.“When we work together, dreams become a reality…”

The San Dieguito River Park would unite the Coast to Crest trail system, providing 55 miles of trails & the rare opportunity to explore the entire length of our local water supply.

From the Volcan Mountain (by Julian), the SDRP winds its way through the hill &  valley, eventually making its way to the Pacific Ocean via a quiet wetland behind the Del Mar Fairgrounds.  The SDRP’s mission is to create a network of trails, allowing the public to enjoy the diverse beauty ranging from the high desert of Anza-Borrego to the wetlands of the San Dieguito Lagoon.

“Ultimately, 94,000 acres would be protected in the park and trail system…”

The San Dieguito River Park Joint Powers Authority [SDRP] is a collective agency empowered by the County of San Diego  & the Cities of San Diego, Del Mar, Solana Beach, Poway & Escondido. Working with local agencies & individual land owners, land use is negotiated & more property is acquired each year. United in purpose, the SDRP wants to make the land available to the public & ensure the health of our natural resources…

Currently, the public can enjoy trails around the Lake Hodges reservoir and in Del Dios Gorge & Clevenger Canyon. Trails are in the works in the vicinity of the San Dieguito Lagoon & around the Sutherland Reservoir.

Near the Del Mar Fairgrounds, the Lagoon Boardwalk provides a family-friendly interactive stroll.  In Rancho Bernardo, the Highland Valley Trail and others nearby at Lake Hodges, are open to hikers, bikers, and even equestrians. Dogs are allowed on many of the trails, and most of these facilities can be enjoyed at no cost.

“Volunteers Wanted!”

Volunteer opportunities are available as natural habitats are restored & maintained, and trails are developed.  Restoration work continues from the Witch Creek fires of 2007, replacing lost native vegetation and removing invasive plants that may have played a part in the fast-moving wildfires. Water demands continue to grow along with our population, while resources become more precious.  If we take the time to understand and protect this vital commodity, we ensure the continuation of our delicate and diverse micro-climates for generations to come.

Photos courtesy of SDRP

“Sometimes it’s good to be fresh!”

It’s all the rage in San Diego – haute cuisine is going slow, and featuring local produce and in-house crafted foods.  Think the Linkery, Whisknladle & Prepkitchen, Terra & Arterra.  These restaurants are sure to spark your taste for the finer things on your own table, and why not?  You can pick up an amazing variety of local foods, as close as your own neighborhood Farmers Market!

San Diego is blessed with an endless growing season.  Even in February, you can find fresh navel oranges, lemons, avocados, kumquats, strawberries, cauliflower, asparagus, artichokes, rhubarb, tangerines, tangelos, carrots, celery, cabbage, peas, beets, cherimoyas, guavas, mushrooms, eggs, fruit, nuts, lettuce, greens, & honey in a local farmer’s market booth. Gotta love the endless choices!

As you walk through the stalls of your farmers market of choice, ask those friendly faces on the other side of the table what the various items are, and how best to prepare them. We can assure you they have a favorite rhubarb recipe, or can tell you how to know when your cherimoya is nicely ripe & ready to eat.  Need a little more guidance? Many communities are putting together excellent tours, as well as discussion series.

For starters…

The Little Italy Mercato (Saturdays 9 am – 1:30 pm) has been featuring the ‘Foodies on Foot’ tour during the month of February, led by a local expert on sustainable food.  Beginning with a tour of the Mercato, the group will learn the intricacies of gelato, bread and cheese making & coffee roasting.  Tastings will be included of course!  Wear your walking shoes, and prepare to work up an appetite.  The rest of the year, the Mercato typically hosts Chefs Series once a month.  Check their calendar for more information.

In Hillcrest, the Farmers Market (Sundays 9 am – 2 pm) is now hosting a regular Chef Series.  On February 28th, Chef Deborah Scott of Kemo Sabe and Island Prime will be on site to share cooking secrets with lucky attendees.

