Biological Diversity in the Rose Creek Watershed

The ecological value of the undeveloped land in the Rose Creek Watershed is in its diversity of native vegetation communities, which provide a wide variety of essential animal habitats.

North facing slopes are characterized by southern mixed chaparral and non-native grassland. Scrub willow, willow riparian forest, and coast live oak riparian occupy the creeks and adjacent terraces, and freshwater marsh habitat occurs intermittently along the drainages. The south-facing slopes support coastal sage scrub and non-native and native grasslands. A small remnant of flat mesa in the area of Nobel Drive and I-805 supports a vernal pool complex ( vernal pools).

Native Plant Restoration Projects in the Rose Creek Watershed

The Miramar Marine Corps Air Station also includes native plant restoration projects but they are not accessible to the public.   

Beyond the sighting of conspicuous urban species such as the striped skunk, opossum, raccoon, and cottontail rabbit, other more secretive species also occupy the undeveloped land in the Rose Creek Watershed but are observed less often. Coyote, mule deer, bobcat, and even gray fox still occur but are weary of human presence. One way of confirming their presence is their distinctive sign they leave behind in the form of tracks and scat.

Natural Resources of the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar

The land area of the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar is rich in sensitive natural resources. MCAS Miramar has developed an Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan (INRMP) to manage the natural resources on the base. The primary purpose of the INRMP is to integrate MCAS Miramar's land use needs in support of its military mission with the management and conservation of natural resources. The INRMP establishes MCAS Miramar's approach and guidelines relative to natural resources to accomplish this end. Their efforts include the removal of exotic invasives and restoration of degraded areas.

Exotic Invasive Species

Scientists are very concerned about the impacts of all types of urban development on the natural resources of our state, especially the impacts associated with the introduction of exotic invasive species. Exotic species are those that aren’t native to our region (i.e., they didn’t evolve here); invasive species are those that spread rapidly and aggressively and will take over the territory of other plants. Much of the vegetation in the Rose Creek Watershed has been disturbed by urban development, although urban runoff has resulted in luxuriant plant growth in certain areas. Exotic invasive species are found throughout the watershed.

According to the California Invasive Plant Council (Cal-IPC) our natural wild lands are under attack by exotic invasive plants. As native habitat is replaced by exotic plants, we lose many species of birds, insects, fish and other wildlife. This is of great concern in San Diego County and in the Rose Creek Watershed.

It has been estimated that invasive pest plants cost California hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Here are some examples:

• Tamarisk, or salt cedar, infests 1.5 million acres in wetland and riparian areas in the American southwest. These trees use more water than native species and sterilize the soil.
• Arundo, or giant reed, fuels dangerous wildfires, causes local flooding, consumes more water than natives, and eliminates native plants and wildlife habitat.
• Pampas grass invades and degrades habitats along the entire California coastline.
• Eucalyptus fuels disastrous fires in the Oakland Hills, in Santa Barbara, and elsewhere.

Fortunately, many people have volunteered for years to remove exotic invasive plant species from the public park lands in the Rose Creek Watershed. While the battle is not over, those volunteer efforts have made a tremendous difference. In particular, the Tri-canyon Weed Warriors, the Rose Creek Recreation Council, volunteers with the Tri-canyon Park Rangers, the Friends of Rose Canyon, Mike Kelly of the Conservation Resources Network and countless other volunteers have spent thousands of hours removing exotic invasive species from the watershed.

The Dirty Dozen Exotic Plant Species in the Rose Creek Watershed

Private property owners have an important role to play in improving the health of the watershed as many of the “seed sources” of these pests are found on private lands; seeds are blown or carried by wildlife into the public lands, complicating eradication efforts.

Click Here to find out more about the "Dirty Dozen"

Our thanks to the City of San Diego; Ed Ervin of Merkel and Associates, Dr. Susan Hector; Mike Kelly of the Conservation Resources Network; Carrie Schneider of the California Native Plant Society; Ben Stevenson of the Rose Canyon Recreation Council; Mark Woodworth with the Tri-canyon Weed Warriors; Tri-canyon park volunteer Joe Matista; landscape architect Kay Stewart; Dave Boyer of MCAS Miramar, Natural Resources Division; The Nature Conservancy and the Friends of Rose Canyon for their help with the information in this section.