Coyote Meadows (fka “The Jungle”) Continues to Transform with a Little Help from Volunteers
In December 2014, “The Jungle” was closed. This unleashed a slew of news articles (see below), even globally. Many workers removed large structures and trash that had accumulated over the past few years. The rains came, the creek was polluted, and the rains came, and washed trash down the creek and towards the Bay, and the rains came, and continued to flush the area.
Then, the sun came out and helped nature regenerate as documented in a recent San Jose Mercury article. On a summer monitoring trip to Coyote Meadows, I saw a lot of recovery. Some were odd, such as the tomato plant and loads of flat-leaf parsley. Others were typical: birds, squirrels, butterflies, and grasses.
Despite the efforts by the SJ Police and Watershed Rangers, homeless people continue to trespass and seek shelter in this area. Examples are the piles of trash I saw and the House of Crabs, an art “exhibit” of crabs painted on sheets of plastic wrap.
On Coastal Cleanup Day 2015, Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful and Clean Creeks, Healthy Communities, along with an army of volunteers, descended into a section of the creek of approximately 11 acres. Working for three hours, 160 volunteers removed 2 tons of trash, thereby further helping the creek recover and preventing more trash from flowing downstream and to San Francisco Bay. See photos on our Facebook page.
Articles about the closure of Story Road Encampment fka “The Jungle”
The Jungle: San Jose shuts notorious homeless encampment in the San Jose Mercury News
Four Fallacies of the Jungle Eviction in BeyondChron
Few Options for Homeless as San Jose Clears Camp in the New York Times
San Jose Crews Dismantle Homeless Encampment in ABC7 News
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