#17 October 2003
Welcome to the Foundation’s seventeenth E-News, an end-of-the-month monthly newsletter designed to keep you up-to-date with developments and progress related to the San Diego Sea to Sea Trail. It’s with a heavy heart we post this month’s issue of E-News, with the very sad and tragic news of the aftermath of the San Diego County fires, which are still burning. Our thoughts go out to all those affected by the fires in any way.
Maxim of the month- The less there is between you and the environment, the more you appreciate the environment.
Colin Fletcher
Trail update and closures
As many of you will be aware, the fires still burning have devastated San Diego County. Trails can largely never die, and that will certainly be the case with the San Diego Sea to Sea Trail (aka Trans-County Trail). The fires have affected at least 50% of the Trail. The damage starts from the west in Poway, and stretches east about 70 miles all the way to the eastern end of Rancho Cuyamaca State Park, as it nears Anza-Borrego State Park.
We’ve lost a great deal of beautiful vegetation and scenery, and some structures along the way. Oakoasis Open Space Preserve is completely destroyed, including the historic 1936 split log house. A great deal of work had been put into the house by many volunteers and park staff, including Eagle Scouts and volunteers from Qualcomm. Very sadly, County of San Diego Senior Ranger, Craig Julene, who lived in the Preserve and who Qualcomm volunteers will remember fondly, lost his house. “Nothing but ashes!" said Craig. “Lost everything. Able to get out with the clothes on our backs."
The fire has also devastated El Cajon Mountain, on its western, northern and eastern flanks. Volunteers and County Parks staff have also put hundreds of hours into this section of the Trail. On the bright side, we should now be able to get a handle on the exotics that had invaded the Trail’s eastern access point. Featherstone Camp has also been mostly destroyed.
Cleveland National Forest has been very badly hit. October 30 we spoke with Chris Nyce, Recreation and Lands Staff Officer, Palomar Ranger District of the Cleveland National Forest: “Every little bit of the Trail, from the summit of El Cajon to Cuyamaca has been burnt. The 110-year-old manzanitas that flanked the eastern side of El Cajon have also gone." Of course, this will make sighting the new section of Trail from El Cajon’s summit to the San Diego River easier!
The affected area also includes Cedar Creek Falls, a popular adjunct to the Sea to Sea Trail and hiking destination in its own right (now closed).
Rancho Cuyamaca State Park is devastated. Only 300 to 400 acres of the Park’s 26,000 acres survives. Chris Nyce happened to be out in Cuyamaca on October 28 when the flames were at their highest: “It was otherworldly. The flames were jumping 500 feet above the trees and racing between Middle Peak and North Peak. It sounded like a train."
Amazingly, Cuyamaca’s Paso Picacho and Green Valley Camps survived. The area of the Conejas Trail where we worked on for TRAIL DAY 2003 has been burnt, but the Trail, and our work, remains. But Los Vaqueros Group Camp, where we staged TRAIL DAY 2003, has been lost.
In fact, we’re all very pleased that we did hold TRAIL DAY 2003 in Cuyamaca. We were some of the last people to appreciate the beauty of this special area, and to stand atop Stonewall Peak as it stood then. Fond memories for all of us, and our thoughts go out to all Rancho Cuyamaca staff with whom we’ve worked over the past years.
CLOSURES:
- October 30 we spoke with Mike McFedies of the County of San Diego. He warned that all County fire-damaged sections of the Trail and surrounding countryside have been closed. He also pleaded for all off-road vehicles to stay out of the burnt areas. “All the usual barriers we had up, such as park boundary fences and trail gates etc have been destroyed", he said. “If the off-roaders get onto the land, it will be ruined for future rehabilitation and use."
- Cuyamaca Rancho State Park will remain closed until Spring 2004 or beyond. For a collection of very sad photos, click here.
- All of Cleveland National Forest is now closed until further notice.
- Mission Trails Park was over 50% burned, and the majority of the Park is closed until November 17, largely due to public safety concerns with downed and teetering utility poles. Lake Murray remains open, and Cowles Mountain re-opened on November 1. City of San Diego Park and Recreation urges people to stay on the trails!
REI stewardship award for Foundation and lead volunteer!
The Foundation is delighted to announce that its very own Mike Gonzalez is one of five national recipients of REI’s very first ‘Stewards for the Environment Award’. The awards are designed to recognize, reward and celebrate the inspiring work of individual volunteers who are making a difference by giving their time, energy and expertise toward environmental stewardship. With the award, Mike won $500 of REI gear and apparel, and the Foundation won $20,000!
Mike has been a dedicated volunteer for the Foundation for nearly two years. With a 14-year-old son with cerebral palsy, Mike is committed to one of our key objectives, to be a ‘best practice’ model in trail building for the physically challenged. Juggling his personal commitments, Mike has tirelessly been there – helping and leading – with mapping out new sections of the Trail, working on the Trail every second Sunday, and gifting small (and sometimes not so small) sums as initial gifts to help make a project happen. He is also a member of the Foundation’s Advisory Council, and helps ensure that all the Foundation’s volunteers are made to feel part of the family. Our hats off to you, Mike!
Trail celebrates its first through-hiker!
Congratulations to Derek Williams, the first through-hiker/backpacker of the San Diego Sea to Sea Trail! And amazingly, probably the last person to have seen the Trail ‘as it was’ - Derek completed his odyssey only two weeks ago. Derek’s Trail Journal can be found here.
