San Dieguito River Park Accomplishments in 2007

 Awards/Grants

  • $313,000 was received from the State Resources Agency for construction of the Del Dios Gorge Trail.
  • $147,000 was donated by the San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy for trail expansion.
  • $71,000 was provided by the San Diego County Water Authority for construction of the Del Dios Trail.
  • $100,000 was provided by Pardee Construction to the City of San Diego for an El Camino Real wildlife and trail undercrossing study to facilitate a North/South regional trail connection between the Coast to Crest Trail and the Trans County Trail.
  • $2,500,000 was received from the State Resources Agency and SANDAG for the Lake Hodges Bridge.
  • $10,000 was received through a San Diego County Community Enhancement Grant sponsored by Supervisor Pam Slater-Price for restoration of the Sikes Adobe creamery.
  • $5,000 was contributed by the “River Park Equestrian Center”.
  • $25,000 was produced by The “Donate a Plank” fundraising program initiated by the Del Mar Rotary and the San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy for construction of trails and interpretive signs in the Wetlands Restoration area.
  • $60,000 in grants and contributions were designated for a Del Dios Highway undercrossing engineering study  and a Clevenger Canyon Trail linkage feasibility study by the San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy.

San Dieguito Lagoon Wetland Restoration Project

  • Project grading reached 70% of completion.
  • A $1,264,284 contract was awarded and construction begun on water quality treatment ponds, I-5 trail undercrossing and trail segment south of San Andreas Drive.
  • The North Bank Re-Vegetation project was begun by the San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy on the river bank between Jimmy Durante and I-5.
  • Seven bus tours of the ongoing project were conducted by the Friends of the San Dieguito River Valley, accommodating over 250 people.

Planning

  • The San Dieguito Watershed Management Plan was completed and an implementing council was established chaired by representatives of the San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy and the San Dieguito River Park.   The City Councils of Del Mar, Solana Beach, Poway and Escondido passed resolutions of support and participation.
  • The River Park Focused Planning Area was expanded to include the approximately         20,000-acre Guejito Creek viewshed.

 Land Acquisition

  • A 154-acre land parcel in the Del Dios Gorge was acquired from The Environmental Trust along with a $26,000 annual maintenance payment.
  • Four half-acre parcels along San Dieguito Drive in Del Mar were acquired by the San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy.

Trails

  • A 180-foot long steel truss bridge was constructed across the Del Dios Gorge as part of the Coast to Crest Trail for a construction cost of $623,000.
  • The south abutment of the Lake Hodges Bridge was constructed for a construction cost of $2,020,000.   Construction was initiated on phase 2 and phase 3 with award of a construction contract for $6,376,877.
  • A 1200-foot boardwalk was constructed on the north bank of the San Dieguito River east of Jimmy Durante.  The Del Mar Rotary provided labor to install the decking of the boardwalk saving approximately $40,000 for the River Park.

 Fire Recovery

  • The 22 nd District Agricultural Association committed to construct the Coast to Crest trail from the Boardwalk to I-5 to free up River Park staff to concentrate on fire recovery.
  • The San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy provided executive staff time to coordinate with FEMA.
  • Contributions of office furniture, tools and cash equivalent to over $30,000 received.
  • The River Park Administrative and Ranger offices were temporarily reestablished in the City of San Diego Water Reclamation facility on Highland Valley Drive.
  • The remaining adobe walls of the Sikes Adobe were stabilized through contributions of labor by the original Sikes restoration contractor, Mark Sauers.
  • The Lake Hodges North Shore Trail was cleared of after-fire conditions endangering public safety and reopened to the public.

Click here to see a list of previous year's accomplishments.