Summer 2024 Newsletter

MISSION TRAILS REGIONAL PARK FOUNDATION

BOARD MEMBERS

B. Lane MacKenzie, President

Cynthia Cornelius, Vice President

Lauren Krase, Secretary

Brian Wright, Treasurer

Millie Basden

Randall Christison, Esq.

Bruce Folkmann

Ruth Gautereaux

Fred Kramer

Todd Linke

Katy McDonald

Heather Milne Barger

Adrianna O’Donnell

David Spohn

MTRP FOUNDATION STAFF

Jennifer Morrissey, Executive Director

Heather Bates, Educator*

Lola Castro, Gift Shop Sales Associate*

Taylor Crowley, Communications and Operations Assistant

Janet Gavaldon, Operations Manager

Kindra Hixon, Stewardship Manager

Robin Kendall, Educator*

Beryl Lewis, Development Manager

Alissa Lustgarten, Lead Educator

Iris Thompson, Educator*

CITY OF SAN DIEGO STAFF

Julie Aeilts, Senior Park Ranger

Rob Wheeler, Senior Park Ranger

Steven Blankenship, Park Ranger

Jennifer Canales, Center Director

Carmelo Esquer, Grounds Maintenance

Tom Folk, Grounds Maintenance

Jesus Fuentes, Park Ranger

Heidi Gutknecht, Park Ranger

David Lee, Center Director

*Part time

Visitor and Interpretive Center (619) 668-3281

MTRP Foundation (619) 668-3280

Email mtrp@mtrp.org

Website www.mtrp.org

Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation, Inc., established

January 1988, is a nonprofit public benefit corporation organized for the purpose of preserving, improving, and maintaining Mission Trails Regional Park.

Newsletter contributors:

Julene Snyder, Jennifer Morrissey

Sandeep Dhar, Taylor Crowley, Kindra Hixon

MISSION OF THE MISSION TRAILS REGIONAL PARK FOUNDATION

In partnership with the City of San Diego, preserve and protect the natural environment of Mission Trails Regional Park and provide and promote educational and recreational opportunities.

When my family moved from our South Park rental to our forever home in Lemon Grove 20 years ago, we knew we’d found the perfect place for our family to grow and thrive.

Part of why we moved there was because the large lot would provide me with a gardening project for the rest of my life.

We expected that it would keep me busy but didn’t fully consider how much weeding would be in my future.

Short answer: A lot. Weeding is pretty much how I spend every spare moment in the spring.

At least I have company. Our miniature horse, Samson, is also on the job, and he’s on weeding patrol nearly every waking minute. When we adopted him from a neighbor 14 years ago, it was in part because we knew Samson would help us in the Sisyphean effort to clear invasive plants from our backyard.

Today, in his late 20s, Samson remains a spritely soul. He often runs around the yard like a wee colt, and plays chase with Cleo, our black schnoodle. The “Lemon Grove Stallion” can really get going, but we often hold our breath, afraid that he may fall or give the dog a swift kick. However, seeing Samson grazing in the yard is immediately relaxing, and he often does so next to me as I weed. Little does he know that we’re a team, working to turn our yard back into native habitat.

Like a lot of us, I think of Mission Trails Regional Park as a second home, and I’m proud to work for the nonprofit that makes this community resource more accessible, and helps to preserve, protect and expand it for future generations.

Toward that end, a February 2024 $1.8 million grant from the San Diego River Conservancy (SDRC) is a concrete example of the collective efforts that will help us control the spread of invasive, non-native vegetation in the park.

As you’ll read in this issue, it’s an eventful time at the MTRP Foundation. Our partners at SDRC also awarded the Foundation a second $2 million grant to purchase land to add to the park, as well as a $150,000 grant to update the interpretive signs throughout Mission Trails to be multilingual to educate more visitors about the park and enrich their MTRP experience.

Our work contributes to the efforts of City of San Diego staff, community partners and volunteers to improve the park and be good stewards of this remarkable open space. It’s all interconnected. Together, we’re managing weeds on a large scale, so that native plants and habitat can thrive.

Of course, Mission Trails doesn’t have the bonus of an equine weeding assistant like Samson, but the park has a giant community of supporters that works together to make MTRP an even better place, one weed at a time.

MESSAGE FROM Jennifer Morrissey, Executive Director

ON THE COVER: A view south from the East Elliott Community Planning Area. Opposite: MTRP Foundation staff Janet Gavaldon and Taylor Crowley with Sandeep Dhar.

