HABITAT RESTORATION CALLS TO FRIENDS IN JUNIPER CANYON
By Priscilla Lister

Find some blue birds of happiness in Juniper Canyon.

I saw several in this open space preserve in South Park. I think they were Western Scrub Jays, but they were so elusive it was hard to determine. Whatever their name, when you see their bright blue wings soaring through the air, it’s a simple thrill of nature.

Much like Juniper Canyon itself.

Its main trail offers an easy walk through stands of Scrub Oak and the fragrant Yerba Santa. The coastal sage scrub habitat here is home to the endangered bird called the California Gnatcatcher, which can sometimes be heard making its distinctive “kitten meowing” call during spring/summer nesting season, according to the city’s Open Space Canyons and Parklands Web site.

Reach Juniper Canyon’s main trail head at the intersection of Nutmeg and Felton streets, several blocks east of 30th Street. This trail goes through the canyon until Juniper Street, then starts again on the other side of Juniper, ending a bit past Hawthorne Street. Find a good trail map at the city’s park and rec Web site: http://www.sandiego.gov/park-and-recreation/pdf/junipertrailmap.pdf.

There’s another disconnected piece of Juniper Canyon farther to the south. A couple of trails begin from the dead-end of Ash Street and Delevan Drive, according to the city’s trail map. I found these trailheads by taking Fern Street south to C Street, turning left on C going east, curving ahead until that street dead-ends (it turns into Delevan and Ash, but those aren’t actually marked). You pass by an industrial area and you are immediately west of I-15.

Back in the main section off Felton, it took me about 45 minutes to walk the entire length round-trip, crossing Juniper Street in the middle. It’s a very pleasant walk through a natural space in the middle of the city.

Wes Hudson, who has lived on the canyon for about 10 years, is one of the organizers of Friends of Juniper Canyon, a volunteer group that helps restore and preserve the canyon. Friends of Juniper Canyon is part of the San Diego Canyonlands organization that exists to protect and preserve our city’s open-space canyons.

Eric Bowlby, executive director of San Diego Canyonlands, helped guide the new friends group when it started. “We got together about two years ago because we were concerned about things going on in the canyon that were degrading it,” said Hudson, who by day is a native garden designer. “Mostly we try to help preserve the native habitat that exists there. There are areas where native habitat is not pristine, but is remarkably intact for something so close to a city.”

Friends of Juniper Canyon, like other friends groups of local canyons, organizes trash clean-up, removal of invasive non-native plants, and replanting of native plants. “We’re replanting scrub oaks, lemonadeberry, buckwheat, laurel sumac, manzanita, Coast Live Oak trees. These are all things that exist in the canyon already, but we’re trying to help it return where this habitat has been destroyed,” said Hudson. The little flags by the new plantings alert people not to destroy these fledglings. “We’ve replanted two areas so far,” he added.

The group also has tried to remove arundo. “It looks like bamboo — it’s incredibly tall grass that takes over waterways and crowds out all kinds of native plants, but doesn’t contribute anything to the birds, insects and other animals there,” Hudson pointed out.

Friends of Juniper Canyon meet every third Saturday of the month, 8 to 11 a.m., at the canyon trailhead of Nutmeg and Felton. “Sometimes five people meet, sometimes 25 if there are volunteers from the city,” Hudson said. Juniper Canyon Restoration is among many volunteer opportunities listed at Volunteer San Diego (www.volunteersandiego.org).

Hudson said he’s heard coyotes a lot lately. “They were gone for a while, but they’ve come back. It’s actually exciting to have them around.” They will, however, go after cats and small dogs, so keep your loved pets in check. Dogs are allowed in the canyon only on leashes.

When asked what he loves about Juniper Canyon, Hudson gave a very personal response. “It has to do with meaning,” he said. “When you understand how connected everything is in the habitat, how much it depends on everything else; when you see invasive plants or bad policies diminishing variety and connectedness there, they’re taking away meaning. Parts of this canyon look the same as they did hundreds of years ago. It’s worth preserving. It helps us feel something deeper about the area when you have native habitat.”

And when you add those bright blue wings in the air, it’s hard not to feel happy in Juniper Canyon.