2023 News for the New Almaden Quicksilver County Park Association

Contents: Home About NAQCPA, Membership, Donations News Newsletters Almaden Quicksilver Park Info Mining Museum, Museum Archives, Outdoor Museum Pioneer Days, New Almaden Days Media, Pictures Events Links _____________ Webmaster Contact	News: News Archive: 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Old pictures of Kitty Monahan Pictures and videos of Kitty's Celebration of Life 2023 Latest news (2024) 2023 News: On February 26, 2023, long-time NAQCPA member and former treasurer Marvin Tanner passed away. Here is his obituary. He was a dedicated volunteer who helped with projects in the park, at the Casa Grande, and at Pioneer Days. The picture above is from Marv helping to check-in visitors and collect donations at the last Pioneer Day he attended on 10/12/19. Here are more pictures of Marv at Pioneer Days, Volunteer Recognition events, and NAQCPA parties. A celebration of life and reception was held on Saturday, March 25, 2023 at 1:00 pm at Cambrian Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for any donations to be made to New Almaden Quicksilver County Park Association (NAQCPA) - PO Box 124, New Almaden,CA 95042. Santa Clara County Parks is in the process of updating the Countywide Trail Master Plan. The plan was originally adopted in 1995. It is intended to be used for trail planning. It includes trails of countywide significance, not all trails. Here's the description of the updates: "Since the Countywide Trails Master Plan was developed in 1995, trail segments have been refined and implemented on the ground, local governments have adopted new trail plans, new public lands have been acquired, mapping and landscape-level understanding of trail feasibility has improved substantially, additional constraints and opportunities have been identified for trail implementation, and potential new trails have been identified that may serve a regional purpose. The proposed Map Update will consider these types of changes while remaining centered around improving regional connectivity and maintaining the core vision of the Countywide Trails Master Plan." There's an interactive map and feedback tool, where you can see the map, zoom in and out, and complete a survey about it. Rebecca Coates-Maldoon is the Countywide Trails Program Manager.Contact: rebecca.coates-maldo@prk.sccgov.org. 2023 Santa Clara County Preservation Alliance, Historic Preservation Awards Night, Friday, May 19th, 7:00 pm at History San Jose Park. Gates open at 6:45 pm. $20 General Admission, Under 18 Free. The intent of the SCCPA Awards Night is: To recognize individuals, businesses, and organizations in the community who have made outstanding contributions to historic preservation. To showcase exemplary preservation throughout the community that may serve as inspiration for future preservation. To encourage preservation of historic homes or buildings that may prevent future demolition of historic properties. To educate the community on the merits of historic architecture and preservation. To share ideas and projects various preservation groups throughout the county. The evening will conclude with the presentation of a Preservation Lifetime Achievement Award. The New Almaden Quicksilver County Park Association will honor Michael Cox with the Distinguished Preservation Service Award for five decades of preserving and sharing New Almaden mining history. NAQCPA is a co-sponsor of this event. On May 19, 2023, at Historic Preservation Awards Night in History San Jose Park, NAQCPA Vice-President, Mike Cox, was awarded the Distinguished Preservation Service Award by the Santa Clara County Preservation Alliance. It was "for five decades of preserving and sharing New Almaden Mining History." On 6/24/23, members of the Friends of Santa Teresa Park and the New Almaden Quicksilver County Park Association went on a field trip to visit Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve in Antioch. We got a guided tour of the open parts of the mines, led by Naturalist Jaclyn Caldwell, who was previously a Park Interpreter at the Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum, so we knew her. Here is an album of the tour. On July 4, 2023, San Jose District 10 Councilmember Arjun Batra hosted the 8th annual 4th of July Fireworks Festival at Almaden Lake Park. There was live entertainment, games, crafts, food vendors, facepainting, and booths. The Friends of Santa Teresa Park had an information booth there, along with the New Almaden Quicksilver County Park Association and the Friends of the New Almaden Ting. This is what the booth looked like. 7/8/23: Signs like this have been posted on trailheads throughout the park. These trails are closed on weekdays due to construction work related to the Calcine Remediation Project. Calcines are rocks and sediment that were left over after mercury ore was smelted to remove the mercury. They were considered a waste product and were dumped or used to pave roads. Regulatory agencies are concerned that there may be trace amounts of mercury in the calcines, and it could leach out and contaminate the watershed, so the calcines need to be removed. An earlier and larger calcines roads project involved the removal of calcines from park roads. The current project will remove them from hillsides above Deep Gulch and Alamitos Creek. Here's more information about the project. For additional information on the Hacienda and Deep