Grafitti Paintout Event - Saturday, February 23

PB Town Council hosting neighborhood grafitti paintout

The Pacific Beach Town Council Safe & Beautiful committee is inviting all of the Discover Pacific Beach Board members, members and their employees to this special cleanup event called the CLEAN PB Graffiti Day. This event will be on February 23rd from 9-1pm with Lunch and a live R&B band provided by the PB Presbyterian Church. Councilmember Faulconer will kick-off the event along with Graffiti Strike Force officers of the SDPD and others. TV cameras will be there at 9am for the launch. The goal is to knock out graffiti in PB in one fell swoop. Your business will be mixing with many people from around the community so this is a great time to get in a group and have some one-on-one time with neighbors.

Please RSVP to pbtowncouncil@sbcglobal.net at the earliest convenience.

Lower Rose Creek Dedicates New Trees, Promotes Vision Of Open Space Park

By Brian Taylor

A community effort amongst Friends of Rose Creek, the City of San Diego’s Department of Environmental Services, San Diego Urban Corps, Sempra Energy, and San Diego Earthworks brought eleven new trees to the west side of Rose Creek between Grand and Garnet avenues. A dedication was held February 7 to welcome the Coast Live Oak, Torrey Pines and Mexican Elderberry trees. Representatives from the various agencies, local business owners, residents, and community activists came to support the dedication.

Funding for the 24 inch box trees was provided by Sempra Energy, San Diego Earthworks and the Friends of Rose Creek. Coordinating with Lisa Wood and Darin Neufeld of the City’s Department of Environmental Services and San Diego Forester Drew Potocki, Karin Zirk of Friends of Rose Creek led the project. Zirk worked with Usha Little of the San Diego Urban Corps who provided a team of young adults that planted the trees, removed trashed and trimmed weeds.

The trees will take years to reach their full sizes and the Friends of Rose Creek will take responsibility for watering the young trees for the next three years with water donated by the Rose Creek Cottage.

Planting replacement trees for the aging Eucalyptus by the creek is a first step in Friends of Rose Creek’s strategy to revitalize the arboretum originally planted in the 1950’s by the US Army Corps of Engineers.

“These trees will serve as reminders that citizens, non-profits and government agencies can work together to create a more positive future,” Zirk said. "I'm thrilled that we were all able to support a grass roots effort to beautify our community."

The Friends of Rose Creek formed in 2004 to tackle the complex problems facing lower Rose Creek - the only section of the creek from Highway 52 to Mission Bay Park that is not managed by San Diego's Park and Recreation Department and the most degraded.

Friends of Rose Creek envision the area as an open space park providing
recreational and learning opportunities in a clean, healthy, and aesthetically pleasing environment for residents, visitors, businesses, and native plants and animals, while serving as an accessible link for bicyclists and pedestrians to move between Rose Canyon Park, Marian Bear Park, Mission Bay Park, and surrounding communities. The organization meets the second Wednesday of every month from 6 to 8PM at the Pacific Beach Recreation Center on Diamond Street.

Monthly Meeting February 13 @ 6 PM

Inviting all residents, business owners, recreational users and others who have an interest in Rose Creek.
~ We meet the Second Wednesday of every month ~

Next Meeting: Wednesday, February 13 @ 6 PM.

Pacific Beach Recreation Center, 1405 Diamond Street (one block south of Ingraham @ Gresham/Diamond) Enter on Gresham St.

For more information, contact Karin 858-405-7503.

Agenda

* Status of news trees
* Planting of natives wrap up
* Preparing for Creek to Bay Cleanup

* Proposed changes to Opportunities Assessment
* Rose Creek Watershed Alliance Updates
* Earth Fair
* More topics TBA

Mangrove Removal Work Party in the Northern Wildlife Preserve - Feb 9

Saturday, Feb. 9^th 1-4pm

The San Diego Audubon Society and Aquatic Adventures invite you to help gather important scientific data on the Mangrove plants and remove this invasive species to restore this rare coastal salt marsh to benefit the endangered Light-Footed Clapper Rail and Belding's Savannah Sparrow. This is a great way to meet your fellow community members and contribute to the betterment of the Mission Bay environment. so we hope to see you there!

