San Diego County supervisors voted Wednesday to buy 175 acres of environmentally valuable land that will link the east and west portions of the Santa Ysabel Preserve and could potentially allow expansion of the “Coast to Crest” trail that is envisioned to stretch from Del Mar to Volcan Mountain near Julian.
The Board voted 4-0 to spend roughly $1.4 million to buy the land, located west of State Route 79 and north of the intersection of State Routes 79 and 78, from Santa Ysabel Ranch LL. Supervisor Greg Cox was absent Wednesday, attending a meeting of the California Coastal Commission.
County Land Use and Environment Group officials, in their written report to the Board, said the 175 acres contained valuable habitat, including grassland, riparian scrub and forest and montane meadows.
Supervisor Dianne Jacob, whose supervisorial district includes the Santa Ysabel Preserve lands, said the property was important for several reasons. In addition to connecting the two separate portions of the 5,046-acre Santa Ysabel Preserve and allowing the possible expansion of the Coast to Crest Trail, Jacob said the land also included important habitat for the County’s Multiple Species Conservation Program and could provide important access for the County’s proposed $7.1 million Santa Ysabel Nature Center.
“It’s a significant asset,” Jacob said, “not just for East County, but for the entire region.”
The County’s Department of Parks and Recreation created the Santa Ysabel Preserve in 2001 by acquiring 5,322 acres from The Nature Conservancy. The preserve was made up of two sections separated by private properties. In 2010, The Nature Conservancy donated another 84 acres to the parks department for a future nature center.