Not full? Still want more? Look to San Diego Roots, an organization working to promote small family farms and local food businesses, while encouraging events that strengthen our local food system.  They keep a comprehensive list of not only Farmers Markets in the area, but CSA (community supported agriculture) farms where members receive a regular assortment of the freshest farm produce. Farming workshops are a very popular feature that Roots has worked to develop, and the waiting lists are growing faster than spring peas can climb a fence!

Going green has never been so easy!

Catch the wave of sustainable food, and enjoy what you eat while supporting our local economy.

“Can I get a hand here?”

The storms came last week and brought us some much needed rain. But they also brought us something else…Trash. Rain washes it into the storm drains and into the ocean. Wind blows over trash cans and sends its bounty on a free flight, which always seems to land on our beaches. Last week, we had heavy rains and gale force winds. That’s a lot of trash!

You can help & here’s how… (Hey, you still have those extra holiday calories to burn off, right?)

This Saturday, January 31st, the Port of San Diego is helping to sponsor a San Diego Coastkeeper clean-up event at Marina View Park from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.  This event is the fourth event in a collaborative effort resulting in the Marine Debris program focusing in San Diego’s South Bay. The three prior cleanups helped remove a staggering 1,408 pounds of debris from Paradise Creek, Emory Cove and Chollas Creek. It’s trash to us, but it’s toxic to  the many land and marine species that favor our shores.

Both the San Diego Coastkeeper and the Surfrider Foundation work together to plan beach clean-ups twice a month along San Diego’s coastline, from Imperial Beach to the Oceanside Pier.  Typically, a clean-up on the second Saturday will take place in North County, while San Diego area clean-ups take place on the fourth Saturdays.

Volunteers should wear comfortable clothes, closed toed shoes & bring sunscreen. Coastkeeper will provide bags, gloves and water. Volunteers are encouraged to bring reusable work gloves and reusable buckets or bags to pick up trash, in order to conserve supplies and minimize any additional waste.  Trash is later weighed by Coastkeeper, in an effort to spot trends in coastal waste. If you’re still on the fence about lending a hand…

In 2008, over 12,000 volunteers removed more than 185,000 pounds of trash!

To see the 2010 schedule click here

Got water? We do. It’s everywhere we look!  Just gaze out over our endless Pacific Ocean, our numerous wetlands, lagoons, bays & estuaries. We’re flush with water!

“A round of water for everyone, it’s on the house!”

And it’s not just on the house, it’s all over the patio. It’s running down the driveway and making splatters on the back of our legs as we slog through it. It’s mushing up the flower beds and getting water stains all over our artsy wooden fences. It’s being forced upon us at restaurants and creating more work at hotels… We have too much water, right?

On June 1, 2009, San Diego County  effectively moved up to Alert Level 2: Drought Condition – Mandatory Restrictions

What in the Fiji water happened!?! It’s not like we’re all of a sudden drinking our recommended 8 glasses of water a day. On a grand scale of Level 1 -through 4 (4 being really really bad), we’re now at Level 2. So who is pilfering our water!?!

“Habit & Co is siphoning off our reserves…”

We fall into habits. We hit the same stores, end up at the same restaurants, date the same types, wear the same styles… When it comes to the habit of obliviously wasting water by the gallons per second, we need to snap out of it! 

“There are millions of us… small changes DO make a big difference“

Turn the water off while you brush your teeth… Avoid the morning stupor where you mindlessly check your skin tone as the water runs down the drain. At night, you can still brush and daydream, reviewing everything that did, didn’t or should have happened… just turn off the water.

Take shorter showers… Is fire hose pressure really necessary? Ladies, if you turn down the shower when you shave your legs, some of your shaving creme may actually stay on your legs long enough to give you that super smooth shave you crave. You men, do you really need to stay in the shower long enough to resemble the California Raisin dude? Got stiff muscles? Soak in a bath. You’ll save water and relax those pecs.

Get a broom, get some cardio… Dirty patio? Sweep it up, don’t hose it down. You can space out sweeping just as good as hosing. And, it’s a perfect time to mentally go over all those items you didn’t get to while brushing your teeth.