IMAGE CREDITS: Angie Ollman, Todd Linke, Jennifer Morrissey, Sandeep Dhar, Wendy Esterly, Jeffrey Paradis, Mark Dodero, San Diego Zoo, Robin Kendall, Tracy Meiners

Unwavering Devotion

The winners of the 31st Mission Trails Regional Park Photo Contest were announced in late May. More than 100 photos, including the winning entries, are on view at the Visitor Center through July 7.

Sandeep Dhar — whose photo, Safe Space, was named Best in Show and won top honors in the Adults–Animals category by a panel of wildlife photographers — describes what went into capturing his winning entry:

When photographing hummingbird nests in the wild, it’s important to be attentive to the environment around you.

A hint usually arrives in the form of a flitting silhouette burdened with a beak full of fluffy nesting material, a female in the process of building and maintaining her nest. Patience is paramount. Upon locating a nest, discretion is my guiding principle. A healthy distance is maintained. Years of photographing nests has led to a personal belief that the less I make myself visible, the higher the nestlings’ chance of success.

My five-week encounter with the black-chinned hummingbird nest at Mission Trails Regional Park exemplifies this philosophy. The nest, a tiny marvel of avian construction, was perched precariously at waist level on the thin, leafless branches of a cottonwood tree. Its pristine white form, secured by spider silk, hung a mere three feet away from the park’s wooden fence. The female was spending time at the nest, a sign she was incubating.

Over the next four weekends, I returned to the same location. Early mornings saw me setting up my camera on a tripod, maintaining a respectful 20 feet while the long lens granted me intimate close-ups. Patience remained the name of the game.

Each visit revealed a new chapter. At week two, the nest revealed two chicks, their tiny heads barely peeking above the rim. By week four, fine plumage had sprouted, eyes were wide open, and their mouths had transformed into pointed beaks. Their mother tirelessly fed them.

On my fourth visit, I captured the image I submitted to the photo contest. The chicks, on the precipice of fledging, shared a tender feeding moment with their mother. I feel that the image is a testament to the unwavering devotion of a mother and the quiet joy of a birder rewarded for his attentiveness.

On my fifth visit, the nest was empty. Photographing the early weeks of the life of the chicks has been a memorable experience. I am honored that the judges chose this photograph as the Best in Show and hope it is an inspiration for us all that the best way to enjoy nature is when we preserve habitats for its denizens.

— Sandeep Dhar

BEST IN SHOW WINNER Sandeep Dhar lives in Scripps Ranch. He researches

Everyday Wonders

NEW SENIOR RANGERS JULIE AEILTS AND ROB WHEELER FIND JOY IN NATURE

BY JULENE SNYDER

Two new senior rangers joined the Mission Trails Regional Park Team in mid-November.

Although the daily tasks of a Senior Ranger can be very different from those of a Park Ranger — for one thing, there’s considerably more paperwork involved — Rob Wheeler is clear that he’s exactly where he wants to be.

“I’m excited to be here at Mission Trails every day,” he says. “This park is the notso-hidden gem of our city.”

The Orange County native came to San Diego for his undergraduate studies at San Diego State University, where he majored in sustainability. As a student, he interned with the City of San Diego’s Storm Water Department and went on to be a Water Resources Field Scientist for a consulting firm, testing water for pollutants. He subsequently served as a Park Ranger for the City’s Black Mountain Open Space Park for seven years.

In 2017, he took part in the Trail Guide Training Program at Mission Trails Regional Park, which was a natural step for this lifelong nature lover.

“In my free time, I take trips and plan them around destination hiking and camping,” he says, noting that he’s traveled as far as the European Alps and Canadian Rockies. While he’s done some of these trips alone, he far prefers going out with others. “It’s not only more fun, it’s safer,” he notes.

While juggling the need to pay mind to the various stakeholders who are involved with Mission Trails Regional Park in his new role, he makes a mindful choice to get out on the trails several times a week.

“People sometimes see nature as this obscure other thing that’s separate from our everyday lives,” he says. “We’ve created a barrier between ourselves and the natural world. It’s important to remind ourselves that we’re a part of nature.

When you get outside and all you can hear is deafening silence, or the wind and your own breathing, it’s therapeutic for the body and mind.”

“It’s important to push yourself to get outside,” Wheeler says. “Listen to the wind, to the plants, to wildlife. Find those little pockets of solitude and serenity whenever you can.”

The other Senior Ranger, Julie Aeilts, echoes that sentiment. Coincidentally, she and Wheeler share a birthday — June 11 — as well as a love of the outdoors.

Having grown up in the very small Northern California town of Oakdale — adjacent to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range — she jokes that her parents say she was “hiking before I was even crawling.”

