Paul Molder, California Water Service Company (Cal Water) retiree, recently was honored for his 42-year commitment to Cal Water and his dedication to providing reliable water service to Cal Water’s Bear Gulch District customers, as well as his stewardship of the land. On July 23, 2013, the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (District) opened a new trail segment, named Molder Trail, at El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve.
Molder was responsible for 1,200 acres of Cal Water’s watershed property, where his stewardship of the environment and wildlife led to many hours of hiking to repair fences and trails and locate lost hikers. “Paul is such a deserving person of this honor,” said Cal Water’s Bear Gulch Local Manager Dawn Smithson. “He was the heart and soul of Cal Water’s operations at our Bear Gulch Reservoir and watershed, and his passion for nature and helping others always showed.
The half-mile-long trail connects the Skyline Trail/Bay Area Ridge Trail on Cal Water land to the Preserve and provides a crossing over Highway 35 for hikers and equestrians. Molder Trail begins by the south end of the Sierra Morena Trail in the Preserve and connects to Skyline Trail between Skeggs Point and Wunderlich Park on Highway 35.