Can I get you some water? Avoid the watery crop circle on the table by refusing the offering if you’re not going to drink it. Didn’t get the offer? Don’t stiff your server if they don’t ply you with a glass  as soon as you’re seated.  Many restaurants are doing their part by serving water only upon request.

Water the plants, not the sidewalk… Level 2 mandates watering just three days a week, according to the provided schedule.  Got a rogue sprinkler head? Turn it around and stop watering the concrete, the patio, the neighbors walls, your kids…

Sweat house labor… Hotels won’t wash a duvet until it can stand up on its own, but they’ll wash the towels & sheets if they so much as look wrinkled. We don’t wash our linens daily at home, so tell the hotel, “not today please”. Millions of rooms times millions of washes daily – the water usage is staggering.

Workin’ at the car wash… You could wash your car on your lawn or leave it to the pro’s.  Anything else is a water waste. Newer car-wash facilities must recycle the water that they use. A word of caution… refuse the smelly tree shaped rear-view mirror dangler…

Need more incentive to conserve?

• First you get a warning letter…
• Then Citations ($100, $250, $500, $750, and $1,000)
• Next a Notice of Violation (Civil Penalties up to $2,500 per day per violation)
• Maybe get a referral to the City Attorney for Civil or Criminal prosecution
• Shut off of water service (NO water for YOU!)
  

Related topics & links:

• Evaluate your own landscaping for drought-tolerant alternatives
• “Saving water in times of drought” (Courtesy of SDNN.com)

Images: ©iStockphoto.com

“What do you get a girl who has everything for her  B-day?”

Spring has sprung… this week, it’s already feeling like Summer.  Could it be warming?  Better make nice and give Mother Earth a hug.  There are  lots of opportunities! So what if you missed  EarthFair in Balboa Park…

“Turns out Mother Earth needs quite a bit!”

Throughout San Diego County, this Saturday is host to the 9th Annual ‘Creek to Bay’ Clean-Up, organized by I Love a Clean San Diego.  50 % of the clean-up sites are located along our beautiful beaches, and 50% are located inland, along creeks and waterways.  You might not know that 80% of marine debris originates inland.  We are  interconnected in many ways, some unseen but vital!

Take a minute to check out the website and see what’s happening in your vicinity.  Or, make it an excuse for a beautiful day trip to the beach!  Once you’ve spent some time giving back to Mother Earth, you’ll be surprised at how easy (and downright habit forming) it can be.

The San Diego coastline is graced by miles of land caressed by moist coastal breezes as well as arid Santa Ana winds. The sand, waving palms, fruit trees and flowers always in bloom…echo a paradise found.  But as you move through less populated corners of the coast, the true nature of the region shows itself. Left alone, a diverse mix of both parched and lush flora reside together in reckless abandon. The two worlds coexist in a delicate balance.

“There is a threshold that we are reaching in terms of sprawling growth and selfish habitation. Will we become a paradise lost?”

Canyons wind through San Diego county, separating neighborhoods in ways similar to the waterways that reach out to the ocean. Already almost a year past, the wildfires that threatened our homes are still a close memory. Many homes that were threatened found themselves on the front lines due to impractical landscaping as well as developments encroaching on areas previously unoccupied.

When planting our gardens or approving a landscape design, we examine color, height, and sun exposure — and it can feel like that is sufficient homework! Unfortunately, in a paradise where anything can grow, grow it will, and your home might soon be dwarfed by the beautiful bougainvillea you planted just a few years ago. Some plants make it into area nurseries because they grow well, without consideration for the invasive quality that might demonstrate when unleashed in in our yards and parks.

This fall, as the sun softens and the mornings retain the mists, consider scouting for native plants that will prove to be more hardy and less demanding than their counterparts. Start by keeping an eye on area groups such as the California Native Plant Society, San Diego Chapter, who hold regular meetings and events at the Casa del Prado Courtyard in Balboa Park and other locations in the community.  Also explore Point Loma Native Plant Garden and the Quail Botanical Gardens in Encinitas for examples of just how lush and beautiful native landscapes can be!

Next summer you will spend less time and water keeping your yard looking lush, and feel better knowing that you are doing your part to honor this precious little piece of paradise that we call home.