Our Preserves
(C) Richard Murphy
OUR PRESERVES
Protecting Land We’ve Saved
As of 2024, the Conservancy owns or manages over 3,000 acres of wildlife habitat. The primary management goal for the Conservancy’s land is the preservation of wildlife habitat so that threatened and endangered species will always have a refuge in North San Diego County and common species will have a better chance of remaining common.
Some of the Conservancy’s preserves are open to the general public for responsible use during daylight hours. Use is limited to daylight hours to stay consistent with the Conservancy’s purpose to protect land for wildlife. Many wildlife species are nocturnal and require the evenings to hunt in order to survive, both for themselves and their young. Dusk and dawn are especially important times for wildlife and thus when humans should not be present in wildlands. Even open preserves can be closed by the Conservancy to protect public safety (such as during red flag fire prevention) and, for example, if herbicide treatment is underway. Conservancy supporters understand the need to put wildlife first and respect preserve rules.
While Conservancy lands may not be open 24/7, the Conservancy has many volunteer opportunities where you can visit our lands and aid in their restoration and protection. Additionally, the Conservancy leads free hikes to many of our preserves, including those not open to general public use.
Please follow the Conservancy on Eventbrite.com to be notified of Conservancy activities and opportunities!
The 910-acre Keithley Preserve is located in Elfin Forest, adjacent to the 800-acre Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve and other protected lands. Like many of the Conservancy’s preserves, it was created by acquiring separate properties and stitching them together over time. In this case six separate properties were purchased, with the help of many supporters and partners, over an eleven year period.
Home to thriving native wildlife and plants, the Keithley Preserve, which includes a 1.4 mile section of Escondido Creek, includes diverse habitat types: riparian oak woodlands, grasslands, coastal sage scrub, and southern mixed chaparral.
The Keithley Preserve is a key piece of the open space puzzle that connects thousands of acres of wildlife habitat in North County. It is precious because it serves as some of the best sage scrub habitat around for the threatened Coastal California Gnatcatcher and supports several rare plants.
Named after Betsy Keithley, an Elfin Forest resident and long-time conservationist and Conservancy Board member who made the first strategic move to preserve this area, also called San Elijo Canyon, when she privately purchased a key property that served to block a then-proposed development.
In her professional life, Betsy, a scientist and accomplished researcher, has investigated mechanisms of inflammation and aging on the inner ear. Her interest in science stemmed from growing up with a mother who had hearing loss and the impact that loss had on a person’s life. Keithley is a professor emerita in the department of surgery and otolaryngology at the University of California San Diego.
The Keithley Preserve is the Conservancy’s largest preserve and is open for general public access during daylight hours
Our Partners
April 2007
Greenlands
73 acres | Mitigation
The Conservancy accepted a conservation easement over this property which mitigated impacts associated with the Venzano development in San Elijo Hills.
July 2007
Onyx Ridge
59 acres | Mitigation $305,800
Onyx Ridge came as mitigation property for for the yet unbuilt 9 lot Onyx Ridge development.
2012 & 2015
Cielo Del Norte A & B
482 acres | Mitigation $25,277,405
Purchase included 157 lots approved for development. Protected in partnership with the CA Wildlife Conservation Board, SDG&E, SANDAG, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Conservation Fund.
June 2015
Cielo Estates
251 acres | Mitigation $4,507,927
Purchase included 154 lots approved for development. Protected in partnership with the California Wildlife Conservation Board and The Conservation Fund.
April 2018
Cielo I
45 acres | Mitigation $525,000
Purchase included 19 lots approved for development.
Properties of the Keithley Preserve:
MOUNTAIN MEADOW
PRESERVE
Located in Hidden Meadows, the purchase and preservation of the 693-acre Mountain Meadow Preserve (formerly Mountain Gate development) was finalized in 2018 as part of the Conservancy’s Save 1000 Acres campaign. San Diego County Parks and Recreation, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, the Friends of Daley Ranch and the Palomar Audubon Society were essential partners in the acquisition. As part of the complex transaction, the Conservancy purchased the 693-acre property then sold most of it to San Diego County Parks, retaining a portion where the Conservancy now has its office.
