Lakeside's River Park Conservancy

What's New at the Park?

Temporary Trail Closure extended through mid-January
(we need and love the rain, but it plays havoc with construction schedules)

The trail is closed for the construction of new deck overlooking the east pond. This deck will give an excellent view of the plants and animals that depend on the pond and is a good complement to the west pond overlook, with its close-up perspective on the wetlands. The trail is expected to reopen in mid-January, and construction will be completed by early spring.

Trail information

Trail map

We Are Excited. . .

by the construction of the new deck overlook, which has been designed by James Hubbell, an internationally-known local artist.

But WE NEED YOUR HELP to make his vision a reality. While a grant from the State of California and a generous private donation have paid for the deck itself, the plans call for a beautiful trellis to provide shade in the summer and a feeling of peace all through the year. We need to raise $10,000 to finish this project.

Please help by making a donation.

Construction Project Corner

Phase One of the project, the restoration of part of the river and the construction of a wetlands, has been singled out by the State Water Resources Control Board as a "Success Story" in handling polluted runoff into the river. Read the story.

Phase Two has now begun. Errecca Construction has removed large amounts of dirt from the south side of the Park to create the Big Dig. The dirt is being used as fill in the construction of the Highway 52 extension to Highway 67. The removal of the dirt has lowered the ground level and allowed for the natural river bottom to re-emerge. Willow and mulefat are already appearing in the bottom of the Big Dig and the area will be further re-vegetated to create a new wetlands habitat. The area will also provide additional water storage areas during floods.
More. . .

Volunteer to Help with Planting at the Park

Fall and winter are the planting seasons for California native plants. In addition to our ongoing need for volunteers to help beautify and maintain the Park, we are looking for volunteers for special planting events. Vounteers are needed for outdoor work (planting, weed control, watering and trail maintenance) and for indoor work (mailings, public outreach, clerical work). If you have a few hours to spare, even occasionally, please consider volunteering!

Information about how to volunteer. . .

LRPC Earns Kudos from State Office of Reclamation

Lakeside's River Park Conservancy is highlighted in the Spring issue of SMARA Update, the newsletter of the California State Office of Mine Reclamation [OMR]. The OMR was established to ensure that mined lands are returned to a beneficial use after mining. LRPC's project is discussed as an example of how mined lands can be reclaimed to open space to provide a variety of uses. The article describes the process of land acquisition and restoration and states that "the Lakeside River Park Conservancy’s restoration of the former Vulcan and Hanson properties will set the standard for other restoration projects along other portions of the [San Diego] river."
Read the entire article on pp. 4-5 of SMARA Update.

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