The Escondido Creek Conservancy (TECC)

TECC was established in 1990 by a small group of Elfin Forest residents. The first “seed” was planted during a wildflower hike. Martha Blane & Steve Barker talked about a dream they shared to protect the Escondido Creek & its watershed. They along with Leonard Wittwer, Nancy Magistro, Tom Montgomery, Blake McFeely, & Deborah LeLevier made up the founding board.  TECC is incorporated as a nonprofit public benefit corporation.  It has 501(c)3 tax status and all donations to TECC are tax deducible.

The Escondido Creek is one of the few year round creeks in San Diego county. It originates in the hills northeast of Escondido and flows southwest into the ocean at San Elijo Lagoon. Encompassing approximately 70 square miles, the watershed accommodates a variety of natural habitats, including riparian wetlands, oak woodlands, native grasslands, chaparral, and coastal sage scrub. Home to many unique and endangered plants and animals, this watershed is an invaluable resource deserving protection. The upland areas support many rare plant species such as wart-stemmed ceanothus, summer holly, mesa club moss and California adolphia. Expanses of coastal sage scrub provide refuge for threatened California gnatcatchers, San Diego horned lizards and orange-throated whiptail lizards. Sticky dudleya and sea dahlia grace the rocky cliffs above the creek while marsh elder and Orcutt’s brodiaea can be found along its sandy banks. Great blue herons linger undisturbed while mountain lions, mule deer, bobcats, fox and coyote come to refresh themselves. Roadrunners, owls, hawks, turkey vultures, and golden eagles all play a role in this delicate and complex ecosystem. The open space and natural continuous corridor associated with the Escondido Creek are of significant benefit to humans as well. In providing scenic wild places and a peaceful environment away from the stress of modern living, this open space is a wonderful place for passive recreation, hiking, and bird watching. A walk along the creek at dawn or sunset can be like taking a journey back in time.

TECC’s Mission Statement:

To preserve, protect, and restore natural resources and open spaces within the Escondido Creek watershed.

To provide educational opportunities and outdoor experiences that promote land stewardship and application of scientific knowledge.

To form and nourish alliances with landowners, government agencies, and educational and community groups to increase awareness of the invaluable resources intrinsic to the Escondido Creek watershed.

TECC accomplishes these goals through four committees: The Land Preservation Committee, The Education Committee, and The Finance Committee and The Trails Committee.

 The Land Preservation Committee (LPC) is dedicated to preserving and protecting the natural open spaces within the watershed through a combination of land acquisition, protection agreements, home owner education, and cooperation with various environmental agencies to implement land protection programs. LPC works with developers and government agencies to ensure that the integrity of the watershed remains intact.

TECC currently owns 21 acres of open space along the creek.  Through a combination of grants, donations, development agreements, and open space easements is in the process of preserving many more acres.

The LPC is responsible for trash cleanup within the watershed. Signs have been posted throughout the Elfin Forest community alerting residents to report illegal dumping by calling the Trash Hotline. Throughout the years TECC has proven its commitment to keeping the watershed clean by removing several hundred tons of trash and debris from the creek. During one of TECC’s large object cleanups 35 cars were recovered from the creek along with untold numbers of washers, dryers, hot water heaters and tires.  The creek trash problem seems to be under control, but continuous vigilance is required to maintain the current state.  Cleanups are conducted as dumping is reported and four times a year.

A dedicated volunteer also handles daily trash removal along Harmony Grove Road and the Creek. He maintains TECC’s 2 mile stretch for the county’s Adopt a Road program as well as a equal length under his own name.

The LPC invites all interested people to enjoy TECC’s annual Spring wildflower hikes which are led by a biologist and native plant specialist.

The Education Committee (EC) implements the Escondido Creek Student Community Action’s (ESCA) educational programs for grades K-12. The value of watersheds is taught to students through a variety of projects that reinforce the connection between watersheds and communities. The students gain knowledge and expertise to become responsible land stewards. Projects have included restoration at the Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve staging area and the Cadencia Park renovation. These projects had students planting California natives, including oak trees they had started from acorns.  There is also an ongoing water testing program where the students monitor water quality at various locations along the creek. The leader of ESCA is both a TECC board member and a Biology and Earth and Space teacher.

The Finance Committee (FC) acquires financial resources through grants, membership, donations, and fundraising. It manages the financial assets of TECC to provide the funds needed by the committees to implement their programs. In addition the FC publishes a quarterly newsletter, The Watershed Voice, to update members on TECC’s projects, activities, and accomplishments. A Web Page has been developed, is managed by the FC, and hosted on the Eagle Creek server. The annual TECC fundraiser is the Banff Festival of Mountain Films, which is generously underwritten by the Eagle Creek Corporation.

TECC is a non-profit, tax-exempt public benefit corporation. All contributions whether of cash, land, stock, or conservation easements are tax deductible, greatly appreciated, and put to good use.

The Trails Committee (TC) is committed to identifying places to accommodate and build trails. TECC’s goal is to connect trails in the Escondido Creek watershed with themselves and with the regional network of trails in North County San Diego.

While TECC’s area of operation is the entire Escondido Creek watershed, we have mostly concentrated our efforts on projects located in the City of Escondido and on lands under County jurisdiction in the Elfin Forest/Harmony Grove region.  As our capacity to do more increases we anticipate expanding into the rest of the watershed.  

TECC as an organization has affiliations with many local and national networking groups.  We are members of the Land Trust Alliance, an organization that provides training and support for local land trusts in order  to foster professionalism and national standards for the land trust movement as a whole. TECC is a member of the San Diego Land Conservancy Coalition, a group working to promote land trusts in San Diego County. TECC is also a member of the Carlsbad Watershed Network a group, consisting of representatives from all the north county lagoon foundations.  The Carlsbad Watershed Network meets bimonthly to update and educate, to apply for grants, and to develop educational programs including a proposed watershed wide Nature Center. Finally, TECC is a member of the Coalition of Environmental Organizations.  This is a group of Escondido area environmental organizations that meet monthly with the City of Escondido Planning Department to keep apprised of new development and other projects that might impact the creek.  Through these various collaborations TECC has become recognized regional player in the area of private land conservation and has maximized it’s effectiveness for achieving the goal of preserving land within the Escondido Creek watershed.

TECC’s Board of Directors consists of a variety of professionals from the fields of biology, technology, education, politics, and business. 

New volunteers are always needed to assist all the committees and to help with special projects. Please contact TECC:

Telephone:     

The Trash Hotline @ 760-471-9354

Email:   teccsters@yahoo.com.

Website: www.escondidocreek.org.

Mail:        The Escondido Creek Conservancy

P.O. Box 460791

Escondido, CA 92046-0791.

For more information about TECC and how you can participate, call: TECC @ 471-9354.

10/22/2002 Copyright Elfin Forest/Harmony Grove Town Council. All rights reserved. Web design by Evelyn Alemanni