OCEANSIDE, Calif. — Oceanside residents have spent over two decades working to preserve a natural gem that is practically in their own backyards.
Only a gated fence separates the Wanis View Estates community from the Wanis View Preserve. This lush landscape is home to over 300 native birds, plants, insects, and animals including 22 that are rare, endangered and species of interest.
"To build a 300-home development in 2002, the City of Oceanside required mitigation, which was to set aside these 77 acres, in perpetuity, as a nature preserve," said Dr. Ken Cassman, Wanis View Estates homeowner and Wildlife Volunteer.
You won’t see too many human tracks in this preserve. It is private. The Wanis View Estates HOA board owns and maintains it.
The City of Oceanside had a professional company engineer the terrain, and the land has been nurtured with the help of habitat managers and volunteers for over 20 years.
"Fact is that we probably are looking at a place where there are more of the native species of animals, insects, reptiles and plants anywhere in Southern California. I mean, it's going to be validated. But we've started, and you'll see here with the poster, we started cataloging what's here and we are always amazed cause we keep finding more," exclaimed Dr. Cassman.
Recent sightings include the Pacific Pocket Mouse, one of the rarest mammals in North America, and the endangered California Gnatcatcher. Additionally, Mountain Lions and Mule Deers have been known to roam this preserve. We saw their tracks in the mud after a recent storm.
The preserve is also part of a Multiple Habitat Conservation Program, adopted by SANDAG in 2004. This wildlife corridor is connected to over 2,000 acres in North County including Camp Pendleton, Pilgrim Creek Reserve and SeaCliff Preserve.
The Wanis View Preserve consists of eight ecosystems. Extending from this part of the alkaline marsh to the Riparian Water Lands of the San Luis Rey River, which is located on the southern end of the preserve.
Riparian areas help to maintain water quality and remove excess nutrients and sediment from runoff. This preserve is one of the rare spots you can still find it in our county.
"In San Diego County, about 95% of the riparian land is gone. We've completely built, overbuilt, put in homes, everything else, it is almost all gone. We have an incredibly good chance here to keep this alive and keep the biodiversity going," said Dr. Michael Tenhover, President of the Wanis View Estates HOA board.
Last year, the natural growth of this landscape came to a halt. A brush fire broke out in the preserve and the community had to evacuate. That incident sparked a game plan.
"As you know, a wildfire is an extremely dangerous thing. This area here is the only place in the City of Oceanside that is in a very high fire hazard zone for CalFire," said Dr. Tenhover.
Volunteers worked with CalFire on landscaping and irrigation techniques to protect their homes and lower their risk of fires in the future. They are the only community in Oceanside to be in the National Firewise Program.
In the face of building and housing developments across San Diego County, this community stresses the importance of thriving natural spaces, like the Wanis View Preserve, in their community and in yours.
"We basically depend on nature for our life and our air and our comfort and enjoyment of life and so on. And we have to maintain these or we're going to lose all of this. We're going to lose the essential native plants of the area, we're going to lose the animals, insects and the birds and so on. I think it's an important part of life to have something like this available," said Dr. Tenhover.
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