County accepts Wilderness Gardens gate donation

The County of San Diego has accepted the donation of a solar-powered iron entrance gate for Wilderness Gardens Preserve.

The May 11 vote authorizes the county’s Department of Parks and Recreation to accept the gate, valued at $15,484, from Friends of Wilderness Gardens Preserve. The supervisors’ action also found the installation of the gate to be categorically exempt from California Environmental Quality Act review.

Wilderness Gardens Preserve because the County of San Diego’s first open space preserve in 1970. The 720-acre Pala preserve contains a mix of diverse habitats including grassland, riparian, coastal sage, oak woodland, and mixed chaparral and is known as a safe haven for migratory birds. The preserve also contains more than seven miles of hiking trails along with a staging area and a park headquarters.

The Department of Parks and Recreation manages Wilderness Gardens Preserve with the help of Friends of Wilderness Gardens Preserve. The preserve is currently open Wednesday through Monday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and while the growth in northern San Diego County and southern Riverside County has resulted in a greater number of visitors to Wilderness Gardens Preserve, the increased traffic on Highway 76 has also made the preserve more difficult to secure when it is closed to the public.

Friends of Wilderness Gardens Preserve offered to donate a solar-powered iron gate for installation at the preserve entrance. That gate will increase security for the preserve during the hours the park is closed. Because the value of the gate exceeds $5,000, approval by the Board of Supervisors was necessary for acceptance of the donation.

Friends of Wilderness Gardens Preserve will work directly with a vendor to purchase and install the gate, although the Department of Parks and Recreation will have the final design approval and will oversee the installation. The Department of Parks and Recreation will be responsible for any maintenance costs related to the gate.