None The Nature Conservancy in California Press Releases Search All Press Releases Misty Herrin Phone: (213) 327-0405 E-mail: mherrin@tnc.org Dave Schaechtele Phone:(831)649-2900 E-mail:daves@parks.ca.gov

Gilroy Hot Springs Joins Henry Coe State Park

Santa Clara County, CA—July 2, 2003—The California Department of Parks and Recreation announced today its recent purchase of Gilroy Hot Springs, a historic property in rural Santa Clara County, that will now be a part of the western portion of Henry W. Coe State Park.  State Parks purchased the 242 acres of healthy oak woodland and riparian community from The Nature Conservancy for $2.4 million.The purchase was made possible from Proposition 12 bond-act money.

"We are pleased to have the opportunity to preserve and protect this historic landmark and key area of open space and wildlife habitat," said Curtis Price, superintendent for Henry W. Coe and other state parks within the Gavilan Sector. "This is a wonderful addition to California State Parks.  Walking through the area one experiences a sense of peace and serenity."

Listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places, Gilroy Hot Springs is located eight miles east of Morgan Hill. It features blue oak, black oak and coast live oak, and over a mile of frontage on Coyote Creek, a watershed important as a source of drinking water, and as a habitat for rare California red-legged frogs and foothill yellow-legged frogs.

"This property transition represents a successful collaboration between California State Parks and The Nature Conservancy to strengthen a vast network of protected open spaces that will increase the quality of life for Bay Area residents," said Jody Williams, Project Manager with The Nature Conservancy's Central Coast Ecoregion.

Gilroy Hot Springs lies in the center of Nature Conservancy's Mt. Hamilton Project, an area one-and-a-half times the size of Yosemite. This area is a refuge for plants, animals, and people. It is rich in vegetation - oaks, sycamores, cottonwoods, and willows, as well as animals such as bobcats, mountain lions, tule elk, and golden eagles. The goal of the Mt. Hamilton Project is to protect the native species and natural habitat of a 1.2 million-acre region that lies between San Jose and Silicon Valley and the Central Valley.

Gilroy Hot Springs was once a popular resort. In 1866 George W. Roop and William F. Oldham purchased 160 acres. During the 1870s to the 1920s, the owners expanded the property to its present size and erected a number of buildings, including cabins, a bathhouse, a swimming pool (now filled in), dressing rooms, a three-story hotel, a single-story clubhouse, and a two-story sleeping annex. In 1938 H.K. Sakata bought the property and built several new cabins. The sleeping annex was demolished in 1946, and the hotel and clubhouse burned down in 1980. Sakata sold the property to an investment group that used it for hunting. This group in turn sold it to Masaru Seido who then sold it to The Nature Conservancy, the most recent owners until the California State Parks acquisition.

"We will work to obtain funding to improve and restore the culturally significant features this property has, as well as preserving and protecting this natural habitat," said Superintendent Price. The area will remain closed until a management plan is implemented.