Mission Trails’ brush management continues to serve a valuable purpose

The Mission Trails Regional Park Fou ndation is working in partnership with the City of San Diego to implement a multiyear brush management project which launched in September Thanks to a grant from the San Diego River Conservancy a state agency the MTRP Foundation engaged RECON Environmental to conduct invasive species and brush removal to improve habitat and mitigate the vulnerability of wildfire RECON has a long history of working at Mission Trails and has conducted a range of habitat restoration projects in the park for decades Their crews have worked consistently on the invasive and brush removal project since fall and in June revisited several park locations including Cowles Mountain the Grasslands Loop Trail Kumeyaay Lake Campground and the Oak Grove Loop Trail The crew targets aggressive invasive species such as fountain grass mustard seed bristly oxtongue and fennel Prior to any removal the crew conducts thorough nesting bird surveys to ensure no working nests are disturbed Similarly the City of San Diego Parks and Recreation Open Space Division has their own brush management scheme which manages acres of open space with acres located within feet of structures Brush management efforts bordering Mission Trails in Tierrasanta were carried out between June and April Currently work is flagged near the gravel mine located on Mission Gorge Road and ongoing activity is taking place near the MTRP Visitor Center Around Cowles Mountain several sections were completed in June while additional areas have been marked for upcoming work Wildlife surveys identified the presence of California gnatcatchers in multiple locations around Cowles requiring a delay in those specific areas Work there will resume in the month following Aug which is the end of gnatcatcher breeding season How can you help Because of limited population access between city streets and brush management locations crews often need to carry deadwood and cut brush more than feet across steep slopes to haul it away By offering crews access through your property you can make the brush management campaign more efficient Additionally you or your contractor may also thin brush on city property behind your property by obtaining a Right of Entry permit More information about these options and getting started can be ascertained here Together we can make the park and surrounding neighborhoods more fire-resilient