Gulch Calcine Remediation project, contact Alicia Flynn, Project Manager, at (408) 355-2209. On 7/9/23, the second annual Water & Wags Festival was held at Calero County Park. This was the description: "Join us for a paw-some time at the Calero Water and Wags Festival on Sunday, July 9th, from 10:30 am to 2 pm, at Calero Reservoir. Discover the incredible efforts of Santa Clara County Parks and Valley Water in safeguarding our precious water against invasive quagga and zebra mussels. Get ready to celebrate clean and pristine waterways while having a blast! Meet the Mussel Dogs, learn how to prevent the spread of invasive species, and indulge in delicious food, exciting games, and more!" NAQCPA had a booth there, staffed by Lisa Laymon and Mike Cox. Here are pictures of the festival. The Yellow Kid Trail in Almaden Quicksilver County Park has been renamed the Kitty Monahan Trail. Changing the name of a trail is not an easy process. Fortunately, this trail was being considered for renaming anyway because its name was controversial, though misunderstood. NAQCPA recommended that it be renamed in memory of its late President, Kitty Monahan. To do that, the name had to be approved by the County Parks Trail Naming Committee, the County's Parks & Recreation Commission, and the County Board of Supervisors. They all approved, so the trail was renamed. Here is an excerpt from the County Parks report to the Board of Supervisors, who approved the name on August 29, 2023: "The Department recommends renaming to Kitty Monahan Trail, which meets criteria guidelines of the Naming Parkland Policy and recognizes in memoriam her association with the New Almaden area for a long period of time and distinguished involvement relating to parks or park service. Kitty Monahan worked significantly with County Parks for nearly 50 years. She moved into San Jose’s New Almaden neighborhood in 1972 and fell in love with the open space and historic land in that area. By the mid 1970’s, she was known as the unofficial “Mayor of New Almaden” due to her advocacy and preservation efforts. Kitty left behind a long list of accomplishments, most notably a pivotal role encouraging the County to purchase the 4,163-acre Almaden Quicksilver County Park in 1976." After being closed since November of 2022, the Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum in the Casa Grande finally reopened to the public in October of 2023. It was originally closed because of problems with the HVAC system. Part of the problem was that there was not enough power being delivered to the Casa Grande. This required power upgrades to the site by PG&E. After this was fixed, they found the smoke screens in the elevator weren't working properly. All of this was fixed. Volunteers and staff cleaned up the interior and prepared the museum for the public. See here for pictures of the Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum after it opened. NAQCPA's 39th annual Pioneer Day was held on 10/14/23 at the Casa Grande, which had reopened the weekend before. Mike Cox was the emcee. Boy Scout Troop 290 led the flag salute. Speakers included NAQCPA President Tere Johnson, Parks Program Coordinator Lynda Will, County Parks Director Don Rocha, and Founding Secretary of the La Raza Historical Society Dr. Ramon Martinez. Veronica Jordan spoke about the cemeteries in New Almaden, particularly the Hacienda Cemetery on Bertram Road. The microphone was passed around the audience, so people could talk about their connections to New Almaden. The Against the Grain String Band played traditional music. Food was provided by Cafe Rosalena. See the Pioneer Days section below for links to pictures and videos of Pioneer Day. There is a new concrete picnic table at the Catherine Tunnel Trail viewpoint. It is dedicated in memory of Kitty Monahan. The message inscribed on the table says: Donated in recognition of Kathleen "Kitty" Monahan A lifelong advocate of historic and natural preservation, Kitty helped create the Almaden Quicksilver County Park The Catherine Tunnel Trail is a short trail off the Mine Hill Trail just north of Bull Run and the junction of the MIne Hill Trail and the Castillero Trail. (See the park map.) It's in the heart of the park and has a panoramic view of the Almaden Valley. Donations for the table were raised through GoFundMe. (Picture by Bruce Bartlett, 11/8/23.) On 11/28/23, there was a dedication ceremony held outside the Casa Grande. There were three things that were dedicated to the memory of the late Kitty Monahan, NAQCPA's co-founder and its President for nearly 40 years. First was the renaming of the Yellow Kid Trail in Almaden Quicksilver County Park to the Kitty Monahan Trail (see signpost on the picture above). The second was the naming of the new bridge on Alamitos Road to the Kathleen "Kitty" Monahan Bridge. Finally, there was a picnic table (shown above) donated by NAQCPA, inscribed with a memorial message about Kitty. County Supervisor Joe Simitian was the Master of Ceremonies. Speakers included retired Supervisor Mike Wasserman, County Parks Director Don Rocha, and NAQCPA President Tere Johnson. Here are pictures of the celebration. Here are videos of the speeches. Top of page Copyright © New Almaden Quicksilver County Park Association For more information about the organization and activities, send us an email at naqcpa.newalmaden@gmail.com. For questions about the website, contact our webmaster, Ron Horii. Updated 6/12/24.

