Otay Mesa Rare Plants

The Otay Mesa Rare Plants Project will improve the conservation status of several of San Diego County's rarest plants on important conserved lands in Otay Mesa. The Project includes seed bulking for two high-priority Management Strategic Plan (MSP) plant species and direct restoration of five MSP plants with seeding, planting, and maintenance. Seeding, planting, and maintenance for the MSP plants will be conducted as part of two separate habitat restoration projects, one to restore vernal pools and maritime succulent scrub and another to restore maritime succulent scrub and native grasslands. This project was partially funded by SANDAG TransNet EMP Land Management Grant #5004954.

General Management
Rare Plants
completed
April 5, 2017
April 10, 2022
Project Focus

California orcutt grass, Orcutt's bird's-beak, Orcutt's brodiaea, Otay mesa mint, San Diego thorn-mint

grassland, vernal pools and alkali playa

The Chaparral Lands Conservancy

Dave Hogan

Sarah McCutcheon

Sarah McCutcheon

Dave Hogan

Orcutt's brodiaea Brodiaea orcuttii

Goal: Maintain or enhance existing Orcutt's brodiaea occurrences to ensure multiple conserved occurrences with self sustaining populations to increase resilience to environmental and demographic stochasticity, maintain genetic diversity, and ensure persistence over the long term (>100 years) in chaparral, grassland, oak woodland, southern interior cypress forests, and vernal pool vegetation communities.

local NFO 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 SO
MGT-IMP-IMG BROORC-2

Management units: 2, 3, 4, 6, 8

Beginning in 2017, conduct routine management actions identified through the IMG monitoring at Orcutt's brodiaea occurrences on Conserved Lands (see occurrence table). Depending on the type and level of threat, management should be conducted as needed, not necessarily every year, and using BMPs with precautions to do no harm.

Action Statement Action status Projects
IMP-1 Perform routine management activities such as protecting occurrences from disturbance through fencing and enforcement and controlling invasive non-native plant species =20% absolute cover. available for implementation Otay Mesa Rare Plants
IMP-2 Submit project metadata and management data to the MSP Web Portal. available for implementation Otay Mesa Rare Plants
Criteria Deadline year
Routine Management Completed as Needed Based Upon Monitoring Recommendations 2021
Threat Name Threat Code
Human uses of the PreservesHUMUSE
Invasive plantsINVPLA
Urban developmentURBDEV
Code Obj. code Statement
BROORC-1 MON-IMP-IMG From 2017-2021, inspect Orcutt's brodiaea occurrences annually on Conserved Lands (see occurrence table) using the regional rare plant IMG monitoring protocol to record abundance and collect habitat and threats covariate data to determine management needs.
BROORC-7 MGT-PRP-MGTPL In 2020, begin preparing an Orcutt's brodiaea section in the MSP Rare Plant Management Plan to maintain large occurrences and expand at least 3 small occurrences on Conserved Lands (see occurrence table) based upon an assessment of data on occurrence status, habitat and threats. Minimum criteria for enhancement are to reduce invasive annual nonnative plants and thatch to less than 20% absolute cover within the occurrence.

Orcutt's spineflower Chorizanthe orcuttiana

Goal: Maintain or enhance existing Orcutt's spineflower occurrences to ensure multiple conserved occurrences with self sustaining populations to increase resilience to environmental and demographic stochasticity, maintain genetic diversity, and ensure persistence over the long term (>100 years) in chaparral vegetation communities.

local NFO 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 SL
MGT-IMP-IMG CHOORC-2

Management units: 6, 7

Beginning in 2017, conduct routine management actions as identified through the IMG monitoring at Orcutt's spineflower occurrences on Conserved Lands (see occurrence table). Depending on the type and level of threat, management should only be conducted as needed, not necessarily every year, and using BMPs with precautions to do no harm.

Action Statement Action status Projects
IMP-1 Perform routine management activities such as protecting occurrences from disturbance through fencing and enforcement and controlling invasive non-native plant species =20% absolute cover. in progress Otay Mesa Rare Plants
IMP-2 Submit project metadata and management data to the MSP Web Portal. in progress Otay Mesa Rare Plants
Criteria Deadline year
Routine Management Completed as Needed Based Upon Monitoring Recommendations 2021
Threat Name Threat Code
Human uses of the PreservesHUMUSE
Invasive plantsINVPLA
Loss of connectivityLOSCON
Urban developmentURBDEV
Code Obj. code Statement
CHOORC-1 MON-IMP-IMG Beginning in 2017, conduct annual surveys of all Orcutt's spineflower.
CHOORC-7 MGT-PRP-MGTPL In 2019, begin preparing a section for Orcutt's spineflower in the MSP Rare Plant Management Plan to maintain large occurrences (>1,000 plants) and expand at least 3 small occurrences on Conserved Lands (see occurrence table) based upon an assessment of data on occurrence status, habitat and threats. Minimum criteria for enhancement are to reduce invasive annual nonnative plants and thatch to less than 20% absolute cover within the occurrence

Short-leaved dudleya Dudleya brevifolia

Goal: Maintain or enhance existing Short-leaved dudleya occurrences to ensure multiple conserved occurrences with self sustaining populations to increase resilience to environmental and demographic stochasticity, maintain genetic diversity, and ensure persistence over the long term (>100 years) in chaparral vegetation communities.

local NFO 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 SL
MGT-IMP-IMG DUDBRE-2

Management units: 6, 7

Beginning in 2017, conduct routine management actions identified through the annual IMG monitoring at short leaved dudleya occurrences on Conserved Lands in (see occurrence table). Depending on the type and level of threat, management should only be conducted as needed, not necessarily every year, and using BMPs with precautions to do no harm.

Action Statement Action status Projects
IMP-1 Perform routine management activities as needed, such as protecting occurrences from disturbance through enforcement and controlling invasive non-native plant species to at most 20% absolute cover. available for implementation Otay Mesa Rare Plants
IMP-2 Submit project metadata and management data to the MSP Web Portal. available for implementation Otay Mesa Rare Plants
Criteria Deadline year
Routine Management Completed as Needed Based Upon Monitoring Recommendations 2021
Threat Name Threat Code
Human uses of the PreservesHUMUSE
Invasive plantsINVPLA
Urban developmentURBDEV
Code Obj. code Statement
DUDBRE-1 MON-IMP-IMG In 2017, continue annual inspections of short-leaved dudleya on Conserved Lands in (see occurrence table) using the regional rare plant IMG monitoring protocol to record abundance and collect covariate habitat and threats data to determine management needs.
File name Lead Author Year Type
Otay Mesa Rare Plants Final Report The Chaparral Lands Conservancy 2022 report