Investigative Essay: "The Jungle" of San Jose

UCSC College Student Writes about Coyote Creek
by Deb Kramer

In early November, I was contacted by University of California Santa Cruz student Adrian Apostol about an essay he was writing for a class on environmental issues in his hometown. Being from San Jose, Coyote Creek jumped to mind for him. He especially was interested in the pollution that affected the ecosystem.

After an interview with me and another source, he conducted additional research to write his essay titled "The Jungle" of San Jose. I invite you to read it and comment on his perspective here.

Investigative Essay: "The Jungle" of San Jose by Adrian Apostol, UCSC Student.

Stories about the Story Road Encampment

Closure of "The Jungle" Captured by the Media
By Deb Kramer

On Thursday, December 4th, the City of San Jose began the cleanup of the Story Road Encampment aka "The Jungle", which had housed up to 300 homeless individuals. Below are select stories from various media sources. 

• On 12/3/14, KQED Forum hosted a show with the story and interviews related to The Jungle's closure. http://www.kqed.org/a/forum/R201412030900
• Take a look at this video from KQED Forum. It let's you see what The Jungle looked like before the rain and exodus last week.http://bcove.me/2z4gmd18
• The San Jose Mercury News ran a story on 12/4, with photos and video.
  http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_27066589/jungle-san-jose-shuts-down-notorious-homeless-encampment
• On 12/5/14, the San Jose Mercury News ran a followup story about the continued cleanup.
  http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_27077914/cleanup-jungle-encampment-continues-after-eviction-homeless
• NBC Bay Area had a news story on 12/1 about the posting to evict homeless residents of the encampment.
  http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/San-Jose-Taking-Final-Steps-in-Shutting-Down-The-Jungle-Homeless-Encampment-284274701.html
• The National Journal contributed a video and article about the people who live in the encampment.
  http://www.nationaljournal.com/next-america/population-2043/how-silicon-valley-created-america-s-largest-homeless-camp-20141125

Last Cleanup of the 2014

Commitment to Cleanup Coyote Creek Shines at Last Cleanup of 2014
By Deb Kramer

On yet another rainy Saturday morning (par for the season), over 150 people came out to cleanup a quarter-mile stretch of Coyote Creek. This wild and wacky bunch collected quite the feast of materials for the compactor:

Unloading the Compactor
Photos by Spiros Kolomvotos

• 206 bags of trash
• 20 tires
• 10 gallons of some unknown fluid!?
• 5 gallons of batteries
• 3 shopping carts

The total weight from the compactor was 3.96, but when adding in additional items, like tires, we topped the 4 ton mark, again! Of note, volunteers had to walk the trash up to one-quarter mile to the road since the ground was too wet for the compactor to com in. Extra bonus points to everyone! Congratulations to all who participated.

Having fun at the cleanup and some of the tires
Photo by Tito Burbano

Some of the unusual items volunteers reported that we collected include:

• Slab of granite
• Lighter fluid
• Doors
• Backpacks
• Christmas lights
• Laptop
• Working Garmin GPS system
• Poker table
• Storage bins

Action Crew, photo by Mary Yan

Our Action Crew (learn more about them here) was ready for the 162 volunteers who came out this time. We had three photographers, extra help with our sign in process, and five cleanup team leaders to manage our crews. We also had the support of two SJ rangers. The Action Crew are instrumental to the success of our combined efforts.

Students from Silver Creek's CSF club
photo by Mary Yan

Our volunteers came from many different groups and schools, including San Jose State, Lincoln High School, neighbors, Yerba Buena High School, Sierra Club, Independence High School, Evergreen Valley High School, and AileenQ group. Several students were affiliated with a specific club, including Key Club, California Scholarship Federation, Interact Club, United Clubs, and National Honors Society. Without all these people, the creek wouldn't be as clean as it is. 

Meet Our Cleanup Onsite Team Members

Meet the Coyote Creek Action Crew
by Deb Kramer

Each cleanup event, we get better at running them. After our last cleanup, we asked for people who would like to be part of our Action Crew, which consists of photographers, onsite registration, and team leaders. We had a great response.

Our photographers take about 100 photos each! That means we have lots of great pictures to choose from that represent a range of topics:

Our Team Photographers

• I AM photos, where someone writes their name or organization to indicate support of restoring Coyote Creek
• Team photos of the group at the end of the cleanup
• Action shots of volunteers in action
• Loading and unloading the compactor of all our trash
• And, more

To see our photos, visit our Facebook page (no account necessary to view the photos).

Some of our Onsite Staff and Team Leaders
with the City of San Jose Rangers

The onsite staff help with registration of our volunteers, making sure they have all the tools they need, including vests, gloves, and a litter stick (all provided by the City of San Jose). We also give a welcome and safety talk to make sure everyone understands what we are here to do and how to do it safely. The City of San Jose rangers work with us to ensure our safety.

Finally, the team leaders have the responsibility to oversee each group of 25-30 volunteers in the field. They have a backpack (donated by the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter) that has Tecnu for poison oak contact, first aid kit, and extra bags along with their own water bottles and snacks. The team leader ensures that all the tools (loaned by the San Jose Conservation Corp) are taken care of and returned, bags are counted, unusual items documented, and everyone stays safe.

Without this team of people, these cleanups would not be as successful. Thanks to all our Cleanup Action Crew.