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Greetings!
It's River Valley Fest time! Planning is in full swing (well, it has been for several months!) and we can't wait to see you at the Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa on October 12th! Be sure to RSVP at the link below if you haven't already done so.
The River Valley Fest is our biggest fundraiser of the year and has always been a huge success! With delicious food, lively entertainment, and both a silent and live auction, how can you go wrong?
Keeping with our ongoing theme of getting in touch with nature at the River Park, this year we are pleased to honor author Richard Louv, whose books have explored how our well-being is influenced by our time spent in nature. His work has had a remarkable impact on efforts to improve our environment.
We hope to see you at River Valley Fest and out in the River Park soon!
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OCTOBER EVENTS IN THE RIVER PARK
Sundays, October
5,12, 19, 26
10:30am - 3:30pm
North San Diego Certified
Farmers Market -
Rain or Shine!
Sikes Adobe Historic Farmstead:
12655 Sunset Dr., Escondido
Saturday, October 4
9:00am - 11:00am
Ranger-Led Hike at
Del Dios Gorge
Meet at the Del Dios Gorge / Santa Fe Valley Staging Area
2 miles, easy
Hosted by San Dieguito River
Park Ranger Nico de Paolo
Saturday, October 11
8:00am - 11:30am
Lake Hodges Bird WalkMeet at Del Dios Community Park
ModerateHosted by Palomar Audubon Society Member Hal Benham Saturday, October 11 8:00am - 3:00pm Wildlife Survey Volunteer Training Meet at the Los Penasquitos Ranch HousePre-register at info@sdtt.org Hosted by San Diego Tracking Team Saturday, October 11 9:00am - 10:30am Second Saturday Ranger-Led Walk at the San Dieguito Lagoon Meet at the San Dieguito Lagoon Staging Area 2 miles, easy Hosted by San Dieguito Park Ranger Bryan Ward Saturday, October 11
10:00am
Volunteer Trail Service Projects Meet at the Hubbell Gateway, Volcan Mountain Wilderness PreserveHosted by San Diego County Parks Sunday, October 12 10:00am Growing Your Own Oak Trees! Meet at the Farmer Rd. Staging Area, Santa Ysabel Open Space Preserve East Hosted by San Diego County Parks Sunday, October 12 2:00pm - Sunset Fifth Annual River Valley Fest Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa5921 Valencia Circle,Rancho Santa FeCost: $125/person RSVP by October 7 at sdrvc.orgHosted by San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy Thursday, October 16 8:00am Exec Trek at Santa Ysabel Preserve West Meet at the Santa Ysabel Open SpacePreserve West Staging Area 5.55 miles, strenuous
Hosted by San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy Executive Director Trish Boaz Saturday, October 18 8:30am - 10:30am San Dieguito Lagoon Bird Walk Meet at the San Andres Dr. Interpretive Kiosk 2 miles, easy Hosted by Buena Vista Audubon Society Member John Haddock Saturday, October 18 10:00am Hike All the Way Across Santa Ysabel Open Space Preserve East Park Ranger Bret Exner Sunday, October 19 8:30am - 10:30am
Coastal Walk and Yoga on the Beach Meet at the San Andres Dr. Interpretive Kiosk Co-Hosted by San Dieguito River
Valley Conservancy and Yoga Instructor Susan McCrea Sunday, October 19 10:00am Back Country Autumn Hike Meet at the Farmer Rd. Staging Area, Santa Ysabel Open Space Preserve East 4.8 miles, easy
Hosted by San Diego
County Parks
Saturday, October 25 6:00pm Amateur Astronomy Night Meet at the Santa Ysabel Open Space Preserve West Staging Area Hosted by San Diego County Parks Sunday, October 26 9:00am - 12:30pm Canyoneers Hike at Del Dios Gorge Meet at the Del Dios Gorge / Santa Fe Valley Staging Area 5 miles, easy Hosted by San Diego Natural History Museum Volunteers Sunday, October 26 10:00am The History of the Cuyamacas and What's Happening to the Oaks Meet at the Farmer Rd. Staging Area, Santa Ysabel Open Space Preserve East Hosted by San Diego County Parks Sunday, October 26 11:00am - 2:00pm Sikes Spooktacular Sikes Adobe Historic Farmstead: 12655 Sunset Dr., Escondido Suggested donation: $5/family Hosted by San Dieguito River Park For hikes, all mileages are approximate.