While that may be a slight overstatement, the enthusiastic Aeilts is a lifelong lover of

the outdoors. “I grew up helping my dad on five acres, doing natural resource management like going out and removing invasive plants from the pasture and pruning back trees in the orchard.”

She particularly loved frequent visits to her family’s small cabin near the Sonora Pass. “I learned about wildflowers and how to identify constellations andmade many special memories with my family and friends.”

Aeilts came to San Diego in 2008 to pursue her undergraduate degree at San Diego State University, where she initially planned to earn a degree that would lead her to teaching English. But a class with Larry Beck — a professor and advisor for the university’s Outdoor Resource Management program —helped her to rethink her focus and ultimately change her major to recreation and tourism management.

“He had worked in Denali National Park and wrote for Backpacker Magazine. He was doing all these things that I wanted to do. He inspired me and told me, ‘You can be an educator without settling for being confined in a traditional classroom.’”

While still a college student, she interned at Mission Trails, putting in an estimated 750 hours before graduating. She was hired as a Ranger Aide in 2014, subsequently promoted to Ranger in 2016, then became the Education Coordinator in 2018, all at MTRP.

Aeilts is able to continue to get out and about in the park since being promoted to Senior Ranger.

“I love it here,” she says. “While Mission Trails isn’t superremote, it feels rural, especially if you know where to hike. You can be out here for hours and not see a soul — if that’s what you want. The park is a gem and it’s great to see so many people discovering it.”

When asked about the challenges facing protecting a park that’s increasingly well-loved, she sees it as a balancing act.

“It’s a preserve and a natural habitat for local wildlife, as well as a haven for recreators. As a Senior Ranger, it’s my role to make sure visitors are as prepared as they can be. I’m excited to continue learning about the park in my new capacity.”

Environmentally Speaking

MEET DEVELOPMENT MANAGER BERYL LEWIS

San Diego County native Beryl Lewis has been a fan of Mission Trails Regional Park since she was a child. “I’ve always been outdoorsy,” they say. “The first time I came to the park was on a field trip. It was so long ago I can’t recall whether it was with school or with the Girl Scouts.”

Lewis — who identifies as non-binary and uses they/ she pronouns — came on board as Development Manager for the Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation in November of 2023. She says that her passion for sustainability and reversing climate change made the position a perfect fit. They earned an undergraduate degree in political science and international relations from UC San Diego, explaining that political science made sense because of her own love for the environment.

“Particularly now, people care a lot more than they used to about preserving outdoor spaces,” they say. Lewis’ own commitment to helping to solve the urgent global issues facing the planet helped fuel her early career, which was largely spent working for political candidates whose positions reflected their own commitment to sustainability in a personal, meaningful way. When their family moved to Germany when she was a teenager, Lewis couldn’t help but be impressed at the “incredibly good public transportation system” the country offered. While in Europe, she and her family traveled all over the region, including to many parts of Germany, France and the Czech Republic, before ultimately returning to the U.S., first to Portland, Oregon, then back to her hometown of Carlsbad.

Lewis’ plans for their new role at the Foundation are to modernize the donation processes and increase the diversity of the donor base, with an emphasis on small-dollar contributions. She also wants to assist in expanding the amount of grants that the Foundation seeks out, so that the park can continue to serve the community.

On a personal note, Lewis enjoys hiking with her dog, Kaido, a 50-pound Shiba Inu/German Shepherd mix, alongside her partner. “A fun fact is that my dog does not know how to play fetch, but my cat, Olive, does. She’s great when it comes to fetching pompoms.”

When asked to name their favorite parts of the park and their new workplace, she’s effusive.

“This is a wonderful place to work with beautiful views at lunchtime. I love the big oak tree on the Visitor Center Loop. And I just love that it takes me just 30 seconds to move from my desk to the outdoors. That’s special.”

Protecting Conserved Habitat

GRANTS TOTALING NEARLY $4 MILLION WILL SUPPORT PARK INITIATIVES

BY JULENE SNYDER

The Mission Trails Regional Park (MTRP) Foundation is continuing to make major progress toward important park initiatives — most recently pertaining to land acquisition and invasive plant removal.

In March 2024, the Foundation received its second $2 million grant from the San Diego River Conservancy (SDRC) — an independent and non-regulatory state agency — to purchase land and expand the park in the East Elliott Community Planning Area north of State Route 52 and west of Mast Boulevard. Parcels in East Elliott are in private ownership and fall within Mission Trails’ boundaries; both the City of San Diego and the MTRP Foundation are working to acquire parcels to add to the park.

