Standing on a fenced-off dirt road on a rural stretch of Escondido, Kevin Barnard listened to the sound of a nearby creek Wednesday and envisioned a future he hopes city leaders can make possible.
"The next generation could be out here fishing some day," he said, pretending to hold a pole and make a cast. "Can you imagine?"
A board member of the Escondido Creek Conservancy, Barnard said he can imagine fishing for steelhead trout in Escondido Creek, riding a bike trail to picturesque destinations within the city, or hiking a trail that connects Escondido with its surrounding neighbors.
On Wednesday, Barnard and other conservancy board members gave a brief tour of sites along Escondido Creek to share his group's vision.
With the City Council already enthused about plans to revitalize Escondido Creek, Barnard said he hopes to keep the momentum going by watching for opportunities to piece together undeveloped land in and around the city.
Barnard appeared at a council meeting last month to show the conservancy's support for a creek revitalization plan presented by graduate students from Cal Poly Pomona's renowned landscape architecture program.
The students' presentation covered small, practical improvements to the existing trail system and four large projects, including a community garden and a small lake, as destinations along the seven-mile creek trail.
Much of the students' plan was more of a concept than a shovel-ready project, but all the council members appeared enthusiastic about the idea of redefining the image of the creek, which flows through the city in a concrete channel.
"When the project came along, it was like, 'Wow, there's other people who care about the creek,'" Barnard said.
While the students focused on the creek, the conservancy has a broader vision. It already has helped secure 1,200 acres for open space, including 350 acres it owns, for a connected open-space park. An additional 1,000 acres have been identified as important to the plan, and Barnard said the poor economy may be an ally in acquiring property that, in a better market, otherwise might be developed.
As an example of how residents could benefit from more publically owned open space, Barnard and other conservancy board members visited an industrial lot that overlooked the creek near Harmony Grove Road.
"If you listen carefully, you can hear the water," said board member Jerry Harmon, as he looked down on a paved path that parallels the creek, but abruptly ended at a wire fence. "All of this could be connected rather easily."
Barnard said conservancy members will remind the City Council of a need for connected land whenever they see an opportunity. Citing one example, he said the council someday will consider connecting a broken stretch of Citracado Parkway, where a trail also could connect Del Dios Highway and San Marcos.
Paul Curtis, a fish biologist and owner of the consulting company Aquasolver, accompanied the conservancy board members Wednesday. On a stop off Harmony Grove Road, where the conservancy owns 20 acres near a closed quarry, Curtis said a fish hatchery may be built near the creek to introduce steelhead trout. An additional $75,000 to $100,000 needs to be raised for planning and studies for the project, he said.
For more information about the conservancy's plans, visit EscondidoCreek.org. To see the Cal Poly Pomona presentation, visit http://www.RevealTheCreek.org">RevealTheCreek.org
"The possibilities are endless," Barnard said about the potential for revitalizing the creek and connecting open space land.
Call staff writer Gary Warth at 760-740-5410.
