San Diego County

Snow on Hot Springs Mountain,
seen from Lake Henshaw
© Richard Herrmann

Find out how to visit the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

The Nature Conservancy's focus in San Diego County extends from the coastal sage uplands of the San Dieguito River Valley and the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge—to coniferous forests in the San Diego Mountains—to the washes of the Anza Borrego desert in the far eastern county.

Land uses in the project area include densely built subdivisions in sensitive coastal lands, rural and semi-rural private ranches and subdivisions in the central county and large ranches, national forest lands, state parks, and Native American landholdings in the eastern county.

Several streams that provide drinking water for San Diego County cities and towns drain watersheds in the project area.

San Diego County's tranquil countryside still recalls an older California with its native grasslands, rare Engelmann oak woodlands, sycamore-shaded streams, lush meadows dotted with native wild flowers, and conifer forests rising more than 6,000 feet above sea level. Our goal here is to safeguard a "core" reserve by protecting key private properties, link this reserve to protected public lands, and surround it with buffer zones that will ensure protection in the future.

Location
San Diego County (Map)

Size
2.7 million acres (4,261 square miles)

Tecate cypress
© Richard Herrmann

Plants
Cuyamaca larkspur, Tecate cypress, spreading navarretia, San Diego thorn-mint, San Diego button-celery, engelmann oak, black oak, and valley needlegrass.

Animals
California gnatcatcher, Least Bell's vireo, arroyo southwestern toad, San Diego horned lizard, Stephens' kangaroo rat, Quino checkerspot butterfly, San Diego fairy shrimp, golden eagles, southwestern willow flycatcher, burrowing owl, long-eared owl, California red-legged frog, southwestern pond turtle, two-striped garter snake, and migratory songbirds.

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
San Diego County, about the size of the state of Connecticut, contains rugged landscapes home to more kinds of native animals and plants than any other county in the continental United States. Because of rapid population growth and development, San Diego County also leads the nation in the number of native species at risk.

Unfortunately sprawl is spreading from the coast to the interior, threatening wildlife habitats and native species. Cattle ranching, which has historically protected open space, is in serious decline, and ranchers are tempted to sell their properties for development. San Diego County is expected to grow by 1 million new residents over the next 20 years. If San Diego County's natural treasures are left unprotected, not just native species but also the quality of human life in this region will decline.

The area's natural habitats form living links among many parks and public lands, including the San Dieguito River Park, the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge, the Cleveland National Forest, Volcan Mountain Wilderness Preserve, county holdings, Indian reservations, and Cuyamaca Rancho and Palomar Mountain State parks. The western portion of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, the nation's largest state park at more than 600,000 acres, also falls within this project area.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing

The Conservancy's San Diego County Project is working with public and private partners to preserve natural habitats and open spaces. Our method is to protect key private lands, link them to public lands, and establish surrounding buffer zones, protecting traditional rural land uses where possible. Our efforts include supporting compatible economic development and encouraging conservation-friendly growth patterns. Protecting key lands in the San Diego County Project Area will buffer the region's world-class parks and public lands, as well as large private ranches in the backcountry, from a rapidly growing urban area.

Safeguarding the most important parts of San Diego County's natural landscape of coastal foothills and mountains will improve the quality of life for millions of county residents and protect the watersheds of streams that provide drinking water for both rural and urban residents. It will also be a vital step toward creating an interconnected network of protected lands and nature reserves from the coast to the desert.

The Nature Conservancy is acquiring key properties in San Diego County to add to an emerging countywide system of interconnected nature preserves. This multi-jurisdictional effort is driven by a coalition of private conservation organizations, local landowners, members of the public, and local, state, and federal government agencies. The Conservancy alone has saved over 15,000 acres since 1985 and assisted other organizations to protect thousands of additional acres.

Highlights:

During 2002 and 2003, the Conservancy:

Completed the purchase of 2,100-acre Rancho Cuyamaca, perhaps the most biologically diverse property in the county. Purchase of this property completes an important connection between the Anza Borrego desert and the rich pine forest of the Cuyamacas. We expect to complete the sale of Rancho Cuyamaca to state parks in the spring of 2003 so that the critical property can be preserved for the enjoyment of future generations.
Convened a "Missing Linkages" workshop where over 110 biologists worked together with a singular purpose: to develop a blueprint to protect habitat connectivity in the rapidly urbanizing international border region.
In collaboration with San Diego County, we continued an ongoing comprehensive biological inventory of the Santa Ysabel Ranch, purchased in 1999 and 2000 by the Conservancy. As a science-based organization, The Nature Conservancy believes a thorough understanding of the biological resources is the first step in developing appropriate guidelines for public access to the properties we work to preserve.
Saw great progress towards the preservation of the Ramona Grasslands. We made the first major grasslands acquisition, the 417-acre Cagney property. We were especially appreciative of the announcement that:
- the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of Fish and Game will award an $825,000 grant to help preserve habitat in the grasslands for endangered species
- the State Water Resources Control Board will award a $1.5 million grant to the County to help reduce water pollution transport through the grasslands and down the Santa Maria Creek to Lake Hodges (a drinking water reservoir)
Expanded our partnerships with other local land conservancies and governmental agencies to enhance the conservation success of the region by working together as colleagues and not competitors. This effort is paying dividends.
- We joined the San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy, the San Dieguito River Park Joint Powers Authority (JPA) and the City of Escondido in a successful collaboration to secure the acquisition of the 232-acre Bernardo Mountain property.
- We also joined the Anza Borrego Foundation and California State Parks in partnership to help preserve three important desert-related properties, the Vallecito, Mason Valley, and Tulloch (Rancho Cuyamaca) ranches.
  - In the spring of 2003, the Anza Borrego Foundation (ABF) closed escrow on the Mason Valley property.
  - The ABF has also secured an option to purchase the Vallecito Ranch.
- We joined the Trust for Public Land, the Volcan Mountain Preserve Foundation, the County of San Diego, the San Dieguito River Park JPA, the San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy and others in another partnership to preserve the last, large remaining privately held property on Volcan Mountain near Julian.