“This second land acquisition grant from SDRC supports conservation, will allow for public access, and increase understanding of natural spaces to foster environmental stewardship,” explains Lane MacKenzie, president of the MTRP Foundation Board of Directors. The Foundation’s land acquisition initiative taps MacKenzie’s decades with the City of San Diego’s real estate department; while with the City, MacKenzie was involved in acquiring much of the land that is today’s MTRP. This year’s $2 million grant will add more acres to the park, which will eventually provide trails to support hikers, walkers, birders and bikers. In April 2024, the Foundation closed escrow on 55 acres

In February 2024, the MTRP Foundation was awarded a $1.8 million grant from SDRC to control the spread of invasive, non-native vegetation from the park. They also provided a $150,000 grant to update, fabricate and install 50 new interpretive panels throughout the park to better engage and educate visitors. The new panels will include educational text in both English and Spanish and provide a QR code to read the text in San Diego County’s other threshold languages.

San Diego River Conservancy’s Executive Officer Julia Richards is proud to partner with the Foundation to assist in efforts to protect land from development and aid in protecting water quality and native species. Since 2021, the Conservancy has approved more than $35 million in grants for San Diego County wildfire and forest resilience projects.

“The Conservancy and its staff works with local cities, government agencies and nonprofits. Our partnership with the MTRP Foundation has developed over the last three years. Because of the good working relationship with the Foundation, the Conservancy has been able to ramp up efforts to help purchase land and initiate a multi-year invasive plant removal effort at the park,” Richards says. “Invasive plants can infest an area and outcompete native vegetation. When that happens, changes occur to the whole

ecosystem and can change foraging and nesting habitats of listed and sensitive wildlife and plant species.”

“We’re excited to support Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation in acquiring 55 acres of valuable habitat to add to Mission Trails Regional Park,” says SDRC Board Member Cody Petterson.

“Acquisition of these parcels was identified as a priority in the MTRP Master Plan and will be a lasting contribution to the ecological health and recreational value of Mission Trails. The San Diego River Conservancy Governing Board is proud of the work the agency does to protect, restore and improve the San Diego River and its watershed. The most impactful and enduring of our investments is the acquisition and preservation of open space.”

MTRP Foundation Executive Director Jennifer Morrissey explains that projects like this have a ripple effect. “Related to the invasive plant removal initiative, positive impacts besides removing the fire fuels include restoring habitat and the possibility of expanding rare and endangered plant populations at MTRP, including San Diego Thornmint and San Diego Ambrosia. This program dovetails nicely with our grant from SANDAG to expand and restore the Thornmint populations in the park.”

cont. p.6

“This second land acquisition grant from SDRC supports conservation, will allow for public access, and increase understanding of natural spaces to foster environmental stewardship.”

– Lane MacKenzie, MTRP Foundation Board of Directors

The $1.8 million invasive plant removal grant from SDRC allows the MTRP Foundation to partner with a specialized contractor as well as to add a staff position to manage the project from the Foundation side, collaborating closely with City staff to ensure the work complements their stewardship activities in the park. Additionally, the funds will be used to purchase equipment to reduce flammable fuel loads in the park as well as provide educational outreach about invasive plants.

“The grant provides a boost to the great work City staff and volunteers do every day in the park,” says Morrissey. “We at the Foundation look forward to helping to combat the invasive plants in the park. This multi-year effort will get invasives under control and set the stage for a joint long-term maintenance program with the City.”

The plan is ambitious, and the control of non-native species will employ an “all tools in the toolbox” approach, while focusing on prevention. Ecologists will conduct regular site visits so that they have an intrinsic understanding of where potential non-native plant populations may occur and will provide guidance on how best to control these outbreaks.

Among the priority sites in the park that will be treated for brush management and non-native plant removal are along Father Junipero Serra Trail, Visitor Center Loop Trail, Grinding Rocks Trail, Oak Canyon Trail, Oak Grove Loop Inner and Outer Trail, Cowles Mountain Staging Area and main trail, riparian areas around Old Mission Dam, the grasslands and areas along the San Diego River. The work will commence later this year.

Richards is thrilled about the partnership between the Conservancy and the Foundation. She joined the state to serve the people of San Diego and California and feels proud to be a part of an organization that provides grants for local benefits, such as fire reduction and invasive plant removal.

“These activities help people to improve the safety in their neighborhoods and local community,” she explains. “It’s gratifying to know that the Conservancy is helping to conserve land for future generations to appreciate and enjoy.”

