In April, EHL purchased 314 acres of coastal sage scrub habitat to provide a southern expansion of the Crestridge Ecological Reserve, located east of El Cajon in San Diego County. 



Owned by the Calif. Dept. of Fish and Game, the 2,638-acre Crestridge Ecological Reserve is a cornerstone of the Multiple Species Conservation Program, or MSCP. It is also the home of youth education programs run by EHL’s Earth Discovery Institute. This expansion provides a crucial link between the main Reserve to the north and the Sweetwater River Valley and the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge to the south.

Over 20 sensitive, threatened or endangered species are present on these newly-conserved lands, including California gnatcatchers, golden eagles, orange-throated whiptails and San Diego horned lizards. The purchase was completed in collaboration with a newly formed land trust, the Endangered Habitats Conservancy, using grant funds from the California Wildlife Conservation Board.