The Willow Glen Resident Photograph by Skye Dunlap Around the Bend: The Los Gatos Creek Trail is almost complete and may soon connect with the Guadalupe River Trail. Trail gets a finishing touch WGNA celebrates the completion of the LG Creek Trail by donating new water fountain By Mary Spicuzza Just minutes away from the stream of cars maneuvering along busy Meridian Avenue, the Los Gatos Creek Trail stands--a calm reminder that nature can still thrive in Silicon Valley. Native trees and shrubs and the sounds of the babbling creek buffer the trail from its urban surroundings. It's a soothing escape and a welcome retreat. The trail also testifies to the fact that a small group of committed citizens can still bring about positive change. The Willow Glen Neighborhood Association has been integral in the city's efforts to expand the Los Gatos Creek Trail into a cross-county route. Since the city adopted its Los Gatos Creek Trail Master Plan in 1985, the WGNA has taken a leading role. From restoring native riparian habitat, to building an informational kiosk for trail users, it has helped shepherd the project through to the end. Now that the project is nearly complete, the WGNA has decided to bring some closure with one last contribution. At last week's meeting, the WGNA board voted in support of member Larry Ames' proposal to buy a new water fountain for the trail. The fountain, which will be located near the information kiosk at Willow Glen's northern entrance to the trail, will make the route even more user-friendly for the hikers, bikers and skaters cruising along the trail. Water pipes along the trail are already in place. "This is a little celebration of the opening of this tree-lined place to the public," Ames says proudly. "It's the finishing piece of our involvement with the project." The WGNA has been working to ensure the extension of the Los Gatos Creek Trail since the early '90s. In 1992, WGNA applied for grants to plant native trees along the path. Members spent more than two years trying to get the necessary permits, and by June of 1996 had planted 1,000 trees and shrubs along the half-mile stretch of trail through Willow Glen. Ames, an avid bicyclist who has been on the Los Gatos Creek Streamside Park Committee for more than 15 years, praises the trail as a central addition to alternative transportation in Willow Glen and throughout Silicon Valley. The current chairperson of the County Parks and Recreation Commission, advocates bicycling as a healthier alternative to sitting in traffic jams. The Los Gatos Creek Trail extends from the Lexington Reservoir through Los Gatos, Campbell, and into San Jose. With the section through Willow Glen nearly complete, according to Brad Brown of the city's Parks and Community Development Office, the trail will be finished by spring. "It's weather-dependent, and I think we're going to have rain," Brown says. "All that's left to do is the asphalt paving and signage." The new stretch of trail extends along the north side of Los Gatos Creek, past Blackford Elementary School. The bike lane on Willow Street allows trail users to continue on to Lincoln Avenue. Alternative transportation in Willow Glen is also getting a new boost with some bike locks. The City of San Jose has specifically ordered a set of high-quality locks for Willow Glen, and the city's bicycle coordinator, Joann Collins, is scouting bike-parking locations. The third and final phase of the trail will stretch from Lincoln Avenue to downtown, linking the Glen to the heart of the city and, ultimately, to the Guadalupe River Park Trail. By foot, bike, skateboard or Rollerblade, commuters will soon be able to cruise from one side of the county to the other without having to set foot in a car--or being caught in the valley's notorious daily traffic jams. The trail comes after years of hard work in communities across Santa Clara County. It began in the 1970s after a group of Campbell residents pushed for a par course. Rod Diridon, county supervisor at the time, lobbied for funding of the project, and organized the Los Gatos Creek Streamside Park Committee. Since then, the trail has grown as neighboring communities have called for their own scenic riparian trails. In 1985, the city adopted a master plan stating its commitment to the project. During that time, parks planners Brad Brown and Joel Slavit, as well as Ames, have patiently negotiated grants and worked with landowners to negotiate building the trail. "It's been a long process, and a difficult one at times," Brown says. Often the environmental history of Silicon Valley reads like a countdown to the apocalypse. Trees have been felled, orchards replaced with high-tech companies, and rivers re-routed using healthy doses of concrete. But in Willow Glen and throughout the county, activists like Ames are celebrating giant steps in the right direction. "This is Willow Glen giving a small present back to the creek trail," Ames says. [ Back to Contents Page | Willow Glen Resident Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Willow Glen Resident, January 20, 1999. ©1999 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.