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The Nature Conservancy takes another step in protecting San Diego County’s remaining grasslands

230-acre purchase in Ramona Grasslands will protect key wildlife habitat, flood corridor and drinking water quality

Ramona, Calif.—January 14, 2005—The Nature Conservancy announced today the purchase of 230 acres of sensitive habitat in the Ramona Grasslands, one of southern California’s last remaining stretches of native grasslands. The Conservancy secured $1.6 million in funding for the conservation purchase from the California Department of Water Resources under the Flood Protection Corridor Program created by Proposition 13, the Safe Drinking Water, Clean Water, Watershed Protection and Flood Protection Act  passed by California voters in 2000.  The parcel, which is adjacent to Oak Country Estates, is the Conservancy’s second purchase in the Ramona Grasslands, having acquired the 420-acre Cagney Ranch in June 2003.

“Expansive, intact grasslands are rare in southern California,” said Conservancy scientist Scott Morrison. “Consequently, many of the plants and animals that rely on grassland habitat are also rare. With San Diego's population growing so quickly in the backcountry, the threat to these remaining natural areas is mounting.”

Located west of the unincorporated city of Ramona about a half-hour’s drive from San Diego, the 8,000-acre Ramona Grasslands project encompasses vernal pools, coastal sage scrub, oak woodlands and riparian forest. This diverse landscape provides habitat for numerous species of wildlife, including bobcats, golden eagles and neotropical migrant songbirds, as well as several endangered species such as the arroyo southwestern toad, Stephens’ kangaroo rat and San Diego fairy shrimp.

"The acquisition of another key piece of the Ramona Grasslands is not only vital to the long-term protection of the entire grasslands system, it is a major step toward establishing a wildlife corridor that will stretch through San Diego County from Poway to Palomar Mountain," said David Van Cleve, South Coast Ecoregional Director for the Conservancy. "Such corridors provide for safe wildlife migration and help preserve genetic diversity."

In partnership with San Diego County Department of Parks and Recreation and the Wildlife Research Institute, the Conservancy will implement a stream and grassland restoration project on the property along Santa Maria Creek. The creek is a tributary of the San Dieguito River, which feeds Lake Hodges, a drinking water source for the City of San Diego.

"This deal is a great example of how strategic partnerships can achieve overlapping conservation goals," said Chris Basilevac, manager of the Conservancy’s San Diego Project. "Preserving this land will protect wildlife habitat, provide flood protection and improve water quality."

The Conservancy is working with the County of San Diego Department of Parks and Recreation, the California Department of Water Resources, the California State Water Resources Control Board, the California Wildlife Conservation Board, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Wildlife Research Institute, the Conservation Biology Institute and other local partners and landowners to protect additional properties in the Ramona Grasslands and restore remaining portions of the Santa Maria Creek. Together, these protected properties will comprise the Ramona Grasslands Preserve.