Community

Hundreds of people flocked to see the creek overflow at Christmas Hill Park, saying it was a way of celebrating water in the face of a long drought. 

A Gilroy conservation group credited with returning steelhead trout to hundreds of miles of streams and the Pajaro River has found a much bigger fish to fry—Monterey Bay.Coastal Habitat Education & Environmental Restoration (CHEER) last week received final approval for a one-day event to remove river-borne garbage in Monterey Bay, according to Herman Garcia, CHEER founder and CEO.He plans to hold the event annually as a new prong in CHEER’S decade-plus effort to educate people about the damage to natural water resources caused by garbage and pollution.“It’s symbolic of the problem in the ocean, and it’s all coming from land-based sources,” he said.People believe ocean pollution is from commercial fishing and recreational boats, Navy ships and cruise liners, but that’s only five percent of the problem, according to Garcia.“Ninety-five percent comes from illegal dumping into coastal watershed and there are consequences to the marine habitat,” he said.In this region, that means the Salinas and Pajaro rivers, which drain into the Monterey Bay. The Pajaro alone drains 1,300 square miles of land in four counties and has 1,800 miles of streams.“Every winter, with the high levels of water from storms, all the garbage gets flushed into our bay, which is federally protected,” Garcia said.And while ocean pollution brings to mind the enormous floating garbage patch in the Pacific, that collection of refuse is dwarfed by what sinks to the ocean floors, he said.The cleanup has approvals and strong encouragement from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Moss Landing Harbor District, on whose property the March 19 event will be staged. It’s billed as “CHEER’s First Annual Ocean Cleanup and Diving Extravaganza & Competition.”Event sponsors and exhibitors include NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary Institutes, the state Dept. of Fish & Wildlife, the Coast Guard, the Santa Cruz Resource Conservation District, the Moss Landing Harbor District, and the Green Education Foundation, among others. Nearly two dozen groups will have exhibits for the public.And while no one knows exactly what will be found on the ocean floor, what’s pulled up, how much and by whom are expected to be the highlight of the event.That’s because, with the help of San Jose scuba diving clubs such as the Flipper Skippers, CHEER will deploy boats and 16 certified divers to depths up to 80 feet in a cash competition to pull the most debris from the bay floor at two locations, the mouths of the Salinas and Pajaro rivers.The event will be staged off Hwy. 1 in the north parking lot of the Moss Landing Harbor, by the Sea Harvest Restaurant. Divers will set out at 8 a.m. and return at 1 p.m.Garcia got the idea for the event at the Garcia family Christmas dinner in 2015. A guest told him that his dive group did garbage cleanups on the bay floor to help with the abalone harvest. But those dives stopped 35 years ago, the man said.Garcia’s reaction was immediate; “I was thinking, wow, what a wonderful idea to close our educational loop and make the connection between the watersheds and the ocean,” he said.Within two months, Garcia had lined up his permits, exhibitors and volunteers and was ready to turn to his plan’s two most important parts, the public and the media.“We’re losing the battle right now, there is more damage out there every day than we can keep up with; we need the help of the public and the only way to get the message out is through the media.Garcia’s and CHEER’s work is highly regarded by others involved in marine issues.“I applaud his efforts and I agree with is reasoning,” said U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Don Kelly, based in Monterey. “He wants to be able to show a nexus between the pollution in the rivers—even in the upper areas of the watersheds—and where it actually ends up, in the ocean,” Kelly said, adding, “I really do applaud him for making people understand the totality of the system.”The ocean floor cleanup will raise awareness of the need to keep rivers and the oceans healthy, he said. “Maybe it will make people think twice about” dumping and polluting.If you’re interested in volunteering or in the ocean cleanup, contact Garcia at [email protected] or at [email protected] or at (408) 497-3037.

“It is so exciting that we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel,” said Kathy Chavez, a local resident who has been working for more than two years to save the historic red barn in Christmas Hill Park from demolition.

Ten area veterans, including one Gilroyan were presented with hand-sewn quilts in honor of their service to the country at a reception at American Legion Mission Post 564 in Santa Clara last month.Presented by the South Bay Blue Star Moms, a military support group that sends care packages to service members, the quilts were given to veterans of the wars in Vietnam and the Persian Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan at a moving ceremony on Feb. 20, where recipients were called one-by-one to the front of the room and wrapped in their quilt by loved ones.Called Quilts of Valor, they are meant to convey thanks to veterans for their sacrifice and are made to a particular size and standard. The foundation was started in 2003 by Catherine Roberts, whose son was stationed in Iraq. Through word-of-mouth and the Internet, the organization has spread across the country, awarding more than 133,000 quilts to date.Joseph Jauch, an Iraq War veteran from Gilroy who served two tours in the Army, was presented with a quilt by his mother, Jacqulyn Jauch of Gilroy, who pieced it together over a period of months. The patchwork design includes images of tanks and the dominant hue, army green.At the ceremony, Jacqulyn Jauch wrapped her son in the quilt, which included the label “Army Strong.”“He’s a very strong person; very committed and passionate about what he does,” said Jacqulyn Jauch, whose son joined up at age 19. “I’ve always admired him very much—he’s my hero.”What he has gone through during his service in the Army has made him a very strong man, she added.Jacqulyn Jauch said the group seeks to identify Vietnam War veterans to receive Quilts of Valor.“We always go out of our way to thank or hug our Vietnam veterans because they were treated so poorly when they returned. We make a special point for getting Vietnam veterans Quilts of Valor considering what they went through.”Two Vietnam veterans were presented with quilts at the ceremony.No easy task, Jacqulyn Jauch described the quilt-making process.“You have to lay out all the pieces, get the design how you want it to look, stack all the pieces of material in rows and in the right order so they’re sewn together in the right order.”While some quilts are more elaborate than others, with some of the quilters being more experienced, the aim is all the same: to give thanks and comfort.The South Bay Blue Star Moms hold two major fundraisers, a casino night in San Jose in the spring and fall spaghetti dinner annually and collect donations in support of their program that sends care packages to deployed service members. Their last shipment of care packages numbered 600 boxes, according to Jauch.For more information about their care package program, visit www.southbaybluestarmoms.org.

