Looking for something to do this Valentine's Day weekend? Why not share a little love with the Kendall-Frost Marsh at the mouth of our watershed? Join us for Love Your Wetlands Day, an annual free service event where you can help plant native plants, take a marsh tour, and learn about current upcoming marsh restoration and expansion projects from San Diego Audubon Society and the US Fish & Wildlife Service.

Cone for a brief visit or stay all afternoon. The event is appropriate for children over the age of 10. Please wear closed-toed shoes and clothing that can get dirty. Visit Friends of Mission Bay Marshes for more information or contact Isabelle Kay or Roy Little with any questions. Hope to see you there!

 

 

The newly installed Rose Creek Community Mural in Pacific Beach, painted by volunteers at the inaugural Rose Creek Fest last February, was officially unveiled on December 3, 2013 at a ceremony at the Mike Gotch Memorial Bridge, which spans the creek near its delta on Mission Bay. The mural, sized 12-by-40 feet, is an illustration depicting the natural environs of Rose Creek. Installed behind the handball courts at Mission Bay High School, the public artwork is best viewed from the bike and pedestrian bridge that links a paved path that encircles Mission Bay.

 

Second District City Councilmember and Mayor-Elect Kevin Faulconer gave remarks about the importance of Rose Creek to community partners. Photo by RHS Photo.

"At the Rose Creek Fest in February, I saw how community members of all ages had fun and took pride in painting this beautiful public art and I even contributed to the artwork myself," said Second District City Councilmember and Mayor-Elect Kevin Faulconer, who served as the emcee at the unveiling. "This mural celebrates an often over-looked natural resource which provides an abundance of recreational and environmental opportunities for San Diegans. I hope it will help raise awareness for the important role Rose Creek plays in our community."

 

The successful event was attended by over 50 people, including Sixth District City Councilmember Lorie Zapf, Campland on the Bay President Michael Gelfand, and Chet Barfield from Interim Mayor Todd Gloria's office. Two television stations and several local newspapers covered the event. Watershed partners including Friends of Rose Creek, Friends of Rose Canyon, Friends of Mission Bay Marshes, 

Kumeyaay Educator Stanley Rodriguez performing a native blessing of the mural. Photo by RHS Photo.

San Diego County Bicycle Coalition, The Raptor Institute, and Barona Cultural Center displayed educational material about their organizations. Stanley Rodriguez, a local

Kumeyaay Native American Educator, provided a native blessing and remarks about the importance of environmental stewardship. Councilmembers Faulconer and Zapf joined Michael Gelfand to officially unveil the mural from beneath a curtain to the onlookers, with much fanfare from the audience.

 

The mural was created on 15 wooden panels, each measuring 4-by-8 feet, for a total length of 40 feet and a height of 12 feet. Local artist Thom Guerra designed the mural in a "paint by number" process so that Rose Creek Fest participants could simply paint inside the lines to create the cohesive image.

 

The artwork showcases the variety of native plants and wildlife that live in Rose Creek. The design includes an osprey, the large bird-of-prey often found fishing in Rose Creek, and the huge leafy native sycamore trees that are abundant in the upper reaches of the watershed in Marian Bear Memorial Park along SR-52.

 

San Diego EarthWorks sponsored the art materials and talent required for the mural. Campland on the Bay donated the cost of construction materials and the labor to create easels for painting, as well as final design and installation. Friends of Rose Creek provided logistical support.

 

Sixth District City Councilmember Lorie Zapf and Campland on the Bay President Michael Gelfand blew duck-call  whistles to signal the moment for the mural to be unveiled.  Photo by RHS Photo.

These community groups say they hope that the mural will inspire the community to care for the creek's natural beauty and help prevent pollution and litter. "I literally grew up playing and discovering nature along Rose Creek," Michael Gelfand reminisced. "Many Campland campers prefer the tranquil creekside campsites. We are proud to support these dedicated community groups because we have never taken the creek's vibrancy for granted. We are daily witnesses to how connected it is to Mission Bay and it's important that the creek remains viable not only for all the habitat it supports but for safeguarding Mission Bay's water quality as well."

