National Wildlife Federation/ San Diego County Home Page Our Info Contact Us Join Us Our Newsletter Hit Report Interactive Areas Calendar Discussion Area Member Pages Our PDFs Join the San Diego Flyway Cities Coalition Local wilderness corridors help species avoid isolation...... Easy to Find and Grow What Pollinates Your Plants BWHT Talking Points Lawn Reduction Plant Rescue NWF Volunteer Log Sheet Coral Reefs & Climate Change Wildlife at Risk Fueling the Fire, Global Warming, Fossil Fuels Global Warming & California Providing Water for Birds Volunteer General Flyer Amphibian Decline Bird Friendly Backyard Canopy Instructions Owl Box Project West Nile Garden Checklist Western Blue Bird Survival Guide Build a Blue Bird Box Our Pages Flyway Cities Coalition Habitat Steward's Log 2008 Some Plant Lists for Habitats What is an Inch of Water? Anstine-Audubon Nature Preserve Animal Rescue Information and Numbers Creating Your Backyard Wildlife Habitat The Basic Elements of a Wildlife Habitat Volunteer Spirit 2006-2007 Habitat Stewards' Log 2006 Fight the Sunrise Power Scam Compost Campus Ecology Ant Bait California Native Plant Hotline Pest Notes Habitat Steward Community Speakers Ponds Ant Bait - Non Toxic Gardening Grants 2005 Barn Owl Box References NWF Volunteer Spirit - Published Articles Meet The Habitat Stewards Bird Flu Gardening For Hummingbirds Invasive Plants Butterfly Basics West Nile Virus in Your Yard For The Birds! Local Reptiles and Amphibians Who speaks for the chaparral? Ecological Zones of San Diego County Wildlife Conflict Resolution Worms The San Dieguito River Project Environmental Activism Pest Management Recipes All Sorts of Good Links and Resources Are Your Trees Suffering From Root Problems? Our Hotlinks The Dangers of Plastic Bags Nature Bytes Video Center to Help Instill Respect and Preservation Garden Wildlife The Pollinator Partnership World of Hummingbirds The Mulch-So Cal’s New Online Gardening Community Barn Owl Boxes- Commercial Changing the World One Bulb at at Time Urban Bee Gardens Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve Birds and Cats - The Cats Indoors! Campaign Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation Monarch Program Misty Birdbath Native Plant Design and Installation FIGHT THE SUNRISE POWERLINK SCAM Gardens to Gro Koi City (Pond store-Escondido, CA) Great Ways to Shrink Your Lawn! Sunrise Powerlink Adopting Native Plants - video San Diego Area Environmental Activist Events Buena Creek Gardens Bats of San Diego County Theodore Payne Foundation Butterfly Hosts El Nativo Growers Great Answers about Native Plants Bat Rescue - San Diego area Crestridge Reserve West Nile Virus – California Encinitas Community Wildlife Habitat Project National Bird Feeding Society Professional Tree Care Association of San Diego Resources for the Trail and Classroom San Diego 2005 Bird Festival Cornell Lab of Ornithology San Diego Natural History Museum Filed Guide Southern California Chapparal Field Institute A photographic gallery of wildflowers California Oaks Foundation Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden Tree of Life Nursery Project Wildlife Friends of Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve Sky Hunters California Native Plant Society San Diego Chapter A California Native Plant Nursery NWF Campus Ecology NWF Volunteers & Habitate Stewards Program NWF Schoolyard Habitat Programs NWF Backyard Wildlife Habitat Program Wild Bird Centers National Wildlife Federation Find Answers in Our FAQ

Metro San Diego Clubs & Organizations National Wildlife Federation/ San Diego County The San Dieguito River Project Click to Enlarge by Janet Gilbert, Habitat Steward and SD River Project Activist The San Dieguito River Project is a partnership in conservation between the San Dieguito River Park and the San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy. Twenty years ago a dream to preserve an entire watershed was shared with a few close friends. Like good news, it has traveled and has now been shared with thousands. The bold vision that emerged two decades ago is being realized. The San Dieguito River Park is a 55-mile river preserve, spanning the San Diego region from the ocean at Del Mar to the river’s origins on Volcan Mountain near Julian. From its origins on the lush slopes of Volcan Mountain, the Santa Ysabel Creek descends. It courses through pine and oak woodlands, meadows, rocky gorges, chaparral