Please visit our website for more details and full events calendar.   
Your membership helps us to fulfill our mission to protect the San Dieguito Watershed for generations to come. SUPPORT NATURE SUPPORT THE RIVER PARK For more information, please visit these websites: www.sdrp.org www.sdrvc.org www.fsdrv.org www.sdparks.org
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SAVE THE DATE
River Valley Fest
| October 12, 2014 |
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You are invited to the
Fifth Annual River Valley Fest
October 12, 2014
2:00pm - Sunset
Don't forget to RSVP for this year's River Valley Fest! We are honoring Richard Louv, bestselling author of The Nature Principle and Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder with the Lifetime Appreciation Award for his many contributions to improving the environment and our lives.
Join us at the Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa for tantalizing appetizers made by the Resort chefs, authentic Spanish cuisine from San Diego Paella, and irresistible desserts from Claire's on Cedros. There will be wine, craft beer, an enticing silent auction, and a live(ly)! auction with Auctioneer Extraordinaire Steve Hamann. Live music will be performed by popular local musician Casey Turner. Armed with an acoustic guitar and ukulele, he has played many venues throughout Southern California and Hawaii.
The success of the River Valley Fest is critical to fund our ongoing conservation, education, and recreation programs. RSVP at sdrvc.org/rivervalleyfest by October 7th!
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Helen Thayer at DMF Talks
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National Geographic Explorer of the Century Helen Thayer gave an exciting presentation of her solo trek to the magnetic North Pole with her dog, Charlie, at a special rendition of DMF Talks co-hosted by the San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy and the Del Mar Foundation.
After her talk, Helen answered many questions from the audience of all ages, ranging from "What did you do to calm your fears when threatened by polar bears?" to "Did you see Santa?"
Based on the overwhelming response we received from you, we invited Helen to come back next year -- and she enthusiastically accepted! She will be back to give a talk on either her 4,000-mile trek across the Sahara Desert or the 1,600-mile hike she took across the Mongolian Gobi Desert. We will make sure to hold the event in a larger facility this time so that we can accommodate all those that would like to attend.
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Helen with Peter Shapiro, SDRVC President, and Bob Gans, Del Mar Foundation. Helen received a Certificate of Recognition from County Supervisor Dave Roberts.
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Meetup at the River Park!
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 Join our new Meetup group, the San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy Explorers, to stay up-to-date on all our events in the River Park!
Join us here and start signing up for events! (You will need a Meetup account to join.)
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Wildlife Tracking Training
with Citizen Science
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 The Conservancy is excited to announce one our newest partners for the San Dieguito Citizen Science Monitoring Program - the San Diego Tracking Team (SDTT).
This partnership is providing a new and unique opportunity for citizen scientists to collect valuable data within the River Park. On September 21st, the Conservancy and SDTT co-hosted an event to introduce citizen scientists to the art of wildlife tracking and recruit volunteers to form our very own San Dieguito Tracking Team. We spent an educational morning learning how to identify the tracks and scat of our local wildlife, and then hit the "dirt" where we found signs of coyotes, bobcats, deer, and cottontail rabbits at the River Park Headquarters.
If you would like to become a citizen scientist and participate in future wildlife surveys as part of our team, please join us for a FREE Wildlife Survey Volunteer Training on October 11th. For more information on the volunteer training, please contact SDTT at info@sdtt.org. | |
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 Please join Executive Director Trish Boaz for a trek at the Santa Ysabel Preserve West on October 16th at 8:00am! We'll meet at the Santa Ysabel Preserve West Trail Head, directly off Highway 78.
Please RSVP at sdrvc.org/santaysabelwest so that if the hike is canceled due to a storm or any other reason, we will be able to contact you. Directions to trail head: From downtown Ramona, drive 13.8 miles east on Hwy 78 and look for the Santa Ysabel Open Space Preserve West sign on the left, just before going downhill to Santa Ysabel. |
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I Love a Clean San Diego
Coastal Cleanup Day
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I Love A Clean San Diego celebrated its 30th anniversary of Coastal Cleanup Day this year. This countywide cleanup consisted of more than 100 different cleanup sites and over 7,000 volunteers.
