Preserve Calavera has a number of priority areas on which most of our efforts are focused. These include:
Natural Open Space – Natural open space land will be increased through acquisition and reducing the impacts of development.
- We support land acquisition that supports the Regional Conservation Plan and Wildlife Movement Corridors.
- Some of our actions include:
- Working at and supporting our restoration sites in Oceanside and Carlsbad and encouraging Stewardship Projects by other community members.
- Monitoring new development projects/areas, evaluating their potential environmental impacts and making recommendations to improve the protection of natural resources.
- Supporting our north county cities for their actions that reduce impacts on open space and speaking out against those actions that don’t.
- Monitoring and making recommendations for the Wildlife Corridor Planning Zone and supporting potential land acquisitions as they become available.
Land and Water Stewardship – Preserves and watersheds will be monitored and issues that negatively impact ecosystems will be addressed and reported.
- Some of our actions include:
- Bimonthly water quality and microplastic testing at three local subwatersheds – Agua Hedionda, Buena Vista, and Batiquitos.
- Monitoring and reporting the increased illegal trails at Calavera and lobbying for additional Rangers.
- Providing grant funds to the Buena Vista Audubon Society for the restoration of a 3.8-acre parcel of land in the South Oceanside Wetlands Reserve to restore native habitat.
- Working with habitat manager and CA Fish and Wildlife to protect the habitat and water around El Salto Falls, a sacred native American site in Oceanside.
Wildlife Monitoring and Protection– Allowing our wildlife to thrive requires safe passage and unpolluted habitats with native plants.
- Some of our actions include:
- Supporting our goal that functional wildlife movement corridors will be in place, we funded a study of the Wildlife Corridor Planning Zone to help identify “stepping stones” for the coastal CA gnatcatcher.
- Seasonal monitoring and reporting of grunion population along north Carlsbad beach.
- Identifying areas where “edge effect” conditions need to be met/enforced between development and preserved land.
Climate Change: Lobbying/advocacy will target effective local government action and enforceable Climate Action Plans. Education will be used to mobilize people to get involved in local actions. Our Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Fund (OGHGERF) will be used to support projects within the City of Oceanside.
- Some of our actions include:
- Working to ensure cities adopt effective Climate Action Plans by attending and speaking at city meetings/workshops, comment letters and meeting with city staff and council members. Educating and mobilizing community members to do the same.
- Using our OGHGERF to support projects within the City of Oceanside, such as solar panel installation and battery storage, the gO’side electric shuttle and tree planting.
- Partnering with SanDiego350 to fund two youth leadership positions in Oceanside to support their Youth4Climate Program .
Education/Outreach: Continue to engage the community through events, volunteer opportunities, classes, and our monthly newsletter
- Some of our actions include:
- Co-sponsoring Endangered Species Day at Buena Vista Audubon Nature Center.
- Running a pollinator education/activity booth at Arts in the Valley Festival at Heritage Park.
- Conducting the CA Naturalist Certification course; training local volunteers to be stewards of our natural lands.
- Sponsoring Tree Giveaway events throughout the year with Tree San Diego.
- Informing the community about our diverse habitats, wildlife, and issues that impact our local environment through our monthly newsletter. Covering a diverse range of topics, such as Wetlands, Coastal Sage Scrub, Native Bees and CEQA.
