Elfin Forest interpretive center slated for construction

By: PAUL EAKINS - Staff Writer | Thursday, August 23, 2007 10:57 PM PDT ∞

ELFIN FOREST ---- A planned interpretive center and new pedestrian bridge to be dedicated Saturday will make the Elfin Forest nature area west of Escondido more accessible to visitors, project organizers said.

Officials from the Olivenhain Municipal Water District and the Escondido Creek Conservancy selected a design last month for the $600,000 interpretive center on 8833 Harmony Grove Road at the southern end of the forest.

Geoffrey D. Smith, executive director of the Escondido Creek Conservancy, said the center, which was designed by the San Diego architectural firm of Hubbell & Hubbell, will be an educational resource that will help visitors interpret the ecological significance of the plants, animals and water resources of the Elfin Forest.

"It's really important that people understand what they have here, and the best way to do that is through education," Smith said.

The Elfin Forest consists of two protected natural areas. One is the 756-acre Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve, which is owned by the Federal Bureau of Land Management and the San Diego County Water Authority and is operated by the Olivenhain water district.

The other is the Elfin Forest Preserve, which is owned by the nonprofit Creek Conservancy. The conservancy has bought 173 acres of land this year, expanding the preserve to 545 acres, Smith said.

Smith said education is especially important now as the Elfin Forest is beset by three massive residential developments proposed at its borders.

Those developments include Harmony Grove Village, a 742-home community west of Escondido approved by the county Board of Supervisors; Harmony Grove Meadows, a 216-home project south of the intersection of Harmony Grove Road and Country Club Drive that is undergoing environmental review; and University Heights, a 1,000-home development proposed on a plateau south of San Marcos' Coronado Hills.

"We're going to see huge changes in circulation and the number of visitors" because of the developments, Smith said.

Through the interpretive center, Smith said he wants to ensure that those who live near Elfin Forest are educated about the natural area and are considerate of it.

An artist's rendering of the center shows it as a tan, organic-looking structure with soft, rounded edges and plants flowing from several roofs. Smith said the center will have living plants in the walls and roof and blend in with the forest environment.

Construction on the center is expected to begin in 2008.

A concert to raise money for the interpretive center and the Creek Conservancy will take place at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Lazy J Ranch on 19902 Elfin Forest Lane just off Elfin Forest Road. About $300,000 has been raised for the interpretive center, which includes a $58,160 grant from the state's Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Near the center's future site, a 26-foot pedestrian bridge over Escondido Creek has been completed and will be dedicated at 9 a.m. Saturday. The concrete and steel bridge is a starting point for hiking trails in the area and replaces an older concrete bridge that was much lower and didn't have handrails.

The bridge often caused the creek to be blocked, said Mandy Rodriguez, staff analyst for the Olivenhain Municipal Water District.

"Debris would get caught in there, and if it flooded, it would just go over the bridge," Rodriguez said.

The bridge was funded by a $68,500 grant from the California Department of Parks and Recreation's recreational trails program, she said.

Joey Randall, management analyst supervisor for Olivenhain, said the bridge and interpretive center will play an important role in the public's use of the Elfin Forest, and that the new developments along its edges won't change the nature of the area.

"That land will be undeveloped and available to the public in perpetuity," Randall said. "That's our commitment that we've made to the community there."

Contact staff writer Paul Eakins at (760) 740-5420 or peakins@nctimes.com.

Elfin Forest events planned for Saturday:

- Pedestrian bridge dedication, 9 to 10 a.m. at 8833 Harmony Grove Road. Free event includes refreshments, informational displays and guided nature hikes. RSVP to (760) 632-4230.

- Concerts on the Creek 2007, 6 p.m. at the Lazy J Ranch at 19902 Elfin Forest Lane just off Elfin Forest Road, with guitarist Berkley Hart and a silent auction. A fundraiser for the interpretive center and the Escondido Creek Conservancy. Cost is $50 in advance, $60 at the gate. Call (760) 471-9354 or go to www.escondidocreek.org.