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In 2009-10, the County of San Diego Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) acquired the Pascoe, Cielo Azul, and Helix-Lambron parcels as additions to the Del Dios Highlands Preserve (Preserve). The County manages the Preserve in accordance with an existing Resource Management Plan (RMP) including Area-Specific Management Directives (ASMDs). Dudek conducted a baseline biodiversity study of the parcel additions to provide DPR with current biological data needed to revise the existing Del Dios Highlands Preserve RMP to include the Pascoe, Cielo Azul and Helix-Lambron parcels. This report documents the methods and results of these surveys and provides various recommendations for ASMDs to preserve and enhance the function of the parcel additions as biological open space in the context of the existing Preserve RMP as well as the Draft North County Multiple Species Conservation Program (MSCP) Plan and South County MSCP. Dudek biologists performed the following baseline biological surveys on the parcel additions from fall 2010 through spring 2011: vegetation mapping, focused botanical surveys, exotic species mapping, general butterfly surveys, herpetological pitfall trap and coverboard surveys, aquatic amphibian surveys, avian point count surveys, bat surveys, small mammal trapping, and large and medium mammal surveys. Eight vegetation communities were identified on site including: Diegan coastal sage scrub, southern mixed chaparral, non-native grassland, southern coast live oak riparian woodland, southern willow scrub, coast live oak woodland, eucalyptus woodland, and disturbed habitat. A total of 136 plant species were recorded on the parcel additions during surveys. Four specialstatus plant species were observed, of which two are MSCP-covered species, and one of these, Encinitas baccharis (Baccharis vanessae), is federally and state listed. A total of 147 wildlife species were observed or detected on the parcel additions during surveys, including 4 amphibians, 13 reptiles, 73 birds, 35 mammals, and 22 invertebrates. Twenty-eight special-status wildlife species were observed or detected on the Preserve, including 13 MSCP-covered species.

This project funded the removal of exotic, invasive species that threatened occurrences of the rare plants Encinitas baccharis (Baccharis vanessae) and Orcutt's brodiaea (Brodiaea orcutti) within the Keithley (formerly Los Cielos ) Preserve.

This project is aimed at assessing the status and genetic diversity of populations of six species of rare plants in San Diego County including Acanthomintha ilicifolia (San Diego thornmint) and Monardella viminea (willowy monardella) in the Lamiaceae, Chloropyron maritimum ssp. maritimum (salt marsh bird's-beak) and Dicranostegia orcuttiana (Orcutt's bird's-beak) in the Orobanchaceae, and Baccharis vanessae (Encinitas baccharis) and Deinandra conjugens (Otay tarplant) in the Asteraceae. The results of this project should directly contribute to the conservation and management of these rare plant taxa in the San Diego MSPA. For each of these species, information on the genetic makeup and diversity across its range is needed to inform potential management actions such as establishing new populations and enhancing existing populations. Previously, verification and scientific voucher specimens were lacking from many occurrences of these six target species across San Diego County. Therefore, the goals of this task are to collect genetic material from as many species’ occurrences as possible and to collect voucher specimens to serve as a long-term resource for studying the populations associated with this project. These collections are useful for future genetic and morphological work to help inform management action. The genetic analyses of these collections will be performed by USGS.