Gains Made on Wildlife Corridor in Loma Linda

By Stephen Wall

LOMA LINDA – City officials have taken the first step toward converting San Timoteo Creek into a wildlife and recreation corridor.

The City Council last week approved hiring a consultant to enhance wildlife and plant habitat next to the creek.

FS Construction of Sylmar will be paid nearly $174,000 to plant native trees and shrubs and install irrigation systems on two city- owned parcels next to the Barton Road bridge crossing the creek.

The work is expected to be done within a month, officials said.

The city is trying to acquire additional land to continue restoration along other parts of the creek, said Associate Engineer Jeff Peterson.

The city was awarded a grant of nearly $2 million from the federal Environmental Protection Agency to preserve open space along the creek.

“San Timoteo Creek is an important corridor for both wildlife and recreation,” Councilman Robert Ziprick said.

Ziprick said the city’s long-term goal is to complete a trail along the creek to the Redlands border and eventually continue through San Timoteo Canyon to Beaumont and Banning. He also would like the creek trail to connect to the Santa Ana River trail, which is planned from the San Bernardino Mountains to the Pacific Ocean.

The area of the channel above the community of Bryn Mawr is conducive to a variety of bird habitats, including for red-winged blackbirds.

Water accumulates in the basins of the channel, creating a wetlands system that allows migratory birds and plants to thrive, officials said.

“Bird habitat is very important, and we’re concerned about maintaining and improving it,” Ziprick said.

Migratory birds traveling from Canada to South America use San Timoteo Creek as a flyway to reach their destination. The area is inhabited by resident birds as well.

“You have a lot of birds that are being squeezed out by development,” Peterson said. “There is no place for them to stop, rest and feed. This is an area that historically has had water. We are trying to maintain it in a somewhat natural condition mostly for the birds, but also for other wildlife such as small animals.”

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