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2023 News:

Marv Tanner at Pioneer Day, 2019

On February 26, 2023, long-time NAQCPA member and former treasurer Marvin Tanner passed away. Here is his obituary. He was a dedicated volunteer who helped with projects in the park, at the Casa Grande, and at Pioneer Days. The picture above is from Marv helping to check-in visitors and collect donations at the last Pioneer Day he attended on 10/12/19. Here are more pictures of Marv at Pioneer Days, Volunteer Recognition events, and NAQCPA parties. A celebration of life and reception was held on Saturday, March 25, 2023 at 1:00 pm at Cambrian Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for any donations to be made to New Almaden Quicksilver County Park Association (NAQCPA) - PO Box 124, New Almaden,CA 95042.

Santa Clara County Parks is in the process of updating the Countywide Trail Master Plan. The plan was originally adopted in 1995. It is intended to be used for trail planning. It includes trails of countywide significance, not all trails. Here's the description of the updates: "Since the Countywide Trails Master Plan was developed in 1995, trail segments have been refined and implemented on the ground, local governments have adopted new trail plans, new public lands have been acquired, mapping and landscape-level understanding of trail feasibility has improved substantially, additional constraints and opportunities have been identified for trail implementation, and potential new trails have been identified that may serve a regional purpose. The proposed Map Update will consider these types of changes while remaining centered around improving regional connectivity and maintaining the core vision of the Countywide Trails Master Plan." There's an interactive map and feedback tool, where you can see the map, zoom in and out, and complete a survey about it. Rebecca Coates-Maldoon is the Countywide Trails Program Manager.Contact: rebecca.coates-maldo@prk.sccgov.org.

2023 Santa Clara County Preservation Alliance, Historic Preservation Awards Night, Friday, May 19th, 7:00 pm at History San Jose Park. Gates open at 6:45 pm. $20 General Admission, Under 18 Free. The intent of the SCCPA Awards Night is:

To recognize individuals, businesses, and organizations in the community who have made outstanding contributions to historic preservation.
To showcase exemplary preservation throughout the community that may serve as inspiration for future preservation.
To encourage preservation of historic homes or buildings that may prevent future demolition of historic properties.
To educate the community on the merits of historic architecture and preservation.
To share ideas and projects various preservation groups throughout the county.

The evening will conclude with the presentation of a Preservation Lifetime Achievement Award.
The New Almaden Quicksilver County Park Association will honor Michael Cox with the Distinguished Preservation Service Award for five decades of preserving and sharing New Almaden mining history. NAQCPA is a co-sponsor of this event.

On May 19, 2023, at Historic Preservation Awards Night in History San Jose Park, NAQCPA Vice-President, Mike Cox, was awarded the Distinguished Preservation Service Award by the Santa Clara County Preservation Alliance. It was "for five decades of preserving and sharing New Almaden Mining History."

On 6/24/23, members of the Friends of Santa Teresa Park and the New Almaden Quicksilver County Park Association went on a field trip to visit Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve in Antioch. We got a guided tour of the open parts of the mines, led by Naturalist Jaclyn Caldwell, who was previously a Park Interpreter at the Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum, so we knew her. Here is an album of the tour.

On July 4, 2023, San Jose District 10 Councilmember Arjun Batra hosted the 8th annual 4th of July Fireworks Festival at Almaden Lake Park. There was live entertainment, games, crafts, food vendors, facepainting, and booths. The Friends of Santa Teresa Park had an information booth there, along with the New Almaden Quicksilver County Park Association and the Friends of the New Almaden Ting. This is what the booth looked like.

7/8/23: Signs like this have been posted on trailheads throughout the park. These trails are closed on weekdays due to construction work related to the Calcine Remediation Project. Calcines are rocks and sediment that were left over after mercury ore was smelted to remove the mercury. They were considered a waste product and were dumped or used to pave roads. Regulatory agencies are concerned that there may be trace amounts of mercury in the calcines, and it could leach out and contaminate the watershed, so the calcines need to be removed. An earlier and larger calcines roads project involved the removal of calcines from park roads. The current project will remove them from hillsides above Deep Gulch and Alamitos Creek. Here's more information about the project. For additional information on the Hacienda and Deep Gulch Calcine Remediation project, contact Alicia Flynn, Project Manager, at (408) 355-2209.

