NEWS

Support San Diego County Board of Supervisors Biodiversity Resolution

San Diego biodiversity includes the endangered Hermes copper butterfly that lives in just San Diego County and northern Baja California.

Can you spare a few minutes to support protection of San Diego County’s special nature?

Next Wednesday, November 16th 2022, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors will consider a Biodiversity Resolution to enshrine a vision and goals for the protection of our important local native habitats and ecosystems and we need to demonstrate to the entire Board popular support for this issue. Our goal is to show overwhelming support by getting 100 people to submit e-comments in support of the resolution. Make an e-comment here (on Item 6). Or sign up to speak during public comment here. 

San Diego County is a globally important biodiversity hotspot, with more animal and plant species than almost any other county in the continental United States. Climate change, wildfires, and habitat fragmentation from development are threatening San Diego’s ecosystems. It is imperative we protect our habitats and ecosystems for future generations to come.

Julian Natural Wonderfest

Come spend a beautiful summer day in the San Diego mountains and visit The Chaparral Lands Conservancy’s booth at the Julian Natural Wonderfest tomorrow, Saturday August 20 from 4 – 11pm

We’ll be sharing information on the proposed Mutt Kupshuw – ‘Éexil Kwáavichush National Monument  to better protect the mountains and desert of San Diego County, southern Riverside County, and western Imperial County. And there will be lots of other fun stuff like music, art, animal ambassadors, telescopes to see the night sky, and more. See you there!

SD County Endangered Species Act Protections

Good news though decades late: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed federal Endangered Species Act legal protections for San Diego County’s special Hermes copper butterfly. The Chaparral Lands Conservancy Director David Hogan submitted the first formal documents requesting Endangered Species Act protection for this wonderful little butterfly about 29 years ago in 1991 and wrote a second and much more though petition on behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity [link] in 2004. Sprawl development, climate change and related unnaturally frequent wildfire, and chaparral-shredding programs by Calfire and the U.S. Forest Service are the greatest threats to the species.

“This butterfly is one among dozens of endangered species in San Diego that are extremely specialized to our unique environment,” Hogan said. “San Diego County has an extraordinarily high concentration of endangered species.”

For the full article: Hermes copper butterfly lives almost exclusively in San Diego County, where its habitat has been burned or built over

By DEBORAH SULLIVAN BRENNAN
JAN. 12, 2020 – 4:18 AM

Request For Proposals – Qualified Contractors

REMINDER – DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS THIS FRIDAY JANUARY 17, 5PM

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS – RAREST PLANTS PROPAGATION PROJECT

Project Budget: $25,000.00

The Chaparral Lands Conservancy is requesting proposals from qualified professional contractors for its Rarest Plants Propagation Project to improve the conservation status of three sensitive or endangered plants: Orcutt’s brodiaea; Orcutt’s spineflower; and short-leaved dudleya.

Please contact Dave Hogan for a copy of the RFP or with any questions at director@chaparralconservancy.org or 760 809-9244.



Los Angeles Times on Chaparral

This story in the Los Angeles Times is a great primer on the value and threats to native chaparral vegetation in California. More people in more sprawl developments and more infrastructure like roads and power lines mean more accidental wildfires. According to the article, “Frequent big fires mean that shrublands that would naturally burn at intervals of 30 to 60 years — or even a century or more — are sometimes torched at intervals of a decade or less. When that happens, resprouting species don’t have sufficient time to regrow. Non-sprouting shrubs can’t reach maturity and shower the ground with a new seed bank. Invaders can then take over in a process ecologists call type conversion.

More wildfires, drought and climate change bring devastating changes to California wildlands

FEDERALLY ENDANGERED DEL MAR MANZANITA
FEDERALLY ENDANGERED DEL MAR MANZANITA GROWING OUT OF BEAUTIFUL ERODED TORREY SANDSTONE FORMATION.

The Chaparral Lands Conservancy In the News

Check out the recent TV news on The Chaparral Lands Conservancy’s exciting work to supplement a population of one of San Diego’s rarest plants, the short-leaved liveforever. Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve is so much more than epic views and it’s important that visitors stay on trails to avoid trampling the many little animal and plant residents that call this place home.

San Diego’s Liveforever plant nearing extinction

Work underway to save endangered plant at Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve

Carmel Mountain Dudleya
The sprouting short-leaved Dudleya appears to thrive in tiny saturated patches of soil amidst hard sandstone along steep edges of coastal mesas. These areas are often trampled as people seek prime ocean and sunset views.
Blooming short-leaved Dudlea
Blooming short-leaved Dudlea. This extremely rare plant grows at only five places on the planet in just a few square miles of north coastal San Diego County.

CLC Begins Work On Otay Mesa Vernal Pool Habitat Restoration Project

The Chaparral Lands Conservancy is pleased to announce the start of work on our Otay Mesa Vernal Pool Habitat Restoration Project I following years of planning, permitting, and fundraising. This week, our contractor RECON Environmental is removing years of dense weed cover so we can see and mark the ground and install erosion control measures before grading in November.

Otay Mesa Vernal Pool Habitat Restoration Project

Otay Mesa Vernal Pool Habitat Restoration Project

Request for Proposals — Biological Monitoring for the Otay Mesa Vernal Pool Habitat Restoration Project

DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: October 26, 2018, 5pm

Maximum bid: $80,000.00

Optional Site Meeting: October 18 or 19, 2018 (To be determined)

The Chaparral Lands Conservancy is requesting proposals from qualified professional contractors for biological monitoring services for TCLC’s Otay Mesa Vernal Pool Habitat Restoration Project over four years.

Download the RFP in PDF format
Download the Restoration and Enhancement Plan in PDF format

Request For Proposals — Biological Monitoring for the Proctor Valley ORV Site B Vernal Pool Habitat Restoration Project

DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: October 26, 2018, 5pm

Maximum bid: $50,000.00

Optional Site Meeting: October 18 or 19, 2018 (To be determined)

The Chaparral Lands Conservancy is requesting proposals from qualified professional contractors for biological monitoring services for TCLC’s Proctor Valley ORV Site B Vernal Pool Habitat Restoration Project over two – three years.

Download the RFP in PDF format
Download the Restoration and Enhancement Plan in PDF format