Looking for a unique outdoor space to explore and deepen your connection with nature? Check out our Cienega Canyon Preserve!
Located in the city of Calimesa in San Timoteo Canyon, this 358-acre property encompasses a unique array of natural landscapes including riparian woodland along a perennial creek, coastal sage scrub and chaparral on steep rugged hillsides, oak woodland nestled in the valleys, and a seasonally flooded cienega. Rivers & Lands Conservancy acquired Cienega Canyon Preserve in 2003 with grant funds from the California Wildlife Conservation Board. Since then, the property has been open to the public for low-impact activities such as hiking, bicycling, and bird watching.
Cienega Canyon Preserve provides an oasis of valuable habitat for local plants and wildlife and important open space for people. Through our Cienega Canyon Preserve Conservation Program, we are actively engaging the public and partners in ongoing habitat restoration projects, outdoor recreation programming, and education activities on the Preserve. Keep reading below to learn more about this special place and how you can care for and enjoy it as well.
But first, what’s a “cienega”?
A cienega is a unique type of wetland found in the American Southwest. Undisturbed cienegas are characterized as wet meadows with permanently saturated soils that are found within otherwise dry environments. The hydrology of many cienegas, including the namesake of our Preserve, have been hydrologically altered or drained to make the land more suitable for agricultural or residential use. As a result, cienegas are now incredibly rare ecosystems.
Rivers & Lands Conservancy is working to restore our cienega and bring it closer to historic conditions for the benefit of native plants and wildlife, as well as for the water resource conservation value that is so important to our region.
“The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn,” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Did you know oak woodlands are home to more types of plants and animals than any other land-based ecosystem in California?
Acting as the backbone of oak woodlands, oaks are among the most important plants for local wildlife with over 300 native species directly depending on them for essential food, shelter, nesting sites, and camouflage materials. All parts of the oaks, including the leaves, acorns, flowers, sap, branches, bark, trunk, and roots support an incredible variety of birds, mammals, insects, reptiles, and amphibians. Oaks also play a critical role in supporting local plantlife. The fallen leaves of oaks decompose slowly and enrich the surrounding soil for other plants to thrive. Their deep roots also help to prevent erosion and stabilize growing conditions. And oaks host important pollinators and seed dispersers (like birds and insects) that are critical to maintaining flowering plant populations.
The role of oaks in sustaining biodiversity in our communities is one of many reasons why oak conservation is so vital and why Rivers & Lands Conservancy is honored to care for the Preserve’s 80-acre woodland.
Unfortunately, oak woodlands are threatened and face many challenges, including drought, pests, and disease.
Most of the oaks growing in the Preserve are known as “coast live oaks” (Quercus agrifolia). Typically found within 60 miles of the California coastline, coast live oaks are an iconic California native, evergreen tree, reaching over 80 feet in height. They are known for their dark green leaves, unique branching pattern, and long, narrow acorns. These majestic species can live for centuries with an average lifespan of over 250 years. However, many of the coast live oaks found at the Preserve and throughout California are experiencing shorter lifespans and increased mortality rates due to prolonged periods of drought, introduced pests such as goldspotted oak borer, and diseases such as sudden oak death.
To address these challenges, Rivers & Lands Conservancy is working with local community partners, volunteers, and students to protect and restore oak woodland habitat at the Preserve. Together we can ensure these oak trees will be a lasting part of this landscape for future generations of wildlife and people.
ACCESS: The Preserve can be accessed by three locations as shown on the map: the Crenshaw Street trailhead, the O’Grady Court trailhead, and the Palmer Avenue utility road trailhead. These access points exist within neighborhoods – please be courteous and respectful to the residents. The metal swing gate off San Timoteo Canyon Road remains locked and is accessible to authorized vehicles only.
HOURS: Cienega Canyon Preserve is open to the public from sunrise to sunset.
ALLOWABLE ACTIVITIES: We welcome and encourage low-impact activities like walking, hiking, running, bicycling, bird watching, geocaching, nature journaling, meditating, picnicking, nature photography, and other activities that celebrate and preserve the ecological integrity of the site.
NON-ALLOWABLE ACTIVITIES: High-impact activities like driving motor vehicles (including motorized dirt bikes and ATVs), fires, introducing non-native species, littering, destroying or removing natural resources, and any other activities that could potentially harm the fragile trails, wildlife and plantlife found at the site are not allowed.
RESTROOM: There is no restroom currently on site. Please plan accordingly with a pitstop before visiting.
Community-Based Stewardship & Restoration
You can make a positive difference on the local environment by helping Rivers & Lands Conservancy staff with a variety of ongoing stewardship and restoration tasks at the Preserve! We host volunteer events throughout the year where community members assist with unique, hands-on activities such as harvesting acorns, planting oak seedlings, and watering and weeding planting sites. No prior experience or special supplies needed – we provide all the necessary knowledge, training, and tools.
Look for upcoming volunteer opportunities on our website calendar, on our Instagram and Facebook pages, and within our e-newsletter. We hope to see you at a future event at the Preserve!
Community Outreach & Learning Events
Coming soon!! One of our goals is to provide more outreach and learning opportunities for the surrounding community through activities like guided bird walks, insect surveys, native plant identification sessions, outdoor yoga, nature writing classes, and other fun nature-based excursions on the Preserve. We’d love to get more individuals, families, and friends to love the Preserve as much as we do through positive outdoor experiences.
Interested in joining us for these types of activities on the Preserve or have a suggestion for events you would like to see us offer? Fill out our interest form here. (DONT LET ME FORGET TO MAKE A FORM _RO)
Acorns to Oaks Environmental Education Program
Acorns to Oaks introduces local students to oak ecology and stewardship through hands-on restoration of native coast live oak woodland at Cienega Canyon Preserve. Learn more on our Acorns to Oaks Environmental Education Program Page.
You can support the future of Cienega Canyon Preserve! Something something something the quick gray fox jumped over the lazy brown dog
Volunteer
Volunteer blah blah blah . Join our newsletter to keep up to date with current happenings and volunteer opportunities. Check our calendar.
Donate
Donate or become a member! Every donation of every size matters. We depend on support from grantors, corporate sponsors, and community members to restore, maintain, and improve the preserve for wildlife and the public.
Thank you for helping ensure wild open spaces remain for all the benefits they provide!
Stay in Touch!
Rivers & Lands Conservancy envisions Cienega Canyon Preserve as a respite for the surrounding community, an environmental learning lab for our youth, and a forever home for the wildlife that depends on its habitat. We are in the early stages of evaluating the constraints and opportunities of this vision and hope the community will join us in our efforts to realize the Preserve’s potential.
If you are interested in being kept informed about happenings and programs at Cienega Canyon Preserve, please click here to share your information and we’ll keep you informed! AGAIN REBECCA MAKE THAT FORM
