Portola Valley Update April 3, 2025

This Week's Update

• Saddle Up for Fun at the Horse Fair May 17th!
• Portola Valley Rectangular Flashing Beacon Project – Schedule Delay
• CUBDATE
• What's Blooming Now? Brought to you by the Conservation Committee
• This Month! Neighborhood Clean Up
• ICYMI: Woodside and Portola Valley Crime Updates - March 20 Workshop
• Calling all San Mateo County Photographers!
• Discover San Mateo County Parks with New Tour APP
• Upcoming Town Events

What's Blooming Now? Brought to you by the Conservation Committee

What’s Blooming Now?

Early Spring Wildflowers

We are rapidly moving into our glorious period of blooming local wildflowers. Most of these are not commercially available, but Hounds tongue seed is easy to collect – from your pants legs. Many have had excellent success expanding small patches by clearing any weeds around the bases of the plants they’d like to encourage. Weed-whacking around them works well on larger areas. A fun project for anyone who wants to see their hard-work blossom!!

This Month! Neighborhood Clean Up

Saturday, April 26, from 8 AM to 11 AM (no items accepted after 11 AM)

The Neighborhood Clean up is at the end of this month! This event is free for Portola Valley residents - you will need to bring a copy of your GreenWaste garbage bill or the mailer insert as proof of residency. Hazardous materials are NOT accepted.

Woodside and Portola Valley Crime Updates - March 20 Workshop

Preventing crime is crucial for residents of Woodside and Portola Valley. The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Department patrols Woodside and Portola Valley 24/7 to help keep residents safe. The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Department reported on crimes committed in Woodside and Portola Valley and how to prevent them. They also spoke about how to prevent identity theft. For those who could not make the presentation, click here to watch the recording. Come by Portola Valley Town Hall to pick up handouts provided at the workshop.

Calling all Photographers!

The Palo Alto Weekly and Palo Alto Art Center are pleased to announce the 2025 The Six Fifty Peninsula Photo Contest, open to all individuals who live, work or attend school in any city within the 6-5-0 area code.

• Individuals can submit photos in the following categories: Abstract, Landscapes, Moments, Portraits, Travel and Wildlife.
• A reception for the winners will be held in person, and all winners and finalists can see their work displayed at the Palo Alto Art Center exhibition from September 12, 2025 to December 7, 2025. Winning images will also appear on Palo Alto Online, its social media accounts and on TheSixFifty.com, as well as the Palo Alto Art Center’s publications, website, social media and promotions. A selection of winning photos will also be published in the Palo Alto Weekly. Winners will be notified by May 30, 2025

Entry Deadline

• Thursday, April 17, 2025 at 11:59 P.M. PST.

Eligibility

• Open to all photographers, including professionals, amateurs and hobbyists of all ages. Adults 18 and older must enter the adult division, while youth 17 and younger may enter either the youth or adult divisions.
• Entrants must live, work or attend school in any city within the 650 area code to enter (cities within 6-5-0 area code include those between South San Francisco, Sunnyvale, and the Coastside).

Rules

• All submitted entries must be original work(s) created by the entrant and taken within the past 5 years (no earlier than January 1, 2020).
• Photographers may submit work which has previously been entered in other contests except photographs that have been awarded a best in show, first, second or third place in any contest. Photos awarded honorable mention however will be accepted.
• Adult Division is open to all photographers regardless of age. Youth Division is open only to photographers age 17 or younger and current high school students who are 18.
• The same photograph may be entered in multiple categories, but may not be entered in both the youth and adult division. Entering the same photograph into, for example, 3 categories counts as 3 submissions. Limit of 10 entries per photographer.
• Contest categories include Abstract, Landscapes, Moments, Portraits, Travel and Wildlife (click on "Contest Categories" in the menu at the top of the page for expanded descriptions of each category).
• Entrant agrees that the Palo Alto Weekly and The Six Fifty reserve in perpetuity the non-exclusive right to publish entries within print and online publication in all Embarcadero Media Foundation's publications and social media accounts and Embarcadero Media Foundation's promotions. Entrant agrees that the Palo Alto Art Center reserves the non-exclusive right to publish entries within the Art Center’s publications, social media accounts, email newsletter and website, and may be used for promotions.
• Use of AI tools are not permitted. Contest entrants are fully responsible for the integrity of their submissions to this contest and are liable to be disqualified from the contest if AI tools are discovered in the submission. Participants in the contest may not use AI for image generation or as a supplement to their completed entry.
• You confirm that you are the sole owner and author of each entry.
• Each entry does not infringe upon the copyrights, trademarks, contract rights, or any other intellectual property rights of any third person or entity, or violate any person’s rights of privacy or publicity.
• From start to completion you concur the image was generated on your own using your own tools and no assistance from third party digital AI generative resource.

Submission Guidelines

• All photo submissions must be submitted online via this website (peninsulacontest2025.artcall.org) in digital (JPEG) format. Images sent by other means, including email and postal mail, will not be accepted.
• Any digital file created with digital cameras, smartphones, and images shot on film that have been scanned are acceptable. Both color and monochrome images will be accepted.

Photos must meet the following requirements:

• At least 1,600 pixels wide (if a horizontal image) or 1,600 pixels tall (if a vertical image)
• Saved in JPEG format at 300 dpi
• Maximum file size of 4 megabytes per image
• RGB or sRGB format

Each photograph needs its own submission; do not upload any additional attachments to entries.

Images that have been retouched using software or a smartphone photo editing app or by other means will be accepted. Contest organizers politely request that entrants not submit images incorporating smartphone camera filters such as those used within Instagram, Snapchat, etc.

Winners will be asked to provide higher resolution images for exhibition.

Discover San Mateo County Parks with New Tour App

Warm weather is approaching, making spring the perfect time to explore San Mateo County Parks with New Tour App. This self-guided tour app has 10 ranger created tours, including the Reptiles of Edgewood and Geology of Earth Quakes at Sawyer Camp Trail.

To learn more and download the app click here.