Pictured above, from left: City Councilmember Raul Campillo (D-7); Ben Clay, Chair, San Diego River Conservancy; Lane MacKenzie, President, MTRP Foundation; Jennifer Morrissey, Executive Director, MTRP Foundation; Andy Field, Director, City of San Diego Parks and Recreation Department.

RIVER CONSERVANCY GRANT TO FUND INTERPRETIVE SIGNS

When it comes to serving visitors at Mission Trails Regional Park (MTRP), equitable access is key.

Toward that end, precedent was set in midFebruary 2024, when the San Diego River Conservancy approved a request from the MTRP Foundation to fund $150,000 to design, fabricate and install new interpretive panels throughout the park. This important educational effort marks the first time that multi-lingual signage will be offered across a City of San Diego open space park.

The overarching aim of the project is to interpret the park’s valuable resources to all to better engage a wide range of park visitors.

While there are currently interpretive signs throughout the park, they were created over decades and only include text in English. Given the demographics of San Diego County and the region’s geographic proximity to Mexico, the Foundation proposed that the park’s interpretive signage to be more inclusive, have consistent messaging and design and offer educational opportunities to both English and non-English speakers.

Templates for each style of panel will contain bilingual text (English and Spanish) with illustrations that display information regarding the natural or cultural resources of a particular site, trail or scenic vista. Additionally, the panels will include QR codes with a link to all of San Diego’s eight threshold languages and describe information about geographic, environmental, biological and historic features of the park where appropriate.

Visitors’ understanding of the importance of conservation efforts as well as the dynamics of the region’s natural environment is crucial to protect the park’s valuable resources. Alongside the San Diego River Conservancy, the people involved include the MTRP Foundation, volunteers and City of San Diego staff.

Proposed signage locations include the Cowles Mountain summit, Father Junipero Serra Trail, Oak Grove Trail, Visitor Center Loop, Old Mission Dam, Kumeyaay Lake Campground and East Fortuna Staging Area.

This project will enhance park visitors’ experiences and help to foster more stewardship of Mission Trails and other natural spaces.

– Julene Snyder

Thornmint Project Flourishes

A collaborative effort to restore and enhance the presence of San Diego Thornmint (Acanthomintha Ilicifolia), an endangered native plant, continues to be a priority at Mission Trails Regional Park.

The species — which is only found in San Diego County and in northwestern Baja California — has been in decline due to pressures from urban development, habitat disturbance and invasive species, with as many as one-third of historical occurrences believed to have been lost, according to City of San Diego Natural Resource Manager Mark Berninger.

Thornmint — which typically grows in open areas with little competition with shrubs and other plant species — is a highly specialized wildflower. With support from SANDAG, efforts to control invasive species so that Thornmint have less competition for light and water have been successful.

The continuing partnership that the MTRP Foundation has with the City of San Diego has resulted in an ongoing effort to bring San Diego Thornmint and other rare and endemic plants such as San Diego Ambrosia (Ambrosia pumila) back from the edge of extinction. Preserving the plant’s population along with its genetic diversity is a vital component of this regional conservation endeavor.

The next phase of the multi-year effort — which was renewed by virtue of a four-year grant from SANDAG in 2023 to the MTRP Foundation — aims for the park to restore at least 90% of the habitat where Thornmint flourishes, while removing at least 90% of invasive plants such as Purple Falsebrome (Brachypodium distachyon), Prickly Sow Thistle (Sonchus asper) and Tocalote (Centaurea melitensis).

of a Hawk Through the Eyes

MASTER FALCONER SHARES EXPERTISE ABOUT RAPTORS

BY JULENE SNYDER

From any account, Dr. Bob Gordon has had a most interesting life, punctuated by a longtime interest in all things airborne. To begin with, the retired physician has been captivated by flight since he was a child.

“There were airfields near our house in Long Island,” he recalls. “I’ve always been fascinated with flight: both flying and observing it in a scientific way. As a child, I was a frequent visitor to the American Museum of Natural History and the Hayden Planetarium. From an early age, I loved museums, nature, flying and airplanes.”

He knew he wanted to become a pilot, but he also was called to medicine: One might think the two were incompatible, but one would be wrong.

“I got my medical degree at the beginning of the Vietnam War and became a flight surgeon, which is a specialty that takes care of flying personnel such as pilots, navigators and other air crews,” he explains.

“I flew as the ‘GIB’ — the ‘guy in the back’ — in many fighter aircraft missions,” he says. While in the Air Force, he also obtained his civilian pilot’s license. After the war, he returned to the states and practiced as an OB/GYN. Decades later, he and his wife went to a destination wedding in Vermont, where she signed him up for an introductory falconry course. “It was a couple of hours of walking around and having birds fly to you,” Gordon recalls.

