A couple of months ago I met with local 4-H club members as they started to plan for their upcoming spring project. This year 4-H members from Felton, Scotts Valley and Quail Creek in the Zayante area are putting their minds and enthusiasm to good use to further educate themselves and the community about the importance of beneficial insects to our world. They will share their efforts at the upcoming Felton Library Friends Garden Tour on May 19th. Proceeds from the tour will benefit the new Felton Branch Library and Nature Discovery Park project slated to break ground this summer.
Patience, persistence, luck and the hard work of many people over several years have brought the dream of a new branch library in Felton to fruition. But there’s more than just a new library - the project will include a Nature Discovery Park in the wooded areas and around Bull Creek next to the new library that will be an outdoor environmental education center designed mostly for children. All this is scheduled to break ground late this summer.
The partnership between local herbalist and acupuncturist Michael Tierra and Roxanne Moore, program manager for Mountain Community Resources happened, you could say, naturally.
At last week’s board of directors meeting for the San Lorenzo Valley Water District, the appointment of four public committee members was met with praise and admiration for dedicated service.
A tightly-knit team of AmeriCorps environmental workers this week wrangled with patches of stubborn Himalayan Blackberry bramble — removing more than 5,000 of the noxious weeds.
Back in October, to the relief of many and real disappointment of others, the Mt. Hermon Association announced there would be no plans for a “Velocity Mountain Bike Park” on Felton Meadow. Mt. Hermon informed the Felton community via its website, stating, “The costs associated with developing the Felton Meadow property have exceeded our current capabilities and we have decided to forego any development.” Many residents in Felton remember the sharp community opposition to a large housing project proposed on the meadow back in 2008. Prior to Mt. Hermon buying the 15-acre property, situated between the Felton Faire shopping center and Zyante Road, it was considered a local treasure of open space. A holding aquifer of wetland that mitigates flooding and wildlife sanctuary. But the property is, nonetheless, the private property of the Mt. Hermon Association.
Twice daily, the narrow shoulders along busy Highway 9 north and south of the six-school campus of the San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District are a pathway for students on bicycles or walking along the shoulder of the road.