 

We hope you will take the opportunity to take a ride or walk over the Mike Gotch Memorial Bridge to view this beautiful new piece of public art for yourselves!

 

Below are links to local media coverage:

KUSI News Clip

Clairemont Times Article (page 4)

You can also visit the Rose Creek Flickr Album to view more event photos.

 

The Beach and Bay Press also recently featured a story about the non-profit organization's Sense of Wonder Program. This program, funded by San Diego Gas & Electric's Environmental Champions Program, brings local students from schools in University City, Clairemont and Pacific Beach into Rose Canyon Open Space Park to experience nature firsthand. In 2013, the program provided 95 nature exploration events to over 3,000 people of all ages, providing a unique chance for residents of the nearby communities to learn more about opportunities to access, enjoy, and protect nature. The program will continue in 2014 thanks to an additional year of funding provided by San Diego Gas & Electric! 

Click here to view the article.

 

Lower Rose Creek flows through Pacific Beach and provides many opportunities for environmental and recreational improvements.

A significant effort is taking place to create an EcoDistrict in the community of Pacific Beach. An EcoDistrict is a new model of public-private partnership that emphasizes innovation of best practices to create sustainable neighborhoods of the future. These neighborhoods are designed to be resilient, vibrant, and resource efficient.

 

A groundbreaking new program from the American Institute of Architects provides assistance to communities that are interested in creating an EcoDistrict. Their Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) is an assistance program that focuses on the principles of sustainability. SDATs bring groups of volunteer professionals such as architects, urban designers, hydrologists, economists, attorneys and others to work with community stakeholders, helping them to develop a vision and framework for the future.

 

Communities apply and compete against others to receive a pro-bono visit from the SDAT, and Pacific Beach was one of the lucky recipients in 2013. The SDAT's assistance includes a three-day visit from a multidisciplinary team, a report highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the community along with opportunities and obstacles to change, and follow-up consultations and visits to review progress.

 

The three-day visit from the multidisciplinary team took place in December 2013 and involved a series of public workshops which took place at Pacific Beach Middle School. The team explored opportunities with residents and stakeholders for community improvements, including but not limited to approaches to reduce water pollution and potential improvements to biking and walking trails. Teams of experts also explored funding mechanisms.

 

Several members of the Rose Creek Watershed Alliance participated in this process, including the Rose Creek Watershed Coordinator, Friends of Mission Bay Marshes, Friends of Rose Creek, Friends of Rose Canyon and San Diego Audubon Society. They were able to provide input on a variety of watershed and marsh improvements that could enhance Pacific Beach and increase opportunities for recreation and tourism. The SDAT was very interested in the Alliance's reports, including the Rose Creek Watershed Opportunities Assessment and the Rose Creek Watershed Wetland, Riparian and Water Quality Opportunities Analysis and intend to include several of the recommendations in their report along with suggestions for funding of long-term maintenance for the area. We all look forward to reviewing the final report and learning more about how we can help implement the team's suggestions.

Click here to read the full story on the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's website. Visit San Diego National Wildlife Refuge Complex's Facebook Photo Album to view more photos from this exciting day. You do not need to be a member of Facebook to view the albums.

 

I Love a Clean San Diego (ILACSD) is managing the 12th Annual Creek to Bay Cleanup on Saturday, April 26th from 9 AM to Noon. ILACSD is looking for site captains to host each of the 100 coastal and inland cleanup sites involved.  If you know of a beach, bay, canyon, or neighborhood in need of volunteers, contact ILACSD to include it into this year's event!  ILACSD offers training, supplies, promotional materials, and volunteer support to our site captains to make their cleanup sites successful.  

If your company or business is community minded, environmentally conscious, and would like to let the community know of your generosity, become a 2014 Creek to Bay sponsor!  ILACSD is seeking out sponsors at a variety of giving levels, making it easy to get involved no matter the size of your business.  More details about levels of giving and associated benefits are available in the 2014 Sponsorship Packet. Email Morgan Justice-Black or call her at 619-704-2772 to discuss partnership opportunities for this great event.

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