The city of Santee and the San Diego River Conservancy
honored members of the Walker family at a ceremony Dec. 11 to dedicate a
portion of the family’s former estate as the Walker Preserve.
Santee envisions developing a multi-use trail with
interpretive signs and other public amenities along the riverfront parcel,
which stretches from Magnolia Avenue to the city’s eastern boundary near the
Lakeside Baseball Park.
The riverfront parcel was purchased for its appraised market
value of $2,140,000 with grants from the State Coastal Conservancy, U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, and the State
Wildlife Conservation Board. The property was targeted for conservation by the
federal Fish and Wildlife Service because it contains high-quality habitat that
supports at least three federally-protected bird species: the Southwestern
willow flycatcher, the California gnatcatcher, and the least Bell’s vireo.
The property was part of a 350-acre dairy farm the Walker
family established on the south side of the river when the family arrived in Santee
in 1926. The family played a prominent role in Santee’s early history, and the
dairy remained in operation until 1971.
Walker family members attending the ceremony, which marked
the property’s transition from private to public ownership, included: (from
left) Bill Hanlon, Marla Walker Nichols,
Dan Walker, Darby Walker, Rick Walker, Sam Walker and (front row) Donald Mortimer Walker Jr.
No comments:
Post a Comment