So I went out with Don a little over a week ago to visit an incredible 112 acre preserve in the Rancho Santa Fe community, which runs along Escondido Creek. It forms a contiguous corridor of open space that serves as a core habitat for a lot of wildlife, to include the coastal California gnatcatcher.

Our friends over at San Diego Habitat Conservancy (SDHC) have been managing this site since September 2012 and are working to remove several invasive species such as the Giant Reed (Arundo donax) so that the sensitive indigenous plant species such as San Diego goldenstar, San Diego marsh-elder, and San Diego sagewort may once again begin to thrive.This image from the SDHC website gives an overall sense of the preserve’s size. I’ll be making a return visit again soon to share more pictures from Bridges . . . ESPECIALLY if I can capture a picture of those adorable little southern rufous-crowned sparrows!  

Speaking of adorable, I also wanted to share some more imagery from Jim’s presentation at Innovations Academy Charter School. The first grade students were absolutely amazed at the tools Jim brought with him and even more enthusiastic about his adventures observing the local wildlife on the preserves! If you’d like to bring your classroom into the great outdoors, just contact Sarah @ [email protected] and visit their website at www.sdhabitat.org!