Contact:
Santa Clara Valley Water District
Elizabeth Emmett
(408) 891-1802
E-mail: elizemme@scvwd.dst.ca.us

Mike Di Marco
(408) 265-2607 ext. 2423
Pager (408) 488-3963

Peggy Flynn
San José Redevelopment Agency
(408) 794-1064
E-mail: Peggy.Flynn@ci.sj.ca.us

Date: Jan. 29, 2002

Tree removal will allow birds to nest undisturbed;
work on Guadalupe flood project to begin in June

SAN JOSÉ -- The federal and local sponsors of the Guadalupe River Park and Flood Protection project through downtown San José will begin preliminary work soon to remove some trees and trim others along the river between Park Avenue and Santa Clara Street.

Although construction on the project in that area will not begin until June, the trees are being removed and pruned now to avoid disturbing birds during the nesting season in March and April.

"It is important to minimize the potential for harming birds in the nesting sites, so these types of preventive measures are advisable when you know you have to take out the trees," said Craig Breon, executive director of the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society.

When contractors begin work the week of Feb. 4, trees larger than 10 inches in diameter will be trimmed to a height of 20 feet. The prunings -- along with any shrubs, brush and trees smaller than 10 inches in diameter -- will be removed and chipped; the water district will use the chips as mulch. When the larger trees are removed this summer, they will be stored for use in streamside restoration projects throughout the county. In the interest of safety, some of the walking trails in the area may be temporarily closed during the work.

The trees in the area include native species, such as willow, cottonwood and box elder, as well as non-native species, such as walnut, eucalyptus, fan palm and elm. Birds that may use the area for nesting include the belted kingfisher, mourning dove, black phoebe, lesser goldfinch, California towhee, red-tailed hawk, red-shouldered hawk and ruby crowned kinglet.

The flood protection project and Guadalupe River Park -- a joint effort of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Santa Clara Valley Water District and the San José Redevelopment Agency -- is nationally recognized as a model for combining effective flood protection, habitat enhancement and restoration, and recreation in an urban area, according to Dave Chesterman, Guadalupe Watershed Manager for the water district.

The flood protection project, when complete in December 2004, will protect homes, roads and businesses between Interstates 280 and 880 from severe flooding. Following a collaborative process that included state and federal resource agencies, environmental groups and the project partners, the project was designed to include, where possible, minimum disruption to the existing riverbed and adequate protection for fisheries -- including threatened species such as steelhead trout and salmon -- that find habitat in the river.

By the time the entire project, including the park, is complete in 2005, more than 21 acres of riparian vegetation will have been planted to offset the approximately 14 acres that will be disturbed by construction.

Similarly, although approximately 3,861 linear feet of shaded riverbank will be affected by construction, it will be replaced with more than 22,000 feet of replacement shaded river bank, both within the project area and along Guadalupe Creek in the Almaden area of south San José. Shade created by overhanging trees and vegetation is vital for keeping water temperatures cool enough for fish that live and spawn in the river.

The Guadalupe River Park and Flood Protection project has undergone extensive environmental review. Copies of an environmental impact report and environmental
impact statement are available on the Corps of Engineers Web site, www.spk.usace.army.mil, or by calling the water district at (408) 265-2607 ext. 2683. For questions about the tree-trimming and removal, call Terry Neudorf at (408) 265-2607 ext. 2695.

Santa Clara Valley Water District is Santa Clara County's wholesale drinking water manager and coordinates flood protection for its 1.7 million residents, while serving as steward of the county's more than 700 miles of streams.