San Diego Canyon Wetlands Restoration Project

As part of a multi-phased plan to restore all stream corridor wetlands within the City of San Diego, the San Diego Canyon Wetlands Restoration Project will produce Canyon Enhancement Action Plans for 1,234 acres of wetlands and canyon slopes and 82,600 feet of stream corridors in nine urban canyons.The focus of this project are primarily isolated islands of open space within an urban matrix, but provide rich opportunities for natural water filtration and important connectivity and habitat for mobile wildlife species. All the canyons are within the City of San Diego’s Multiple Species Conservation Program Subarea (MSCP-MHPA), and several harbor endangered and threatened species, including the California Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica). Their combined 15.6 miles (82,600 feet) of stream corridors are generally surrounded by steep slopes of Coastal Sage Scrub and mixed Chaparral upland communities. The canyons are impacted by erosion, trash, non-native/invasive plants, redundant/renegade social trails and other human impacts.

This project will cover the required mapping and existing conditions analyses, stakeholder planning program, and necessary permitting to restore wetlands in these nine canyons.  The Action Plans will include priority wetland and upland restoration areas, trails identified to close or improve, and other enhancements that will reduce habitat fragmentation, erosion and other degradation. The project will also bolster the existing “Canyon Friends Groups” established for each of these canyons, to support and implement planned projects to the degree possible and provide sustainable stewardship for all canyon projects.