Uvas Creek Preserve

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Uvas Creek Preserve

Uvas Creek Preserve l.JPG

Uvas Creek Preserve, near Silva's Crossing
Type Urban park
Location Gilroy, California
Area 0.51 km2 (0.20 sq mi)
Created 2003
Operated by City of Gilroy
Status Open daily

The Dennis DeBell Uvas Creek Park Preserve is a 125-acre greenbelt preserve operated by the City of Gilroy in southwest Santa Clara County, California. The Uvas Creek, which meanders through the center of the preserve, is its defining characteristic. The preserve is bordered by Uvas Creek Levee on the north, and by Christmas Hill Park on the south. A paved trail runs for approximately 2 miles along the boundary of the preserve, and can be used for jogging, hiking or bicycling. [1]

Gilroy, California City in California

Gilroy is a city in Northern California's Santa Clara County, south of Morgan Hill and north of San Benito County. The city's population was 48,821 at the 2010 United States Census.

Santa Clara County, California County in California, United States

Santa Clara County, officially the County of Santa Clara, is California's 6th most populous county, with a population of 1,781,642, as of the 2010 census. The county seat and largest city is San Jose, the 10th most populous city in the United States and California's 3rd most populous city.

Uvas Creek river in the United States of America

Uvas Creek is a 29.5-mile-long (47.5 km) mainly southward-flowing stream originating on Loma Prieta peak of the Santa Cruz Mountains, in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The creek descends through Uvas Canyon County Park into Uvas Reservoir near Morgan Hill, and on through Uvas Creek Preserve and Christmas Hill Park in Gilroy. Upon passing U.S. Highway 101 it is known as Carnadero Creek, shortly before the confluence with the Pajaro River at the Santa Clara County - San Benito County boundary.

The park is open seven days a week from 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM from March - October, and 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM from November - February. [2]

History

Planning for the preserve, located on a site formerly used for sand and gravel mining operations, began in the 1970s. In the 1980s, the family of Dennis DeBell, a former councilman and developer, bequeathed $1 million to the city to help further the project along. In 1995, significant efforts were made to restore the Uvas Creek in the preserve back to its natural state. In 2003, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution honoring Dennis DeBell by renaming the City of Gilroy's Uvas Creek Park Preserve to the Dennis DeBell Uvas Creek Park Preserve. [3]

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