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Welcome to Preserve Calavera

The mission of Preserve Calavera is to protect, enhance, and restore the natural resources of coastal north San Diego County.

SOS for Open Space – Saving the Natural Lands of Carlsbad

Preserve Calavera is leading a coalition of community organizations on a grass roots campaign to save some of the priceless natural lands of Carlsbad.  These natural lands are a key part of what makes this such a special place to live.  But many of the areas are under immediate threat of development.  We need to preserve the best of what we have left-  places like the Buena Vista Creek Valley with the sacred El Salto waterfall.  Places like Village H that serves as a natural meeting area for the community. Places like Kato/Mandana  that provide the critical link in the regional wildlife movement corridor.  Places where our children  can connect with nature and everyone can enjoy a quiet walk or hear the sound of a creek or the call of a bird.  Open space gives us a high quality of life and preserves our property values.  It is good for residents, businesses and visitors alike. 

In 2002 the residents of Carlsbad passed Measure C- authorizing some of the millions of reserve funds to be allocated for the acquisition of open space and trails.  In 2007 a City Council appointed citizen’s committee evaluated and prioritized the remaining lands.  Ten years seems like long enough to do what the voters asked them to do- allocate these funds to a restricted account and preserve some of these lands before it is too late.

Why focus on Carlsbad ?
Carlsbad still has large areas of intact natural lands left- lands that will make a difference for all of north county.  They have the financial resources to do this. They are the only city in north county with an adopted Habitat Management Plan.  This makes them eligible for state and federal dollars to purchase natural lands that other cities can’t compete for.

Why now?

The current economic downturn means land prices are very low- so open space can be purchased very economically.  There are at least two willing sellers.  But most importantly, several properties, including the Buena Vista Creek Valley are under immediate threat of development.  McMillin has submitted an application to put 656 homes around the sacred waterfall- on land that is only zoned for 160.  If we do nothing this priceless area will be lost forever.

What can we do ?

The fate of these lands is in the hands of 5 people- the Mayor and City Council of Carlsbad.  Only 3 votes are needed to start the process to permanently preserve at least some of these lands .  Our grass roots organizing effort will raise the public awareness and put pressure on these elected officials to do the right thing :  1.  Allocate some of the existing reserve funds to a restricted account for open space acquisition.. 2. Select a better alternative for Quarry Creek-  allowing  some development but saving the best land so future generations can still experience the rich natural, cultural and historic resources of this valley. 

Development at Quarry Creek

It looks like development- but its not (at least not yet!).  The toxic clean-up of contaminated soil and water has now entered its final phases- relying on natural attenuation to reduce the remnants of the old leaking gasoline storage tanks to acceptable levels. Reclamation of the old mine site is in high gear with lots of heavy equipment starting the process to restore the land to a safe and usable condition.  The creek channel has been widened so it will be able to meander the way a creek likes to do.  Gambions (rock structures) have been installed to slow down the waters after a rainfall and reduce erosion and allow for plants on the slopes.  Meanwhile McMillin, the developer of the site, has submitted an application to build 656 residential units on this land that is zoned for 160.  The City of Carlsbad recently modified their Housing Element to increase the number of affordable housing units at this site from 500 to 506. In spite of city policies that say affordable housing should not be concentrated, the city apparently thinks putting almost 1/3 of the remaining affordable units to be built at this single site is perfectly fine. We don’t think this is the way to treat the sacred El Salto waterfall, the historic Marron Adobe, the regional wildlife movement corridor   the adjacent Buena Vista Creek Ecological Reserve or the nearby neighborhoods. 

 Our vision for this valley includes a multi-use trail- the Waterfall to the Waves- that would connect all the way to the coast as well as to all of the land at Calavera.  While we would love to see no development on this land- we think there is room for a reasonable compromise- some development so the developer gets a return on their investment and the city can meet their requirements for affordable housing, but preserving the panhandle part of the site so the critical resources are protected and the wonderful sense of history is preserved- a win-win for everyone.  Please tell the Mayor and Council at council@carlsbadca.gov  that you support the Waterfall to the Waves Trail- fewer houses and preserving the panhandle.  Or would you rather have 656 homes around the sacred waterfall?  

