San Diego River

HELP IS ON THE WAY

 

Photo: County Awarded More State Funds to Help People Living in Encampments

By Fernanda Lopez Halvorson, County of San Diego Communications Office

October 1, 2023 (San Diego) -- More state funds are heading to San Diego County to help people experiencing homelessness along the region’s riverbeds.   


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GRANT FUNDS TO HELP HOMELESS PEOPLE IN RIVERBED ENCAMPMENTS

East County News Service

Photo via County News Service

June 14, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) – The State of California has awarded a grant of nearly $17 million to help put people experiencing homelessness along the San Diego Riverbed into permanent housing and to connect them with services.

The grant is the result of a county-led partnership in collaboration with the city of Santee, the city of San Diego, and the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans).  It’s funded as part of $240 million in Encampment Resolution Funds that California announced last year to help local jurisdictions resolve encampments and get people into housing, as well as provide services.

According to the Point in Time homeless count conducted countywide on a January morning in 2023, homelessness countywide has risen by 25% over last year’s count.  Here in East County, communities along the San Diego River, where there are numerous homeless camps, have seen homeless numbers rise significantly including a 58% increase in Lakeside, 23% increase in Lakeside, and an 18% increase in Spring Valley.  In Lakeside and Valley, 100% of homeless people are unsheltered, highlighting the need for these funds. The count found 78 homeless people in Lakeside and 71 in SpringValley.  Santee had76 homeless individuals, of whom only 18 were in any type of shelter.


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SUPERVISOR ANDERSON REQUESTS AN MOU TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS ALONG THE SAN DIEGO RIVER

East County News Service

Photo by Shiloh  Ireland: homeless man pores through rubble of burned encampment along San Diego River in Lakeside

September 23, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) -- In an internal memo to County Chief Administrative Office, Helen Robbins-Meyer sent on September 12, Supervisor Joel Anderson, who represents East County communities of District 2, asked if staff had looked into the possibility of establishing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the County and jurisdictions along the San Diego River, such as the San Diego River Park Foundation, and the Cities of San Diego and Santee. The goal of this MOU would be to address homelessness along the San Diego River.


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SAN DIEGO’S RIVER AND LAKES REGION: OUTDOOR ADVENTURES AND MORE

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our guide to unique lodging and adventures in San Diego’s beautiful backcountry

By Miriam Raftery

June 13, 2018 (Santee and Lakeside) – The Lakeside and Santee areas in San Diego’s East County encompass portions of the San Diego River Park as well as multiple lakes and reservoirs idyllic for fishing, boating, hiking, and birdwatching. Lodging options range from camping and cabins to a casino and spa resort on tribal land.  You’ll also find museums, a rodeo, racetrack speedway, breweries, nature preserves, parks, live theatre, modern shopping and quaint downtown district to explore.

There are wonderful getaway adventures to be found along local trails, ranging from easy hikes to mountain climbing, as well as fishing,  kayaking, canoeing, pedal boats, inner tube floats, rowboats and even places to bring jet skis and water skis.


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SDSU RESEARCHERS TEAM UP TO PROTECT HEALTH OF SAN DIEGO RIVER AND MITIGATE FLOODING

 

Funded by the San Diego River Conservancy and the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board, SDSU researchers are working on several projects.

Source: SDSU News Center

April 2, 2018 (San Diego) – The San Diego River is a capricious and temperamental thing. The first Spanish explorers who worked the land discovered this the hard way: Upon encountering the dribbling stream in 1769 that emptied into False Bay (today Mission Bay), they concluded it was nothing more than a tame trickle. A month later, they planted grains along its banks. Then the year’s first rains swelled the river and took out the crops. The next year, they planted farther back—only to experience a drought year that left their fields dry and withered.


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SAN DIEGO RIVER SCIENCE FIELD STATION BREAKS GROUND

 

East County News Service

February 27, 2017 (Lakeside) – There is a big dig going on at the River Park, where excavation is underway to build a foundation for the San Diego River Science Field Station.

According to the Lakeside River Park Conservancy, the San Diego River Science Field Station will become a hub for science education and research, allowing students, citizen scientists and PhDs to “rub shoulders and cross pollinate our knowledge and investigations of the San Diego River.”


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CLIFF SWALLOWS ALONG SAN DIEGO RIVER

 

By Wendy Sigler

Reprinted with permission from Lakeside’s River Park Conservancy

May 25, 2016 (Lakeside) --We've all heard of San Juan Capistrano's annual visitors, but do the swallows come back to San Diego as well? The answer is yes! Like their cousins from Capistrano, cliff swallows travel northward from South America each year to mate and nest. In doing so, they pass through our community and grace us with their chaotic, but beautiful nesting dance.