hillsides and into the agricultural valley we know as San Pasqual. At the confluence of the Santa Ysabel Creek and Santa Maria Creek, (The Santa Maria Creek comes from the foothills rimming the valley of Santa Maria where the town of Ramona is located. It flows through the Ramona Grasslands and down Bandy Canyon to the San Pasqual Valley floor.) the San Dieguito River is born. The river now flows into Lake Hodges, (an internationally acclaimed birding site), through Del Dios, coastal steppes and marshland, finally meeting the sea at Del Mar. What Needs To Be done The elevation descent from Volcan Mountain to the shore is nearly one mile and traveling the river valley’s length, with its natural diversity and rapid transitions, is like exploring half a continent. The river traverses a complex geology, a range of climate zones, and a succession of habitats. Views from the River Park’s trails and scenic points to the surrounding landscapes provide a cross section of the unique nature of San Diego County. The River Park Planning Area consists of upwards of 80,000 acres within the 220,000 acres of the San Dieguito River Watershed. Presently, 52,000 acres, approximately 70% of the park, is in protected public ownership. San Diego is developing all around this River Valley and critical gaps exist along segments of the River Park. Development pressures threaten key resources. Our challenge is to secure the natural legacy of the River Park. The San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy and the River Park Joint Powers Authority have together established clear priorities for achieving the River Park legacy: 1. Complete the protection of the corridor from Lake Sutherland to Santa Ysabel Ranch 2. Establish habitat and trail connections to the Ramona Grasslands 3. Protect the habitat, scenic and recreational values of Lake Hodges 4. Expand the Volcan Mountain Preserve 5. Assist in preserving working ranch landscapes in the eastern watershed 6. Develop trails and interpretive centers and foster long-term stewardship In close collaboration with The Trust for Public Land (TPL), we have secured an option to purchase agreement for 353-acre Lake Sutherland East Property. The Sutherland East property is a rich mix of vegetation and habitat, meadows, chaparral, oak woodlands, rock outcropping and riparian. Archeological sites are abundant in the area and the old stagecoach line from Julian to Ramona is said to have run across the property. The conservancy, with its partners, is aggressive in obtaining state and federal grants for land acquisitions, however, citizen support is key to protection. Private donations provide immediate currency while we compete for public funds and, more importantly, demonstrate support and make us eligible to compete for grants requiring matching funds. Please join with the conservancy to help secure the River Park legacy. Logan Jenkins, journalist for the San Diego Union Tribune, writes, “…the San Dieguito River Park, an ambitious conservation project stretching from Del Mar to Volcan Mountain, will be considered one of the San Diego region’s most noble achievements (bold-face added). Our grandchildren will judge us not by what we sell, but by what we save.” Please Join Us With Your Support Together we hold a rare and brief opportunity to preserve some of the irreplaceable landscapes in San Diego County and the wildlife dependent on that landscape. We can save these unique, and increasingly vulnerable, natural ecosystems with the added bonus of recreational and educational opportunities for us. Please join in preserving the legacy and promoting environmental stewardship. There are a variety of tax-deductible ways to assist in achieving the River Park legacy:  Conservancy membership  Stock Donations  Donations through community foundations  Bequests  Donations to purchase specific properties  Memorial Funds  Employer Matching Donations  Planned Estate Giving  Participate in eScrip For more information on Conservancy activities and how you can contribute to the River Park, please visit the Conservancy and the River Park Websites below, or contact the Conservancy office at: PO Box 89, Del Mar, CA 92014; phone 858.755.6956; FAX 858.356.4222 or by email below. Email Us sdrvlc@pacbell.net Favorite Links San Dieguito River Conservancy San Dieguito River Park Privacy Statement Neighborhood Link Terms of Use © 1997 - 2006 Neighborhood Link, Inc.