Village H

The new landowner is at it again-putting a heavy duty lock on the Victoria gate to try to keep the public (and our dogs) out.  This has been a recurring problem since he purchased the land for the rock bottom price of $ 315k and then immediately put it back on the market for over $ 3m.  There is now a committee of local residents working on plans to get the trail reopened, and establish some provisions for permanently assuring this area will remain open to the public.  Click this link to see how much local residents love this area. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSlwrI7y1Eg

 And let us know if you would like to get involved with the committee. 

Buena Vista Creek Ecological Reserve

Our work restoring the 134-acre Buena Vista Creek Ecological Reserve continues. We successfully completed the restoration of the first 1.8 acres last year, with a grant from the So. CA Wetlands Recovery Project. We then secured $ 395k to be used for the next phase of restoration from penalties imposed by the Regional Water Quality Control Board in response to a sewer spill that caused extensive damage in the Buena Vista Watershed. This Phase II work is being managed by the Center for Natural Lands Management. As part of that effort we are caring for a small plot that requires hand weeding and watering. Our volunteers disassembled and hand carried the old irrigation system across the creek to be re-used on the next restoration plot. This area has had the first round of new plants installed with more planned for this fall. Please let us know if you would like to volunteer to help with this restoration- volunteer teams are out there every two weeks- watering, weeding and mulching. Thank you to the El Corazon Green Waste Facility (Agribusiness) for supplying all of the mulch our little plants desire.

Melrose Road Extension

The settlement of our lawsuit with the city of Oceanside over the Melrose Extension project is a great example of how our efforts benefit the priceless natural resources of this area, the nearby residents who end up paying the price for poorly planned projects, and the taxpayers who foot the bill for it all. Through our efforts this project will cause a lot less damage- and save taxpayers from $ 5-10m dollars. The proposed extension of Melrose Dr from N. Santa Fe to Spur was a 124’ wide 6 lane divided highway with costs estimated up to $ 30m. Our settlement agreement included the following changes : project delayed until after City Council hearing is held on the Circulation Element and a Parkland Conversion Plan is prepared; the extension of Melrose will be reduced from 6 lanes to 4 lanes and right-of-way from 124’ wide to 84’; other roads effected by the project will also be designed to reduce wetland impacts; the wildlife movement corridor will be improved through culvert design, fencing, signage, and protecting the connection under Guajome Lake Rd to the east; run-off control will use low impact design and be properly maintained; invasive species will be removed within construction and staging limits and native plants will be used for project landscaping; construction traffic plan will be prepared; better air quality mitigation will be provided during project construction; a cowbird trapping program will be provided; and conservation easements will be applied to all property acquired but not used for the road to protect agricultural uses.

Update on Carlsbad High School

We continue to work with the staff of the Carlsbad Unified School District to reduce the impacts from the new high school now under construction at College/Cannon . We can all be proud that our efforts will result in both a better project and a better educational experience for the children of this community. Current focus now is on Transportation Demand Management programs to reduce the traffic (and wildlife roadkill) and integrating the natural lands that surround the school into the curriculum.

Endangered Species Day 2011

This is the first time we participated in this national event- and what fun it was! We used it to call attention to a few of our local endangered species- from least Bell’s vireo to orange throated whiptail and threadleaved brodeia. Our contest for the best public education display was won by for their display on least Bell’s vireo. The two students who won the ESA contest are Kerri Blosch and Gina Pace. Our thanks to all of the students who participated by making educational displays and recycled art projects using trash from the BVCER. We are looking for other venues to display these great art works- let us know if you have any suggestions.

Property Acquisition

Its official- the Sherman property (named for the landowner who sold this area for preservation) is now the Buena Vista Creek Ecological Reserve.  Mark Read prepared a new video about this area- using the great program done by KOCT. Click on this link to view the video (requires Apple Quicktime).

