The San Diego River Park Foundation conducts an annual survey in which volunteers go out to our preserves and document the presence or absence of American badgers (Taxidea taxus).
The survey will cover our Eagle Peak Ranch property and will consist of hiking and bushwhacking through coastal sage scrub terrain. Please wear a hat and sunscreen, long sleeves, long pants and sturdy close-toed shoes. Please bring plenty of drinking water and snacks. The meeting location will be at Eagle Peak Ranch: 5030 Eagle Peak Rd, Julian, CA 92036. Please keep an eye out for an email before the event for more information.
Why Badgers?
The American badger is a mid-size predator, and a unique and iconic mammal that may act as an umbrella species for a large suite of animal species that occupy upland habitats in San Diego County. Because of their very large home ranges, information on how badgers use and navigate the landscape can also be used to help evaluate how the interconnected conserved lands are working to preserve San Diego's unique biodiversity.
Their large home ranges, low densities, and low fecundity make them particularly vulnerable to habitat fragmentation and road mortality. The American badger is a covered species under the San Diego Multiple Species Conservation Plan (MSCP) and has been identified by the San Diego Monitoring and Management Program (SDMMP) Connectivity Monitoring Strategic Plan as a target species for monitoring regional-scale functional connectivity of upland and grassland habitats and is considered to be at risk of loss from the SDMMP Management Strategic Plan Area (MSPA).
This event is part of our annual River Days. To learn more, go to www.sdriverdays.org.