The Conservancy manages the entire Preserve under an easement and endowment purchased by the Department of the Navy (on behalf of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton) to protect native plants and animals. The Mountain Meadow Preserve will never be developed and is now protected in perpetuity for the benefit of the native plants and animals of California.
Open for Conservancy-led volunteer activities & hikes. Follow the Conservancy on Eventbrite.com to be notified
Our Partners
LEOMAR
PRESERVE
The Conservancy’s newest wildlife sanctuary, called the LeoMar Preserve, was named to honor Leonard Wittwer and Martha Blane, two Conservancy founders instrumental in the success of the now three-decade plus land trust. The properties of the LeoMar Preserve contain rich coastal sage scrub habitat, a rare and disappearing habitat, and home to the federally threatened coastal California gnatcatcher.
To create the LeoMar Preserve, the Conservancy has tied together earlier properties with more current acquisitions and continues to work to fill in the gaps between the old and the new to make a consolidated preserve.
Leonard Wittwer has been on the Board of the Conservancy since 1991. He has been central to the growth of the Conservancy’s land protection program. Martha served as the very first board president, at a time when it was uncommon to see women in non-profit leadership roles. Both Leonard and Martha have devoted thousands of volunteer hours to the Conservancy over the past decades.
Properties targeted by the Conservancy for the LeoMar Preserve include coastal sage scrub habitat for the coastal California gnatcher or help fulfill important wildlife linkages. The Conservancy is continuing to add properties to the LeoMar Preserve which will include mitigation lands protected by developments such as the One Oak community in Encinitas.
Open for Conservancy-led volunteer activities & hikes. Follow the Conservancy on Eventbrite.com to be notified
Our Partners
Feb 1998
Bumann
21 acres | Mitigation
The developer of the 10 lot Villas of Santa fe project was required to set this land aside to mitigate the impacts of the development. The site is the first property the Conservancy Board of Directors owned and fitting that it joins the Conservancy’s newest preserve, so Conservancy land management activities in the area can be consolidated.
May 2021
Gaty
79 acres | $2,054,000
The Conservancy received two grants to acquire this property, one awarded from the State of California Wildlife Conservation Board and another from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s section 6 of the Federal Endangered Species Act. The Conservancy purchased the property from the Olivenhain Water District.
July 2021
Hidden Canyon
24 acres | $2,560,000
Near the One Oak community in Encinitas, this small but coastal sage scrub habitat-rich parcel was protected in partnership with the California Wildlife Conservation Board and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
July 2022
The Bridges
96 acres | $6,000,000
The Bridges property came to the Conservancy as a transfer from our esteemed conservation partner, the Endangered Habitats Conservancy (EHC). The acreage was slated to become part of the Bridges development and, instead, was saved in 2011 by the EHC and the Elfin Forest/Harmony Grove Town Council.
June 2023
Paint Mountain
48.8 acres | $2,470,000
Formerly known as the White-Tate property, this property wraps around the base of Paint Mountain. Protected in partnership with the California Wildlife Conservation Board and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Properties of the LeoMar Preserve:
SARDINA
PRESERVE
The George Sardina, MD Preserve, formerly the John Henry Ranch, was purchased by the Conservancy with two different grants from the State of California, including funds to protect mountain lion habitat.
Near Lake Wohlford, the property was acquired as part of the Conservancy’s successful 2018 "Save 1,000 acres" land protection campaign.
Dr. George Sardina was a special supporter of the Conservancy during the campaign, inspiring staff to keep going when things got tough. As a result, the Conservancy Board of Directors voted to name the land after Dr. Sardina.
Sardina Preserve was saved in July of 2019. It is made up of 282 acres, valued at $4,200,000.