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The Conservancy property cleanup crew
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The family that picks up trash together stays together
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California Coastal Cleanup Day is the state's largest volunteer event. When combined with the International Coastal Cleanup, organized by Ocean Conservancy and taking place on the same day, California Coastal Cleanup Day becomes part of one of the largest volunteer events in the world.
The San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy, River Park, SDG&E, and the 22nd Agriculture district partnered to host 143 volunteers at the San Dieguito Lagoon. The volunteers covered three miles and removed 2,452 pounds of trash and 30 cubic yards of ice plant. Other activities included planting of native plants in a new restoration area, transplanting over 400 seedlings and cuttings, seedballs, and an art mural.
 | | Having fun while cleaning up the beach |
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We let September's Supermoon guide us on a hike on the Coast to Crest Trail near the San Dieguito Lagoon!
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The moon was already bright early in the hike.
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We got in the Halloween spirit early at the River Park with some Spooky Science! Participants identified mystery skulls and learned about bats, owls, the moon, and pumpkin science!
 | | Identifying mystery skulls |
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Del Mar River Path Extension
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The Conservancy is thrilled to receive a $150,000 grant from County Supervisor Dave Roberts! These funds will be used for the design and environmental review of the portion of the River Path Del Mar from Jimmy Durante Blvd. to the Old Avenue Bridge (or Grand Avenue Bridge) in Del Mar. Stay tuned for more exciting news about the Del Mar River Path as we continue our efforts to raise funds to match this grant!
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Welcome New Advisory
Board Members
Kim Heller Godwin & David Kreitzer
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The Conservancy is proud to welcome two new advisory board members!
Kimberly Heller Godwin has been an integral part of the Conservancy since its inception in 1986. Having served on the Board for a total of 16 years, she has made many contributions, both in building support with her own generosity and as an enthusiastic, effective ambassador for many River Park projects, including the Birdwing Open Air Classroom at the San Dieguito Lagoon. She is responsible for placing our annual River Valley Fest at the Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa and has garnered endless auction items that have made this event an outstanding success.
 David Kreitzer served as a member of the original Conservancy Board and served on the County's Planning Commission for 20 years. Dave received the Lifetime Appreciation Award from the Conservancy in 2012 for his many contributions to protecting open space and creating trails in the 55-mile San Dieguito River Park. The longest stressed-ribbon bridge in the world, the David Kreitzer Lake Hodges Pedestrian & Bicycle Bridge, located west of I-15, is named after David.
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Warm Wishes for
Dick Bobertz & Susan Carter
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We are sorry to say fond good-byes to two long-time River Park employees this month.
Dick Bobertz will be retiring after 16 years serving as the Executive Director of the San Dieguito River Park. In that time, he helped acquired 2,264 acres of natural open space, valued at $29.75 million. He worked with Southern California Edison to complete the Lagoon Tidal Restoration project and secured the funds for trail management and a coastal ranger station. He made great progress on the Coast to Crest Trail and other trails.
During his tenure, 32.1 miles of trails were added to the Park. He helped completed the David Kreitzer Lake Hodges Pedestrian & Bicycle Bridge and established the first north-south trail link connection at Old Coach North.
Susan Carter was the River Park's first employee when it was established in 1989. Since then, she has been instrumental in all of the progress and projects that have taken place. She was especially important to the success of the Lake Hodges Bridge and the six grants that were required from 1992 to 2008 for its completion. She also provided the crucial guidance, if not the actual grant-writing, in the remarkably successful River Park project funding effort that produced over $160 million dollars of grant funding over the last 25 years. As the longest tenured employee of the River Park, Susan is the person who knows every bit of its history and can answer the question that no one else could.
Dick and Susan will be greatly missed by all. The Conservancy wishes them the best in retirement and will be honoring them at the River Valley Fest.
Mark Ochenduszko will begin his term as interim Executive Director on October 1st.
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