NAQCPA's Booth at Calero Water & Wags Festival 7/9/23

NAQCPA's Booth at Calero Water & Wags Festival 7/9/23

On 7/9/23, the second annual Water & Wags Festival was held at Calero County Park. This was the description: "Join us for a paw-some time at the Calero Water and Wags Festival on Sunday, July 9th, from 10:30 am to 2 pm, at Calero Reservoir. Discover the incredible efforts of Santa Clara County Parks and Valley Water in safeguarding our precious water against invasive quagga and zebra mussels. Get ready to celebrate clean and pristine waterways while having a blast! Meet the Mussel Dogs, learn how to prevent the spread of invasive species, and indulge in delicious food, exciting games, and more!" NAQCPA had a booth there, staffed by Lisa Laymon and Mike Cox. Here are pictures of the festival.

The Yellow Kid Trail in Almaden Quicksilver County Park has been renamed the Kitty Monahan Trail. Changing the name of a trail is not an easy process. Fortunately, this trail was being considered for renaming anyway because its name was controversial, though misunderstood. NAQCPA recommended that it be renamed in memory of its late President, Kitty Monahan. To do that, the name had to be approved by the County Parks Trail Naming Committee, the County's Parks & Recreation Commission, and the County Board of Supervisors. They all approved, so the trail was renamed. Here is an excerpt from the County Parks report to the Board of Supervisors, who approved the name on August 29, 2023: "The Department recommends renaming to Kitty Monahan Trail, which meets criteria guidelines of the Naming Parkland Policy and recognizes in memoriam her association with the New Almaden area for a long period of time and distinguished involvement relating to parks or park service. Kitty Monahan worked significantly with County Parks for nearly 50 years. She moved into San Jose’s New Almaden neighborhood in 1972 and fell in love with the open space and historic land in that area. By the mid 1970’s, she was known as the unofficial “Mayor of New Almaden” due to her advocacy and preservation efforts. Kitty left behind a long list of accomplishments, most notably a pivotal role encouraging the County to purchase the 4,163-acre Almaden Quicksilver County Park in 1976."

After being closed since November of 2022, the Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum in the Casa Grande finally reopened to the public in October of 2023. It was originally closed because of problems with the HVAC system. Part of the problem was that there was not enough power being delivered to the Casa Grande. This required power upgrades to the site by PG&E. After this was fixed, they found the smoke screens in the elevator weren't working properly. All of this was fixed. Volunteers and staff cleaned up the interior and prepared the museum for the public. See here for pictures of the Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum after it opened.

NAQCPA's 39th annual Pioneer Day was held on 10/14/23 at the Casa Grande, which had reopened the weekend before. Mike Cox was the emcee. Boy Scout Troop 290 led the flag salute. Speakers included NAQCPA President Tere Johnson, Parks Program Coordinator Lynda Will, County Parks Director Don Rocha, and Founding Secretary of the La Raza Historical Society Dr. Ramon Martinez. Veronica Jordan spoke about the cemeteries in New Almaden, particularly the Hacienda Cemetery on Bertram Road. The microphone was passed around the audience, so people could talk about their connections to New Almaden. The Against the Grain String Band played traditional music. Food was provided by Cafe Rosalena. See the Pioneer Days section below for links to pictures and videos of Pioneer Day.

There is a new concrete picnic table at the Catherine Tunnel Trail viewpoint. It is dedicated in memory of Kitty Monahan. The message inscribed on the table says:

Donated in recognition of
Kathleen "Kitty" Monahan
A lifelong advocate of historic and natural preservation,
Kitty helped create the Almaden Quicksilver County Park

The Catherine Tunnel Trail is a short trail off the Mine Hill Trail just north of Bull Run and the junction of the MIne Hill Trail and the Castillero Trail. (See the park map.) It's in the heart of the park and has a panoramic view of the Almaden Valley. Donations for the table were raised through GoFundMe. (Picture by Bruce Bartlett, 11/8/23.)

Kitty Monahan's Dedication Celebration Event 11/28/23

On 11/28/23, there was a dedication ceremony held outside the Casa Grande. There were three things that were dedicated to the memory of the late Kitty Monahan, NAQCPA's co-founder and its President for nearly 40 years. First was the renaming of the Yellow Kid Trail in Almaden Quicksilver County Park to the Kitty Monahan Trail (see signpost on the picture above). The second was the naming of the new bridge on Alamitos Road to the Kathleen "Kitty" Monahan Bridge. Finally, there was a picnic table (shown above) donated by NAQCPA, inscribed with a memorial message about Kitty. County Supervisor Joe Simitian was the Master of Ceremonies. Speakers included retired Supervisor Mike Wasserman, County Parks Director Don Rocha, and NAQCPA President Tere Johnson. Here are pictures of the celebration. Here are videos of the speeches.

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