Santee Turns Mast Park into a Classroom

Shannon Quigley of SD River Foundation with 4th graders

Santee city staffers  teamed up with the San Diego River Park Foundation to be guest teachers during a recent field trip with local fourth graders along the San Diego River.

The science-oriented excursion took place at Mast Park, where students from Rio Seco Elementary School learned about the river’s wildlife, water quality and ecology.

Fourth graders from teacher Heather Glanz’s  class took photos and notes, which they took back to the classroom to expand on what they had learned in the field.

Shannon Quigley of the River Foundation showed students the proper way to take water samples from the river and test them for acidity, dissolved oxygen and water clarity.

Simulating how pollutants enter the river

“I loved when we were all at the river dipping our samples and waiting for the temperature to normalize and counting to 60 together out loud,” Quigley said.

Santee Storm Water Program intern Nicole Sabay provided a lesson on how trash and pollutants carried by storm drains end up in the river and affect the water quality and wildlife.

 To illustrate how pollutants enter the river, Sabay  had students pour liquid into a plastic tube (simulating a storm drain) that emptied into a large plastic basin with rubber ducks and plastic fish.

Sarah Hutmacher and Shelsea Ochoa  from the River Foundation gave a lesson on native plants and leaf adaptation, allowing the kids to inspect the flora up-close with magnifiers.

“Through hands-on exploration of native plants, insects, and water quality, we hope to inspire the next generation of environmental stewards,” Hutmacher said.

Arborist Annette Saul, Santee’s Parks and Landscape Supervisor, explained the benefits of native trees and plants.

 “It was really fun to see how excited the kids were to be in an outdoor classroom,” Saul said.  “The students were able to understand how the river, native plants and trees are all connected in our local environment.”

Santee Adopts Pro-active Approach to Transient Issue

The city of Santee has taken a proactive approach with transients who set up illegal camp sites along the San Diego River and other greenbelt areas.

While efforts are made to connect the homeless to food, shelter and social services, the city actively discourages people from living permanently in the riverbed.

Transient encampments cause a host of problems, including increased risk of wildfires, pollution of the river from human sewage and garbage, and the perception that the community is not safe.

Sweeps Conducted Every Two Months

Deputies from the San Diego Sheriff’s Dept. conduct sweeps of the riverbed approximately every two months to locate illegal camp sites and tag them with eviction notices.

“We give them notice that they are trespassing and allow them seven to 10 days to vacate and remove their property,” said Deputy Mark Snelling with the Community Oriented Policing Unit. “If they are present when the deputies are tagging the camp sites, we can cite them for illegal camping.”
When deputies return a few weeks after the initial sweep, anyone found living at the tagged camp sites can be arrested for trespassing.

“Sometimes they move and sometimes they don’t,” Snelling said.

 43 Citations Issued in First Half of 2013

In the first six months of 2013, the sheriff’s deputies in Santee issued 43 citations for illegal camping.

After deputies have issued the illegal camping citations, the Santee City Attorney’s office pursues the charges by appearing in court to prosecute the illegal camping and related offenses. 

“This enforcement mechanism is an effective way to address issues of local concern and is a vital part of an overall strategy to ensure the high quality of life enjoyed by Santee’s citizens,” said City Manager Keith Till. “We strive to address conditions detrimental to public health and safety by actively enforcing the municipal code though the criminal prosecution of code violations.”

In addition to prosecuting illegal camping citations, the city’s attorneys obtain “stay away” orders prohibiting transients and chronic campers from returning to the riverbed in Santee.  Judges have the discretion to ban repeat offenders from re-establishing camp sites in same geographic area as a condition of suspending a fine or a jail sentence.

In addition to legal services, the city also incurs costs to have public service staffers clean up the camp sites in the riverbed after the transients have left.

“It’s very labor intensive, basically all hand work with pickup sticks and trash bags” said Public Services Supervisor Sam Rensberry, who cleans up the sites with help from another staff member. 

“I can’t sugarcoat it. It’s hot, sweaty and disgusting,” Rensberry said.  “The smell is terrible. There are ants, bugs, human waste and sometimes needles left behind.”

To comply with recent court rulings, the city takes any personal property left behind by illegal campers to the public services headquarters.  If it is not claimed in 90 days, the property is thrown away.

 Transient Population Difficult to Estimate

It’s difficult to estimate the number of people camping in the riverbed at any given time because the population is constantly in flux, said Deputy Snelling.

Volunteers with the Regional Task Force on the Homeless inspected Santee in January and tallied 18 people living unsheltered or in their cars. However, at least one local official estimated there may be 30 to 35 people illegally camping in the riparian area along the river.

A survey in April 2013 by the San Diego River Park Foundation identified 160 active encampments along 30 miles of the San Diego River from the El Capitan Reservoir to the Pacific Ocean.

Authorities say the population of illegal campers generally falls within three categories: Chronic homeless who do have local families or connections; transients who hopscotch from city to city; and alcoholics and drug addicts who can be as young as teenagers.

 Most Do Not Have Violent History

“Most of the people camping in the river bottom have alcohol and drug dependency issues, but for the most part they do not have a violent history,” Snelling said.  “There is a criminal element that lives out there, but it’s a minor percentage.”

 Transients camping along the river are themselves at risk. They can be swept away by flash floods. Their living conditions are basically unsanitary. They are also vulnerable to being assaulted.

“There has been more violent crime committed against the homeless than they have perpetrated themselves,” Snelling said.

 The San Diego River Park Foundation, a nonprofit conservation group, has been documenting the effects of homeless encampments along the San Diego River for more than a decade.

