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Encinitas outlines Habitat Stewardship Program, plans contract amendment and grant for Indian Head Canyon
Summary
Parks operations manager David Norgard told the Youth Commission the city’s Habitat Stewardship Program has removed invasive biomass, installed hundreds of container plants across several sites and will seek a $100,000 contract amendment for Indian Head Canyon plus an estimated $300,000 grant for restoration.
Parks operations manager David Norgard briefed the Encinitas Youth Commission on Dec. 3 about the city’s Habitat Stewardship Program, summarizing recent restoration and stewardship work and outlining next steps including a proposed contract amendment and external grant pursuit.
"The goal of the Habitat Stewardship Program is to address basic property management and stewardship on city-owned open space," Norgard said, describing a seasonal approach: winter planting, spring and summer invasive control, and fall erosion and brush management. He said the program focuses on five operational priorities: invasive plant control; trash and encampment removal; fencing and signage; erosion control; and fire abatement.
Norgard traced the effort to an initial assessment started in 2009 and noted that in 2020 the city contracted with the Botanic Garden to implement the stewardship program; amendments since then have added new sites. In 2024 the city hired Recon Environmental to provide project management and annual monitoring, which Norgard said helps staff map invasive species, erosion and high-value native populations to set work scopes.
He listed recent site work and outcomes: at Cottonwood Creek Park crews cleared ice plant, sowed about 200 Nuttall scrub oak acorns, removed roughly 15 cubic yards of biomass at a site subsection and installed new BMPs; the Moonlight Parcel saw 555 container plants installed, removal of Canary Island date palms infected with South American palm weevil, and 20 invasive-removal events; Oakcrest Park received access-control fencing, 140 container plants and about 17 cubic yards of biomass removal; and Saxony Road, the newest site, has begun operations with about 22 cubic yards of biomass removed.
Norgard told commissioners he will bring a council item on Dec. 17 to amend the Botanic Garden contract by adding a $100,000 scope to do work at Indian Head Canyon. He said staff also are scoping a grant application to the Wildlife Conservation Board or the California Coastal Conservancy for approximately $300,000 to support active restoration in addition to enhancement.
Commissioners and staff highlighted volunteer opportunities: the Botanic Garden and Cottonwood Creek Conservancy run public volunteer events that augment staff time and provide a way for residents to help remove ice plant and plant natives. Norgard said the city compiles annual monitoring data and publishes an annual report on the city website.
Next steps include the contract amendment item to council, beginning the Indian Head Canyon work this year if approved, ongoing seasonal maintenance and monitoring, and publication of the program’s annual report later in the summer/early fall.