He was hooked.

“I immediately wanted to become a falconer, but realized right away that falconry is not a hobby. You can’t just pick it up and then drop it whenever you want. It’s a lifestyle.”

That’s not hyperbole. According to the North American Falconry Association, becoming a Master falconer takes at least seven years. Those certified to own

their own hawk can expect to devote a significant amount of their time to the birds: “Every day, 365 days a year,” reads the group’s online warning, followed by a caveat: “And a bird in training requires substantially more time.”

Not to mention the fact that they can fly away at any time. These birds fly free.

A Tale of Two Hawks

One of the many unique things about falconry is that it’s the only sport in America that utilizes a trained wild creature.

To the extent that he’s able — given Gordon’s default setting, which appears to be “all fired up and raring to go” — he took a deliberate approach to becoming a falconer. “I joined Project Wildlife 22 years ago and learned about birds of prey. I used some of my medical training to rehabilitate their birds of prey.”

Before long, he’d joined the group’s education team and began giving presentations, but Gordon wanted more.

“About 10 years ago, I realized there were gaps in my knowledge.” He’d taken note of the close bond that falconers have with their birds. “It’s on a whole different level than that of a rehabber,” he explains. “As a rehabber, you want to stay away from interaction with birds.”

Fast forward to today, when avian interaction fills many of his hours each day, thanks to Gordon’s two male Harris’s Hawks, 12-year-old Huxley and 18-monthold Hawkeye.

Huxley — who was named after Thomas Henry Huxley, a biologist and anthropologist who was an advocate of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution — only has limited flying ability due to an unfortunate collision with a car in early 2021 that shattered his left wing. These days, Huxley is only used for static educational programs. No flying free, except in the house.

Early in his career, Huxley was an abatement bird whose duties were to chase nuisance birds away from places like airports, sporting events and

entertainment parks. He was doing this work at Sea World until he lost the job due to complaints that he was eating gulls and pigeons in front of presumably horrified guests (read: parents).

“I believe nature truly is the elixir, the cure-all in life.”

– Dr. Bob Gordon

While the small children in attendance were attentive and only a little fidgety, when Gordon brought Huxley out of his traveling box and attached his leash to a leather glove so that the hawk could perch safely, everyone sat up a bit straighter.

“The silhouettes of birds in the windows here at the Visitor Center are there so that birds don’t fly into them,” he explained, as several pairs of wide eyes looked up to confirm that yes, the outlines of flying birds were scattered about the glass. “This is a form of static abatement,” he said.

“Huxley and Hawkeye live outside of my house in mews,” he said, defining the term as a building designed to house birds of prey. That said, the birds also come into the house proper on a regular basis.

After Huxley got fired for eating on the job, Gordon won Hawkeye as grand prize in a contest, “before he was an egg.” The bird’s moniker was derived from the Native American name given to the character Natty Bumppo, who was featured in James Fenimore Cooper’s series of books that includes The Last of the Mohicans.

Already a volunteer at Mission Trails Regional Park and other local organizations involved in wildlife preservation, Gordon suggested he bring Huxley to the park to do regular presentations. That idea has since morphed into Hawk Talks, which he presents the first Sunday of every month at the Visitor Center from 9AM to noon, alongside volunteer George Varga.

Find Answers in Nature

Gordon is a natural educator: Ebullient, knowledgeable and great with kids and adults alike. On a recent Sunday morning, he welcomed visitors to his Hawk Talk.

A dozen kids with their grown-ups gathered round his presentation table, ready to learn.

“I believe nature truly is the elixir, the cure-all in life,” he opened, with contagious excitement. His talk touched on subjects ranging from conservation to diversification, from raptor gizzards to beak trimming to humanity’s quest to discover the meaning of life.

“I have a room I made into a bird room, with a tarp on the floor, which was once a children’s room. I joke, ‘If you don’t want your children to come back and roost, make their room into a bird room.’” Huxley, who’s trusted not to get into trouble, is permitted to fly down the house’s hallway, but Hawkeye only flies outside.

“When I fly Hawkeye, I want him to have a trusting relationship with me. I walk and he follows me around because I’m providing food for him. That’s part of the training: You’re flushing game for the bird. The bird knows that you’re going to provide food.”

There is real affection here, and Gordon is happy to sing the praises of these magnificent birds.

