Preserve Calavera Issues

The following highlights our key concerns/issues and how we plan to impact them.

Buena Vista Creek Valley
top

We were successful in securing half of this remarkable little valley with the purchase of the 134-acre Buena Vista Creek Ecological Reserve but what about the other half? The 180-acre Quarry site stands between the El Salto Falls and the Reserve. What do you want to see there? Dense housing and more retail stores or a 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. It is unique with its’ cultural, historical and biological resources. Keeping the entire valley intact and protected will be a wonderful legacy for ourselves and future generations. Click here to view our Vision for the Buena Vista Creek Valley.

Protecting Wetlands
top

IDid you know we have lost over 90% of our historic wetlands? Water quality issues have become a premier concern in recent years. Creek hydrology, urban run-off, flood plain function, bacteria and nutrients are just some of the threats to our waterways. We are just beginning to understand the effects on the plants and animals that call wetlands home. We hear about beach closures, algae blooms, fish die-offs and invasive plant invasions, but what can we do?

Concerned about the degradation of local creeks, in 2003 we held a memorial service for a Coast Live Oak tree that toppled to its death from bank undercutting and got the Mayor of the City of Vista to speak at the event.   This generated sufficient interest to support a volunteer effort organized the following year to document conditions along creeks in the Agua Hedionda watershed.   A grant proposal was submitted that led to a $500k grant by the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board to prepare the first Agua Hedionda Watershed Management Plan.

We have sponsored community tree planting events in four riparian corridors in Vista, Oceanside and Carlsbad. A commitment beyond the actual planting is required because the young trees need to be hand weeded and watered for about two years. The rewards are Oaks up to 8 feet tall and Willows planted just a few months ago in full bloom!

We belong to the Carlsbad Watershed Network, an affiliation of private and public entities seeking to work together to preserve and protect the watersheds of the Carlsbad Hydrologic Unit. 

We participate in the Stream Team program taking water samples that are analyzed for composition, turbidity and macroinvertabrates.

We are an active and effective participant in the public project review process through writing comment letters, participating in public meetings, and meeting regularly with developers and local, state and federal agencies who regulate wetlands.  These efforts have led to avoidance and minimization of wetland impacts from numerous developments. 

We sponsor wildlife appreciation events to promote public awareness. The Frog, Toad and Amphibian event highlights our local frogs, toads and amphibians and the reasons for the decline in these 'canary in the coal mine' species. Guests get a close-up look at some of our local neighbors and learn about their benefits to us. The presentation includes discussion  about how these critters relate to issues of water quality, urban run-off and the health of our local waterways...and why we should care!

We provide support and staff training in watershed issues.

We have authored a comprehensive Stream Buffer Guideline.

We are partners in the National Wildlife Federation’s Frog Watch  program to raise awareness about development impacts on these species and get volunteer citizen-scientists out monitoring in our local wetlands. 

Sounds like a lot but there is so much more to do. We will continue our efforts to come up with more ways to make a difference.

Land Acquisition
top

We are at a critical time - in a critical location.  San Diego County is listed as one of the 25 most important centers of biological diversity in the world- and one that is facing the greatest threats of species extinction.  Our dream is to permanently preserve all the remaining sensitive habitat, but we know that our dreams won't make that happen. What we are doing is working every day to preserve as much as we can, using every available means.  There are basically only three ways that we can permanently preserve land as natural open space:

-  have land donated for conservation
-  get land exacted as mitigation when development proceeds
-  buy it

In our area we see the results of all three of these methods. 

Donation

Ida Dawson donated part of her family's ranch to the University of California.  The Dawson-Los Monos Reserve bears her name.  This area is adjacent to Buena Vista Park in Vista, is contiguous with the larger Calavera area core habitat, and includes a key reach of Agua Hedionda Creek. This land is maintained in its natural condition, can never be developed, and provides opportunities for important scientific research on our local plants and wildlife.  Where land includes important natural resources, there are significant tax advantages to land owners to make such donations.  Our partnership with the San Diego Foundation provides a mechanism for such donations in this area.

