Welcome to the Foundation’s ninth 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.
Maxim of the month
“The good walker leaves no tracks and is crystal in his gaze."
Flower power
Spring must be here! Friend of the Foundation and avid hiker Bill Redman, has been out and about over the past few weeks, snapping away at all the spring flowers out along the Trail. For a taste of what he’s seen, and an incentive for you all to get out and see them for yourselves, click here.
Trail updates
We often receive queries, and suggestions regarding the two wash-away bridges in Los Penasquitos Canyon between Black Mountain Road and the I-15. Most queries revolve around ‘why do they wash away?’ and the suggestions are all good ones for types of bridges, which don’t wash away! “We’re looking at all the options," said Ranger Gina Brown. “This section of the Trail was designed as a seasonal trail, that it would be closed during the rainy part of the year. According to trail specifications the bridges are to be removed before the rainy season starts and replaced at the end of it."
Plans are developing at Cuyamaca State Park for the transfer of the Trail from the ecologically sensitive south side of Lake Cuyamaca, to further south above the 4800’ contour. The new Trail section will fall within State Parks’ recent acquisition of the Lucky 5 Ranch. “I’m working on the Lucky 5 property and need an extra body so I can lay out the Trail," said District Trails Coordinator Jim Dascoulias. “If we can get the Trail’s route laid out and GPSed, we can then get the CEQA process started." If anyone would like to help Jim with this project – two to six days in March (GPS skills not necessary!), please e-mail Kristen ASAP.
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.
Celebrating Earth Day 2003
As a feature of this year’s Earth Day celebrations, the sixth annual Rancho Bernardo Industrial Park’s Environmental Fair is scheduled for Thursday, April 24, 2003, from 10:00am to 1:00pm. It will be held in Sony’s parking lot located on the corner of Via del Campo and Via Esprillo.
Five major employers in the area host the Environmental Fair: BAE SYSTEMS, Hewlett-Packard, Phogenix Imaging, Sony, and UNISYS. Collectively, these five companies employ close to 7,000 highly skilled professionals and assembly line workers, specializing in applying leading edge technology to the design, development, manufacture, and support of quality electronic systems for sophisticated commercial, personal and military products. From past experience, over 2,000 employees are expected to attend the event.
The Foundation will be exhibiting at the Fair, complete with climbing wall from RockRental.com, and we’re looking for volunteers to help support our table and the climbing wall with us. Please e-mail Kristen for further details.
Existing alliance goes even further
The Wilderness Association of San Diego, Inc. (The San Diego Hiking Club) and the Sea to Sea Trail Foundation have agreed to form an alliance to further their common goals of education, preservation and wildlife habitats. Included is the establishment of a Wilderness Learning Center, which will serve as a model for low-impact housing designs, environmentally friendly building materials and water and waste technologies, and the use of renewable energy sources.
The Foundation is also planning a supported hike-thru of the Trail for members of the San Diego Hiking Club, sometime in the fall.
Sally Ride Science Festivals
The Foundation was honored to host two workshops at the Sally Ride San Diego Science Festival on February 22. The event, targeted to middle school girls, was held at the San Diego Aerospace Museum in Balboa Park and attracted nearly 400 young women (and a few brothers!). The workshops were co-presented by Foundation Advisory Council member Gretchen Witti, Kristen Greenaway and lead volunteer Kristin Matt. Budding scientists and environmentalists learned the possibilities of becoming the next Nobel Prize Laureate, by taking the examples of environmental and land use issues surrounding the Sea to Sea Trail, and transferring those to terraforming Mars.
The next Science Festival the Foundation will be at is March 29, at Caltech. Anyone interested in volunteering and helping us out at the workshops, please contact Kristen. For more information on the Sally Ride Science Festivals, click here.
Education program update
‘Outdoors Education 2003’ is well into its final planning stages and should be a very successful series of middle school children’s educational events. With a founding grant from the Alice C Tyler Perpetual Trust, the six events will be held along various points of the Trail, focusing on environmental and land use issues. The events and their dates are:
- Bird life and Salton Sea issues: Salton Sea, April 6
- Desert life: Anza-Borrego Desert, Visitor Center, May 4
- Fire and meadow ecology, and mountain lions: Cuyamaca, May 18 or 25
- Trail history and life with the Kumeyaay Indians: Poway, June 15 or 22
- Coastal wetlands: Los Penasquitos Lagoon, September
- Water management: Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve (to be held as part of Water Monitoring Day, October 2003, includes 18,000 schoolchildren).
At each symposium, children will work with experts in their field to learn and complete related projects. An important feature of each event will also be the opportunity for attendees to learn about career paths and interact with real scientists and researchers.
If you have middle school children interested in attending one of the events, or would like to volunteer at the events, please e-mail Kristen.
REI Desert Adventure Classic
International Adventure Events is looking for volunteers to assist in its upcoming REI Desert Adventure Classic on March 22 and 23. The first of its four series events will be held out in Anza-Borrego Desert. And if you’ve ever contemplated doing an adventure race, this is a great opportunity to see the folks in action and pick up a few pointers. All volunteers will receive discounts on upcoming races and a nice bag of swag. Your responsibilities will include managing checkpoint stations, communications, setup and takedown, or assisting the medical support team. Click here for more information and the sign-up form.
Trail days – the work goes on!
