ESCONDIDO — The Escondido Creek Conservancy closed escrow on two properties in early December, a move that will help protect wildlife corridors in the region.
The purchase includes the White-Atterbury property, which extends from Harmony Grove into San Marcos, and the Elfin Acres property in Elfin Forest. Together, the properties encompass hundreds of acres.
According to the conservancy, the acquisitions are critical components of the nonprofit’s Connecting Conservation Corridors Campaign, which aims to link fragmented native habitats to help wildlife survive amid increasing development.
The conservancy purchased the properties using nearly $7 million in state and federal grants from the Wildlife Conservation Board, awarded at the recommendation of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The acquisition of the two properties “have been years in the making,” according to Ann Van Leer, executive director of the Escondido Creek Conservancy.
“Purchasing and protecting these properties will create new opportunities for outdoor education and community engagement, and ultimately ensure the survival of rare and threatened species in the Escondido Creek watershed for future generations,” Van Leer said.
Established in 1991, the conservancy works to preserve and restore the Escondido Creek watershed, which flows from the mountains above Lake Wohlford in Escondido to the San Elijo Lagoon and the shores of Encinitas and Solana Beach. The watershed encompasses more than 75 square miles of land in North County.
The Escondido Creek Conservancy now owns approximately 3,400 acres of land in the region.
The 160-acre White-Atterbury property connects existing conservancy land in Harmony Grove and San Marcos, including Frank’s Peak. The 96-acre Elfin Acres property borders the conservancy’s 910-acre Keithley Preserve and contains nearly two miles of Escondido Creek.
According to the conservancy, both properties include a diverse range of native habitats, including southern mixed chaparral, coastal sage scrub, riparian zones and seasonal wetlands.
“Here in North County, one of our most sensitive and threatened habitats is coastal sage scrub,” Van Leer said via email. “It grows, hence the name, from the coast to elevations around 1,000 feet — in the same areas where people want to live. As a result, a lot of this habitat has been lost to human uses, leaving the species that rely on it vulnerable.”
The properties are home to rare and sensitive species, including the coastal California gnatcatcher, southwestern pond turtle, and western spadefoot toad.
“The gnatcatcher, and other species that rely on coastal sage scrub, have found themselves with fewer places to live as Southern California has developed,” Van Leer explained.
Van Leer said the gnatcatcher also forages in chaparral and other nearby habitats that complement coastal sage scrub, making protection of the entire integrated-habitat system critical to maintaining wildlife in the region.
“At the Escondido Creek Conservancy, our goal is to protect as much of what is left and do it in such a way as the plants and animals native to Southern California will thrive into the future,” Van Leer said. “With that in mind, the Conservancy’s purchase of the White-Atterbury property and the Elfin Acres property was strategic. Birds and animals, and even plants, move from one area to another. Our focus was on protecting critical conservation corridors.”
Going forward, the conservancy will integrate the properties into its land management system, a process that will include engaging community partners and developing a sustainable habitat management plan for each site.
The conservancy will work with its grantors and donors to ensure funding is used to protect wildlife. This will include reviewing public access options for both properties, consistent with that goal.
“Sometimes we must first address public safety or other issues, which we are doing right now, for example, on the Elfin Acres property,” Van Leer said. “That site is closed until mid-January as we have a major tree project underway.”
The conservancy offers hikes and other activities across its properties and encourages interested participants to sign up and follow the conservancy on Eventbrite.com and escondidocreek.org for updates.
Signups remain open for an upcoming Jan. 3 hike up Frank’s Peak, with Van Leer leading the way.