Trail maintenance program
Due to the fires and the lousy air quality, we’ve currently suspended our Trail maintenance program. We’ve offered volunteer help to help rebuild the fire-affected stretches of Trail, and have been advised by the various Trail-related agencies that as soon as the fires have been stopped and the damage assessed that we’ll be on call. We’ll keep you posted!
Trail work at Torrey Pines!
Foundation lead volunteer and Torrey Pines State Park volunteer Mike Gonzalez is seeking out a small, select ‘core’ group to recruit and train as the Torrey Pines Trail Corps. “My hope is to get no more than five to six highly qualified, motivated, talented, dedicated men and women who want to make and keep Torrey Pines the incredible place and resource that it is," said Mike. “I plan to make this a Wednesday afternoon ‘hump day’ project and meet every other week for 3-4 hours or as daylight permits. I have always considered it to be an incredibly rare privilege to be able to be among a select few who are entrusted with the legacy which Ellen Browning Scripps was prescient enough to create over a 100 years ago and then bequeath to our community. It’s a rare gem indeed and I have the feeling there’s a few others out there who would feel the same way when given the opportunity." Please e-mail Mike direct if you are interested!
Outdoors Education 2003 events
In conjunction with the Friends of the Kumeyaay Interpretive Center and the San Pasqual Band of Indians, the Foundation held a highly successful education event on October 18 at Poway’s Kumeyaay Interpretive Center. Sponsored by the Alice C Tyler Perpetual Trust, 85 people were hosted to this first event of its kind at the Center. Members of the San Pasqual Band of Indians taught classes to children aged 7 to 13, learning how to make Kumeyaay pottery (coil bowls), rock art (spirit stones), Kumeyaay games (the stick counting game), and how to make Shawii from acorns (acorn meal). The four activities included an explanation of how they were made, and why and how the early Americans used them. The San Pasqual Bird Song Dancers also danced and sang traditional songs, and San Pasqual instructors told stories about Kumeyaay history as they taught each class. For a report of the day from the Union Tribune, please visit click here.
Because of the fires we have canceled the remaining Outdoor Education programs for this year. BUT, if your school would like a personal program tailored for your class, please e-mail Kristen. We can also host programs at Poway’s Kumeyaay-Ipai Center.
2003 Geocaching Challenge update
Please note that all the geocaches between the western end of Poway and the western border of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park have probably been destroyed. That complete 50-mile section of the Trail has been closed. For a list of the possible destroyed geocaches, please click here. We’ll keep you posted.
Trail goodies
Here’s the perfect opportunity to show you care in your support for the Foundation and the Trail, and to tell the world you’ve been out there. For your very own Foundation T-shirts, travel mug, coffee mug, Trail baseball cap and bumper sticker, just click here.
Sign up to the Foundation’s eScrip Program!
As another way of raising money for the Foundation’s education program, we’re thrilled we’ve been accepted into the national eScrip Program. Many of you, especially those with school-aged children, may be already familiar with eScrip. eScrip’s a hassle-free way for non-profits such as the San Diego Sea to Sea Trail Foundation that support children’s programs to raise funds through everyday purchases made at eScrip merchants.
eScrip and over 150 merchant partners have created a system that rewards customer loyalty by contributing a percentage of purchases to your chosen group. You shop the way you like to shop (grocery shopping, buying clothes, travel and entertainment). It’s simple, safe and convenient; all you need to do is register your grocery club card and debit/credit card(s). It’s also simple to register:
• Log on to http://www.escrip.com/ and go to ‘sign up’ (orange bar at the top), or e-mail Kristen for details.
• Designate the Foundation to receive contributions. Our Group ID is #150734477.
• Register your grocery club card from a participating merchant, your Chevron card and your debit/credit cards.
And that’s it! Visit eScrip merchants to shop and earn. It’s automatic! For more information, just click here.
Sign up as a Friend of the Foundation!
To assist us in our ongoing mission, join up as a Friend of the Foundation, by clicking here and helping us make it all happen! And don’t forget to check out our valued Supporters page.
Adopt a Tree out on the Trail!
Adopting a tree – a native California Oak or Sycamore – along the route of the San Diego Sea to Sea Trail is a gift for a 1,000 years. Not only is it a wonderful gift for someone close to you, or even for yourself, but it is an excellent way to help support the building and maintenance of the Trail. And importantly it helps preserve and add to the Trail’s native habitats. All for $100.
Adopting a tree is easy. We do all the work for you, working with the agencies along the Trail to identify the planting sites, order the five-gallon trees, plant and care for the planting sites. And for your support, we’ll send you or your loved ones, a certificate of their adoption. For more information, just click here.
Traveling?
If so, try Orbitz.com. Just click here and then click on the Orbitz button. Every time you make a travel reservation of any sort, the Foundation receives a commission. That means more of the San Diego Sea to Sea Trail can be built and maintained for your enjoyment, and more of its environmental and historical treasures can be preserved for future generations.
Schools Community Service Credit
If you know of anyone who needs to collect credits for their community service projects, then we may be just the right project for them. We’ve got lots of opportunities for students to join us on Trail Work Days in the weekends. And if there’s an entire group or class who would like to get out on the Trail working as a team, we can arrange a workday just for them, any day of the week. The teams will by fully supervised by Rangers (as are all our workdays), and it’s a great outdoors experience! Our Volunteer Program Application Form can be found by clicking here, and includes a section specifically for California Schools Community Service Credit. Please e-mail Kristen for further information.
Did you know?
Twenty-two endangered plant and animal species are found in the Cleveland National Forest. Let’s hope some have survived.