Sabre Springs: We’ve made some great progress on the section of Trail in Sabre Springs we’ve recently been working on. With a hardy band of volunteers, the water-damaged and weed-covered Trail is beginning to look brand new. To the right are before and after shots, courtesy of Philip Erdelsky. There’s still more work to do, though, and we’d love to see as many of you as possible out with us on Sunday March 9 and 23, at 0830.
Los Penasquitos Canyon: There’s still a bit more work to be done to en
sure completion of the stretch of Trail in Los Penasquitos Canyon, from Black Mountain Rd to the I-15, before its grand opening on June 7th (National Trails Day). Join us on March 16 at 0830 - we’d love to see you out there!
Please e-mail Kristen if you would like to join us on these dates, and for directions. And a big thanks to Bill Gookin, who regularly pops up to not only give us a hand, but also to quench our thirst with his fabulous Gookinaid.
General interest learning out on the Trail
Education is a big part of the Foundation’s mission. In this respect we’re very keen to open up a new service to those interested in the Trail and the outdoors – hands-on learning experiences related to life on and around the Trail. Our first thoughts are on-the-Trail classes in map reading (compass and GPS), basic and more advanced camping skills for individuals, families, community and minority interest groups and general hiking skills.
We’re also looking at leading walks along various sections of the Trail itself. This would also give people the opportunity to walk, bike or horse ride the complete Trail (as it currently stands!) over a period of time.
If you would like to be a volunteer instructor for the Foundation for any of the above classes, like to lead a hike (hike, bike or horse) or have any further ideas we could pursue, please contact Kristen.
And if you would like to attend any of these classes, or have ideas for any other classes that we could offer, please let us know.
In the News
A good month for us. Not only did we make the local newspapers and KUSI TV, but also we had our first foray into radio, with an hour’s interview on 760 KFMB Travel Talk Show with Sandy Dhuyvetter. To listen to the interview (Archives), and for all our media coverage, click here.
High-tech giving
We’ve done it! We’ve got our on-line credit card facilities up and running. Too tired to write out a check and want to save 37c? Then go plastic when you sign up as a Friend of the Foundation, or adopt a Tree or Mile. See below!
Sign up as a Friend of the Foundation or renew your membership for 2003
We’re very keen for our valuable supporters for 2002, to look on their Friends donation as an annual membership to the San Diego Sea to Sea Trail Foundation. To assist us in our ongoing mission, feel free to renew your membership for 2003, or 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.
National Trails Day 2003
June 7 is National Trails Day 2003, and this year’s theme is ‘Healthy Trails, Healthy People’. Months away yet, but we want to make sure you mark this day on your calendar and keep it free. We’ll be hosting some great event and we’d love for you to join us! Keep an eye out by clicking here for more info.
Trail Trips for day or weekend adventures
The San Diego Sea to Sea Trail is not only an amazing thru-trail, it’s also an excellent opportunity to get out-and-about for a day or weekend adventure. Whether you’re a hiker, biker or equestrian - or a mixture of the three - there’s something for everyone, for all levels of experience, on the San Diego Sea to Sea Trail.
A new page on the Web site is dedicated to giving you as many ideas as possible to make the most of your time on and around the Trail. Where else in the world can you experience such a range of environment in just 140 miles?! Click here for the second Trail Trip.
We’re also hosting a quarterly competition, sponsored by Gregory Mountain Products, if you would like to make your own Trail Trip submissions. More details below.
Trail Trips competition, sponsored by Gregory Mountain Products
Here’s a great new competition, and a quarterly chance to win some terrific prizes from Gregory Mountain Products. We’re looking for exciting all-levels, multi-use ideas for getting out on the Trail for day or weekend hikes, using hikes, bikes or horses, or a mixture of the three. These could be activities directly following the Trail, or variations based around the Trail. All contributions will go into a quarterly draw to win a cool Gregory pack, courtesy of Gregory Mountain Products. Deadline for the first quarter competition is March 31, 2003. Click here for all our competitions and Trail Trip submission instructions.
And another competition!
Just to keep you on your toes and kick into your latent exploring mode, we’ve launched the quarterly ‘Where is it on the San Diego Sea to Sea Trail’ competition. Every quarter, we’ll show a photo of an object that can be found somewhere on the Trail. All you have to do is tell us where it is. We put all the correct entries into a draw, and the winner collects. Click here for this quarter’s photo, and start hunting!
Anza-Borrego Desert temperatures
Planning a trip in the desert sections of the Trail and want to know the average annual temperatures in Borrego? Click here. Even has centigrade.
Traveling?
If so, try Orbitz.com. Just click here and 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.
Salton Sea info
If you’ve been following the media with the machinations of the Californian water deal from the Colorado River, you’ll appreciate that the Salton Sea is under some threat. Donated by the Salton Sea Authority and the Salton Sea Restoration Project, we have a number of flyers containing all you wanted to know about this amazing inland sea but were too afraid to ask. If you’d like copies, please e-mail Kristen and we’ll mail them out to you.
Become a Friend of the Foundation for just $35 annually
Like most good causes, it all costs money! For a minimum of $35 annually, you can become a Friend of the Foundation and help us in our commitment to not only creating an outdoor resource for hikers, mountain bikers, equestrians and disabled adventurers from around the world, but also a living resource for Trail users to learn about the wildlife and history of this beautiful California region. Click here and help us make it all happen!
The San Diego Sea to Sea Trail Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, making your donation tax-free.
Did you know?
To aid the return of bat populations, bat boxes have been erected along the Trail in Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve.
