Mudslides Destroy in One Day What Took Years to Create

Just days after Loma Linda maintenance crews thought they had completed one of the city’s wildlife habitat preservation areas, nature sent them back to the drawing board.

“We had planted native plant species,” said Jeff Peterson, an associate engineer. “We had it established. We had finished it right before Christmas.”

Then, on Dec. 22, a torrent of mud and water swept down Mountain View Avenue, pushing past gates and around the walls of the Plaza Mini Storage and into the refuge, destroying years of work costing at least more than $100,000.

A large section is now caked with mud, officials said. They will have to redo it.

The area was designated as a habitat thanks to a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency awarded more than four years ago. Redlands and San Bernardino County partnered with Loma Linda to create several habitat areas, according to official records.

“It’s an area for wildlife, not for humans,” Peterson said. “It’s a place where birds can stop where they won’t be near people as they (migrate) through the area.”

The project is meant to preserve and enhance the native habitat along a portion of San Timoteo Creek corridor, EPA officials said.

Three habitat pods were set up within Loma Linda’s city limits, Peterson said. They were developed in three phases. More were created in Redlands and in county areas along 6.58 linear miles of San Timoteo drainage way, according to EPA records.

Peterson did not immediately know exactly how much they received or how large the Loma Linda pods were.