Rob Hutsel, the foundation’s founder and executive director, said the encampments have been found to be a “significant source” of pollution to the river.  The foundation’s most recent survey estimated that transient camps along the river account for 35 percent of the trash sites and 71 percent of the trash volume by weight.

“Over the years, our volunteers have come across significant numbers of hypodermic needles, latrine sites and other public health issues, and numerous fires have been started where people are living along the river,” said Hutsel. “We want to get people the assistance they need so they aren’t living in this condition.”

Buzz Kill: Aerial Mosquito Abatement This Weds

If you see a helicopter hovering over the San Diego River in Santee this Wednesday, May 8, it’s probably a contractor working for the county’s Vector Control Program.


The aircraft will be dropping a tiny grain-sized mosquito larvicide called VectoMax, which contains two types of laboratory grown bacteria that prevent mosquito larvae from maturing into flying adults that bite.

This will be the second aerial application of mosquito larvicide for the 2013 mosquito breeding season. Additional applications are typically done at three- to four-week intervals during the summer.

County officials say the larvicide pellets are harmless to humans, wildlife and the riparian habitat that surrounds the river. The county's mosquito-abatement effort is aimed at preventing the spread of West Nile virus and other mosquito-borne diseases.

County officials say the granules, which are about one-eighth of an inch long, will not generate a fog, mist or cloud.

The aerial drops are aimed at preventing the spread of the West Nile virus and other mosquito-borne diseases.

Urban Corps Removing Invasive Plant from River

Crews from the San Diego Urban Corps have been working over the past month to remove a non-native invasive plant called water primrose from the San Diego River.

Although the yellow flowers and green leaves of the water primrose (Ludwigia hexapetala) seem harmless, this native of South America grows in thick mats that slow the river’s flow, reduce the water’s dissolved oxygen level and raise the water temperature. The vine-like plant also provides excellent habitat for mosquito larvae.

The Urban Corps crew, which has focused on removing water primrose along the Mission Creek/Mast Park section of the river, will be working through early December.

Urban Corps is a locally based nonprofit organization that provides a high school education and job training to at-risk youth and disadvantaged young adults from ages 18 to 25.

The primrose removal will hopefully result in fewer mosquitoes buzzing the neighborhoods along the river next summer.

The project was made possible by a grant of nearly $50,000 from the County Department of Environmental Health, Vector Control Division.

Santee Turns San Diego River into a Classroom

Santee city staffers pitched in today as guest teachers for a group of Rio Seco Elementary School 4th graders that made a science-oriented field trip along the San Diego River at Mast Park.

Two City Hall workers teamed up with Shannon Quigley of the San Diego River Park Foundation and Rio Seco 4th grade teacher Heather Glanz to offer facts and insights into the river’s ecology.

The students, in turn, took detailed notes that will come in handy for writing stories about their field trip. At one point, a duck unexpectedly blurted out a loud quack that interrupted the lesson, causing the children to bellow with laughter.


City Arborist Annette Saul and Shannon Quigley

“The students really enjoyed the opportunity to step out of the classroom and step into nature, where they could do hands-on learning activities,” said City Arborist Annette Saul, who shared teaching duties with Stormwater Program Manager Helen Davies.

“The kids were engaged and excited about what they were learning, “ Ms. Saul noted. “They also got the chance to observe the ducks and other wildlife along the river.”

Escorted by a half-dozen volunteer parent chaperones, nearly 30 pupils walked about a quarter-mile from their school to the bridge at Mast Park that spans the river adjacent to the Mission Creek community.

Ms. Davies gave a lesson on how trash and pollutants carried by storm drains end up in the river and affect the water quality and wildlife.

“You can be a protector of the river just by being careful,” she said.

She explained how everyone can help safeguard the river by preventing trash, dirt, oil or household waste from getting into storm drain inlets and curb cuts. Storm drains are underground pipes that transport rain or excess irrigation water from city streets.

In her lesson, Ms. Saul focused on the effects that non-native invasive plant , such as the vine-like primrose, have on the river’s ecosystem.  These thick-growing vines crowd out native vegetation, slowing down the river’s flow. The stagnant water becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes and allows algae to bloom, depleting the dissolved oxygen level and making it difficult for fish and other aquatic creatures to survive.

Santee Stormwater Program Manager Helen Davies

Ms. Saul also showed students a tube-like device underneath the bridge that serves as a kind of trap that biologists use to detect the presence of non-native invasive mussel species.

Using water samples gathered from the river and testing kits, Ms. Quigley showed the students how to measure key water-quality indicators such as acidity or PH, dissolved oxygen and turbidity or cloudiness caused by sediment.  The water testing was being done in conjunction with World Water Monitoring Day, she said, a global event to raise awareness about clean water.

 

 

 

 

 

Walking Tall on National Trails Day

What better way to acknowledge National Trails Day than by grabbing a walking stick and joining a free naturalist-led hike along the San Diego River in Santee this Saturday, June 2.

The hike, which is an easy 3-mile round trip, will start at 9 a.m. at the historic Edgemoor polo barn at 9113 Magnolia Ave and finish around noon.  Children and dogs are welcome to participate. The hike leader will identify local flora and fauna and explain existing and future San Diego River trail connections.

The event is sponsored by the San Diego River Park Foundation and Friends of Santee’s River Park.

National Trails Day was started in 1993 to encourage the development of walking trails. The impetus came from a 1987 report by a presidential commission recommending designated trail access within fifteen minutes walking distance from every American residence.

To double-check information about Saturday’s hike, you can call (619) 297-7380 or check the foundation’s website by clicking here.