Ritchie Creek 163 Acres

Details - Want to know a bit more?

This 163+ acre is located on Eagle Peak Road. It is adjacent to a 50+ acre property we recently acquired thanks to the engagement of more than 200 people who donated to the acquisition fund. That property included the incredible 300 foot Mildred Falls - a seasonal waterfall. It is now permanently conserved.

But we didn't start our work in this area with the Mildred Falls acquisition. Mildred Falls is a feature of the Ritchie Creek Watershed, an area that drains into the San Diego River. We identified this as a drainage we had a chance to conserve. We have also found that it is a very important ecological area.

The exciting news is we have successfully conserved all but 3 privately owned properties. If all of those properties can be conserved, then all the creeks in this area can be returned to a wild condition.

This is one of the remaining properties! Protecting what remains will have far reaching benefits for the health of the river and the wildlife that live here while designing a trail system in synergy with the ecosystem.

This property has been on our watch list for more than two decades. A few years ago the owner let us know he was interested in selling the property. We begin to work with him. Soon he agreed to take several parcels he owned and create one with 163 acres. He would sell this one property while he retained a 36 acre property with a house on it. It was going to take some time to work this out. Late in 2025, he let us know that he was ready to move ahead with selling the property. We, of course, let him know we remained very interested and wanted to see if we can work out a deal before he decided to list it for sale. We have now agreed to terms, and our next step is to secure the agreement with a deposit. We then will have up to 1 year to raise the remaining funds through grants and gifts to complete the purchase. To apply for grant funding, we will need to document the property and the wildlife that lives there. The owner has been great to work with!

This 163+ acre property has incredible potential. Once acquired, we will be able to remove a small dam that was constructed to create, as far as we know, a cattle pond. We will explore how best to do this while supporting some targeted species such as the southwestern pond turtle. We will rewild this scarred area and work toward a thriving, sustainable ecosystem. At the same time, we will become stewards of a documented wildlife movement area for deer, cougar, bobcats, and other species, native grasslands, riparian habitat, and more. the elimination or redesign of the pond, will enhance Mildred Falls, too. The property has the added benefit of connecting the main part of our Bathtub Creek Preserve with a 35 acre property acquired several years ago.

After reading, that if you have questions, please let us know. We would love you to join with us to raise the funds needed to take action so we secure the right to buy the property and conserve it.

If you would like more information, a map of the area, or have any questions, please let us know.

Thank you!