History of the San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve

Background

San Elijo Lagoon is one of San Diego's largest coastal wetlands. It lies along the coast between the cities of Solana Beach and Encinitas, extending inland to the community of Rancho Santa Fe. The Reserve covers about 1,000 acres of diverse habitat composed of six distinct plant communities.

Aerial view of Cardiff-by-the-Sea and San Elijo Lagoon in 1957 (Photo: Ticor
Collection, San Diego Historical Society )

The primarily shallow-water estuary is artificially disected into basins by Highway 101, the railroad, and the Interstate-5 freeway. On these major traffic arteries, every day a quarter million drivers barrel past and across the Reserve. Over a century of human modification has resulted in the reduction of the estuary's natural exchange with the ocean. When the lagoon is blocked from receiving oxygen-rich seawater, biological parameters can deteriorate to the point where fish die and troublesome insects reproduce in great numbers. Food supply for birds and other animals is then greatly reduced. When the inlet is closed, the beaches also lose a source of sand.

Successful efforts by the County of San Diego, the State of California, and the San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy have greatly improved water quality, habitat and biodiversity.

History

Native American tribes hunted and gathered along the shores of the estuary at least 8,000 years before European settlers arrived. Shell middens, the refuse of hunting-gathering societies, show the earliest inhabitants relied heavily on coastal resources, including foods such as scallops, clams, shark, barracuda, bonito, and abalone. The ocean provided such a rich and constant source of food. These early people stayed at the coast for long periods. More recently, the Kumeyaay occupied the area. They traveled seasonally to take advantage of resources both along the coast and inland.

In 1769, the Portola Expedition named the area San Alejo in honor of Saint Alexius. In the early 1800s Spaniards and other Europeans settled the region and set up cattle ranches. The California Gold Rush brought an ever-increasing influx of people. Settlers established the community of Olivenhain, along Escondido Creek, as an experimental farming community. Farmers plowed and planted the riparian corridors upstream of the estuary. It was the first time humans radically changed the vegetation and terrain surrounding the lagoon. Non-native plants were introduced that later proved highly invasive.

In 2003, the Conservancy removed billboards, which had
loomed along Highway 101 and the estuary's inlet
for decades. (Photo: SELC archives)

Between 1880 and 1940 dikes and levees were built that allowed duck hunting, salt harvesting, and sewage settling ponds. The most permanent changes were the construction of the railroad, Pacific Coast Highway, and Interstate 5. Each required supporting berms that restricted water circulation and the natural influx of ocean water.

Other problems associated with construction include increases in sediment from surface erosion and road fill failures. Fine sediment can negatively affect reproductive and rearing success of aquatic populations.

In the 1960s various developments were proposed to cover the lagoon: condominiums, a golf course, a marina, a closed saltwater lake, and even a theme park with water rides. But the community ultimately said no. Citizens, scientists, lawyers, and neighbors who loved the lagoon and its wildlife formed the San Elijo Alliance, which successfully fought for its preservation.

Since that time the momentum of public support for the lagoon has continued. A $1.4 million grant from the Ford Motor Company in 2000 enabled the Conservancy to purchase additional acreage. The Rancho Santa Fe Foundation has also been instrumental in adding more land to the reserve.

In 2007, the County of San Diego, the State of California, and the San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy signed a cooperative agreement for the operation and maintenance of the San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve. The agreement had been in the works for the past four years and will be in effect for 25 years. It supersedes the original agreement of May 1981 between the State of California Department of Fish and Game and the County of San Diego, which had expired in June 2006.