“All raptors have their own personalities, and Harris’s Hawks are considered one of the smartest raptors. They live in family groups,” he says. “And some of the hawks have been seen bringing food to injured members.”

When asked why he gives these presentations, Gordon doesn’t have to think about his answer.

“To entertain, to share facts, and, most importantly, to provide a stimulus that kindles interest so that people go home and seek out answers about the natural world — and humans’ place in it — for themselves.”

Founders Celebration

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

In late March, longtime volunteers, community supporters, MTRP Foundation Board members and City of San Diego staff gathered at the Visitor Center to honor three of Mission Trails’ founders, Dorothy Leonard, Richard “Dick” Murphy and Michael Pent. The trio — who still serve on the park’s Citizens Advisory Committee — were celebrated with remarks and certificates from 78th District Assemblymember Chris Ward, and words of appreciation from Parks and Recreation Director Andy Field. On behalf of himself and Councilmember Jen Campbell, District 7 Councilmember Raul Campillo presented 50-year volunteer Dorothy Leonard with a Proclamation marking March 23, 2024, as Dorothy Leonard Mission Trails Regional Park Founders Day. We thank these three and other park founders for spearheading the effort to create Mission Trails. We are grateful to Republic Services for their support of the event.

COMMUNITY NIGHT BRINGS GROUPS TOGETHER

Mission Trails Regional Park is a vital part of the community, serving as a wildlife refuge and an accessible nature and recreation mecca to the nearby neighborhoods and the greater San Diego metropolitan area. With over 60 miles of trails and hundreds of species of flora and fauna, the park caters to a diverse range of interests and user groups, including but not limited to: casual walkers, ultrarunners, mountain bikers, rock climbers, birders, botanizers and nature observers (and more!).

On April 4, the Visitor Center was the site for MTRP Community Night, an evening of community building. The event was a success, with more than 200 community members and 14 park user groups in attendance. The goal of the event was to bring together various groups of people who love and use the park to meet each other, chat about what they do and love about Mission Trails, and find ways to create a sense of community within the park.

Park user groups hosted interactive tables at the event and included the American Alpine Club, Latinos Outdoors, MTRP Trail Guides, Project Wildlife, Queering the Path, San Diego Astronomy Association, San Diego Audubon Society, San Diego Spider Society, San Diego Tracking Team, San Diego Ultra Running Friends, Santa Mujeres Running Club, SDGE Sustainability Team, San Diego Urban Trail Runners, and Bob Gordon and Huxley the Hawk. The event was organized and sponsored by the Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation.

Pictured, clockwise, from top left: Mission Trails founders Richard “Dick” Murphy, Dorothy Leonard and Michael Pent; Andy Field, Director, Parks and Recreation Department; Assemblymember Chris Ward and Rick Gulley; Michael Pent with City Councilmember Raul Campillo; Councilmember Raul Campillo presents a proclamation to Dorothy Leonard; Linda Laird, Heather Laird, Ron Laird, Diane Leonard, Dorothy Leonard, and Debi Laird; Dick Murphy recognizes other park founders.

Long, Long Ago (But Also Right Now) …

STORYTELLER EDUCATES YOUNG PEOPLE ABOUT NATIVE CULTURE AND TRADITIONS

BY JULENE SNYDER

Even when the air outside is warm, the library of the Mission Trails Visitor Center provides a sanctum of blessed coolness. As a group of young learners — 4th-6th graders on this particular day — settled in chairs lined up in semi-circular rows facing a table filled with intriguing objects, Native storyteller Cathleen Chilcote Wallace (Luiseño) greeted them.

Her opening words were warm and welcoming, but difficult to understand.

“The language that I just greeted you with is a language called Chamtéela, which is one of the first languages that was spoken, right here, in San Diego County, long, long ago,” she said. “It is the language of my ancestors.”

She gestured toward the expansive cathedral windows behind her and continued. “Here, at Mission Trails Regional Park, we’re on the land of the Kumeyaay people. And San Diego County is home to four native groups: the Kumeyaay, the Luiseño, the Cupeño and the Cahuilla people. Those are the first indigenous tribes who lived — and continue to live — in San Diego County.”

The 15 kids were attentive, engaged and only a little squirmy.

“I am Luiseño,” she said. “We are the neighbors just to the north of the Kumeyaay. However, we speak a different language than the Kumeyaay. But because all the local native groups live in a similar environment and with similar natural resources, many of the items that we’ve made and that we use are very similar.”

Wallace stressed that these native groups are still here: “I live in a regular house, drove here in my car, sometimes go to

In ‘N’ Out. But we still tell old stories, sing songs and speak our language so that we can continue to preserve our culture.”