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RIVER PARK FESTIVAL AND SD RIVER RUN 5K ON SATURDAY IN SANTEE

 

East County News Service

May 13, 2016 (Santee) – The River Park Festival and San Diego River Run 5K will take place this Saturday, May 14th from 3:30 to 8 p.m. at Town Center Community Park East, 550 Park Center Drive in Santee.

The festival is free and includes live music, a beer garden by BNS Brewing and Distilling, tree planting (sign up) , interactive booths, kids’ corner, crafts, games and activities, BMX demos by East County BMX and a free bike repair event.


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ONCE IN A BLUE MOON: LAKESIDE RIVER PARK CONSERVANCY GALA & AUCTION AUG. 29

 

July 24, 2015 (Lakeside) – Lakeside’s River Park Conservancy presents its 9th annual Once in a Blue Moon Gala & Auction at Hazy Meadow Ranch on Saturday, August 29. Happy hour starts at 5 p.m., followed by dinner, with dessert and dancing concluding at 9 p.m.  Special guest speaker will be Supervisor Dianne Jacob.


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PETITION TO SAVE SCENIC EL MONTE FROM SAND MINING

By Miriam Raftery

June 8, 2015 (Lakeside) – Lakeside residents have launched an online petition asking Bill Horn, Chair of the Board of Supervisors, to save El Monte from a proposed sand-mining project.  View or sign petition here.

This ill-conceived, destructive and dangerous project poses a clear public safety threat. It would also destroy a place so beautiful that it’s been designated a county scenic view corridor and a focal point in long-range San Diego River Park preservation plans.  Mining here could also contaminate a major drinking water supply and potentially spread deadly Valley Fever across our region.


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EAST COUNTY FISHERMEN REPORT THEY WERE SHOT AT ON SAN DIEGO RIVER

 

Photo courtesy of ECM news partner 10 News

April 9, 2014 (San Diego) – Two East County men told police that several shots were fired at them while they were fishing in a canoe along the San Diego River near the Friars Road overpass on Monday . 

The men said they jumped into the water and swam to shore, dodging more bullets. They believe someone was intentionally aiming to harm them.


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WHY OUR RIVER IS A MESS

River cleanup and monitoring events planned Nov. 17 and 18

By Jordan Schaffner

November 13, 2013 (San Diego)--Living on the San Diego River can be amazing.  For a while, it seemed to change every day.  It could be dark green and deep, beautiful with a flowing current.  Living here gives you a sense of being on a camping vacation every day, just by looking at it. Yet we are still in central San Diego. Since it is a nature preserve, many wild creatures come and go, making the river their home.  Some permanent, some temporary.


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SAN DIEGO RIVER PARK FOUNDATION INVITES YOU TO "SAVE THE SOURCE" MARCH 9 AND 10

Participants from across the county to join to explore and protect the Upper San Diego River

On March 9 and 10, San Diego River Park Foundation is heading to the headwaters to Save the Source!  This weekend, they will be coordinating six events to engage the community in exploring and caring for the upper San Diego River watershed. The lineup of events this year includes two nature hikes and a water quality hike, an open house and tour of the newly con

served Fisherman’s Camp at Boulder Creek Preserve, a trail maintenance project at the Eagle Peak Preserve, and an open house at the Santa Ysabel Backcountry Visitors’ Center.


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SAN DIEGO RIVER CONSERVANCY APPOINTS NEW EXECUTIVE OFFICER

 

Conservation Leader Tapped To Direct State Conservancy



January 31, 2013 (San Diego)--The Governing Board of the San Diego River Conservancy (SDRC) announced the appointment of Kevin McKernan as its Executive Officer. McKernan, who currently serves as Executive Officer for the Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy, will assume his new position in March.


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42,000 ACRES OF CLEVELAND NATIONAL FOREST PROPOSED FOR ROADLESS WILDERNESS DESIGNATION

 

By Miriam Raftery

December 29, 2012 (San Diego’s East County)—“Scenic resources are among the biggest values we can offer to the American people,” Will Metz, Cleveland National Forest Supervisor, told ECM. 

The U.S. Forest Service is now weighing a proposal to protect vast tracts of federal forests as roadless wilderness—including 42,000 of Cleveland National Forest.  That includes the lands around Cedar Creek and above Cedar Creek Falls, Eagle Peak, the upper San Diego River Gorge, and the Caliente area.

