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 Anstine-Audubon Nature Preserve by Becky Wilbanks, Habitat Steward There is nothing more exciting than having the perfect opportunity jump into your lap. To have your efforts manifest themselves in ways you always hoped they would. This is how I feel when gazing out the back door of the residence in which I now occupy. My name is Becky Wilbanks and I am the current care taker of the 11 acre Anstine-Audubon Nature Preserve in Vista. I have been honored with this position after finding out about it at a naturalist weekend with the Sierra Club. I applied and interviewed for the position and I will not forget the phone call from Claude Edwards letting me know I had been chosen. Living and working on a preserve is literally one of my dreams. The property was bequeathed to the San Diego Audubon Society by John Anstine in 1999 to fulfill a promise he had made to his wife that the property would not be subdivided or developed. Currently little is know about the Anstine’s themselves or their connection to the land. However, their gift will benefit the wildlife in the area that are rapidly losing previous resources. We thank them for giving us the opportunity to keep the site a natural habitat. There are many projects (and NWF Habitat Stewart volunteer opportunities) currently in progress or slated for future action at the site. In Jan. 2007 we completed the 1st of several native plant restoration projects. We have lost surprisingly few plants and the survivors have now established themselves nicely in their new home. We have plans for planting another section with native coastal sage scrub plants very soon as well as chaparral in the future. Among the projects now on-going are clearing out invasive plants and overgrowth and removing brush piles scattered around the area. Funding for these projects, which total about $9,000, is coming to us through National Resources Conservation Services. We have also been recently granted monies from the California Audubon Society to develop a brochure that describes the site. We are eager to begin planning and planting several theme gardens, such as, a hummingbird and butterfly, a sensory garden , succulent garden and more. These gardens are meant for education and community enjoyment. I am also developing plans for a relaxing garden in front of the house with a water feature as well as native California plants. I am creating a meeting place for both for my enjoyment and those who may stop to visit. There are trails to be created, signs and educational displays to be made and outreach programs to implement. These programs will be designed with emphases on education of native habitats and involvement of the community. We will not only include the local residents but community groups and businesses as well. Having their involvement will ensure the success of the programs. Currently our efforts have been focused on the south half of the site but the northern section will also have trails for public access. Although the facility is not yet open to the general public volunteers can get a first hand look at a restoration project in its infancy and follow it to maturity. All of the projects will require planning, physical labor and dedication but they will have immense rewards to the community, the wildlife and all who participate. Do you enjoy bird watching? Learning about native habitats and the variety of creatures that live there? Special walking tours can also be arranged for garden clubs, school students or special interest groups. All of our projects will require planning, physical labor, and dedication but the restored habitat will have immense rewards to the community, the wildlife and all who participate. Please contact me if you would like to volunteer, arrange a tour or receive updates on our progress. Becky Wilbanks Anstine-Audubon Nature Preserve 2437 Hutchison Street Vista, CA 92084 (760) 295-1548 beckywilbanks@cox.net Privacy Statement Neighborhood Link Terms of Use © 1997 - 2006 Neighborhood Link, Inc.