Our Habitat Restoration Hotspots
Big challenges – bigger accomplishments!
We continue to work on a landscape scale focusing on individual watershed segments, partnering with multiple jurisdictions, agencies, and landowners. Most of our current project areas are in the San Dieguito River Watershed, where we work on several thousand acres. On average, we successfully restore 50-75 acres per year to their native state.
Our Interactive Restoration Site Map
In 2003 we started working on habitat restoration sites in the San Diequito River watershed.
We are active on some 2 to 3 thousand acres at multiple sites.
A third to a half of the acreage has been restored and is now in maintenance mode!
Featured Successes
Artesian Creek
is a two mile year-round stream. Much of the land was former ranch land that was left to grow weeds for two decades or more. It was set aside as mitigation for development and for the benefit of certain species like the California gnatcatcher.
To begin with, there were lots of weeds and sparse scattered natives. There was no sign of animal life. No birds emerged from the vegetation. No sounds were to be heard but distant road and construction noise. That changed a few years later when with the recolonization of the area by native wild plants, the animals also started to reappear.
The return of roadrunners was a significant milestone. This meant that there were lizards for them to eat, which in turn, had enough insects to eat. The insects now had enough native plants to support them and the rest of this simple food chain. Quail followed later in the year. Songbirds filled the air with their tunes. We were on the right track, but not yet done.
With each season the native plants became denser and we were able to push further. As we worked from different directions, our native plant “islands” linked up, producing broad expanses. Three hundred acres of native plants now occupy the area. Top predators like bobcat, coyote and mountain lion now make this their home along with lots of those gnatcatchers the area was set aside for.
Artesian Creek is now in maintenance mode.
Blue Sky Ecological Reserve
This reserve in Poway burned in the 2007 fire. We began restoration in the spring of 2008. This was a relatively easy project. Newly emerging plants were easy to spot in the charred landscape. Weeds were among the first to emerge so they were easy to treat. Large stands of castor bean were exposed in the riparian corridor. Docents helped with periodic weed events as did Boy Scouts.
Within three years, unwanted weeds were largely under control and native plants were taking over. From there it was just a matter of time before vegetation filled in.
Blue Sky is now in maintenance mode with only a few spots that need care.