Officials explain hurdles to more grasslands access
More public access to the county-owned Ramona Grasslands Preserve is being hampered by environmental agencies, say government representatives.
Access to public lands “is a very high priority for us,” said Michael Harrison, deputy chief of staff for Congressman Duncan Hunter, at the March 3 Ramona Trails Association meeting. “I’ve been working on it constantly.”
Among the protected species in the grasslands are golden and bald eagles, and Stephens’ kangaroo rats.
Harrison, a Ramona resident, and staff from the county’s Parks and Recreation Department gave the status of efforts to open more areas of the grasslands for public use. The topic drew interested trail users from Ramona and Lakeside.
Harrison produced a letter dated Feb. 25 from the congressman to a field supervisor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agency regarding public access to Old Survey 97, a non-motorized historic trail that could connect the grasslands preserve to the San Pasqual Valley and the Coast-to-Crest Trail along the San Dieguito River Park. Old Survey 97 is closed to pedestrians and equestrians with Fish and Wildlife concerns on impacts to golden eagles nesting.
According to Harrison, U.S. Fish and Wildlife will consider closing an area to the public if there is just the potential of disturbance.
The position of the congressman’s office is that if there is no physical evidence of disturbance, there is no reason to close an area to the public, said Harrison.
“Environmental policy should be dictated by two things: sound science and common sense,” he said. Harrison said the congressman’s office will continue to seek a response from Fish and Wildlife.
While Old Survey 97 is closed to the general public, Dave Holt, parks and recreation’s district manager, said the department can implement a docent-led interpretive program for the trail in the grasslands’ northwest portion, as it is in the county’s resource management plan. Hold said he is looking for volunteer docents who can lead hikers or horseback riders and training will be provided. The interpretive hikes will focus on natural resources, he said, and would occur outside of nesting season.
Anyone interested in volunteering and obtaining an application should contact Cheryl Wegner, the volunteer coordinator, at 858-966-1335.
The county has conducted studies, monitoring the golden and bald eagles on the grasslands. Christine Sloan, chief of park and recreation’s Resource Management System, said the purpose of the study is to gather data to show Fish & Wildlife that the raptors can co-exist with humans.
Jennifer Price, also with the resource management system, said surveys were conducted between Sept. 26, 2013 and Aug. 30, 2014 for four-hour slots between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. The golden eagles, observed for 13 days, used the entire preserve for foraging. An off-site golden eagle nest in the Bandy Canyon area was monitored twice, said Price. Although a pair of golden eagles appeared to be interested no active nest was found, she said.
Bald eagles also use the preserve for foraging and a pair nested in 2013 and 2014 near a Ramona Airport runway, she said.
“This bald eagle pair loves this area,” she added, noting that bald eagles usually nest near lakes but these two appear to forage on ground squirrels.
An attendee, however, said the eagles go after ducks in the Ramona Municipal Water District spray fields which are also near the nest site.
Holt was asked about the county’s plans to create a staging area and additional trails in the grasslands off Montecito Way, just north of the airport.
According to Holt, the county had the design completed, hired contractors and was ready to go, but the project was halted when the Stephens’ kangaroo rat was discovered near the site. He said a re-design may be required to avoid the burrows; the county and Fish and Wildlife will be meeting to discuss it.