The 180-acre Quarry site stands between the El Salto Falls and the Reserve. What do you want to see there? Dense housing  or a a park around the sacred El Salto waterfall and  continuation of the natural creek flowing towards the Lagoon. The Luiseno people have revered this valley for thousands of years. Prehistoric hearths and shell middens attest to the abundance they found here. The historic Marron Adobe reminds us of the not so distant past, when early settlers found the valley a perfect spot to raise their families. Today, it is still a spectacular place, with a rich diversity of plants and animals. Some rare, like the Willow Flycatcher, Bell’s Vireo and Orange-throated Whiptail and some we are more familiar with, like the Gray Fox, Coyote and Cottontails. It is also a regional wildlife movement corridor. This is a very special place with a unique combination of natural,  cultural, and historical resources found nowhere else on earth.   Keeping the entire valley intact and protected will be a wonderful legacy for ourselves and future generations- and that is why it remains our top priority for acquisition... Click here to view our Vision for the Buena Vista Creek Valley.

But of course our vision for preserving our natural lands does not stop with acquiring this one parcel.  We have a long list of acquisition we are working on, from getting them on the city of Carlsbad Open Space list, actively seeking grant funds, working with national organizations like The Trust for Public Land,  targeting key parcels for mitigation, and doing whatever we can to raise public awareness and the political will and resources to permanently preserve our priceless local natural lands.

2008 National Wetlands Award

Diane Nygaard was selected for the national 2008 Wetlands Award in the category of Wetland Community Leader. This annual program of the Environmental Law Institute awards 6 individuals who exemplify excellence and innovation in wetlands protection, restoration and education. The program is co-sponsored by the Environmental Law Institute, Army Corps of Engineers, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, U S Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service. The awards ceremony will be May 13 in Washington DC. (For more information on the awards program visit http://www.nationalwetlandsawards.org).

Over the past decade, Diane has worked tirelessly to raise the awareness of local leaders and the community-at-large about the importance of, and threats to, our local wetlands. Under her leadership, Preserve Calavera has become the largest conservation group in north San Diego County. She has exemplified how members of the public can participate in wetland protection and restoration by: providing informed written and oral comments that have led to avoidance and minimization of wetland impacts from development; helping secure key acquisitions; organizing community wetland restoration projects; collecting stream characterization data; writing stream buffer guidelines; and training volunteers to monitor frog populations. She has led scores of hikes, organized Oak tree plantings, led creek clean-ups and invasive plant removals, gathered and cooked edible non-native plants for our ‘Eat the Invasives’ picnics and manned tables at countless community events so the local residents would have the opportunity to learn about the importance of wetlands protection. Diane has helped stem the tide of historic wetland loss in San Diego County.

We are extremely proud of our intrepid leader and feel she is so very deserving of this prestigious recognition! Diane believes this is a shared-honor……. "Of course, all of you and the thousands of other community activists working to protect wetlands are all deserving of such recognition. I can only accept it as a symbol of all of our work."

Annual Newsletter

December marked the end of another year, and our ninth year working to preserve, protect and enhance the natural resources of coastal north county. Our thanks to everyone whose time, talent and donations made the successes of 2010 possible.

We know times are tough for everyone, and donations are down across the board for non-profits. We have decided to tighten our belts, reduce costs and focus on core projects that will best carry out our mission. Now, more than ever, we need your time, talent, and donations to be able to continue our work in 2011. As part of our cost cutting we will not be mailing an annual fundraising appeal. . But we still need you to respond - with whatever amount or in whatever way works for you. For some that may be committing volunteer time. For others a financial donation. Donations can be made through our website at http://www.preservecalavera.org/donate.html or by mailing a check to Preserve Calavera at 5020 Nighthawk Way, Oceanside, CA 92056. Click on this link for an online version of our annual fundraising letter. Please consider a tax deductible year-end donation to Preserve Calavera. The plants, wildlife and future generations of north county will all thank you.