Saturday, February 25, 2023
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Saturday, February 25, 2023

O'Tool Day 2023

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COVID Precautions

V-O-Cal puts safety first. Please remember that all participants are required to be vaccinated. Protocols will be used in connection with food preparation and service (kitchen crew will mask in confined areas and during food services), and social distancing in outdoor areas will be requested.

Project Background and Description

It's time, yet again, to prepare for the 2023 VOCal Season! Woop woop! It takes a fair amount of effort to make sure that all those tools are in good shape to last through the project season, and the annual O'Tool Day is all about sharpening, cleaning, and repairing everything we need for a successful season. Please join us for our 2023 O'Tool Day to enjoy some St Patty's Day goodies while we do all we can to get ready for the upcoming season. Due to the date of the first project of the year we will be doing O'Toole Day a wee early this year.
Please come out and help! Lunch (corned beef and cabbage, a vegetarian option, and green beer) will be served. Please email inome.callahan@gmail.com if you can make it so we can get a head count for the food and beer. Also let us know if you have any available tools to bring to help facilitate the day - bench or angle grinders, Joe - your fancy "get the bucket unstuck" setup, etc. Thank you all! We will work at the V-O-Cal warehouse, 1140 Old County Rd, Belmont from 10am to 2/3pm-ish.
More info about:
O'Tool Day 2023

Project Pictures

Camp

Driving Directions

Map Link

Carpool/Parking Information

Level of Effort

Project Fact Sheet

Fact Sheet

Schedule

For those of you who haven't ever been to an O'Tool Day - here is what to expect:

  • Sharpening Tools
  • Mending Tools
  • Tool Count
  • Check wheelbarrows and refill with air
  • Check Pick Mattock heads and handles, repair if possible
  • Washing and Pairing gloves
  • Sanitize Gotts and Coolers
  • Check Propane on all tanks - refill if necessary
  • Kitchen boxes inventoried and replenished if necessary
  • Check and replenish Registration Box
  • Drink Green Beer

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What to Bring and Wear

For your safety and protection from hazards, please be prepared with the following items:
  • Sturdy shoes or boots with good tread. Ankle support will be important where we are building new trails. Sandals and open-toed shoes will not be permitted
  • Water bottles or a water bladder that can hold at least 2 liters of water. (You will not be allowed on the trail without water.)
  • Day pack to carry your water and lunch.
  • Work gloves. (If you don’t have your own gloves, V-O-Cal will provide them. Please return them at the end of the project.)
  • Sunglasses, hat and sunscreen.
  • Insect repellent and allergy medicine (if you normally need these things when working outdoors).
  • Reusable plate/bowl, eating utensils, and mug/cup.
  • A change of clothes for each work day and for lounging at camp to minimize the spread of poison oak.
  • Layers of clothing for a range of temperatures.
If you are camping, you will also need the following items: 
  • A tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad and pillow.
  • A flashlight or headlamp.
  • Camping chair (optional).
  • Other camping gear that makes you comfortable

Meals

V-O-Cal provides all meals for volunteers from breakfast Saturday through lunch Sunday. Vegetarian options are available for all meals. (Please note that dinner is not provided on Friday.)
  • To minimize waste we ask that you bring your own reusable plates, coffee mug, cups and utensils. Hot water and soap are provided.
  • A continental breakfast is served Saturday morning.
  • Lunch is prepared before hitting the trail. You break for lunch on the trail around 12:30pm.
  • Please arrive at camp by 7:40am to register, eat breakfast and prepare your lunch.
  • Appetizers and beverages will be available after the work day on Saturday, usually around 4pm. Dinner will follow, usually around 5:30pm.
  • Hot breakfast is served Sunday.

Hazards

Project Team

  • V-O-Cal Executive Director Cathy Moyer
  • Project Team Lead Inome Callahan

Other Upcoming Projects

March 24, 2023
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March 26, 2023

Lynch Canyon Open Space

V-O-Cal volunteers will be rehabilitating long-neglected trail at Lynch Canyon Open Space, land that was saved from becoming landfill by the Solano Land Trust, our hosts this weekend. Our focus will be on the Prairie View Trail, a segment of the Bay Area Ridge Trail, which continues across the street in Rockville Hills County Park, as part of an eventual 550 mile loop encircling the Bay. We will be widening the trail in places, improving drainage, and making some small re-routes to improve sustainability.

April 14, 2023
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April 16, 2023

Yip Trip Trail - Moore Creek

The Napa County Open Space and Parks District is naming the Madrone trail after Chino Yip. We have worked on this trail in the past and will be extending it this year. Chino Yip was instrumental in the planning and development of Moore Creek Park. He is also a V-O-Cal crew leader and long-time volunteer. Help honor Chino by participating in this project!

May 19, 2023
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May 21, 2023

Sanborn Park 2023

We are headed back to Sanborn Park in Santa Clara County Parks. This year we will build a new trail that will connect to a bridge to be installed later this summer by park staff.

August 11, 2023
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August 13, 2023

Angel Island!

V-O-Cal is going back to Angel Island! We did a project there in 2007 and it was amazing. The logistics are quite a challenge, but it is worth it. The trails there get constant use and the park maintenance staff can't keep up with the needed maintenance.

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