Remember to wear long pants, old clothes, and sturdy water-proof shoes. Water, snacks, gloves and tools will be provided.

As required by the San Diego City Parks Department, for volunteers 17 and under, a parent or guardian must sign a waiver for each child at the start of the event. Children 13 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

The project site can be accessed via Campland at 2211 Pacific Beach Dr. Parking is available at the end of Pacific Beach Drive just outside the main entrance. Proceed through the Campland entrance, take your 2^nd right on Great Blue Heron Run and follow signs to Riding Hood Wood Park on the left.

RSVP for this event at (619) 682-7210 or Dougherty@sandiegoaudubon.org

Native Plant Gardening - Saturday, February 9

Joint us for planting day in February. We have San Diego Sagewort, Black Sage, and more. Be prepared to get muddy as we will be doing a lot of watering.

The Nature School - Native Plant Garden Maintenance *

Join us for Native Plant Gardening on Saturday February 9 from
10 AM until noon.

Meet behind the Rose Creek Cottage 2525 Garnet Ave in Pacific Beach. Park on Fogg Street just South of Garnet.

Join the Friends of Rose Creek on the Second Saturday of every month from 10 AM until Noon while we work on The Nature School’s native plant interpretive garden behind Rose Creek Cottage. Enjoy weeding, watering and planting native species and get involved with your creek and your community.

Easy one to two hours project - great for children of all ages. However, due to liability concerns, all minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian during the event. Perfect for community service credit hours.

Minors need to have their parents complete a liability waiver. We'll have copies at the event, or download and complete it in advance by completing the waiver.

Please wear sunscreen, closed-toe shoes, and a hat. Volunteers should bring water and heavy-duty work or gardening gloves. More information Karin Zirk 858-405-7503 or kzirk@earthlink.net

* Part of the Rose Creek Wetlands & Salt Marsh Restoration and Nature Education Preserve project by The Nature Institute. New habitat restoration supported by The Nature Institute and the City of San Diego Environmental Services Dept.

Rose Creek Tree Planting - Thursday, February 7, 2008

Urban Corp of San Diego and The Friends of Rose Creek will be planting Coast Live Oak and Torrey Pine trees along Rose Creek in Pacific Beach on Thursday, February 7. Join us for a dedication ceremony at noon on the west side of Rose Creek between Grand Avenue and Garnet Avenue.

Creek Lovers Unite to Save San Mateo Creek February 6

COASTAL COMMISSION SAYS NO TO TOLL ROAD.

A big thanks to all the people who came together to save our parks and open places. And a great big thanks to Surfrider who busted their asses on this and it paid off. Thanks for lunch!

San Mateo Creek, one of the last undammed streams in southern California, flows 22 miles from its headwaters in the Santa Ana Mountains to the Pacific Ocean just south of the city of San Clemente.

The San Onofre Toll Road threatens San Mateo Creek, San Onofre State Park and Trestles - Southern California's legendary surf break. Join Surfrider and a host of Southern Cali environmental groups at the Coastal Commission Hearing, February 6 @ 9 AM at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. For details click here.

Here's what Trouts Unlimitted has to say about San Mateo Creek:
Historically San Mateo Creek, in the 1940's and earlier had Steelhead runs of hundreds, and in some years thousands of fish. Since then, due to climatic change, drought, urbanization, and agricultural activity within the watershed, there has been a reduction in annual return to the point that Southern Steelhead, south of Malibu Creek, were determined to be extirpated or extinct. In 1999 a student at Saddleback College, going on a lead from his mom, that his dad used to catch Steelhead in San Mateo Creek, went fishing and caught a trout in the lower stream, near the Highway 5 freeway bridge. For more info on San Mateo Creek, click here.