Mitigation

The law requires that any loss of sensitive habitat (land used by plants or animals under threat of extinction) is "mtigated."  If a developer plans to build on land that includes such sensitive habitat then they are generally required to protect some of that habitat on their land, buy or restore such habitat somewhere else, or pay fees that could be used for acquisition or restoration at some future time.  The details of such mitigation are subject to permits by the state and/or federal wildlife agencies.  We have learned that careful review of project history, and comments on environmental documents can often result in more mitigation than a developer has proposed.  Every additional inch of land that  preserved in this manner is preserved in perpetuity- usually with funds to pay for its management. Our research and follow-through on numerous development propsals has resulted in acres of additional land being preserved right here in north county.  This has included purchase of County land for the Carlsbad Oaks North project, loss of 8 housing lots at Calavera Hills Phase II, protection of a 20 acre "remainder :" parcel at Holly Springs, protection of coastal sage scrub at the Target Center - and many others.   

Purchase

Land purchases often take years to finalize.  In the case of our successful acquisition of the Sherman property in the Buena Vista Creek Valley- it was over 10 years.  The essential ingredient is a willing seller.  The landowner decides if they want to sell their land for conservation.  If they do, a qualified appraiser determines the value based on the "highest and best" use.  This assures a fair market price and additional tax incentives can make this very financially desirable for some sellers.   All or most of the money for such purchases generally comes from public funds.  But community based fundraising can be an important component- and in the case of the Sherman acquisition- it was critical.  Our efforts have resulted in the acquisition of the 99 acre Sipple property in tha Calavera core area, and the 134 acre Sherman property in the Buena Vista Creek Valley.  We currently have 4 other acquisition efforts in process, and have targeted several other properties for potential acquisition- should the seller's become willing.

We have worked very hard over the last few years to raise both funding agency and community concern about the importance of preserving more of our natural lands in coastal North County.   We have established partnerships with national organizations like the Trust for Public Land, participate on regional coalitions like the Conservation Resources Network, and have established funding relationships with the largest source of private funds in San Diego County- the San Diego Foundation.    

New Carlsbad High School
top

A new high school is proposed right in the center of the preserve area. School districts and other public agencies are not mandated to participate in the HMP planning process - but they are invited. The Carlsbad School District decided not to participate as they were not far enough along in their site planning . School district staff report they expect to have a school in place in about 5 years. They will be required to do their own comprehensive Environmental Impact Report in order to proceed with this.

We are working with the Carlsbad Unified School District to plan a project that meets their needs, while still protecting the regional wildlife movement corridor, wetlands and sensitive habitat.

Off- Road Vehicle Access
top

Off-road motorized vehicles are prohibited from all preserve lands- but ongoing access is causing increased erosion, destruction of plants, and noise impacts. We have completed the first phase of our off-road vehicle elimination project- a perimeter survey to identify where these vehicles are accessing the preserve. We identified 7 areas still in active use, pinpointing them on maps and gave them to the Carlsbad Police Department. As of 2006, the City of Carlsbad has off-road vehicle officers, but monitoring and responding to vehicles in open space is a secondary function. The vehicles used by the police are configured for road use and consequently are not as fast as those often used by the folks who violate the law in our open space. Their job is also complicated because there are three jurisdictions involved- Carlsbad, Oceanside and Vista and vehicles may enter in one city and leave in another.

All off-road vehicle activity is prohibited on private or unimproved public land per Municipal Code section 8.28.040. Fines are $75- $125. Often, violators are cited with more than one infraction so the fees can be significantly higher. Many motorcycles used off-road are not licensed, but they are usually transported to the area by truck. So it may be possible to identify the drop-off vehicle and get their license number. If you see this activity, get as much information as possible, and then call it in to dispatch at (760) 931-2197 or the Watch Commander at (760) 931-2115.

