County OKs Buying Land Near Poway For Habitat Protection

SAN DIEGO, CA - County supervisors Wednesday approved the purchase of 160 acres of unincorporated land near the city of Poway that will be used for habitat protection.

The board voted 4-0 -- Supervisor Jim Desmond was absent -- to buy the property located east of state Route 67 near Poway Road, which features chaparral and coast live oak woodland, and is home to deer, mountain lions and the coastal California gnatcatcher.

According to the county Land Use and Environment Group, the purchase will preserve a wildlife corridor, and could provide trail connections to Iron Mountain, Boulder Oaks and other preserves and trails in the area.

The county is negotiating the purchase with owner Iron Mountain Estates, said Steve Schmidt, spokesman for board Chairwoman Dianne Jacob. The land is appraised at $1.28 million, Schmidt said.

The board rescheduled a public hearing on a potential land purchase in Alpine until its next meeting, Feb. 27.

The county is considering acquiring 98 acres located near South Grade Road and east of Tavern Road to create a park. The property is owned by Wright's Field Partnership and valued at $1,370,000, according to documents posted to the board agenda.

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