The former elementary school teacher said that stories teach us how to care for the land, plants and animals as well as how to care for each other, adding, “Stories are our teachers.” She explained that many of the stories feature animals who talk, dubbed The Animal People, and launched into the first of four tales that she told, noting that each contains a lesson.

“Rattlesnake and North Star,” “The First Musicians” and “The Man Who Traveled West” are all stories that date back hundreds of years. Wallace noted that while the tales send a message, it’s up to the children to decide the moral or lesson of each.

In broad strokes, the lessons for living a balanced life are as follows: “Never take more than is needed, so that our environment is preserved. Ask permission before taking resources — such as from plants and animals — and thank them. And finally, everything is used; nothing should be wasted.”

The variety of items Chilcote Wallace brought to show the group was impressive. Basket hats, willow bark skirts, yucca sandals, a “bull roarer” musical instrument, rabbit skins and more were displayed for them to see up close and personal. “These are all real items made by native people,” she explained.

At the end of her presentation, a warm round of applause made it clear that the kids had enjoyed learning about how the native inhabitants of our region lived, worked and found community in years gone by.

And as a bonus, it was also time to eat their lunch and run around outside, just like olden times.

The Trail Tykes program takes place at 10AM at the Mission Trails Regional Park Visitor Center every second and fourth Sunday and Monday of the month and has added new weekly sessions at 3:30PM every Wednesday. There is no fee for families to attend, but registration is required.

Trail Tykes is Growing Up

GRANT TO EXPAND PROGRAM FOR LITTLEST NATURE LOVERS

A grant from the Dr. Seuss Foundation has allowed Trail Tykes — Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation’s free educational program aimed at 2-to-5year-olds — to double the number of fun sessions offered to teach youngsters about nature in age-appropriate and fun ways.

“We choose suitable themes such as the ABCs and counting, coupled with preschool level learning for this age group,” explains Lead Educator Alissa Lustgarten. “For example, we might start a session with movement such as yoga or hand-eye coordination so that these toddlers can practice simple tactile skills.”

The hour-long gatherings typically include a reading-along of one or two stories — sometimes in both English and Spanish — as well as songs, movement, show-and-tell, science, crafts and the occasional puppet show or surprise guest. Attendees always have a great time, and particularly enjoy when volunteer Chrysanne Lowe-Rafferty plays her ukulele.

“We definitely plan some special editions of Trail Tykes,” says Lustgarten. “When we’re introducing the kids to native animals, we plan to have a local herpetologist come in with reptiles and amphibians like snakes, lizards, frogs and salamanders. Our goal is

to keep folks wanting to come back and to spread the word among their friends.”

Families are welcome to bring younger or older siblings or friends as well. “The program is flexible,” explains Lustgarten. “Occasionally we go on nature walks on a trail, but if most of the kids are in strollers, we tend to take them to explore small wonders on the Visitor Center terrace. We sometimes bring out binoculars so they can look for birds or magnifying glasses so that they can examine bugs.”

QUENCH YOUR THIRST ON THE TRAILS THIS SUMMER WITH MTRP HYDRATION BOTTLES!

Choose your favorite way to hydrate with a Mission Trails water bottle. Available in a 32-ounce custom Nalgene water bottle and a smaller 24-ounce, double-walled stainless steel bottle, both sport a unique topographic map of the park. Take these bottles with you on your adventures to Mission Trails and beyond.

Shop these and other MTRP branded items, gifts, books and treasures at the Gift Shop, which is open daily 9AM to 5PM, or online at mtrpstore.org. The full product line is available at the Visitor Center.

Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation

ONE FATHER JUNIPERO SERRA TRAIL

SAN DIEGO, CA 92119

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Park Donors Enjoy New Stewardship Society Benefits

As this issue of the newsletter can attest, the nonprofit Mission Trails Regional Park (MTRP) Foundation is realizing its mission to preserve, protect and improve Mission Trails, and foster environmental stewardship through education programs. The MTRP Foundation can only do its work with support from the community, people like YOU!

This spring, the MTRP Foundation refreshed its donor program by adding new benefits and giving it a new name, the Mission Trails Stewardship Society.

Give back to the place that provides for you. Make a monthly donation of $10 or more to receive unique benefits. One-time donations are also welcomed and receive benefits with gifts of $30 or more.

10% off MTRP Foundation public programs

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Invites to selected donor events

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20% off MTRP Foundation public programs

Printed MTRP Foundation Newsletter

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10% off MTRP Foundation public programs

Printed MTRP Foundation Newsletter

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