Since Feb. 10 anti-abortion protesters have gathered peacefully outside the Planned Parenthood Gilroy Health Center, saying they are determined to quietly change and save lives and support women in need.

Before Miranda Paul became a children’s book author she was studying aquatic biology. Luckily for young readers today, Paul switched her major to English and Education.“Now I feel like I’m just using everything that I’m passionate about, and everything that I’m good at, and they’re all coming together,” Paul said.“I really feel like I found where I can use my voice for the most good.”Paul’s voice reaches children, and adults, everywhere, with her messages of environmental awareness and understanding.On Saturday, February 27, the popular author will pay a visit to Gilroy Library where she will read from her book, Water Is Water.Earlier in the month, on Feb. 4, Mike Wasserman, District 1 Supervisor for Santa Clara County, also stopped by the library, as a guest reader for the Silicon Valley Reads program. His book of choice was also Water Is Water.“Any day I can start with children, beats any day I start with adults,” Wasserman said. “It energizes me, I look forward to it.”  The Supervisor, a staunch advocate for education, is well aware of the importance of reading.“You have to read in order to be educated, and to be happy and successful, you’ve got to be educated, so reading is the cornerstone of education,” Wasserman said.The storytime attendees followed along as the supervisor read from the book, making sure to take time to present to the excited crowd the beautifully illustrated pages that for Wasserman, were a main feature of the book.“I read the book twice. Each time I went back and looked, I found more things hidden,” Wasserman said of Jason Chin’s illustrations.Andrew Brinton, who attended the reading with his daughter, Lyra, 2, enjoyed storytime.“I thought Mr. Wasserman did a great job,” Brinton said.Supervising Children’s Librarian, Sharon Kelly, agreed.“I thought Mike was great, he obviously spends a lot of time with children and families, he’s a natural,” Kelly said.  “He had so much enjoyment reading it, and that came across during the story, so we were very happy, and I think the kids and the families were very happy too,” Kelly said.Each year the Silicon Valley Reads program selects a particular theme. This year’s theme is water. The organization then selects companion books for children that reflect that particular theme. Water Is Water in their opinion, was a perfect fit.“We were excited to discover Water Is Water by Miranda Paul, as we searched for a great book for our youngest audience, pre-K-Grade 3,” said Nancy Howe, county librarian and co-chair of Silicon Valley Reads.The goal of Silicon Valley Reads program is to have families read together about a subject matter, each at their own level, so that they can think and talk about a subject that is important to our region.“After so many years of drought, everyone is more aware of what a precious resource water is in our lives,” Howe said. Kelly agrees that Paul’s book is an excellent choice for a read-a-loud book.“Its very difficult to write about a subject as complex as the water cycle for a preschool audience,” Kelly said.“To have it engaging, and exciting, and compelling, and understandable, and the illustrator did such a beautiful job, so together, that’s why I think it’s a near-perfect book.”Paul is more than pleased about her association with the Silicon Valley Reads program, and excited about the upcoming readings scheduled throughout the Bay Area.“I think it’s wonderful that there are going to be all these other read-a-louds,” Paul said.  “I’m so honored that people are going to read Water Is Water, and hopefully enjoy it, and inspire some kids.”Her books come from a place of passion for the environment, and passion for poetry, and literature and science, and the beauty of nature.“I really feel like there is a connection, an innate connection, between people and our environment,” Paul said.The fact that her books have been so widely received came as a surprise to the author.“When you write books for children, essentially, if you boil it down, you’re writing for about 8 percent of the population,” Paul said.The author enjoys working with publishers who make an effort to reach bookstore shoppers as well as the school and library market.  She’s found that even though she writes picture books, which are normally geared to a younger audience, her books are hitting a much broader age range, including the upper grade students, who use them for school projects.She discovered one such project on a recent elementary school visit, where, pasted all over the stairwell walls, were hand-drawn raindrops. Inside each raindrop students had written their ideas on how to conserve water.Paul described the display as a “rainstorm.”She was all the more astounded to find out that the project had been inspired by her book.“Its an honor to have my books, or the topics, be these springboards,” Paul said.Ideally, her goal is to take the spotlight off herself, as an author, and shine it on the children.  “Really that’s the only way we move forward, environmentally,” Paul said.“A book can be in and of itself something beautiful, and fun, and a tool, but when the book is a platform, and it’s a jumping off point for action, its really amazing to see what kids can do, what ideas they can come up with, and how they can actually make change,” Paul said.For more information about Miranda Paul’s reading at Gilroy Library, go to: http://www.sccl.org//gilroy/.

Here are some local events you may be interested in: 

Don’t expect perfection at Khodas used car lot behind the old DMV building on Church Street.

The man known as the “King of Downtown Gilroy” has filed a federal lawsuit against a landmark hotel he called home for 15 years, alleging he was evicted in 2015 because he is disabled and needs a wheelchair.

A bill that would set health and care standards for the state’s pet boarding facilities—including stables—has been introduced in Sacramento by State Senator Bill Monning, whose 17th district includes Gilroy.