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 South Rim and Eagle Peak Preserve properties 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 exact meeting location is on Eagle Peak Road HERE, but subject to change. Please keep an eye out for an email before the event.
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 will occur at our South Rim property located near Pine Hills. Please wear a hat and sunscreen, long sleeves, long pants and sturdy close-toed shoes. Please bring plenty of drinking water, snacks, and a comfortable backpack. We are scheduled to be out from 8am to 2pm, so please bring enough water. If you are not familiar with the South Rim property, we will have to hike around a mile to get to the property, which includes elevation gain.