Conservancy Corner: Dr. Sardina’s lifelong work preserving California land
Open for Conservancy-led volunteer activities & hikes. Follow the Conservancy on Eventbrite.com to be notified
Our Partners
BOTTLE
PEAK
(C) Richard Murphy
Bottle Peak is a high point in North County, visible for miles and, because of its prominence, likely used by the city founders of Escondido to lay out the street grid.
The area including the top of the peak includes approximately 800 acres. When it became available to purchase in 2010, the Conservancy snapped into action, seeking funds and partners to protect this very special place. Fortunately, the California Wildlife Conservation Board granted the Conservancy grant funds to purchase 418 acres of Bottle Peak, including the top. The County of San Diego subsequently purchased an additional 380 acres, the base of the mountain, creating an 800-acre nature preserve in the upper watershed adjacent to the preserved lands of Lake Wohlford.
Bottle Peak Preserve was saved in December of 2010. It is made up of 418 acres, valued at $3,500,000.
Bottle Peak was likely used by the city founders of Escondido to lay out the street grid!
Open for Conservancy-led volunteer activities & hikes. Follow the Conservancy on Eventbrite.com to be notified
Our Partners
AND MANY MORE, INCLUDING...
OTHER LANDS
WE'VE HELPED PROTECT
Early in its tenure, the Conservancy was primarily an advocacy-based organization, urging others to take steps to protect southern California’s vanishing landscapes. Later, land acquisition was added to its conservation toolkit. Early successes included:
1992
1994
Santa Fe Creek Development | Strong advocacy by the Conservancy during the planning process for this 200-acre residential development project resulted in 145 acres of dedicated open space – up from 40 acres in the original proposal.
Olivenhain Dam, Reservoir and Pipelines Project | When the project was proposed by the Olivenhain Municipal Water District (OMWD), mitigation was required because of the associated habitat loss. For mitigation, the Conservancy convinced OMWD to protect 117 acres of wetland habitat along Escondido Creek and create a 104-acre small parcel corridor connecting Escondido Creek to preserved lands in Carlsbad.
2002
Del Dios Highlands | The Conservancy played a key role in the purchase and preservation of the 345-acre Derbas property, which is now part of the County’s Del Dios Highlands Preserve. In two subsequent transactions, all 345 acres were combined under County Parks’ ownership. The preserve is an important wildlife linkage from the San Dieguito watershed to the Escondido Creek watershed.
2004
Leriche Property | The Conservancy acquired the 10-acre LeRiche parcel along Harmony Grove Road, and then in 2013 donated the property to the County of San Diego, Department of Parks and Recreation, as a partial match for the acquisition of an additional 80 acres consisting of several other parcels along Harmony Grove Road.
2010
Cielo Azul | After decades of work by the Conservancy, the 100-acre Cielo Azul property was permanently preserved and is now part of the Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve (Reserve). If developed as previously planned, homes could have been built on the popular “Way Up Trail” in the middle of the Reserve! In a complicated transaction, the Conservancy contributed 45 contiguous acres of land worth $1.2 million (the former Coler property), The Conservation Fund served as broker, the Olivenhain Water District agreed to become long-term manger, and the County of San Diego became the fee title owner.
2010
Coler Property | The Conservancy purchased 76 acres adjacent to the Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve with funds raised from the community and a San Diego Foundation matching grant. Thirty-one acres were eventually sold to the County of San Diego and the remaining 45 acres were donated to the County in 2010 as a match for its purchase of the 100-acre Cielo Azul property. In total, 176 acres were preserved. The Conservancy retains management responsibility for seven acres of riparian habitat along Escondido Creek.
2010
Family Stations | The Conservancy facilitated the preservation of 119 acres along Harmony Grove Road by purchasing the Family Stations property and transferring it to the County of San Diego, for inclusion in the County Park system. Family Stations links wildlife habitat at Harmony Heights in the North to the Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve.
2015
Harmony Grove Open Space | The Conservancy accepted an easement over 8.63 acres of the Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve to protect off-site habitat mitigation associated with the Olivenhain Dam and reservoir.