Newsletter Winter 2005
President's Message
It has been up and down for the Advocates since our newsletter last Spring. We have continued to work with State Parks to organize work days for trail maintenance in Nisene Marks. Also, the new Board officers have settled in to their new responsibilities since taking over from Jeff and Margaret Hicks early this year. Personally, it’s been a fun process getting to know the people and the organizations involved with the care and maintenance of our State parks in Santa Cruz County. There some new projects in the works that will improve visitors experience in the Park and the public’s access to the Advocates. On the down side, we’ve had some disappointments with the grant for a permanent bridge to Marcel's Forest and the law suite against the General Plan. We also had to say 
goodbye to some of our longtime contributors.
Through the efforts of our intrepid work crew leaders, Chris Foster and Greg Weaver, a number of work days have been organized in the last several months. The seasonal bridge to Marcel’s Forest was installed last Spring and removed again this Fall. Trees were cleared and culverts cleaned after the rains last Winter. The Loma Prieta trail bridge was repaired. A special thanks goes out to West Marine who gave us discount on materials for the repair work. The delay in the implementation of the General Plan has resulted in any new projects being put on hold. This is very frustrating for us all but maintenance of the trails will continue to be our top priority.
To support our trail working efforts, the Advocates Board participated in several events in the last few months that provided an opportunity to recruit new members and volunteers. In May, the Advocates sponsored a community meeting at the Seacliff State Beach Visitor Center. At the meeting, the new officers of the Board were introduced and presentations were made outlining the present status and future goals of the Advocates. We received several constructive comments and suggestions from the audience and a number of new volunteers for workdays. In August, the Advocates shared a booth with our sister organization, Trailworkers.com, at State Parks Then and Now pancake breakfast which was held in Nisene Marks. In November, Advocates Board members attended the Trailworkers.com Fandango held at the Barossa Grill in Santa Cruz to recruit new volunteers.
The Advocates previous president, Jeff Hicks, built strong relationships with many of the community organizations in Santa Cruz which shared an interest in the welfare of Nisene Marks. Following our community meeting in May, I made an effort to re-establish those contacts and keep the lines of communication open. During that process I enjoyed meeting and sharing information with a wide variety people and organizations. In June I attended a mixer hosted by Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks and met many of their officers and Board members. Geoff Alexander and I also attended a meeting of the Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz. I had meetings with Dave Vincent from State Parks and Advocates founder, Sandy Lydon. Also contacted were Patty Ciesla from the Stewards for the Soquel Demonstration Forest, Chuck Wisse of Trailworkers.com, and John Hibble of the Aptos Chamber of Commerce.
During the Advocates community meeting in May, Ed Gilbert of the Nisene Docents (now a member of the Advocates) suggested a project to install a permanent information panel at the kiosk area. The Docents currently use a folding information board when leading hikes in Nisene to educate visitors on the features, biology, and history of the Park. The Advocates Board agreed that this was a worthy project to explore so, in August, I met with Ed and Karma Graham from State Parks to discuss the details of the proposal. In October Karma distributed a detailed design of the information panels and a timeline for installation. Once the cost estimates are obtained the Board will determine the Advocates level of financial support. If all goes well, the information panel could be installed by next summer.
Also in the works is the Advocates website. Much of the design work has been completed and the supporting content has been collected. The coding and testing should be completed by the end of the year. On a disappointing note, the grant submitted to State Parks for a permanent bridge to Marcel’s Forest was rejected. Given the current financial condition within State Parks, this was not unexpected. The grant will be re-submitted next year.
Two longtime warriors retired this year from the Advocates Advisory Council. Kirk Smith and Karl Mertz have been involved with the welfare of Nisene Marks for many years prior to the forming of the Advocates in the early 90s. They have provided the current generation excellent role models for community activism. We wish them well. Their contributions will be missed. Dave Steele moved from the area and has retired from the Board. He will, however, remain on the Advisory Council and keep in touch with issues affecting the Park.
As we move into the New Year, our focus will continue to be the monitoring and maintenance of the trails in Nisene Marks, keeping them accessible to all those who seek to experience the Park. Hopefully, the issues involved with the suite against the General Plan can be resolved quickly so that we can move forward to work on the needed improvements outlined in the Plan. We will be working with State Parks and other interested organizations to see what we can do to facilitate the process and get the General Plan back on track.
-Paul Ticknor