Now that the water district has nearly finished its phase, the Parks Committee of the Barron Park Association intends to work with all interested neighbors and the City's Parks Department to plan additional plantings. Native trees, shrubs and flowers could gradually convert the semi-natural parts of Bol Park into an oak woodland ecosystem, adapted to our microclimate, which would be beautiful and require very little maintenance.

We are asking the neighborhood to complete this survey and return it before January 1, 1997 so that we can tally your opinions, feelings and concerns, which are vitally important to us. Thank you for taking a few minutes to read this and let us know your thoughts. It is very important that everyone participates fully in rejuvenating our special park -- the park that the BPA and the Barron Park community bought and created in 1973, before we became part of Palo Alto.

(Editor's note -- please contact Inge Harding-Barlow, Doug Graham, or Jill Beckett if you would like to participate on this committee. See the "BPA Revetation Page."

(Editor's update: The results of the poll are listed after the questions.)

1. Are you in favor of maintaining and further enhancing the semi-natural look of Bol Park's fringes and the bike path? Yes - 93.0%, No - 5.0%, Indifferent - 2.0%

2. Would you like to see colorful native wildflower and bulb displays and flowering trees and shrubs along the bike path during the summer and fall as well as in the springtime? Yes - 83.4%, No - 3.9%, Indifferent - 12.7%

3. Would you like to see more native trees and shrubs planted along the sparsely covered sections of the bike path (Strawberry Hill etc.)? Yes - 84.2%, No - 6.9%, Indifferent - 8.9%

4. Would you like to see the bike path vegetation evolve into a native plant garden, over the years, through selective weeding of foreign species and selective planting of locally-evolved natives? Yes - 78.5%, No - 7.8%, Indifferent - 13.7%

5. Would you like the native plants to be selected to match our mico-environment, including soil conditions, as closely as possible, thereby minimizing future maintenance requirements? Yes - 92.2%, No - 1.0%, Indifferent - 6.8%

6. Would you like some native plants to be selected for fragrance (highly allergenic species to be avoided)? Yes - 58.0%, No - 10.0%, Indifferent - 32.0%

7. Would you like to see more native food plants and cover for our indigenous wildlife ­ mammals, birds of prey, songbirds, water fowl, butterflies and pollinating insects? Yes - 91.8%, No - 3.1%, Indifferent - 5.1%

8. Would you like to see small, tasteful markers showing the Latin and common names of the native trees and shrubs? Yes - 62.7%, No - 11.8%, Indifferent - 25.5%

9. Would you like more benches along the bike path? Yes - 41.6%, No - 16.8%, Indifferent - 41.6%