the revitalization of the San Juan Bautista Group Picnic Area - there we stripped down the old picnic tables and saved the wood for future planter boxes. We then leveled the ground, and used a Vibraplate to compact two 4” layers of base rock and then 4” of Decomposed Granite to create the new surface.
Habitat
Revegetation
I had the opportunity to work with Santa Clara County Natural Resource Management on the revegetation of a section of habitat along the new Saratoga-to-the-Sky Trail. Some native ferns had been displaced during the construction of a 60ft bridge. Tasks performed included digging with posthole diggers, shovels, and rock bars, transplanting the ferns back into the ground to help reinforce the banks of Sanborn Creek and deter social trails, and the renaturalization of the habitat post-work.
Installing
Split Rail Fence
In Stevens Creek County Park, I helped install some sections of split rail fencing at the entrance to the Cooley Picnic Area, just off Stevens Canyon Rd. Following the schematic provided by the County, we cut pressure treated 6x6 posts into 6ft lengths and then chamfer cut the tops. We then used rockbars, shovels and posthole diggers to dig post holes 2ft down (occasionally utilizing the JackHammer to break up large rocks in the soil), we leveled and plumbed the posts with our stringline, and then back filled the holes with soil, tamping with the rock bars after every 4 inches of fill. We then attached the split rail railings via galvanized carriage bolts and then used a reciprocating saw to cut the tail end of the bolts flush.
Nature Trail
Revitalization
At Sanborn County Park, I had the opportunity to assist in the revitalization of the Nature Trail. We started by brushing out the area for greater visibility and to reduce ladder fuels. We then used rock bars and shovels to help level the tread and remove tripping hazards, and lastly we replaced all the rotten posts for the numbered stops. To create the new posts we used 4x4s, cut a 45 degree face, and then used a router & stencil combo to create the numbers. We painted the posts and then dug 14" holes that we sunk the posts into before backfilling and tamping them in with a digging bar.