The key information to help the police includes:

• Time of day

• Day of week

• Point of entry

• Description of vehicle and rider

• License plate and description of vehicles off-loading off-road vehicles

We raised our concern about signage in the area. Where there is posting, the signs read "No Trespassing". We want to encourage responsible public use. Specific signage that indicates the restricted activity would be better. On Mt. Carmel the signs specify "No Off-road Vehicle Activity Allowed". The Planning Department is in charge of signage and they are looking into changing the signs.

We will be following up with the Oceanside Police Department and the Planning Department. Please give us your suggestions for helping to curtail this off-road vehicle activity.

Invasive Plants
top

Invasive plants are becoming an increasing problem in many native plant environments. The Carlsbad Watershed Network (CWN) was awarded a grant and has removed the Pampas Grass and Arundo donax in the Agua Hedionda watershed. We anticipate that their efforts will continue to eradicate other invasive species as well.

Preserve Management
top

Once an area has been established as a formal preserve, there is a written agreement between the responsible owner and the wildlife agencies. Both Calavera Heights and Calavera Highlands have such agreements in place, but they are not being adhered to. 86 acres of Calavera Highlands was purchased by Caltrans as mitigation for widening Highway 76. This land was supposed to be returned to coastal sage scrub habitat, but it remains grassland. Several parcels were managed by The Environmental Trust. Their bankruptcy has left these areas unprotected. Other areas, like Lake Calavera are protected on paper only, as the city has yet to hire a land manager.

We need to improve our monitoring of preserve management.

Cannon Road Reach 4
top

The City of Carlsbad proposes to extend Cannon Rd between El Camino Real and the current terminus in Oceanside. Reach 4 is the segment east of the intersection with the current terminus. (Reach 3 is west of the intersection to El Camino Real). Reach 4 is of great concern because it will bisect what is preserved native habitat in the Carlsbad Habitat Management Plan. Over 20 acres of prime habitat will be destroyed for the roadway. The extensive cut-and-fill will impact the watershed. In addition, the roadway will be realigned and elevated 40 feet causing even greater visual and sound impacts. Since this also passes through a preserve area, there are no developers to pay for it. Our tax dollars will be used to destroy land that tax dollars have paid for.

We are opposed to this road extension. We will continue to address this road through the formal EIR process, the local political process, funding agencies, the wildlife agencies and every other way we can.

Public Trail System
top

While it is important to have public access via trail systems, they need to be located to minimize impacts to creeks, nesting birds and rare plants. Official trail plans do not cover all areas and we have many unofficial/unauthorized trails. We need comprehensive planning efforts, patrolling and maintenance for a sustainable trail system.

Wildlife Undercrossing of Palomar Airport Road
top

The City of Catlsbad approved the developer to build a wildlife undercrossing at Lionshead, thereby releasing the funds that were earmarked for the Palomar Airport Road undercrossing. We will continue to work with the wildlife agencies on securing mitigation funds elsewhere to complete this much-needed wildlife tunnel.

Why Is It Needed

Historically this area has functioned as a regional wildlife corridor, connecting the hills of San Marcos and the east county through core habitat in the Calavera area of Carlsbad to stepping stones through Oceanside all the way to Camp Pendleton. The construction of Palomar Airport Rd created a major barrier to this wildlife movement. A healthy ecosystem requires a balance of species from the largest predators to the small mammals, amphibians and birds. In this area the top predators are coyotes and bobcats- both of which maintain a significant territory. If there aren't enough predators small mammal populations increase without natural controls. The ecosystem gets out of balance and the result can be overgrazing and the destruction of both native and landscaped plants.

The other results are roadkill when there is not a safe crossing area, an overpopulation of predators causing conflicts with nearby residents and in-breeding that results in unhealthy species that in extreme cases can lead to extirpation in an area.