The proposal  will likely be open for public comment in January and could be finalized by mid-2013. While the USFS would then manage the lands as wilderness, it would take an act of Congress to formalize the designation.


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SANTEE DEDICATES NEWLY ACQUIRED SAN DIEGO RIVER PROPERTY AS FUTURE PUBLIC TRAIL AND PARKWAY SITE

December 14, 2012 (Santee) -- The city of Santee dedicated on Tuesday, December 11 a 107-acre open space parcel along the San Diego River as a future public trail and parkway at a ceremony located at the 9600 block of Magnolia Avenue.

The event marked the transfer of the property from private to public ownership, a project spearheaded by the San Diego River Conservancy that was four years in the making.

“The San Diego River Conservancy is proud to have been the catalyst for the conservation of the Walker Property,” said Mike Nelson, executive officer for the San Diego River Conservancy. “It is a remarkable addition to a river park that will someday extend from the Cuyamaca Mountains to the Pacific Ocean.


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LAKESIDE WOMAN WINS 2012 COX CONSERVATION AWARD

October 17, 2012 (Lakeside) -- Cox Communications and The Trust for Public Land announced Sally Nelson as the 2012 Cox Conserves Hero (click to see video).  Sponsored locally by Think Blue San Diego and radio partners KYXY 96.5 and Energy 103.7 FM, Cox Conserves Heroes honors volunteers who are creating preserving or enhancing outdoor spaces. 

Nelson was nominated by Lakeside's River Park Conservancy because of her commitment to the local environment, education and community awareness. Nelson has been volunteering for over 10 years. She has been active in every event  the River Park has had, from the first purchase of land to the trail opening.


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6TH ANNUAL ONCE IN A BLUE MOON GALA DINNER & AUCTION SEPTEMBER 29

September 8, 2012 (Lakeside) – Lakeside River Park Conservancy is holding its 6th Annual Once in a Blue Moon Gala Dinner & Auction on September 29.  The event will begin with a stroll along the path at Lakeside River Park at dusk, followed by dining under the stars.


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LAKESIDE’S RIVER PARK CONSERVANCY RECOGNIZES VOLUNTEERS

July 18, 2012 (Lakeside) – Lakeside’s River Park Conservancy held a Volunteer Appreciation Party on July 14 to thank all the volunteers who have given many hours of support over the years.  The 2011 Volunteer Appreciation Awards were distributed at the party.  The winners are:


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SDG&E AND FOREST SERVICE PRESERVE SENSITIVE WATERSHED HABITAT

 
July 18, 2012 (San Diego) – San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) and the U.S. Forest Service have collaborated to preserve and protect 266 acres of sensitive habitat immediately adjacent to Cedar Creek Falls in the San Diego River watershed.  The land is now National Forest System land donated by SDG&E.
 
This critical watershed habitat is home to 26 sensitive or endangered wildlife species and twice as many sensitive to endangered plant species. Species include the endangered arroyo toad which relies on sandy streambeds and chaparral as well as the Least Bell’s vireo, a migratory songbird that nests in the poison oak and other brush that grows in the San Diego River watershed.

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SAN DIEGO RIVER BEND PROJECT DRAFT EIR OPEN FOR PUBLIC COMMENT

Reprinted with permission of  GrokSurf's San Diego
March 3, 2012 -- San Diego) -- The City of San Diego has announced that the draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the San Diego RiverBend project (aka the proposed Shawnee/CG7600 Master Plan redevelopment project) is now available for public review and comment. The deadline for comments is Monday, April 29.

 


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SAN DIEGO RIVER DAYS FILLED WITH EVENTS FOR EVERYONE

 

January 19, 2011 (San Diego) -- San Diego River Park Foundation announces a series of events to raise funds for establishing trails, parks, gardens and visitor centers along the 52-mile-long San DIego River.  The events include San Diego Days, San Diego RiverFest, and a Healthy River Run.

 


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NEED ROCKS? PURCHASES CAN NOW BENEFIT LAKESIDE RIVER PARK

KRC Rock Partners with Lakeside’s River Park Conservancy

 

San Diego, CA, (December 15, 2010) – KRC Rock, a San Diego natural stone and boulder provider, has partnered with the Lakeside’s River Park Conservancy to help them in their mission to preserve and restore the biological integrity and beauty of the San Diego River.


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HELP NEEDED TO RESTORE HABITAT AT SAN DIEGO RIVER JUNE 19 & JUNE 26

 

June 12, 2010 (San Diego) -- San Diego River Park Foundation and Friends of the Mission Valley Preserve are teaming up again to continue habitat restoration efforts in the Mission Valley Nature Preserve.

 


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