Our Concerns with Conservation Planning

Reduction in size of the open space
top

In 2003, SANDAG approved the Multiple Habitat Conservation Plan (MHCP) providing a conservation plan for 7 North County coastal cities. This process uses a more comprehensive way of looking at habitat and deciding what should be developed and what should be preserved. Under the old process, these decisions were made on a project by project basis. With the new process, the entire city is looked at as a whole. In theory this should result in protecting larger contiguous, more critical habitat while also streamlining the environmental process for developers. In practice, however, HMP's are greatly influenced by developers and the final results often do little to protect species. http://www.sandag.org/index.asp?projectid=97&fuseaction=projects.detail

Carlsbad is the first city to complete their Habitat Management Plan (HMP). Finalized in December 2004, it projects about a 60% reduction in the size of the existing Calavera open space. This comes primarily from three new residential developments and expansion of the industrial park at Carlsbad Oaks. http://www.carlsbadca.gov/planning/4hmp.html

The city of Oceanside is expected to complete their Plan by the end of 2008. The remaining cities are making slower progress..

Loss of Sensitive Habitat
top

The MHCP does a poor job of prioritizing the land to be preserved based upon its criticality for endangered/threatened species. Developers have negotiated the boundaries of proposed protected areas so that they maximize profit, often minimizing species preservation.

Update on Key Projects (updated on 4/27/08)
top
Recent developments on a few of our projects of concern:

Lake Calavera Dam Repair
The outflow mechanism has had a defective valve that was temporarily fixed by freezing it shut. City staff stated "it is highly probable" that the lake will be drained in order to do the repair. However, there are alternatives to draining the lake. We alerted the Sierra Club and worked with them to send a letter notifying the city that such action requires an EIR and possibly notification to the Army Corps of Engineers. We were successful in preventing the draining of the lake. Repairs are currently underway ans expect to be completed in 2008.

Target Center
We appealed the Vista Planning Commission’s approval of this project and negotiated several significant improvements including essentially preserving all Coastal Sage Scrub habitat, reducing parking lot size and stand alone building restrictions resulting in a 30% reduction in traffic and improved pedestrian and transit access.

Village H
The Carlsbad City Council has determined that this land is not needed to meet the requirements for Community Facilities, as that requirement was increased after the Master Plan was approved. That means that the land will not be bulldozed. Details are still being worked out between the City and the developer for ways to compensate for the loss of this parcel which was intended to produce revenue. This parcel has been added to the City’s potential land acquisition list.

Carlsbad Oaks North
After years of effort and losing 2 lawsuits, this project is under construction. However, our efforts helped contribute to several significant project changes: 300’ setback at the Dawson/Los Manos Reserve, increased setbacks at residences on Brookhaven pass, better monitoring of the majestic 200 year old Coast Live Oaks trees, elimination of the original sewer line configuration that would have cut a new road through pristine habitat, better restoration and monitoring plans and an additional 20 acres of mitigation land.

Cantorini/Holly Springs
Our settlement agreement for this project includes good criteria for equestrian use, an improved trail plan, increased use of native plants for landscaping, increased mitigation lands and better protection of wetland buffers.

Robertson Ranch
Our settlement agreement for this project includes improved buffers for Calavera Creek, coyote-roller bars on the fences in yards abutting the open space, some of the best CC&R language such as restrictions of invasive plants, limits of equestrian use and trash containment, fencing to direct wildlife to the undercrossing at College Blvd, removal of a 10-space parking lot, shade trees in the parking lots, zero-emission VOC paints used on buildings and some funding for wetlands improvement projects.

Volunteer Help
top

As you can see- there is a lot of work to do- and few hands to do it. The more help we have-the more we can accomplish. Volunteers could take on tasks like telephone tree, doing project publicity, leading hikes, reviewing EIR's, soliciting donations, monitoring construction sites, watering trees- you let us know what you would like to do- we have something for you!. Petitions can be downloaded from our website- we want to keep the count of signers going up to demonstrate how much local folks care about saving this open space- print a form and get 10 signatures- that's something everyone can do!
Download a copy of our petition